Cheer

Cheer

by Robert Service

It's a mighty good world, so it is, dear lass,
 When even the worst is said.
There's a smile and a tear, a sigh and a cheer,
 But better be living than dead;
A joy and a pain, a loss and a gain;
 There's honey and may be some gall:
Yet still I declare, foul weather or fair,
 It's a mighty good world after all.

We're hoping all of you are feeling that your worlds are 'mighty good' afterall. This is how we are feeling - even more so after returning from Kodiak Island.  Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the USA. We left for the island on Tuesday evening aboard the Alaska Marine Ferry Vessel  the "Tustamina",  known to crew and locals as the Tusty. She's an old girl and has made many a passage accross the Shelikof Straight into Kodiak. With near gale force winds that evening and big seas, the captain decided to take a different route than usual - which put us about 3 hours behind schedule - but we think it was likely worth it.  We had a 4 bed berth so were sleeping for most of the ride - but she was pretty tipsy.  Anna managed to keep things down by sucking on ginger and taking Dramamine before bed. Colton wasn't so lucky. He did great until we allowed him to play his DS in the morning - the seas were getting big again and he didn't notice until suddenly he was running for our berth.  Luckily he made it to the bathroom in time to loose his breakfast in the toilet;  much better than all over the cabin. Our little boy is growing up!

Once we finally docked in Kodiak, we loaded up our bikes with 4 pannier bags, a large backpack that Anna wore, a kids backpack for Colton, a camera backpack for Ethan and a large duffle with fishing gear carried by Tim and we rode up to our B & B.  We made it up the hill land were thrilled to find an immaculately clean apartment, with a stocked fridge of breakfast goodies, and a fantastic view of both the harbor and the bay. Ethan quickly became friends with the owners son Gabriel (9 years old) which kept him busy. We would recommend the Ocean Bay B & B to anyone travelling to Kodiak.  Check them out at:
http://oceanbaykodiak.com/

Our first stop was a little sport shopping.  Anna finally was able to give Tim his birthday present by getting him a new fly rod - he needed a bigger one for the big salmon he is sure to catch this trip.  His main requirement was that it was made in the USA.  Do any of you have any idea how hard this is to find, without having to give up your "first born?" Tim was prepared to, but Anna wasn't!  Of course - we have Orvis down the road in Vermont, but we wanted a new rod without having to take out a second mortage. Well - he got exactly what he was looking for.  The boys loved this type of shopping and they stocked up on fly tying materials and books, flies, and Ethan finally purchased a knife (again - requirement was to made in the USA - or at least not in China)- and he found a beauty, known now as his Kodiak knife!

Are you sick of seeing Anna's eagle pictures yet???

Ethan lookin' like a pro on the river!

Colton, bound & determined to catch a salmon on his flyrod!

So, loaded up with new equipment  it was time to hit the river!  We did a lot of fishing along Kodiak Island, including the Bruskin River and Briskin Lake, the American River and Lake Gertrude - but the Bruskin was the favorite.  It had an area to bank fish where all four of us could spread out, but still see each other along the shore line. The eagles were hanging out with us and we were just across from the Kodiak Airport so we had numerous small planes and helicopters flying over to help break up some of the monotony of fishing ( this is Anna writing - not Tim - he would NEVER think fishing is monotonous). Our time on the river payed off with Tim catching a Dolly Varden and the boys both bringing in a Steelhead (sea-run Rainbow Trout). It was a "team effort", with Tim spotting and setting the hook, and then the boys playing the fish to shore.
Anna was "team photographer."


 They were HUGE!!  I'm not sure Colton & Ethan realize this may be the biggest freshwater fish they ever catch. The steel head were catch & release only on the Bruskin.  No problem since we didn't bring a cooler with us and since the fun was in catching them! 

Our 1st respectable river-fish in Alaska!

Colton is still hoping to catch a King Salmon - but no luck yet.
It was interesting that we were apporached by both a State Ttrooper and a State Park Ranger while fishing the rivers.  They were both extremely friendly and supportive of our family fishing - and did check to ensure we had Alaska fishing liscences, which of course we do.  It is nice to see that Alaska is fullfiilling it's mission of responsible and sustainable fishing for the future.

