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!