The Fishing Trip (a post written by Marina)

We were going out fishing. I was the first one to catch a fish. It was an Irish Lord. The person who caught the biggest fish was Manuel. This is a picture of the biggest halibut. Manuel says that fishing here is easier than where he comes from. Where he lives he has to go out, find the tuna, or dive with a spear. This is just sitting on a boat and then the fish come to you!


While we were boating we saw baby otters! They were so adorable!!!


I caught the most Irish Lords out of everyone. All these fish would take my bait. My dad caught the most halibut.

When we got back to the harbor I found a huge log in the water. Then we cleaned the fish at the fish cleaning tables. I won't tell you what I did because I wasn't supposed to be doing it, but it was so so so fun!

Then we went to the ice cream shop on the other side of the spit and listened to Falcom sing with Maygen and her band. I don't really want to talk about him because this is my blog post.

In farming news, one of our baby chicks and one of our baby ducks died. It couldn't walk. Dad says it had a bad fever/infection. This is probably not true. I think it just got sick, a bad disease, from eating Styrofoam.

Today we are going on a long bike ride. (My mom just wrote that because I don't want to go.)

Falcom Joins In

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Another Authentic Alaskan Moment

Eating salmon around the fire pit while Brian and Maygen play a gig. Brian's finger won't stop bleeding after he cut it during a hike up Mt. Augustine volcano.
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Manuel is Here! sure he's been here a week...and I'm just now talking about it...but still...

Manuel is Here

I forgot to mention with a lengthy editorial that Manuel Paag, father of DeeJay and Willie arrived for three weeks of vacation with his boys. It has been great to have him here. He is helpful and quick to smile. He is enjoying Alaska and helping Vince with the tremendous amount of chores that must be done at the beginning of the Alaskan Summer.

It has also been nice because he was here not only for the graduation, but to see DeeJay's car wreck that was so obscenely bad, and odd, like, "How?" He drove across the road ran the ditch and landed high in the trees. Neighbors stopped to see if he was OK and brought him home. He is OK. We think he fell asleep at the wheel. OY! Manuel is glad to see what is going on with that boy.

Manuel also wants to find a machete so that he can build me a duck house... A Yapese duck house! I can't wait to see that one.

We woke up the other morning to a dead baby chick. Who knows what happened. Vince frowned on the idea of a autopsy. In an unusual maneuver, I did not grieve or even flinch about it for a moment. I know, right! I'm getting a heart of stone! I'm becoming a farmer! The chicks are already out in the chicken coop.

I have been having a great time playing with my "baby ducks". Iris is officially the "mama duck". They are more fun than having baby chicks as they are more interactive and comical.

School is out. Falcom and Marina spent the day riding their bikes alone around town. They are really growing up...

I've been thinking about nostalgia...and I can't find the time to write about it... maybe tomorrow? Like this picture of Vince and I for instance... am I stoned? Of course not! but it got me thinking...

Ducks in Creek

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Taking Ducks on a Field Trip

Today, while Vince and Manuel went rabbit hunting, Marina and Falcom took the ducks on a field trip to Valda's marsh where they enjoyed splashing and mucking about.
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Graduation

I wish I had the ability to wax poetic about this event. I wish I had the time and the expression to share how I feel about the passing of time of goals completed. I wish I could summon the verbal agility to concisely share what it is like to watch children grow and change and succeed...But I don't.

Not today.

As I sat in the quiet this morning watching the haze catch the morning sun on the bay, I looked at an eagle sitting in a tall spruce tree on the boundary of our property and I considered the potential metaphors. There are young songbirds all around our house and there are baby ducks and chicks in my living room.


There is a graduate in the basement.

We hosted many of our friends to a graduation party at Mema's house. We all enjoyed a few good laughs as I partied like it was my own graduation (hence the references to 1986).




The auditorium at the high school was set up differently and it was impossible to see to graduates from where we were. It was impossible for me to sneak up and get a picture. That did not stop me from standing on my chair and sneaking up to the front. That did not mean that I could take a decent picture.

It was a happy night. Afterwords we watched as DeeJay was hugged and congratulated the graduate. I was elated! Afterwords, DeeJay left the high school and partied with his friends at the post graduate party.

Today I feel happy, but also exhausted, like I've been through a war and the fatigue is exhausting. We won the battle and the war is over but I'm tired.












