Islands and Oceans Visitor Center was the destination for Ms. Kysar’s 7th grade Reading class Thursday, October 1. In class, they have been studying about various habitats and biomes from around the world. As a part of their Ocean Study, a trip to the Center was in order. While there, all of the students earned their Junior Biologist patch by studying seabird populations, invasive species, and people of the Aleutian Islands.
These kids are fun beyond belief. They are easy to fool and I tease them incessantly! As much as I long to be back at the High School teaching, this 7th grade class makes me smile every day.
Left to right, back row: Andrean Kusnetsov, Cameron Corbell, Shane Fielding, Cody Rosenthal, Filip Reutov
Left to right, front row: Crystal Crane, Ms. Kathy Kysar

Andrean (Russian kid with strong accent) has a sing-song way of talking that makes his oral reading very dramatic and entertaining. Cameron (most mature kid of the bunch) doesn't try hard and I think he is smarter than he lets on. Shane (fun, typical, 12 year old boy) makes me laugh every day over his enthusiastic approach to life in general. Cody (small kid with a speech problem) is a born leader and doesn't know it - I am trying to nurture that within him. Filip (Russian kid with not as strong of an accent) smiles all the time and is THE #1 hardest working kid in the class. Finally, there's Crystal... ahhh, Crystal... the only girl in the class (Filipino with a strong accent). She was so quiet at first and is gaining confidence and beginning to speak with authority!
Their overwhelming enthusiasm and energy at Islands and Oceans made me feel so blessed to be their teacher.
These six 12-year-olds have blessed my life and made my time teaching at the Middle School bearable...

HHS Pwned!

As some of you may or may not know, I am the head coach of the Homer High School DDF (Drama, Debate, Forensics) Team. We had our first tournament of the season this weekend at South High School in Anchorage. Due to a lot of schedule conflicts (football, volleyball, SATs, etc) this weekend, we only took 9 students to the tourney.
However, those 9 students did spectacularly! Every one of Homer's team members placed! That has got to be some sort of record, because that just never happens!!! I am so proud of these kids that it isn't even funny!

Watch out, you BIG Anchorage Schools... Homer is the Underdog and we intend to Rock Your World this year!!!

Age Improves with Wine!

So, this summer I worked at the Bear Creek Winery in Homer, Alaska. What fun! It was the perfect antidote to teaching high school English! Everyone comes into the winery happy and leaves the winery happy. It was an awesome job... even though most folks from the lower 48 could use a lesson in the art of "tipping."

I served 18 wines in an average wine tasting, describing all of them to the customer... from the LoLo Berry (an Italian Barolo grape mixed with local Lowbush Cranberry) to Rhubarb Wine (100% estate grown and bottled) all the way to our incredible Alaskan Port (a clear spirit - aka 151 - mixed with a Muscadine Grape) which goes so great with chocolate that I may never be the same!

I met customers from all over the world and worked with a most incredible group of people - competitive dog mushers, professional bartenders, lifelong beer/wine-makers, and on and on.

Every day was a unique experience - it was most fun to tell customers, when they asked, that this was my summer job and that I actually had a Masters degree in English Education (a co-worker also had a Masters in Journalism). That's just how Homer is.

It is not unusual here to have a bartender with a Masters Degree. They choose to live in Homer for the quality of life and just take whatever job pays the bills. Folks here live life on their terms. The "Jones'" don't exist. There is no "climbing to the top" of whatever ladder is locally available. There are many a soul who throw out a grappling hook, however, to ask for local help so that they can continue to live life on their own terms.

And, folks here are generous. We live simply... and share what we can. We're all in this together, after all. We live in paradise and we know it. The more I'm here, the more this place sucks me in... more than any place that I've ever lived. And, I've live in quite a few places - suburb of St. Louis, rural Wisconsin, Shreveport, Louisiana, rural south Louisiana, rural Allegany mountains of Maryland, Couer d'Alene, Idaho... I know what I'm talking about.

