The Stroller was sitting enveloped in his overstuffed, leather chair, feet propped comfortably on the hassock, gazing with heavy eyelids into the river rock fireplace at the last vestiges of the once roaring fire.  The room was cast in a faded, burnt orange, hue as the flames slowly subsided into glowing embers.  The weekly meeting of his “investment club” had just broken up.  As usual, the Stroller did not follow the offered financial advice and found his well worn wallet thinner by $43.25.

The Stroller was reflecting on the political conversation that had dominated the “investment seminar” through out the evening.  The topic started with analysis of Friday’s Presidential debate between Senators Barack Obama and John McCain but moved quickly to the upcoming Thursday evening debate between Vice Presidential candidates Senator Joe Biden of Delaware and our own Governor Sarah.

Fall is the Stroller’s favorite time of the year in Alaska.  The colorful foliage accents termination dusted mountains.  The first frosts spur local gardeners to hurry completion of their harvest.  Hunters stalk big game meat to join the summer seafood harvest in rapidly filling freezers.  Down filled clothing begins to replace nylon and cotton.  A hint of snows to come perfumes the crisp air.  Winter, and the general election, is just around the corner.

The Stroller and the Sages of South Franklin Street had gathered around the old river rock fireplace to digest our share of a mini potlatch featuring  wild Alaska salmon dill pie, local green beans, fresh baked dinner rolls and a wonderful homemade blueberry pie contributed by “The Jewels of the North” who, in addition to her  skills as a mixologist is also an excellent cook.  The conversation on this evening focused on the upcoming election for Alaska’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives between Republican incumbent Don Young and his Democratic challenger, Ethan Berkowitz.

As the last of the summer cruise ships show their fan tail to The Great Land and slip silently southbound down the Lynn Canal  to the warmer (and dryer) “civilized” climes of the “Lower 48″, Alaska’s capital city has begun to reclaim itself from the throngs of credit card waving, t-shirt buying, Wild Alaska Salmon munching visitors and enjoy a brief respite before the invasion of our fair city by the legislative circus in January.

The Stroller took advantage of the semi-deserted sidewalks and navigated his way down South Franklin Street to the friendly confines of Juneau’s Triangle Club and a warm welcome from “Jewels”, the highly skilled mixologist behind the Triangle’s plank for most of the last twenty years.  Known as “The Jewels of the North” this charming, attractive woman has probably seen more of, and knows more about, our public servants, elected or otherwise, than all the pundits and talking heads combined.  Fortunately for them, Jewels keeps her own counsel and is a paragon of discretion.   Think “Miss Kitty” from Gunsmoke.

Now that the initial furor over Governor Sarah’s nomination as Senator John McCain’s running mate has begun to ebb, the Stroller has taken the opportunity to catch his breath and reflect on the impact of the nomination on our local and statewide races.  In addition to the Presidential election, contests for the United States Senate, United States House of Representatives, half of the State Senate and all forty members of the State House are also on the ballot.

Speculating on an upcoming election, be it for a spot on the cheer-leading team or Vice President of the United States, has always been cause for “in the know” Alaskans to throw another log on the fire, kick back with a large wedge of Douglas Island Blueberry pie, and speak knowingly of the people and issues demanding our reasoned judgement.  The Stroller and various astute Sages from South Franklin Street are no different.  Alaska is a small town.  We all know each other personally or know someone who knows someone personally, making us all certified “experts”.  It is a sober business at hand and the Sages take their role in this momentous decision seriously, especially this year.  Governor Sarah’s surprise candidacy, the nation’s spotlight illuminating our state, warts and all, for all to see, are volatile fodder for debate. They are also creating a reflection of ourselves many Alaskans find difficult to recognize.  We seem to have become collateral damage to the intense and invasive antics of the national campaigns and press.

This past week, ABC’s Charles (“Charlie” to Governor Sarah) Gibson had the privilege of participating in the first public audience Republican Vice Presidential Candidate,  Governor Sarah, has granted.

The Stroller watched the spectacle, surrounded by many of the South Franklin Street Sages.  The Sages observed the event much the way the Stroller imagines NASCAR fans watch the last fifty laps of the big race at Darlington, privately anticipating the big wreck while vehemently professing their desire for a clean race to the flag.

In the aftermath of Governor Sarah’s igloo melting speech last Wednesday at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul (the city in Minnesota not the island in the Pribilof’s), the Stroller has had time to reflect on, of all things, its content; what she included and what she left out. The national pundits, both print and electronic, jumped all over “The Bridge to Nowhere”, the sale of Governor Murkowski’s jet and the ear mark funding she so gratefully accepted on our behalf before lambasting our Congressional delegation for gaming the funds.

The Stroller believes they missed one, one that lends insight into the Governor and her “hands off” management style.

It was late Wednesday afternoon on the day of “THE SPEECH”. The Stroller had finally finished consuming more than his fair share of fresh homemade Douglas Island blueberry pie. The crust so lite and flaky, the burst of flavor from fresh picked Douglas Island blueberries brightened with just a pinch of fresh lemon zest, had left him satiated and content, ready to brave the throngs of cruise ship passengers wandering aimlessly down both sides of the sidewalk bordering Juneau’s legendary South Franklin Street.

South Franklin Street, the name conjures the smell of sea air mixed with the aroma of cigar smoke, whiskey and stale beer; images of docks, false front buildings, waterfront hotels and, as Tom Waits wrote, “swizzle stick knees scissored over a Naugahyde stool”. In its hey days South Franklin Street was home to about twenty saloons. The New York, Mary Joyce’s Top Hat and Lucky Lady , the Occidental, the Dreamland and the Pamaray Club, Sweeny’s, The Victory and the old Viking and Red Dog Saloon.

It has been five days since the Stroller was awaken by the early morning phone call informing him of Governor Sarah’s pending ascension to the Republican nomination for Vice President of the United States of America. The residuals of his disbelief and his supply of fresh lemons has dissipated. The Stroller fears that the fascinating and painful spectacle of the national press dissecting and distorting the lives of Governor Sarah, her family and friends, might cause a statewide run on our supply of fresh lemons. Especially if his legion of friends follow his admonition that all things go down a lot smoother if you “just put a squirt of lemon in it”.

The Stroller fears more Alaskans are soon to endure an ordeal similar to that of Governor Sarah’s.