We planned this trip to Kodiak for this past week knowing that it was the annual "Crab Festival." Historically this festival celebrates the bounty of the crab catch.  However, crabbing in Kodiak was suspended in the late 1980's due to over-fishing and now the crabbing occurs in the Bearing Sea.  Yet, the "Crab Fest" lives on!  Think of it as a very small Tunbridge Fair, with a couple of food booths selling crab food items, and no agricultural exhibits.  Unfortunately, we weren't able to stay for the Coast Guard's Search & Rescue demonstration or the "Survival Suit" swim race in the harbor.  Those events surely add to the experience!

"Fresh" (not) King Crab Legs - Did you know ALL King crab is frozen at sea.  We didn't!

Fresh or not, they tasted great!



Ethan had a great time on the carnival rides!

Colton & Ethan on the hang glider ride

Kodiak is home to the second largest commerical fishing fleet in the United States and has the largest U.S. Coast Gaurd base.  We had a great time walking the docks and admiring the fishing vessels - many of which apparently are highlighted on "The Deadliest Catch".

We also enjoyed listening to the harbor seals bark as they were sunning themselves on the rocks in the harbor.


Stellar Sea Lions basking in the (rare) sun

We did take a break from fishing and drove across the bridge to Near Island ,which, as you guessed it, is really near to Kodiak. It has an amazing Alaska Fisheries Research Center with an intertidal pool "touch tank" and a number of fish and wildlife exhibits.

Once we returned our rental car Friday, we were back to usung just our bikes to get around.  Lucky for us the sky was blue and the weather perfect for a nice 5 mile (one way) bike ride out to Fort Abercrombie.  This is a wonderful State Park that has a military history. The boys loved exploring all the old WWII bunkers and cannons.

Kodiak Island is about 100 miles long and its two ends couldn't be more different.  At the south end, where Alitak Bay is, the windswept hills are mostly bare of the familiar tall spruces, but are covered instead by small trees, bushes and grassland.  We looked closely over this terrain hoping to see a Kodiak Bear (largest bear species in the world), but we did not.

Just outside the town of Kodiak, at the north end, the forests grow tall and thick, with dangling mosses and hanging fogs; this being the northwesternmost extent of the temperate rain forest. 


Old Growth Spruce Trees Covered with Moss on their Lower 20 to 30 feet

We enjoyed hiking through these moss covered forests and especially liked it when we came to Lake Gertrude; a beautiful, serene, stocked, freshwater lake. The amazing thing about this lake is that just above a driftwood boundry lies the sea waters of Monashka Bay, only about 200 feet from the lake at high tide. Never before have we seen a freshwater lake and sea water so close together.  It was breathtaking.

Lake Gertrude, separated from the ocean by less than 200 feet

On Saturday monirng we just had time for a bit more sight-seeing. We explored the oldest Russian Orthodox church in the USA , first established in 1796.  We were lucky to be there early and run into a Priest who was happy to give us a private tour and answer all our questions.

 

We also spent some time in the Baranov museum, learning more about the Aluitig way of life and the Russian influences on Kodiak. 

Finally it was time again to gather all of our belongings and trek down the road like a gypsy family to catch the 12:30 ferry home. This time we rode in style! We were aboard the M/V Kennecott- one of the larger and newer ships and the State of Alaska's fleet of ferries. It is 382 feet long, has a beam (width) of 85', can carry 500 passengers and 80 vehicles, and has a cafeteria, arcade, gift shop, and free movie theatre.  It was commissioned back in 1998 for $80 million dollars using 80% Federal funds , "oil spill" revenue, and about 8% State funding.  For your $80,000,000, you get the "active fin stabilization" package, which in 1998 was the latest technology in "roll stabilization systems."   Anna was very glad that the State was able to afford this luxury item!  Though it was a beautiful day and a smooth ride all the way back to Homer, we're sure this added feature was well worth the money. 

