My grandmother was an ambitious and headstrong woman and wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. However, after my grandfather’s passing, she was more soft-spoken and kept to herself. In the same month, she packed all she had and moved to Alaska, without much explanation. My mother worried a lot about her and urged her to come back and live with us, but she never budged. When my mother asked why, she replied gently, “My place is here.” As a result, every winter break we would board a plane to Fairbanks, Alaska, and from there we would drive for an hour from the airport to my grandmother’s home in Pleasant Valley.
When I was younger I hated the long journey, however, as I matured over the years I found there to be a soothing calmness. Every time I’d
My mother and grandmother made sure each visit was a memorable one. We would travel all over Alaska and go on nature tours, scale mountains, and ice fishing. However, my fondest moments took place late at night on my grandma’s rooftop.
At first, my mother was reluctant, arguing I would contract a cold; however, my grandmother was incredibly persistent. Eventually, my mother caved in and one night gathered all the blankets in the house, a large body pillow, and a family sized bag of trail mix. I already knew what was happening and I couldn’t contain my excitement.
“Come on honey lets go,” my mother hesitated.
My grandmother led me out to the deck and lifted me up onto the rooftop. Once she saw that I was safe, she helped my mother carry and lay out the blankets and pillow. In just a few minutes, I was tucked in between my mother on my left and my grandmother on my right. It seemed like a scene straight out of a fairytale, but there it was. Above us were colored waves that moved slowly across the speckled night sky, and we just laid there in utter awe. All that could be heard was the low whirling of the wind and my grandmother humming “Close To You” by the