Progressive Party

Another night of indulgent eating! Valda and friends from Hutler Road planned a midsummer party with appetizers at Valda's, entries at C's and deserts at L's. (Names withheld to protect the indulgent).

Each home was extraordinary in its own right. Valda's sweeping views, interesting architecture, and European style, C's a cabin being renovated into a smooth flowing modern space, and L's super modern straight out of Sunset magazine!

The company was lively. There were more than 30 people attending, many whom I had never met.

Did I mention the fantastic dishes? Did I mention that I over indulged again? Did I mention that I was getting in the car after Swiss Day and split my pants? Did I mention that I can hear Weight Watchers calling me?

Thank you neighbors for another terrific time!
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Swiss Day!

Friday was the annual celebration of Switzerland at the Schaad Residence on East End Road.  Many people do not realize that there is a lively Swiss community here in Homer.  I don't know if it started with Yule, or if he was just the most famous, but our town has a beautiful niche of Swiss. 

When we arrived Konrad was using his grown boys to help erect a rain shelter for the guests to duck under.  It is incredible to me how industrious these wonderful neighbors are!  They had dug post holes, stood logs and covered the area with a tarp just in time for the majority of their guests to arrive.  This same task would have taken me months to complete.  Just the 'thinking' about doing it alone...

The pond was its same beautiful self.  I was having fond flashbacks to last summer.  Does anyone remember last summer when the sun shone every day?  When I was tan?  When the kids and I would sit by the pond and have cold drinks with Gabi in the sun?  Ah...

The pouring rain did not keep Marina out of the kayak, nor did it keep the kids from going for a swim. 

They claimed they saw leeches chasing them through the water.  Since this summer has been cold I imagine the kids were the first fresh meat these leeches had seen this year!  Later, Falcom told me he had found a slug in his pants.  I said, "Are you sure it was not a leech?"  He said, "No because it had two googlie eyeballs looking at me!  So, I flushed it."  Love it that my kids are not freaky about things!  We did thorough leech checks before bed and this morning the first thing they want to do is go back to Gabi's pond.  Like I said, I love it that my kids are not freaky about things!

Gabi had hosted the Homer Garden Club for their annual garden tour last week.  The gardens are magnificent!  Speaking of magnificent, the food...the drinks...words can not describe...

Even the pouring rain, there was lively conversation and laughter.  Kids were playing and adults were munching.  Everyone had a blast!

Thank you Konrad and Gabi for including us in the fun!

 

Hooray Willie!!

After six months of having a permit, Willie has passed his DMV exam and is an official driver!

After taking his permit test 12 times (I think) we have developed a close relationship with our friends in the Homer DMV.  This crew was happy to greet us and were extremely professional in the way they handled my motherly enthusiasm and incessant need for documentation. 

Willie was a little nervous, but deep down I think he knew that driving is something he can do...

Here they are getting back from their road test.  Do you see a hint of anxiety in either the driver or the examiner?  Heck no! 

As he took off on his first solo trip, in that enormous MelMobile, (a van that intimidates many experienced drivers, but not Willie), I had to reflect on how far Willie has come in the past 10 years of his life.  The first times I drove with Willie in Chalan Kanoa Village in Saipan he was so small and so shy.  When we picked him up at the airport in Anchorage and drove him to Homer he was amazed at the speed and distance that we could travel. 

When he drove us out of the DMV parking lot today I was aware of how self assured he is becoming!  He is confident and aware and sure of himself.  He was not the nervous anxious kid who had the habit of diverting his eyes.  He was full of confidence and I felt as though...well, I felt as though...  I felt as though he wouldn't crash his first week out.

Congratulations Willie!  We love you!

Medical Clinic Good Times

Does waiting over an hour for our clinician count as quality mother/daughter time? So far I've heard her version of Shakiera's 'she wolf' a hundred times, studied about lung function and asthma, played a game we created with a parachute man, and read a travel magazine. I've allowed her to bother the nurses over a dozen times. (Of course we've gone through the cabinets!)

Why are we here? Marina has been snoring like a freight train has been passing by and this morning as I watched her fitful sleep I felt as though she was suffering from "baby apnea" (a term I just made up).

"Dad snores super loud and you aren't making him go to the clinic!"

"Snoring like a 43 year old man is not something you should ba striving for, Marina!"

