Here are some shots of the sunset over the area. The house I live in is on a little bay called Jamestown Bay. There were a few days last we when we were blessed with some beautiful sunsets. I grew up watching the sun rise over the ocean (on the east coast of Australia) so it is different to see the sun set over the ocean. This stretch of water is beautiful, pristine and protected by the surounding islands so there isn't too much ocean swell.
I mentioned in my last blog entry that Alaska was once on the other side of the International Date Line; the shifting of the International Date Line to its present position now means that Alaska is one of the last places in the world to see the sunset!! You see, Alaska was once owned and governed by Russia, therefore Russia's day actually began in Alaska! Russia agreed to sell Alaska to the United States and the sale took place in 1867. Under Russian rule Alaska followed the Julian calendar (which is approximately 10-12 days different to the Gregorian calenday). 
When the sale of Alaska took place in 1867, it was also agreed that Alaska would change to the Gregorian calendar and the International Date Line would also be shifted all at the same time! So the sale of Alaska took place on 6 October 1867 under the Julian calendar (18 October on the Gregorian calendar) and that night at midnight they switched calendars and shifted the International Date Line making that next day the 18 October! This leads me to beg one question: Alaska commemorates the sale on 18 October each year, but should this celebration really occur on the 17 October??? Because even though it was effectively the 18 October for Alaska then, for the rest of the US it was 17 October! And when you factor in the shifting of the International Date Line (where the 18 October was followed by the 18 October) and......
I've just realised that all of this is starting to sound like 'blah-blah-blah-blah-blah', so I think I'll stop here. But really, if you woke up one morning and it was the 18 October, that would mean the previous day was the 17 October, but if you wake up and you've been on a long-haul Air New Zealand flight, then it might be the same day again, or if you were going in the opposite direction it could be two days later and you've completely missed a day and you won't know where it has gone.......
When the sale of Alaska took place in 1867, it was also agreed that Alaska would change to the Gregorian calendar and the International Date Line would also be shifted all at the same time! So the sale of Alaska took place on 6 October 1867 under the Julian calendar (18 October on the Gregorian calendar) and that night at midnight they switched calendars and shifted the International Date Line making that next day the 18 October! This leads me to beg one question: Alaska commemorates the sale on 18 October each year, but should this celebration really occur on the 17 October??? Because even though it was effectively the 18 October for Alaska then, for the rest of the US it was 17 October! And when you factor in the shifting of the International Date Line (where the 18 October was followed by the 18 October) and......
I've just realised that all of this is starting to sound like 'blah-blah-blah-blah-blah', so I think I'll stop here. But really, if you woke up one morning and it was the 18 October, that would mean the previous day was the 17 October, but if you wake up and you've been on a long-haul Air New Zealand flight, then it might be the same day again, or if you were going in the opposite direction it could be two days later and you've completely missed a day and you won't know where it has gone.......
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