But, if you're thinking of moving here... don't! The weather is horrible, the prices are unreasonable, and the schools are negligible! (at least that's what we tell the tourists)

Local Musher Visits Classroom

Here is a press release that I sent out to local media on Friday, along with pictures taken the day of the visit...
LOCAL MUSHER VISITS CLASSROOM

Jillian Rogers of Spitfire Kennels visited Ms. Kysar’s 8th Grade Reading class at Homer Middle School on Tuesday, September 29. The class has been studying about animal adaptations; in particular, adaptations of domesticated dogs. After researching different dog groups and specific breeds, Kysar invited Rogers to come share her competitive mushing experiences with the class.

Rogers began her working career as a journalist for the Yukon News in Whitehorse. After covering many a sled dog event, she developed a passion for the sport herself. She began training in Fairbanks as a handler for Ken Anderson and Lance Mackey. Since then, she has moved her team to Homer in order to better hill train the dogs this winter, as she is training for the 2011 Iditarod. She does plan to race in the Yukon Quest this season.

Rogers talked to the class about different types of mushing, common dog breeds used in the sport, and even a little of the history of modern dogsledding.

For more information about Jillian Rogers, check out www.wannabemusher.bogspot.com.

As a side note, I met Jillian working at the Winery this summer - she is a year-round employee there and they have just released a new wine, Lead Dog Mead, in her honor!

Suburban

In my 7th grade Reading class today...

Crystal is reading aloud from the text, "The roots of the Arctic Poppy spread out like a Suburban-"
"We have a Suburban!" Filip interupts.
"Shhh, let her finish," I tell Filip, giggling to myself, having read ahead.
Crystal continues, "... like a Suburban strip-mall." She pauses, finished with the paragraph.
"It's black!" Filip excitedly adds, totally missing the point of the simile that Crystal just read.
I explain to the class what a strip-mall is, in Homer terms, and how that relates to the root system of the Arctic Poppy. They get it, but the term suburban still eludes Filip.

It was my smile for the day. I love these kids. Their small town world view. Their inability to imagine a city large enough to warrant suburbs. They are sweet. They are innocent. And, for now, they are mine...

Oh, and as a side note: Filip is Russian and Crystal is Philipino - it's quite an eclectic mix we have here at the end of the road in rural Alaska.

Another Day, Another Fish

My friend, Cap'n Steve invited me to go Halibut fishing again today. I took along a friend, Shelly, and the three of us had a terrific time! We left the dock around 8am, loaded with bait and headed for a spot 15 miles out Kachemak Bay, almost to Cook Inlet, just off the coast of Flat Island. The water was a bit choppy at first but them calmed down and we set our bait on a pile of Halibut right away.

While we were out there, chatting and fishing, I learned that the village of Nanwalek used to be called English Bay. I have heard both terms in town before and had no idea that they referred to the same place... one is the Native name and the other is... you guessed it... the English name. Nanwalek is known for its exceptionally high rate of HIV which could be due to several factors including its isolation (it is only accessible by boat or small plane), lack of community education, and obvious lack of birth control evident in the number of young, single expectant mothers in the population. We fished off the coast of Nanwalek for most of the day. A charming looking village from the sea - not a place people want to live, though.

As the day progressed, Shelly caught several cod and even a shark in addition to several halibut. I pulled also pulled in my share of halibut and so did Cap'n Steve. The wind picked up around noon and since we were drift-fishing, the Cap'n had to reposition the boat a couple of miles about 4 different times.

However, the big excitement of the day was a humpback whale who was nearby most of the day. We first heard him blow and that made us look up and realize that he was very close by. I had never been close enough to a whale to hear him blow liket that. It was truly amazing. He surfaced many times as he circled around us for several hours, following the birds who were following the fish. Whales are such amazing creatures. I had to put down my fishing pole and just go sit on the bow of the boat and watch in wonder.

As if that wasn't enough fun, I got to drive the boat back to the harbor - 20 miles of open sea and me! Wow, what I would give to have my own boat! Cap'n Steve always acts like I'm doing him a favor when I drive the boat, but I know that he's just doing it for my own enjoyment. What a great friend!

