The family goes on a fabulous Alaskan cruise.  But far from being interested in seaplane tours, jumping whales, and seals basking on ice floes bathed in the glow of sunset, Grandmum has one thought -- and one thought only: find and purchase an ulu.<br><br>What exactly is an ulu and why does Grandmum want one so badly?

The Ulu Blues

“I don’t know,” I replied. “Max, please don’t touch anything, darling.” The whole situation made me nervous. Supposing the owner walked in and misconstrued our intent? “Plus, we don’t know how much to leave for state taxes.”


“I don’t care. I’ll leave twenty percent if I have to!”


“With my cre—” She didn’t finish. How could she pay with her credit card if there was no one to take it?


“I didn’t bring any checks, either. Grant, did you?”


“No, and they may not accept out of state checks even if we had them. You lot wait here if you want, I’m going to look around town. See you in twenty minutes by the ship. Make sure you’re not late and we’ll board together, okay?”


We looked at our watches. Much longer than the ‘five minutes or less’ had elapsed since we’d entered the store. What to do?


Chapter 6