After about 9 1/2 hrs at sea, we arrived back at the Homer ferry dock about 10:00PM  and got to witness first hand what we had heard about since got here - the throngs of people on the Homer Spit. With Memorial Day weekend just getting into full swing and still another hour or more before dark, the Spit was "jumping" and not an open camping spot to be seen.  Guess this is what we have to look forward to when the summer crowds arrive in June.  So much for the quiet, sleepy town of Homer.  I think we're about to hear how they came up with the town motto- 'A quaint little drinking town with a fishing problem.'  It'll be interesting to see how the the "Homeroids" accomodate the summer influx.  Stay tuned....



Field Trips and Class Mates

Class-Mates by Robert William Service

Bob Briggs went in for Government,
And helps to run the State;
Some day they say he'll represent
His party in debate:
But with punk politics his job,
I do not envy Bob.

Jim Jones went in for writing books,
Best sellers were his aim;
He's ten years younger than he looks,
And licks the heels of Fame:
Though shop-girls make a fuss of him
I do not envy Jim.

Joe Giles went in for grabbing gold,
And grovelled in the dirt;
He, too, looks prematurely old,
His gastric ulcers hurt:
Although he has a heap of dough.
I do not envy Joe.

I've neither fame nor power nor wealth,
I fish and hunt for food;
But I have heaps of rugged health,
And life seems mighty good.
So when my class-mates come to spend
A week-end in my shack,
With lake and wood at journey's end
--They envy Jack.

hmmm - wonder which of our children will end up hunting and fishing for food and having visitors in their shack? I am not sure if their classmates will envy them, but we certainly will.  We have come to fully appreciate the simple pleasure in fishing and spending more time outdoors than in.

Well, it has been another full and wonderful week in Homer, Alaska. We have had a number of school adventures we would like to share with you. We have been amazed by the number and caliber of the enrichment activites through the school. We have also been surprised by the lack of regulation which makes much of this possible. For example - parents can drive children in their own vehicles to class trips and in fact, are asked to do so.  All you need is a valid drivers license and a vehicle with seatblets ( yes - there are many vehicles on the road that likely have no seatbelts in them).  It was also amazing that they would bring the entire school to the beach - yes - 100's of Kindergardten, 1st and 2nd graders combing the beachers at low tide, with wet, slippery rocks, and no life jackets - go figure -but it was awesome!

We started this past week off by enjoying dinner with our new friends, the Lillbridge's, at their beautiful home on East End road with a gorgeous view of the end of the bay. The night finished like many others - with us seeing 2 Moose - one lying about 20 feet from the van as we were leaving the dinner party.   Monday evening we had a  moose in the back yard. Brianne - these pics are especially for you!!

 

On Tuesday, Tim did a 'self-guided' fishing trip on the Kasilof River, about an hour away. This was the closest place to river-fish for salmon until the other rivers closer to Homer legally open for fishing later in the season.  He only caught one small Dolly Varden, but saw a nice King Salmon get pulled from the river.  It was a good recon for further trips with the the whole family or when others come for a visit! Anna was without a vehicle for the day so she enjoyed a nice long bike ride along the bay.

On Wednesday, Ethan had a field trip Tide Pooling on Bishop's Beach. Anna was lucky enough to chapereon 4 nice boys as they combed the beach for treasures. We found many creatures including Christmas anemone - man are they ugly, burrow anemone, a dogwinkle, cockles, limpets, starfish, mussels, clams and millions of barnacles. It was a great morning. At the same time, Colton was getting ready for his big field trip.

Colton & Tim departed for Colton's 4th grade field trip to the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies' Peterson Bay Field Station, across Kachemak Bay from Homer. This was a three-day, two-night field trip where the kids culminated their classroom studies on the Kachemak Bay ecosystem.  See the link below for more infomation on the place:
http://akcoastalstudies.org/peterson-bay-field-station.html

The trip was phenominal.  What an amazing learning learning experience for the kids, teachers, and parent chaperones.  It started on Wednesday with the boat ride over to Peterson Bay aboard the Rainbow Connection.  We won't speculate on the origins of this boat's name, just thankful it was able to provide the service under the command of a capable captain and crew. 