Congratulations DeeJay! We love you very much!

Graduation, Part 1

This is a brief update to let you know that the graduation happened! DeeJay is a graduate!

details to follow...

Partying like its 1986

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Signs of Spring

Treed bear on the way to town.
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Good Bye Frogs

It takes two years for an African Clawed Frog to be able to reproduce. Amazingly, practically to the day they turned two, I was able to witness the eggs flying out of the female. No one can imagine my horror the first time I witnessed the frogs in full egg laying/mating form. I immediately called Bill Kitzmiller, the reptile rescue artist, and told him of my dilemma.

"I will NOT have mating egg laying frogs in my house any longer. I will not have a gross pond with thousands of frogs in my house. No I can't kill them. No, I won't create an environmental hazard by releasing them into the wild. Yes, I can bring them any time."

The frogs will now be able to amuse people all over town, as Bill does education in schools. They will be in his shop to croak and amuse him throughout the summer. We can come by to visit.

Thank you Bill for providing me with some peace and getting this pond adventure out of my house!

This Past Week, Part 4

Mother's Day Party at Jerami's
Jerami and Hula decided to host a Mother's Day party at their house. It was a welcome excursion and everyone had a good time. Afterword, we all came home and passed out while the kids jumped on the tramp.

This Past Week, Part 3

Civil War Lesson in the Russian Village
I brought Michael down to the Russian Village so that he could show the students his extensive Civil War collection and give them an awesome lecture on the war. It was fabulous! He give a great lesson. I learned tons. The kids (many of who were hung over from a wedding the night before) were even engaged in the lesson. Michael could see clearly how the ride to the village in winter could be incredibly terrifying.

Afterwords we took a ride down the beach in the sunshine to see the waterfall at False Creek. It was a blast! There is nothing like a stiff breeze and speed to make a person feel young again.


I even drove the wheeler into the truck, which is scary and not hard, just scary.

This Past Week, Part 2

School Play





After a rousing band piece, the school broke into their "Little Engine That Could" Falcom was the clown. Marina was with her class in the old engine that could not help the broken train. It was another amazing event put on by the McNeil Canyon Teachers and Staff. I am always amazed at what this group is able to pull of artistically. Thank you to everyone who helps my kids have this opportunity.

There was even a great jazz dance sequence!

This Past Week, Part 1

NEW CHICKS

I have decided that I am a tough mama and I will be raising poultry again and I will not even flinch when it is time to pick up the bodies after a dog attack or when it is time to butcher them. I've even ordered baby ducks.

Michael and I

And this morning we are off to the Russian Village School to do a Civil War reenactment. 4 wheeler ride, beach, middle school kids, and adventure. Stay tuned!
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Party Sixth Stop

Do you think you missed some stops? Fourth stop was tucking the darlings into their beds.

Fifth stop was my having to yell at the people who would not sleep via baby monitor at 1230. (I probably could have been more compassionate; two girls asleep, Fal almost asleep and one girl crying cuz of this or that moody girl shit. In the middle of the night I loose patience with moody girl shit).

Sixth stop morning. Falcom and Hailey dutifully rise at 6. Waking me as well. I instruct them to stay in Falcoms room as to not wake the others, but that only lasted for a little while. Fortunately, they didn't bug me again until 7.

I was going to make waffles for breakfast but now Falcom is making eggs in the microwave and Hailey is praising how he is the best cook EVER! Oh oh...now they are having a conference. "I love conferences!" Fal just whispered as he slid by me.

And DeeJay still sleeps on the couch...
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Third stop

Second stop at Fat Olive Pizza was a bust. Super crowded due to Shore Bird weekend and First Friday. Oh well! Now we are home eating cooked frozen pizza and opening presents.
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Falcom's Sleep over Party

First stop, SALON!
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Falcom's Birthday

In my youth I had many ideas about what made a family. I read all the psychology books and was well versed in Family Philosophy.

Now that I hit the ground running with it, I realize now that the only thing that really shows who is your family is the people who, year after year, are willing to drop everything and come to a birthday party on short notice.

These are the people who are willing to drop their own routine; be that a favorite show, a good book, or a walk on the beach, to come over for mac and cheese on paper plates to sing to a boy they have known since he got off the plane in Homer.

I'm lucky to have such a warm and loving family. Falcom is very aware that he is deeply loved. Thank you all for coming and sharing a wonderful night with us!