We also encountered many sea otters throughout the day and when we were headed back into the harbor, a seal greeted us. The Time Bandit was docked near the fuel dock and as I was fumbling for my camera (I was sitting on the bow, supposed to be readying the line to throw to the girls at the fuel dock), I dropped the line in the water and it quickly swept back toward the boat motor. EEEEK! I called for Cap'n Steve to kill the motor so I could get the rope before it wrapped around the motor. Success! Thankfully Shelly kept my secret that it was dropped because I was getting a picture of the Time Bandit. LOL. They both enjoyed a good laugh at me taking pictures like a tourist all day. But, these are the days that I will remember for the rest of my life and want to share with my grandkids (did I just say that?)!

Seriously, having a chance to fish with friends on Labor Day this year... well, I just can't think of a better way to spend a day! And, to top it all off... Shelly's son works at the Coal Point Fish Processing Plant so she gets all her fish for free, which meant that today, Cap'n Steve and I also got to drop our fish off for him to filet, vacuum pack, and flash freeze for us for free! Now, that's my kind of fishing!

"THERE ARE MANY TYPES OF SHIPS. THERE ARE WOODEN SHIPS, PLASTIC SHIPS AND METAL SHIPS. BUT THE BEST AND MOST IMPORTAINT TYPES OF SHIPS ARE FRIENDSHIPS."

Fireweed

Alaska is truly a land of extremes. This spring, we had a large wildfire about 16 miles from town. It was out of control for several days as thousands of acres were lost, including 14 structures. Homes were evacuated, roads closed, and lives changed. However, in late July, a very unique phenomena began to occur... the season of the Fireweed.

You see, in Alaska Fireweed is the first thing to grow after a fire has swept through. These plants grow and flower as long as there is open space and plenty of light. As trees and brush grow larger the Fireweed dies out, but the seeds remain viable in the soil for many years. When a new fire or other disturbance occurs that opens up the ground to light again the seeds germinate. Some areas with heavy seed counts in the soil, after burning, can be covered with pure dense stands of this amazing species, and, when in flower, the landscape is turned into fields of color.

Not only that, but locals make candies, syrups, jellies, and even ice cream from Fireweed. Even monofloral honey made primarily from fireweed nectar has a distinctive, spiced flavor.

Perhaps there is a larger lesson to be learned here. We've all heard the sayings about a phoenix rising from the fire or baptism by fire. In this case, the fireweed doesn't permanently take over, but rather provides some relief for a burned landscape until other flora and fauna begin to take hold again. Then it simply lays in wait until the land calls out for it again.

Residents here truly do know how to make "lemons out of lemonade"... or is that "jelly out of Fireweed."

Homer's Jewel

It all started a couple of weeks ago when my friend, Janet, facebooked me (I LOVE FACEBOOK!) to let me know that Jewel was coming to town to do a benefit concert for our local Artists in the Schools program. She warned me that tickets were going fast so I bought mine that day (one for me and one for Sarah). They were a steal at $30/each since Jewel was also doing concerts in Anchorage that same week for over $50/ticket. Actually, I think the story is that Anchorage ran a blurb in the paper two days before tickets were actually supposed to go on sale (Janet had the inside scoop as a volunteer for the Arts program) so Bunnell Art Gallery (the folks selling the tickets) got so many phone calls that they started selling advance tickets, taking names and money, and then we could pick up the tickets a couple of days later when they actually arrived in town. So, the morning that the tickets officially went on sale, the concert was sold out! I don't really care how it went down; I just know that I got my tickets - woohoo!

So, Sarah and I went for an early dinner last night and showed up at the High School Theatre to get in line at 6pm (doors to the theatre didn't open until 7pm). There were only about 20 people in line in front of us so we were assured to have terrific seats... and WE DID, as you can see from the pictures! Five Hundred excited folks were there when the show started.

Atz Lee Kilcher and Tim Easton opened the show with heavy bluesy tunes mixed with a little bluegrass. Atz is Jewel's brother and a local Homer musician. He plays in the local bands Yellow Cabin and The Three Legged Mule (my local favorite). We have such incredible talent in our little town - every Wednesday-Saturday nights, at least, you can find live music at a number of venues (aka bars with a "stage"... and I use that term very loosely) and it's all FREE! Atz is an amazing musician (singer/songwriter) and plays the string bass like the leader in the band! He is SO much fun to watch.