There was a brief stop and tour of Gull Island, where, you guessed it, we learned about the area's shorebirds!  The other parents & teachers laughed when they heard that this was the 3rd time we've been to Gull Island in the 3 weeks we've been here.

A short ride later, we arrived at the raft in Peterson Bay, where the kids had to transfer their gear from the boat to the raft, then onto the rope-ferry that they used to pull themselves to shore.

Colton and his buddy Luke Walker (wouldn't it be cool if his middle name was Sky?)

After "gear chaining" all of the packs, bags, food, supplies etc. up the stairs and to the lodge,  everyone got assigned their sleeping quarters in the "yurts" and then dinner, and then off for an evening hike around "Boy Scout" rock.  Though it had been a long day, the kids were still "bouncing off the walls" (of the yurts) well past the 9:00PM "lights-out" time.  Micky (the other father chaperone) and Tim got their 7 boys settled down and asleep by 10:00.  No small feat when it's still full day light and there's a dome sky-light.

A wet Colton and Luke

Up & at 'em by 7:00AM the next morning (Thursday), then breakfast in the lodge and hitting the beaches and tidepools at Otter Rock by 8:30AM.  Thursday morning started as most days do on this side of the bay, with light rain.  This side of Kachemak Bay is the northern-most tip of the Pacific Northwest rainforest which starts in northern Califonia.

The rain didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the kids as they searched for sea urchins, anenomes, chitons, crabs, worms and the stealthy purple-toed, yellow lipped, man-eating nudibranches, or something like that!

Colton surfacing after tide-pooling in a cave.



Colton examining a Sea Urchin



Science fun!

By lunch time, with a steady drizzle from above and hours of sloshing through tide pools, most kids were soaked clean-through.  So the next three hours were spent in the lodge at a station journaling about what they had done & learned thus far, a station where they sketched & narratively described several life-forms they saw that morning, and then a station where they learned about the different types of plankton and looked at it under microscopes.












With everyone dried-out, it was time for another hike to learn about the forests on this side of the bay.  Much of the time was spent learning about the difference between the rain forest on this side of the bay vs. the boreal forest on the opposite side of the bay, edible plans that can be found in the forest, and the food chain of the forest.  Conrad, one of the Coastal Studies' instructors, was able to teach these kids while telling a story and keeping the kids hanging on his every word.  By the time the hike was done, everyone was pretty well soaked through again, but it was time for  dinner , so everyone & everything had time to dry out again.
After dinner, there was camp-fire, complete with
skits the children wrote and performed.
The next morning started similarly to the previous with a mile-long hike to the beach and more tide-pooling in China Poot Bay, resulting in the class finding & identifying over 100 different species of sea creatures over the two days.  A bag lunch on the beach followed, then a very animated lesson in geology, and wrapping-up with visit to a 300+ year old site of an Alaskan native's home.  With the "official" learning done all that was left was the mile hike back to the lodge, the "gear chain" to the rope-ferry, raft and onto the boat, and finally the return boat ride home.   Anna and Ethan were waiting at the Harbor for our 6:00pm pick-up. What a trip!
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Ethan had his 2nd guitar lesson from Max and started learning "Jingle Bells!"  Holy *&%!  We're gonna have to listen to this tune get plucked, picked and mangled by an 8 year old who's had two guitar lessons, for 7 months until we can issue a "cease & desist order" once Christmas is over!  Guess that's what you get when you hire an unemployed 19 year old to give your kids music lesssons.  Well, at least the 'teacher' provided (hand-written) sheet music for this one.


While Colton and Tim were away, Ethan had a chance to try out his new (used) rollerblades. The Spit Trail is awesome to ride on. Notice that Ethan is wearing his sweater Anna made - FINALLY FINISHED!

Ethan's second grade class- Paul Banks Elementary

On Friday, Ethan had a second field trip to the
Islands and Oceans Visitors Center where U.S. Fish and Wildlife staff gave a great program on bird feathers. Once again - Anna was availalbe to join the class and enjoyed learning about the birds as much as the children did.

