December 2007 Cruise News

Special Edition

Hello everyone:

As you may have gathered from our cruise news the last few years, it can get boring in Alaska during the winter.  So to spark up the winter this year we decided to get married.  Yes, after living together for 17 years in "near bliss" as Chuck calls it, we got married Alaska style.  I was just kidding about the boredom part.  We make sure we have plenty to do to keep ourselves entertained.  We got married on Sunday, December 9th here in Sitka at the Starrigavan Bird Viewing Shelter.  Our friend and "adopted son", David, obtained a Marriage Commissioner court order for the one day and performed the wedding.  So after 59 years of not being married and named Chris Bach, I am now married and my name is Chris Woods.  WOW!!!  Below are the photos from the wedding and the reception we had later at the Fly-In Fish Inn Pub.

We were hoping for snow but it was not meant to be. Luckily, it was warm enough for us to get married without our jackets.  In true outdoor Alaska fashion, we wore our Carhartts and ExtraTuff boots. 

I had to halt the ceremony to dig for some tissues.  I started getting sentimental and my nose was running out of control.  I'm crying and Chuck's laughing at me.  Not a good way to start a marriage. 

David is having fun.

It's done!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We had a very small wedding party.  Mike and Claudia (with their dog Tipper) were our witnesses and photographers.  Deb, Bob, David (the Wedding Commissioner) and his friend Kimberly, were also in attendance. Here are the ladies checking out my wedding ring and a bling bracelet I made for the occasion. 

Immediately after the wedding, our jackets came back on.

Chuck corralled David before the festivities (read drinking) got started so he could sign the wedding certificate.

We had our reception at the Fly-In Fish Inn Pub.  The Pub is right on the water so the scenery is beautiful.  Gary, the harmonica player, asked if he could bring the rest of his band members from their band, Belly Meat. They are definitely a dancing or foot stomping kind of band.

We had a wonderful time eating, drinking and dancing.

Those that were not dancing were playing the spoons (far left).

I think this was when I was trying to follow Chuck in a waltz.

There were about 17 people at the reception.  We're pretty sure everyone had a good time.  We sure did. 

A week later it snowed.  This is Swan Lake.  I walk past this view every day on my way to work.

It was a winter wonderland.

Not every day looked like this but there were enough of these kinds of days to forgive the really ugly ones.

And, of course on December 22nd we had to attend the annual Polar Dip where

all kinds of dips dip. There was approximately 200 of them dipping.  Check out the snow on the ground.  The water temperature was about 43 degrees.  Brrrrrrrr.

When we have a high tide and 25 foot seas out in the ocean, things can get very rolly at the docks.  This photo tells the tale.  When we took this photo, it wasn't even high tide yet.  How can a knee high seawall keep out rolling seas?  Good question.  The Harbor Department keeps asking the Army Corps of Engineers the same question since they built the wall.  The Corps built a $1M model of the harbor and ran gobs of tests and still haven't figured it out.

Our wedding day was a very special day celebrated with special friends.  However, we wish we could have shared the day with ALL of our friends from everywhere.  Maybe with these pictures we will.  We hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!

Chris and Chuck Woods