Tim Easton, I had never heard of before, but he was awesome. He plays guitar and harmonica at the same time, and has an awesome voice. After the Jewel Concert, he actually went to the Down East Saloon (my favorite hangout) with Atz and played some with Yellow Cabin. How fun!

So... Jewel! Lil ole artsy fartsy Homer produces one amazing talent after another. But, for now, our crowning Jewel is a Kilcher. Taught to sing by her daddy while being raised on a homestead (for those of you who don't know what that is... that means way out in the country with no running water and probably no electricity... not uncommon for Homer, or Alaska for that matter), this Platinum Artist was simply amazing to hear in person. She is SO much better live than on any CD! It was just her and her guitar - no band, no backup, no guitar half the time LOL!

She opened by singing
"Over the Rainbow" acapella - un-flipping-believable! Listening to her belt that out like none other, I knew there had to be a story behind that song for her. Sure enough, she told us that was the first song she ever sang on that same high school stage when she was 15 (20 years ago)! It gave me goosebumps.

She was so easy and comfortable and hilariously funny. She told stories in between her songs about growing up in the country, singing in biker bars in Anchorage, going to a school for the Performing Arts (Interlochen) when she was 16, being homeless in Los Angeles at 18, and finally being discovered in a coffee shop in L.A. and then being the opening act for Bob Dylan on the road.

Her inspiring lyrics (she even sang some brand new songs that she just wrote) and nack for a melody just made me sit there and smile. Then, she called her daddy up on stage... I thought I would cry. They sang a song together and then she let him have the stage solo, so he called up his new wife (just married last winter) and they harmonized through another song. Jewel ended the night (2 1/2 hours after she started) yodelling for us, in true Alaska mountain style!














"Everything's temporary if you give it enough time."
- Jewel Kilcher

Camp WeHaKee

My daughter, April, is a camp counselor/water activities instructor at a Catholic girls' camp in Northern Wisconsin this summer. The funny thing is... she's NOT Catholic! Yes, there's a story here...

You see, April is an enthusiastic 18 year old (just finished her first year of college at UW-Eau Claire on the Dean's List) who loves the outdoors (she's a lot like her momma). She decided that it would be fun to be a camp counselor this summer, so she put in several applications around the state. Being the open minded, educated individual that she is, she never gave a second thought to applying at a Catholic Camp. And, I'm sure that there are laws regulating the sorts of questions they could ask her during the interview... one being her religious affiliation. Assuming that only Catholics would apply for work at a Catholic camp... Boom, she was hired!
Lifeguard certification in hand, she excitedly arrived at camp for 2 weeks of training on a sunny Tuesday afternoon. She was assigned to teach canoeing, kayaking, swimming, and even got to help out with the horses. Meeting so many new friends... other counselors from around the world, she jumped right in with both feet. Then came Sunday... mass.

April had never been to a Catholic mass before so you talk about culture shock! I had not even given this a second thought... that she would be attending mass at camp... or I would have explained to her what to expect, having practiced Catholicism for several years during my youth. She called me that night, in her usual bubbly mood, laughing about how she didn't know what to do when during the service (lots of rote sayings and movements), but that her friends were all tutoring her in the art of Catholic worship rituals. They, of course, were overwhelmed with surprise to find out that she wasn't even Catholic! Alas, she was able to keep her job at Camp WeHaKee (Winter, Wisconsin) which became as much of a learning experience for her as it was for the campers!

Diamond Creek Hike

I've heard a lot of people talk about the Diamond Creek Trail, but had never ventured there before today. Given the news last week about the mysterious "uplift" on the Homer Beach, I just had to get down there and see it for myself. For those of you who don't know what an "uplift" is, I'll try to explain. A 1,000-foot long section of the beach rose up 20 feet from the tidelands sometime overnight July 2-3rd, pushing boulders up from the ocean bottom, cracking sandstone slabs and toppling rocks upside down. There is actually a rock circle there now and scientists continue to be baffled by it. No earthquakes were measured by the USGS during this time period. If you're interested in more of the story, check out http://homernews.com/stories/070809/news_1_002.shtml.