Juvenille Eagle in Flight

Over the weekend we went fishing at the Anchor River as well as at the Homer lagoon. We didn't have
any luck catching fish - but we did enjoy the time outdoors as well as all the wildlife. The eagles really put on a show.

We still have not caught a 'big' fish, but we're sure having fun trying. We hope to post soon a photo of a   big catch- but for now we just have photos of the fishing, not the catching. 

Colton did have the opportunity to help a guy pull in a King salmon. A guy fishing close to Colton got a bite on his 5th cast, after the boys had been out fishing for over an hour.  However, this young man was ill prepared, so Colton ran and got our ($5 pawn shop purchased) net. Once the King finally tired, about 15 minutes after the first tug, Colton was able to get it in the net. Then this young man also needed Colton's knife to kill it as hitting it over the head numerous times with a big rock was not working.  It was a nice fish - about 20 pounds and over 36".  The lucky guy was so happy for Colton's help that he gave him $4.00. We would have preferred a Salmon steak - but hey -unnecessary all the same - it was just exciting to see a big one get pulled in, and Tim only charged Colton $3 for using the net.

Colton waiting patiently for a King to bite

Colton getting his rod ready on the Anchor River. Notice the life jacket.  Alaska has a nice "Kids Don't Float" program where they leave life jackets at the State Recreation Areas & Campgrounds along the rivers for kids to use, just in case you forget your own, like we did.

Colton and Ethan fishing the Lagoon on the Homer Spit

E casting - Nice Sweater!

Tim got a hold of the camera while Anna tried her luck.

This week is the last week of school for the boys.  It has been such a wonderful experience and we all have met some wonderful Alaskans on all the field trips. It is nice that the boys have started to build a social network and will have classmates to call on this summer.

 This week we are off to Kodiak Island - check the blog next week for pictures and stories.

Breath is Enough

Breath Is Enough

I draw sweet air
Deeply and long,
As pure as prayer,
As sweet as song.
Where lilies glow
And roses wreath,
Heart-joy I know
Is just to breathe.

Aye, so I think
By shore or sea,
As deep I drink
Of purity.
This brave machine,
Bare to the buff,
I keep ice-clean,
Breath is enough.
           
From mountain stream
To covert cool
The world, I deem,
Is wonderful;
The great, the small,
The smooth, the rough,
I love it all,--
Breath is enough.
                  By Robert Service              
 Well, we're starting into our 3rd week here in Homer and things are still going better than we could have imagined.  We are enjoying every breath we take. The boys are still LOVING their new schools and making more new friends.

Homer Harbor

Tuesday we went for a drive out to the "Russian village" of Voznesenka, about 15 miles beyond Homer.  Great scenery, but we were disappointed in the "Russian" village.  House, yards, etc. all looked the same as the rest of the outlying areas of Homer.   At first we weren't sure we had really found what we were looking for, however, we were told later while getting a sandwich at the Fritz Creek store, that the only way you can tell that you're looking at one of the Russian's houses is if you happen to see one of the women out riding their 4 wheelers in the long, flowing dresses  & little hats they all wear.  The Russian women & girls are apparently the only ones in Alaska who wear dresses.

The weather earlier in the week has been nothing short of spectacular!  There was a stretch of about 4 days with absolutely clear, blue skies & brilliant sunshine and temperatures in the 60's.  Anna has even managed to get a sunburn while sitting on the deck reading.  We had ourselves convinced that the locals tell everyone how fickle the weather is in Alaska, just to keep people away!


We've done a LOT of biking this week, still trying to ride to as many of the errands as possible, and of course back & forth to school.  Anna has even done some additional "recreational riding" adding an extra 10 miles or so to her two (minimum) daily trips back & forth to Ethan's school. She's put over 60 miles on her bike this week!

This should make Auntie Barb happy; the boys have started guitar lessons this week.  We asked around at the music shop, feeling out what kind of teachers and instruments might be available for the summer, and guitar it is. Their teacher is Max - a young man of 19 who has a reputation for teaching 1/2 the kids in Homer to play guitar. Guess what Ethan's first song is - you got it; Smoke On The Water! Colton is working on Happy Birthday.

