Post by karlsie on Sept 25, 2009 3:31:42 GMT -5
It was a brisk, autumn day with the bright, gold leaves still simmering on the trees; a perfect day for walking to work. Walking is never a chore in Chugiak, unless it's below zero, which happens pretty often in the winter; or in other unpleasant conditions like pouring rain and strong winds; but that comes with the territory. We always say, if Alaska was warmer, we'd have a lot more people so it's better if she shows her nasty habits once in awhile to keep the faint-hearted at bay. We are ridged with mountains, the houses are far apart, and most of them set back from the main road.
One of the pleasantest parts of the walks is walking by the hub of Chugiak; a very small area that contains some closely set houses, a school, a church and a couple of small stores. This is the original township of Chugiak. All the buildings there date back to when the town was first founded in 1950.
Besides a zillion childhood memories, Old Chugiak has found an additional charm in recent years. It acquired a bubbling, innovative, tiny woman; pushing her middle aged years but still looking good, named Kelley. Kelley purchased what had started out as a church (a very small, plain one), was converted into a post office, then changed ownership several times, going through several transitions as a bridle, saddle and tack shop, an art studio and a grocery store. Kelley gave it a new false brick front, arranged old fashioned shutters into the windows and turned it into a knick knack shop. Within her store, she stuffed a hodge podge of collector items, antiques, period clothing and local hand crafts.
There's nothing truly amazing to say about her store; this type of enterprise is popular in every town. The amazing part is Kelley. Old timers and locals are just a bit clannish. They're friendly toward new-comers but don't immediately embrace them into their social niches. This didn't daunt Kelley. She made a special effort to meet each and every one of her neighbors, bringing them a special gift; usually a jar of home made jam or a scented candle, or sometimes offering a hot cup of tea with a dash of rum in cold weather. If they wanted to stand out in their yards or sit by the store in a lawn chair, she was accommodating.
It wasn't long before everyone was trimming up their houses, putting on fresh coats of paint that complimented the quaint atmosphere of Kelley's little store, and generally presenting a united neighborhood of flower pots, picket fences and rustic accessories.
(Kelley's store in Old Chugiak)
Even then, Kelley wasn't quite satisfied. She found an outhouse, one of those classic ones with a pointed roof and a crescent moon over the door, painted it the same brick red and placed it behind the store. The toilet inside actually had plumbing, but the purpose was a public toilet for the occasional wanderer and hiker that passed through the town.
Today, i noticed something new in Kelley's subversive design to cheer up the world. Across the highway from the store is a bus stop; one of those standard ones that consist of nothing more than a pole at the side of the rode promising you the bus stops there at certain times. Earlier this summer, she had placed a couple plastic and metal chairs out there so people could sit down while waiting for the bus. Today, she had added something more. A long piece of weather beaten driftwood had been tacked to the pole. In the center was a basket of nicely arranged, artificial flowers.
Of course, i smiled. Of course, i shook my head. I couldn't help but compare our cheerful little bus stop with the ones in Anchorage. In Anchorage, they had booths to shelter you from the cold, with benches inside. Some even have heaters. Vandals periodically break the windows of the booths, try to dismantle the heaters and cover the walls with pornography. All we had was a metal pole announcing a bus stop, but Kelley made it something more; something better. If every town had a Kelley, the world would be a better place, but since there aren't so many Kelleys to go around, i'm glad we got one.
One of the pleasantest parts of the walks is walking by the hub of Chugiak; a very small area that contains some closely set houses, a school, a church and a couple of small stores. This is the original township of Chugiak. All the buildings there date back to when the town was first founded in 1950.
Besides a zillion childhood memories, Old Chugiak has found an additional charm in recent years. It acquired a bubbling, innovative, tiny woman; pushing her middle aged years but still looking good, named Kelley. Kelley purchased what had started out as a church (a very small, plain one), was converted into a post office, then changed ownership several times, going through several transitions as a bridle, saddle and tack shop, an art studio and a grocery store. Kelley gave it a new false brick front, arranged old fashioned shutters into the windows and turned it into a knick knack shop. Within her store, she stuffed a hodge podge of collector items, antiques, period clothing and local hand crafts.
There's nothing truly amazing to say about her store; this type of enterprise is popular in every town. The amazing part is Kelley. Old timers and locals are just a bit clannish. They're friendly toward new-comers but don't immediately embrace them into their social niches. This didn't daunt Kelley. She made a special effort to meet each and every one of her neighbors, bringing them a special gift; usually a jar of home made jam or a scented candle, or sometimes offering a hot cup of tea with a dash of rum in cold weather. If they wanted to stand out in their yards or sit by the store in a lawn chair, she was accommodating.
It wasn't long before everyone was trimming up their houses, putting on fresh coats of paint that complimented the quaint atmosphere of Kelley's little store, and generally presenting a united neighborhood of flower pots, picket fences and rustic accessories.
(Kelley's store in Old Chugiak)
Even then, Kelley wasn't quite satisfied. She found an outhouse, one of those classic ones with a pointed roof and a crescent moon over the door, painted it the same brick red and placed it behind the store. The toilet inside actually had plumbing, but the purpose was a public toilet for the occasional wanderer and hiker that passed through the town.
Today, i noticed something new in Kelley's subversive design to cheer up the world. Across the highway from the store is a bus stop; one of those standard ones that consist of nothing more than a pole at the side of the rode promising you the bus stops there at certain times. Earlier this summer, she had placed a couple plastic and metal chairs out there so people could sit down while waiting for the bus. Today, she had added something more. A long piece of weather beaten driftwood had been tacked to the pole. In the center was a basket of nicely arranged, artificial flowers.
Of course, i smiled. Of course, i shook my head. I couldn't help but compare our cheerful little bus stop with the ones in Anchorage. In Anchorage, they had booths to shelter you from the cold, with benches inside. Some even have heaters. Vandals periodically break the windows of the booths, try to dismantle the heaters and cover the walls with pornography. All we had was a metal pole announcing a bus stop, but Kelley made it something more; something better. If every town had a Kelley, the world would be a better place, but since there aren't so many Kelleys to go around, i'm glad we got one.