So, during low tide this afternoon, Nali and I headed down the trail, which was about a mile downhill the entire way. It was a beautiful day - 62 degrees and a little overcast. The bugs weren't even bad! The trail empties out right on the rocky beach, strewn with massive driftwood logs. Once on the beach, we turned left and headed toward Homer. The sun came out in spurts and I soon took off my hoody and wrapped it around my waist, rolled my short sleeves up and rolled my jeans up "capri style" in an effort to soak up as much Vitamin D as possible.

A mile and a half down the beach we came upon the uplift. There were several small groups of hikers out today - all with the same destination in mind. Tide pools are now where there were only sand and rocks two weeks ago. Much of the rock looked like slate but was soft like clay. The earth seemed very muddy and slippery, a grey covering over all. Perhaps it's from the volcanic ash that we received this spring from Mt. Redoubt. After climbing around the rocks for a while, Nali and I headed back to the trailhead.

The walk back seemed to go faster. Why is that? It always seems that when you go somewhere, the trip home goes by quicker. I wonder if it is because the "newness" of the trip is over and you don't spend as much time "experiencing" the journey. What a shame! It is just as beautiful going back as it was going out. Nali even seemed to pick up the pace heading back and I kept having to call her back to me. When we got to the trailhead, I rested on a log for a few minutes drinking in the beautiful Alaskan scenery - too much fog to see the volcanoes across the inlet, but the water was still beautiful. I then rolled my pant legs back down to avoid scratches from the weeds as we went back up the trail.

I knew when I was coming down the trail that going downhill the entire way was a bad omen. However, I only had to stop to rest once going back up and even passed a few folks along the way. The mountain air is truly invigorating, especially when combined with the sea. Once back to the car, Nali and I were both panting. I smiled all the the way home. Life is good!

Homer High Life cocktail

Again, my own creation!...

1 part gin
1 part Pomegranate Blueberry Juice
Splash of Orange Juice (less pulp)

Mix. Pour over ice. Serve.
Sigh and count your blessings!

Turtle Crackers

I've made a quick dessert before called Pretzel Turtles, but tonight I had a sweet tooth and no pretzels on hand, so this is what I came up with - quick, easy, delish!

1 pkg Rolo candies (8 pieces)
4 Townhouse Flipsides Pretzel Crackers
8 pecan halves

Place two Rolo candies on each Pretzel Cracker. Put the crackers on a microwavable plate and microwave on high for 25 seconds (more or less depending on your "wave")... the candies need to be soft. Remove plate from microwave and press a pecan half on top of each Rolo candy. Let it cool for a couple of minutes and enjoy!

Grilled Corn Salsa

Tonight, I grilled up Halibut Steaks with Grilled Corn Salsa. It was SO good that I have to share the recipe for the Salsa, which would be as terrific on steak or a pork chop as it was on the Halibut.

3 ears of corn (husked)
1 large tomato (seeded, cored, and cut into 4 pieces)
1 medium sweet yellow onion (peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices)
2 fresh jalepenos (cut in half and seeded)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
juice of one lime
3 Tbsp. olive oil (plus more for vegies on grill)

Spread first 4 ingredients on baking sheet and drizzle both sides with olive oil. Place vegies directly on grill and cook over medium heat until brown (10-15 minutes). The tomatoes will come off the grill first followed closely by the onions, then the jalepenos. The corn will stay on the grill the longest.

Cut corn off the cob and chop tomato, onion, and jalepeno. Put all into a bowl with remaining ingredients and stir well. Serve immediately!

It was more Catchin' than Fishin'!

We were to be on the dock at 6:30 this morning. So, last night, Sarah made our lunch (Salami, Roast Beef, Swiss, Lettuce, Mayo and Mustard sandwiches, fresh cherries, and Pringles) and we got our backpacks ready with "foul weather gear" (Alaska's term for rain gear, because here, foul weather may not only be rain, but sleet, snow, high winds, whatever). My sleep was restless, as it usually is when I have to be somewhere early.