Tim has done a fair bit of fishing, though not with much success.  The salmon haven't started returning to the local rivers or the "fishing lagoon" on the Spit yet, so the only way to get at them is with a boat out in the open ocean.  With the warmer weather, we thought maybe that the one local lake where trout & dolly varden (arctic char) can be caught might thaw enough to fish in.  Tim tried it in the one small spot of open water, just to get out casting the flyrod, but an area the size of a bathtub isn't much to fish in!  Tim was pretty desperate to get flyfishing....

Ethan had his class field trip to the Pratt Museaum where he learned all about tidepool living creatures.  Anna was lucky enough to tag along as a chaperone.  This was a preperatory trip to get the children ready for the "beach day" this week.  Ethan has really taken to "tidepooling." Yesterday, after tiring of fishing, Ethan found welks, barnacles, chiton, millions of blue mussels and a tiger limpet.  As Ethan says - that was fun!
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Though delayed by one day to wait for more favorable winds, Colton had his 4th grade field trip on Friday; all 22 kids from the class went Halibut fishing for day aboard a 56' charter boat, the Ultimate,  that is operated by the family of one the boys in Colton's class.


Colton aboard the Ultimate

 What an incredible trip! The trip started with four parent volunteers (Tim included!) meeting the teacher and kids at the school to drive the kids to the harbor where they boarded the boat.  After a quick class photo, they were underway heading out to open ocean at the end of Kachemak Bay.


Mrs. Worsfold's 4th/5th grade class 2011



Colton and Kyle checking things out.



The Ultimate heading out to sea.

 The boat trip to the fishing spot was an hour ride, and by the time the anchor was set, "the natives were getting restless" and it was time fish!  The kids all teamed up with a buddy to work together on a rod & reel.  Typically, this boat fishes a maximum of 16 people at a time; a similar sized fishing charter boat out of Hampton Beach, NH or York, Maine would have at least 40 people on it if they could fill it!

Within 10 minutes of dropping the lines, the two girls next to Colton & Kyle pulled in the first fish of the day.  You can imagine  how jealous it made the boys to get out-fished by the girls!  Feeling they were being outdone, the boys got serious!

Colton, Kyle & Cpt. Rick

Very soon their efforts were rewarded and Colton & Kyle had their first (of many) fish on the hook.

Colton hauling in a fish, 150 feet up from the ocean floor

The kids fished  HARD and in less than 2 hours had their limit of two fish for every kid and adult chaperone on the boat.  A total of 58 fish in all! 

One of the 58 halibut caught by the kids, sizes ranging from 10 to 15#

With the Captain & crew working as fast as they could to keep up, Tim and the rest of the adults helped where they could, re-baiting hooks, untangling lines, and making sure rods & reels (and kids) didn't end up overboard!  With a full catch in the fish-tubs, it was time for lunch; hamburgers cooked on the boat!  With extra time to spare, Cpt. Rick started in for the harbor.  On the trip back, it was time for the fish to get filleted, and EVERYONE seemed to be helping!  The two crew members did the actual filleting and Tim did the final rinse & bagging of the fillets, but the kids were hauling the fish (bear hugs, usually) to save the crew from having to get them from the tubs.  With the fillets off the fish, the kids were the ones to throw the carcasses overboard to the waiting gulls.

Once the fishing cleaning was done, there wasn't much left for the kids to do while we cruised back to the harbor.  Some went up front to the ship's bridge to visit the Captain.  It wasn't hard to tell who had been to the bridge and did more talking than listening.....

Since we were so early getting back to the harbor, Cpt. Rick took a small detour to bring the class to Gull Island for a quick lesson on, you guessed it, shorebirds!

The trip was a HUGE success, with every kid bringing home 8 halibut fillets (over $100 of fish per kid), everyone catching fish, and one boy even catching his first fish ever.  What a field trip!


