August weekend

On Saturday, Jason and I hiked up Old Woman's Mountain. The hike up, not so fun, but getting to the top was magnificent. It's really pretty once you get past all the tall alders and pushki. I took lots of glorious landscapes with sweeping views, cloud-covered green mountains with deep valleys and streams, but I thought the close-up photos of flora turned out just to be more interesting.

The last of the wildflowers.

On Saturday was Warm August Nights, an annual music festival. The music that I was there for was not so good, so really the best part was seeing a bear at the Russian River. Whose watching who? People watching the bears, or bears watching the people?

The crew, me, and the captain.

Bear!

On Sunday Abby and I headed out to Pasagshak for summer day #2 - a day were it actually feels warm! It was awesome! I thought I didn't take too many photos, because I spent an hour napping on the beach, but apparently I took a lot, or I liked all the ones I took....or Abby is just so cute!

Panting like a dog. Note the surfer in the background.

On Monday, Hannah, Abby, Jason and I went to the Russian to go fishing. Hannah snagged a fish. She was so excited!

Pura Vida

Wasn't last year's resolution pura vida? Well, this dude is livin' it! And when I'm with him, I feel it.

Captain Hottie, sometimes known for his appearance on Deadliest Catch season two, which he does not flaunt, is perhaps better recognized for his happy go lucky life - fishing, growing own food, investing in stock market, traveling, diving, hording ammo and killing animals to eat, protesting China and complaining about the harbormaster, reading, pots, and pretty kitties - did I miss anything?!

My friends call him Tomcat Junkfood, cause that's what he is. So good, but can you really live on junk food and count on a tomcat? There is a definite end. Why is that so bad?! Oh yep, I would be choosing loneliness and impending heartbreak. On the other hand, he is doing ME A FAVOR by keeping me around. After all, I have been initiated into his fishing boat club, and when he's done all the girls end up on anti-depressants, with an addiction, or leave town with their head hung in shame. It has nothing to do with him of course, and by keeping me as his proverbial Tuesday and Friday date he is saving me from this fate.

Beer good. I heart the brewery.

He is amazing to watch. The way he carries himself, speaks, and the workings of his mind are brilliant. I just want to record it in my mind forever. I will be 80 and thinking of him as Santa, sans the pants. What?! Come on, Mom's would so pay for that. No need for crab fishing and hard work, he can take his charm and make money and get some. He just has it like that. He's Tom. A real Prince Charming. Ok, so he lives in LaLa land where there are no problems in his little happy f' kingdom on the hill, and if there are, get out or he'll taze you!

And he takes me nice places too, like the harbor restroom.

I kid, I kid.

Normally we make dinner at his place, but this was my initiation dinner on the GB.

I like the views out the window, and the camera Patrick gave me takes amazing night photos.

I dropped my lens cap down here, oops.

I might as well toss in my dull grey battered heart too.

new friend

Walked to south end of Near Is. Learned that the wildflowers are GONE....

Jason and I met in parenting class last winter. I thought he didn't like me actually! We ran into each other at the playground, and since he is a fisherman, I of course asked about fishing. The rest, as the saying goes, is history. We have become good friends. And to clarify, for those who have been reading, this is another captain, not Cpt. Hottie. That will be the next post probably.

On Friday, J took me to the boat yard, showed me boats. I am learning about commercial fishing. I mean, if I am in Kodiak, I should know about fishing. I know enough about the freakin' Coast Guard, bad weather, etc.

He is looking for his next boat. He worked on THE highliner in Kodiak for some years, then owned a few salmon seiners, now hopefully he can get back in the game cod jigging or longlining for halibut. Can you believe he said he wanted to take ME fishing?! He sees that commercial fishing does indeed intrigue me.

The next day we went to Jacks Lakes behind Bells Flats. I got in the water up to my knees. It felt great!

Here is the second lake, Aurel.

When fireweed blooms reach the top, summer is over. It is nearing the top, and doesn't feel like we've had "summer". Last year Abz and I hit the beach daily, but this year flew by and all I know is we better start squeezing in more outdoor activities.

We brought a shotgun on the walk. I was not bearanoid, but when you are actually walking through grass that is over your head, you can't see five feet, bearanoia can hit, and it did! We just made sure we talked a lot, and all was fine.

Once a week we get the girls together (his daughter and Abby). Jason bought Abby a Dora trike so they can go bike riding together! Abby is still learning. Her little legs are not so strong, but wow, is she smart. I can't believe how fast she is growing right now.

Dancing to Miley Cyrus while Jason assembles the Dora trike.

Community Archaeology

Nice view, but all you see when you dig is dirt!

Gotta look up once and awhile.

Molly, a local girl turned archaeologist.

She played in the Rice Ridge backdirt in 1989 and found her career!

Jill, always workin' longer and harder than anyone!

My little area for that day.

This year's community archaeology is at the Amak (breasts) site. If you want to know the meaning behind the name, see http://saltonstall.blogspot.com/2011/07/how-amak-site-got-its-name.html

The museum's Comm Arch program is pretty darn remarkable for a few reasons. Anyone (over the age of 14) can come and excavate right on the road system! High school students and college students can earn college credit and we often offer a PAID internship to go out in the field!

Also, the museum is actively engaged in research. Patrick, Amy, and Sven even publish their results! It used to be that Dr. Joe Schmo from X university came here and dug for three weeks at one site and left, taking all the artifacts and information far away. Instead, with the museum, the artifacts stay here in Kodiak, under professional care, and we share what we learned from the excavation.

This is year 14 of Comm Arch. Conducting a long-term study of an area on Kodiak Island is unique. Through archaeology, I imagine that Patrick and crew have developed like a bird's eye view of how Women's Bay was used through time, seasonally. So, for example, at one site 4000 years ago Alutiiqs were cod fishing and at another site 200 years ago Alutiiqs were cod fishing commercially for the Russians - same resource but used very differently! What is distinctive about the project is that they're digging the range of sites in the annual round – across time. So we are getting the spatial and temporal dimensions of subsistence practices in one environment to build a broader picture of prehistoric life.

And of course I gave a private collections tour to the Captain and Master of Sail (I think) and to the fancy French chefs who were visiting that week also.