Let's back up for a moment. You see, my friend, Jana, introduced me to Steve a couple of weeks ago. Steve summer's in Alaska (he is retired from the military - Navy, I believe) while his wife keeps the fort down in Montana. She comes up for a visit in the summer but does not stay for the length of time that Steve does. He is in love with Alaska, as are most of us here. He has a terrific boat, the "4 Freedom," which comfortably seats 5 people (one sleeping in the berth... "love you, Jana.") Cap'n Steve loves fishing. He needs it like air. But, with over 300 pounds of fish already in his freezer, he doesn't "need" to fish. So, he takes friends fishing most days of the summer here in Homer, Alaska. Invited on today's trip were myself, Sarah, Jana, and Gauge... 4 women!

Ramp 4 was our destination in Homer's harbor. Down the ramp. Take a left. About 5 boats down on the left was the 4 Freedom. Steve was readying his ship and was eager to give Sarah and I the grand tour (you can stand in one spot for this) and the safety instructions... to include dialing *CG on a cell phone to reach the Coast Guard. Jana and Gauge were not far behind us and as we pushed off and headed out of the harbor, the skies were blue with the promise of good weather.

After about an hour and 20 minutes, we arrived at the fishing spot near Flat Island in the Cook Inlet that promised us dinner. We were 25 miles from Homer at this point. 55 degrees with a slight breeze and plenty of sun had us taking layers off immediately - no foul weather gear needed today! From the first time we dropped a line, we were reeling in Halibut. It was unbelievable!

As promised, Cap'n Steve hauled in the biggest catch of the day! It was a 45 pounder (yummo!). After a few hours of fishing (and eating lunch at 9:30am), we had caught our limit of 2 each. Actually, we each caught several, but would throw back the smallest fish as we caught bigger ones. It was more fun than you can possibly imagine! However, those 30 pounders can give quite a fight when reeling them in, as you can see by the expression on my face!

As we headed back to the harbor, Cap'n Steve let Sarah drive the boat! She loved it and the Captain was quite impressed by her skill at the wheel! Sarah did a tremendous job of avoiding the sea otters - so cute floating around carelessly on their backs, and the sea birds floating on the water. Who knows... maybe she'll Captain her own boat someday!

We arrived back in port around noon, but still had a lot of work ahead of us. We unloaded the fish, cleaned the boat, hauled the fish up to the cleaning tables on the dock and fileted them out!

It was the first time Sarah and I had ever fileted Halibut. But, with a few tips from the experts, we didn't do too bad! However, the seagulls were pretty fearce and the folks who had been there cleaning fish when we showed up told us to watch out because one of the gulls had come right up to the cleaning table and carried off one of their filets! Sarah and I were careful, threatening the gulls with our knives whenever they got too close. However, it was a little unnerving when a bald eagle showed up and all the gulls were scared off and the eagle was eyeing us. We held our ground, though and, ended up with 35 pounds of fresh Halibut filets to put in the freezer!

Just another day in paradise!

Rhubarb Peach Cobbler

Okay, so I'm always inventing new recipes and thought this would be a good forum in which to share them. Rhubarb is in season right now and we have a big batch in the middle of our flower garden. So, I came up with this recipe yesterday and it is so delicious that I ate half of the cobbler right out of the oven!

3 cups chopped rhubarb
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 cans diced peaches, drained
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 box of yellow cake mix (save the rest for another cobbler next week)
6 Tbsp butter

Coat 11x7 pyrex dish with cooking spray. Turn oven on to 375.
Combine rhubarb, water and sugar in a pot on the stove. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down and simmer until rhubarb is soft (like the peaches)... about 10 minutes or so.
Stir in peaches, vanilla, and cinnamon, and pour mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle cake mix over the fruit mixture and then cut up butter and randomly dot butter over top of dry cake mix.
Bake for 35-45 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

Eco - Footprint

I’ve been watching a lot of the Sundance Channel on TV this summer – movies with subtitles (but end up being pretty interesting), and lots of eco-friendly programs. Every day, I try to leave a little less of a footprint on this world. I’m getting better at it. Now, I not only recycle plastic #1’s and #2’s, aluminum cans, glass, and paper, but I reuse all plastic bags that come from freezer veggies and such. I use those for when I scoop dog poop in the yard or Sarah cleans the litter box. I don’t get plastic grocery bags at the store anymore – I have 4 large cloth bags that I use. I also keep all kinds of containers – glass and plastic – you’d be surprised how handy they are to have around. I also don’t put my produce in those plastic produce bags. I just leave it loose in the buggy – wasted packaging. I wish there were a way to take my flour and sugar containers to the store to fill them up instead of having to buy those items in all that extra packaging. I’m sure that will come in time.

