Picture: July 4th parade at Unalaska. Notice that most people are in winter clothing and it is the middle of the summer! We found most of the local people to be extremely friendly and helpful, especially the Filipinos, which comprise 70% of population!

The Aleutian Grand Hotel, the one and only hotel in Dutch Harbor, has a fabulous brunch (breakfast and lunch) every Sunday, which I read about on one of the blogs. Even during our long crossing we were already anticipating the feast. By the time we arrived at the hotel George and his crew from S/V "Lady Jane", were already filling their stomachs. Indeed it was one of the best buffets I have ever had. I usually do not like buffets because I have experienced situations where the food is left out in the open for many hours - a bit unsanitary I think. Also, when that is the case, the food is quite ordinary. On top of that, we usually overeat. However, the feast at the hotel was unusual; it was filled with fresh seafood like Alaskan king crab, shrimps, smoked salmon (different kinds), cream cheese, eggs, ham, bacons, assorted dessert, juice, fresh fruit, salad and more! I loved the seafood, especially the king crab! We ate and ate until our tummies could hold no more. With limited food intake during the passage, our stomachs actually shrank so we could not eat as much. We do not have a scale but I am sure we have both lost weight.

There are two grocery stores here, Safeway and Alaska Grocery Shipping Company, which includes food, hardware, clothing and liquor. I was a bit shocked at the price of fruit and vegetables. One medium size tomato was $2.60 and four small apples were over $8.00. I almost bought a cantaloupe but when I asked the casher if that was any good; he told me I should not buy it because he suspected it would be rotten inside. Everything is shipped in and we are told most fishermen here just buy whatever they need regardless the price.

We went to see the fireworks at Front Beach at midnight on the 4th of July, the earliest time that we can see the firework is at midnight because we have such long daylight. We were able to see from the top of the hill. George and his crew from S/V "Lady Jane" were with us. Afterwards, we were all invited to a party a short distance from where we were viewing the fireworks. Ted and I have not been to parties where loud music blasts one's eardrums in a long while. One of the harbor masters invited us to join them. They had a bonfire and were shooting off a few fireworks. All and all, it was not a bad party. People were not drinking (we did not drink at all) and the music was not that loud since it was outside. We met and talked to some local people. Ted and I had an enjoyable 4th of July; the first one that we have celebrated in years since, for the last five years, we have been abroad during this time of the year.