 By Anita Hales June 30, 2006
However, things will NEVER be the same again. We no longer have the Mill, the fishing industry is so costly that fishing fleets are becoming more corporate entities than family affairs. We can adapt to change or sit down at McDonalds and grumble with the rest of the old "farts". The world is shrinking and people are seeking a place to get away from it all for just a little while. Ketchikan has become one of those places. People love to see the wildlife, the beauty and the ruggedness of Alaska so it's no wonder people are flocking here. Perhaps we as Alaskans should be more generous and proud to show our beautiful area to people who live in concrete jungles and maybe a little proud that we have the right stuff to live here. In Hawaii, guests are showered with flowers and song as they arrive and made to feel welcome and are shown courtesy and honor. In Alaska, they are shuffled into tour busses and then to curio shops where they are greeted by cantankerous clerks or mooned and shouted at rudely by some locals. Perhaps we should learn from Hawaii and save ourselves a few ulcers. We'd be happier if we had better attitudes and the visitors would surely be left with a better experience of the wild Alaska they came to see. Anita Hales About: 40+ years residing in
Ketchikan and not wanting to move anywhere else.
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