Oh yeah, and my friend, Ann, who had applied for a position with the Bethel area school district (right here in Alaska)... got the JOB! She's moving up here the end of July!

Pinch Me Moments

I had one of those today.
I had borrowed my landlord's truck to go pick up a used freezer that I bought. The freezer was in Anchor Point and I had a couple of friends go with me to help out.

So, there I was... driving this big ass white Ford F350 truck with a winch on the front. Sitting in the cab with me were my friends, Jana and Troy. We had about a 15 mile drive to go get the freezer (which I bought to keep fish and moose meat in). My refridgerator freezer at home is packed full, so I needed another freezer so that Sarah and I can go fishing and have a place to put our catch.

So... we're sitting in the cab of this big ass truck talking about our favorite ways to cook Halibut (and how much better it is than the flounder that folks fish for off the end of the spit), driving down this bumpy 2-lane road, on the way to pick up my "fish" freezer in the middle of ALASKA!

PINCH ME! If I'm dreamin', don't wake me up...

Farmer's Market

The parking lot was full when I arrived at the Homer Farmer's Market this morning around 11am. Not being a fan of crowds, I strode through the market, spending time at booths that weren't being mobbed and then went through the market two more times to catch those previously mobbed booths and check out their wares.

I was greeted by bright pink Fireweed Jelly, deep purple Bluebarb Jam (both of which I purchased), and a delicacy that I'd never heard of... Kelp Pickles. At $3.00/jar, it was a bargain and I picked up a jar of the neon green mixture and held it up to the light, considering it for a care package that I'm putting together for my dad. The lady at the booth, being ever so cheerful, offered me a taste from a bowl she had out. I eagerly grabbed a toothpick and pierced a healthy piece of picked kelp, plopped it in my mouth and... wished desperately for a spitoon! The texture was remarkably like pickles. However, the flavor was a mixture of fishy saltwater and vinegar - unbelievably nasty. I smiled as I walked away, unable to comment and afraid to open my mouth. All I could think of was getting back to that jelly/jam booth for a taste of jam and bread to clean my mouth out. That poor woman. I have no doubt that she would sell many a jar, being that it's so unique and the market is filled with tourists, if she would just put away the free samples! Don't let them taste it! Blaahk! Lucky for my dad, I got a good taste and will be saving that three dollars for a rainy day!

Then, I was on to homemade soaps and lotions with absolutely delicious homegrown fragrances made from nutmeg, cinnamon, lemon, orange, clove, rosemary, juniper berries, and even hand-milked goat milk (from a neighbor's farm). All are made locally and I walked away with Plumeria lotion and Tundra Spice Goat Milk Soap.

Natives were selling intricate beadwork in the form of earrings and wall hangings. Fresh blue corn tortillas were being made in the next booth. Plant starters were everywhere. The line at the booth with the fresh bread was much too intimidating, though the Cheese Dill bread was calling my name. Fresh vegies were sparce - a lot of greens, radishes, and onions - but that was about it, much to my dismay.

I returned home with my treasures, boxed them up with some canned salmon and salmon jerky, tucked in tight with some Alaska themed kitchen towels and now I'm off to the post office. Care package. What a neat name! That is totally the best description. It is a package put together with care. With a lot of thought and a little shopping, I had created the ultimate Alaskan treasure-filled box for my dad. I just wish I could bottle this blue-skied day so that when Dad open's the box, a vision of mountains, the clear blue sea, and fields of blue lupines would appear before him, with a cool breeze blowing off the glacier and across my deck... Alas, that's a care package that he'll have to come here to get!

For more info on the Homer Farmer's Market - http://www.homerfarmersmarket.org/