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Saturday, the whole family attended an all day flyfishing class put on by the Alaskan Department of Fish & Game and BOW, a national organization , "Becoming and Outdoor Woman". It was AWESOME!! We started the class with a review of how to read the Alaska F & W fishing regulations - this is no easy feat.   Tim has now spent 2 weeks with his regulation book and he still has to refer to it daily. Most rivers are only open on certain days for certain species. We can't wait until the Anchor River opens this weekend for King Salmon. 


Tim getting some pointers from Steve



We then talked about fish identification- since you need to be able to identify your catch if you are goin got keep it within regulations. There are 5 species of salmon in Alaska. Do you know how to remember them all? Well we do! We learned a cool trick that we will share with you. Hold out your hand and spread out your fingers - go on - do it. Now - start at your thumb - rhymes with CHUM ( also known as Dog) the first one. Then your index finger - poke your eye with it - no - not really - but if you did your eye would get RED - also known as SOCKEYE (2). Your ring finger is the biggest - this is easy - KINGS - also known as Chinook (3). Next is your ring finger - many of us wear SILVER (4) on this finger.  Finally you have your pinky - easy - PINKS (5) also known as Coho! Cool right? Now you just have to do is memorize when they run , in what river and how many you're allowed to keep, if you can snag them, if you need a tag, and if you are allowed to get the heads out of water if you catch them out of season. These Alaskans take the salmon regulations very serious!

 

We then split into groups - kids in one, adults in another and had two workstations - one in casting and knot tying and one in fly tying.  We learned to tie a "jellyfish" (a legendary local streamer) and the ever trusty Woolly Bugger.



Alaskan Fly Tying Supplies - the fur is Polar Bear, only available for purchase from Native Artisans



Anna's 'Jellyfish' Fly



Unfortunately the wind did not cooperate for the group.  But have you ever known the wind to stop the Schaals before?  No - so after class we went out to the Spit to try our luck  - fishing for Dolly Varden.  Ethan hooked his finger ( barely) after about 3 casts - so he was done and just went tidepooling, but Tim, Anna and Colton all had fun getting the flies wet- but alas - no fish. Luckily we had a lot of Halibut left in the fridge so home it was for a late dinner.



Anna's Purple Woolly Bugger!


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Sunday we went fishing with Eli (5) and his Mom, Lisa.  Last Sunday, while fishing at the end of the Homer Spit we ran into Eli & his mom (Eli does karate with Colton & Ethan)  and we found out Eli hasn't been fishing much, but sure did enjoy reeling in one of Ethan's fish, so we invited him to join us this weekend.  Though we didn't catch many fish today, and we have definately come to the end of the warm, sunny stretch of weather, Ethan really enjoyed being Eli's big buddy, and is looking forward to getting together to play with him after school on Monday.  Since Eli's mom brought donuts, the boys were able to tough it out until Anna came back to retieve the guys after going grocery shopping.  After lunch, since fishing at end of the Spit wasn't too productive, Colton convinced Tim take them again after lunch to the fishing lagoon to see if the salmon had started to return yet; it  didn't take a lot of convincing.  Three more hours of no fish and the boys had finally had it for the day!
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 We continue to see daily moose and eagles and some other new wildlife we've seen are seals, puffins and sandhill cranes. Our count of days NOT seeing moose has increased to 2, though today we saw 4 different moose.  Anna had a great time at the Harbor hanging out with this little fellow, a young Sea Otter,  lovingly called Maurice by boat owners near the slip he likes to hang out in. We see Sea Otters Otters most days when we are down on the spit.

Maurice giving me a smile!

We have also been enjoying the not so spectacular pieces of everyday, reading on the deck, knitting, cooking together and even a bit of gardening. 





Ethan planting flower seeds in an old tree stump with Ruby



It is such a rare pleasure to have the opportunity to be togehter as a family, in such a beautfiul setting without the stressors of work and 'real life'.   We recognize this and know that our time in Alaska is precious. As Robert Service articulates 'the world...is wonderful; the great, the small, the smooth, the rough. I love it all.--Breath is enough'.  So no matter where you are, or what you are doing - breathe and enjoy.