Saturday, October 27, 2007
Friday, October 05, 2007
My Birthday
A Lake in Talkeetna
The weekend before my birthday Mace visited from Fairbanks and brought a bottle of champange. Karen and Mike were in Talkeetna for Brendan's band, The Pilot Cracker Playboys' gig that night. At 10am we borrowed an enormous canoe and hit the lake, surrounded by glorious golden autumn leaves. We drank a toast to being one year older.
The weekend before my birthday Mace visited from Fairbanks and brought a bottle of champange. Karen and Mike were in Talkeetna for Brendan's band, The Pilot Cracker Playboys' gig that night. At 10am we borrowed an enormous canoe and hit the lake, surrounded by glorious golden autumn leaves. We drank a toast to being one year older.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Friday, August 17, 2007
Friday, August 10, 2007
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Monday, July 02, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Fly Fishing Island
A small island on the Kenai River
Walking to the island for a fly fishing weekend. This is the same spot we stopped in September last year when the valley was ablaze with yellow aspen. Now it glows green in summer foliage.
Here is Bren fly fishing at 12:30am, one week before solstice. It never gets dark. Bren got a few Rainbow Trout on the line. The Red Salmon are also running now, but we were using flies for trout. The egg sucking leech is a particularly desireable fly for Rainbows, Bren assures me. I give it a red hot go, and have a tired shoulder to prove that I'm not quite doing it right ("it's all in the wrist"), but I remember the lesson Dad gave me last April in Juneau, and I don't go too badly with the old fly rod, if I say so myself.
A Dog's Breakfast
Hunting for Morels on the Devil's Creek Trail.
The elusive Morel. We eat some later that night with some Halibut in a white wine and caper sauce with our friends Teeny and Ray. Delicious. We also found many brain mushrooms which we initially thought were morels. I tasted one. Later, at Teeny and Ray's we looked in a mushroom book to see which of the mushrooms we had collected were actually edible. It turns out the brain mushroom is poisonous, but eaten by some "with impunity". I guess I was the impunious one, because I'm still kicking.
Walking to the island for a fly fishing weekend. This is the same spot we stopped in September last year when the valley was ablaze with yellow aspen. Now it glows green in summer foliage. 
Here is Bren fly fishing at 12:30am, one week before solstice. It never gets dark. Bren got a few Rainbow Trout on the line. The Red Salmon are also running now, but we were using flies for trout. The egg sucking leech is a particularly desireable fly for Rainbows, Bren assures me. I give it a red hot go, and have a tired shoulder to prove that I'm not quite doing it right ("it's all in the wrist"), but I remember the lesson Dad gave me last April in Juneau, and I don't go too badly with the old fly rod, if I say so myself. 
A Dog's Breakfast
Hunting for Morels on the Devil's Creek Trail.
The elusive Morel. We eat some later that night with some Halibut in a white wine and caper sauce with our friends Teeny and Ray. Delicious. We also found many brain mushrooms which we initially thought were morels. I tasted one. Later, at Teeny and Ray's we looked in a mushroom book to see which of the mushrooms we had collected were actually edible. It turns out the brain mushroom is poisonous, but eaten by some "with impunity". I guess I was the impunious one, because I'm still kicking.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Ocean, oysters, new banjo, homemade houses, pancakes, dogs
Seldovia, Alaska
Brendan and Lusa on the boat "The Rainbow Connection".
On the weekend we drove 5 hours, took a 2 hour boat ride across Katchimak Bay, and another 20 minute drive, to arrive at Kerry's house. Lusa was very excited and annoying on the boat ride to Seldovia. By the end of the weekend she had a deep puncture in her right arm after picking a fight with Moxie, Jeff's dog; ripped her paws on the beach stones after chasing sticks; and embedded about 30 porqupine quills into her chin and lips and gums after attacking one of these wonderfully defensive animals.
Downtown Seldovia
Seldovia used to be all boardwalked but now there is only one section of town that retains the old weathered walkways. Brendan's brother Colin, his wife Kate, their baby Ada, and Brendan get the two-cent tour from Kerry. In this photo Kerry is showing us her row boat that she is painting.
Kerry's House
On a steep piece of land overlooking MacDonald Spit and sheltered islands West of Seldovia, is Kerry's house. When Kerry bought her land her friends and family thought she was crazy, because it was so steep, but they kept it to themselves. Never having built before, Kerry learned skills from her both her partner Jeff and her father, who are builders, as well as friends in town. She obviously has natural talent for it. Her house is gorgeous.
Shelves in the stairs
Kerry's house is also tiny. She has had to design for utility in restricted space. She built shelves under the stairs (above). Her kitchen table can fold down so if more than 5 people come in the house there is room to play music (below).
Kerry's pottery tiles on the woodstove hearth
Fishing for halibut
Brendan and Lusa on the boat "The Rainbow Connection".
On the weekend we drove 5 hours, took a 2 hour boat ride across Katchimak Bay, and another 20 minute drive, to arrive at Kerry's house. Lusa was very excited and annoying on the boat ride to Seldovia. By the end of the weekend she had a deep puncture in her right arm after picking a fight with Moxie, Jeff's dog; ripped her paws on the beach stones after chasing sticks; and embedded about 30 porqupine quills into her chin and lips and gums after attacking one of these wonderfully defensive animals.
Downtown Seldovia
Seldovia used to be all boardwalked but now there is only one section of town that retains the old weathered walkways. Brendan's brother Colin, his wife Kate, their baby Ada, and Brendan get the two-cent tour from Kerry. In this photo Kerry is showing us her row boat that she is painting.
Kerry's House
On a steep piece of land overlooking MacDonald Spit and sheltered islands West of Seldovia, is Kerry's house. When Kerry bought her land her friends and family thought she was crazy, because it was so steep, but they kept it to themselves. Never having built before, Kerry learned skills from her both her partner Jeff and her father, who are builders, as well as friends in town. She obviously has natural talent for it. Her house is gorgeous.
Shelves in the stairs
Kerry's house is also tiny. She has had to design for utility in restricted space. She built shelves under the stairs (above). Her kitchen table can fold down so if more than 5 people come in the house there is room to play music (below).
Kerry's pottery tiles on the woodstove hearth
Fishing for halibut