Keep you posted...
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Fish Lust -or- How to End Sibling Bickering

This week, we have been busy passing our fish lust down to our children.
After our anniversary evening, we went and picked up the two little kids at Mema's. We had thought about fishing, but it was raining (again). After our last massive slaying of the fish, we thought that this day of fishing could be optional. When we arrived at Mema's we found her exhausted. The children had been bickering and had even done some spitting and she was ready for a break.

When the two got in the car they started bickering again. Then they looked around, realized that we were thinking about fishing, and both set into a full blown whine about not fishing, "We want to go home and watch TV or something!"

It was at this point that Vince turned the truck directly to the harbor. We were taking the kids fishing: rain, waves, wind, be damned. These kids did not need to be in the house cooped up another minute. Sure, there was a small revolt. We didn't care.

All whining stopped about half way across the bay. Vince took Willie and Falcom up to the waterfalls, where the boys stood in the water and did the dipping. Vince stood on the shore and put the fish into the bag. The boys caught our limit within 20 minutes.

Marina and I stayed down by the opening of the river and tried catching fish there while we watched the boat. (hence, no photos of the boys in the waterfall) We were good, but not good enough and good thing! We would have been over our limit. We had so many fish that we needed an extra hand cleaning them. Luckily, Maygen was on her way back to town from Anchorage. Vince and Maygen were doing the filleting, Willie and I were extracting the ribs and skins, and Falcom and Marina were cleaning the guts and carcasses.

All whining and bickering ceased.

10th Wedding Anniversary

Not every anniversary can be spent in the throws of princess-ish-ness and solitude. Not every anniversary can touch the magnificence of the igloo or the wildflower cabin.

This year, our anniversary came just as the salmon fishing was getting hot. The night of our anniversary Vince was driving back to Homer from work with a dozen roses in the passenger seat of the truck. The next morning we were up and fishing. The following morning, smoking and canning fish. The following day, fishing.

In between all that we took a break to be together. My mom watched the kids and Vince asked me if I wanted to go out to eat. Honestly, with all the traveling and entertaining we've been doing lately, none of the restaurants that normally pique my interest were intriguing me. "How 'bout Duggan's?" he said.

Duggan's. Duggan's bar. Formerly Waterfront Bar. Formerly a place Dawn and I would spend a Saturday night. It is also a place where I met a guy named Pierre who had a scar on his face from where he had been kicked by a kangaroo as a child.

Ah, yes... a perfect place for an anniversary. I like to go to Duggan's with Vince because it is the kind of place where no one will know us and no one will bother us as we slide down wings and a burger. Especially when we are there early in the evening, before it gets hopping.

This time was also fun because we could play Wii Golf while we ate our wings and burgers. I have a secret love of Wii Golf.

Do bars fall under the sames laws of community and privacy as AA meetings or hospital clinics? Is there a certain code of silence a person agrees to when they step over the threshold of the adult establishment? Oh, that's right! No. Many great lives have been ruined from flying gossip that sprung from a bar. Therefore, do not read on if you feel that gossiping about what happens in a bar is sacrilege.

And so we sat, enjoying peaceful non-confrontational conversation, playing Wii, having drinks. I got eyeballed by a guy at the bar who didn't realize I was Vince's wife. "Oh! Vince, is this your lovely wife! I didn't know..."

Vince said, "Of course you wouldn't, I just brought her here from Russia. Where is your wife?"

"She was out, +*&** someone else! Oh...sorry madam." He looked at me feeling bad for forgetting there was a lady in the bar.

Vince said, "That's alright, she's new to the language." I laughed.

He left, continued on to his pool game and whiskey, and Vince and I continued on with Wii. When a woman I know walked in with a man who was not her husband. They snuggled up into the corner with their drinks.

It got me thinking about long term relationships and monogamy. Is there a secret to longevity? Is there a key to staying in love for more than six months to a year? I read an interview with an elderly woman who had been married for 70 years. (This was in ADDitude Magazine and was about how to keep us AD/HD heads in a relationship for more than a fleeting moment.) She said, "Being married was something we chose to do. We decided to be married and walk this path together." I knew that this meant

for as long as we both shall live

I am not at this point with Vince. Feelings come and feelings go, and we are married and although I can't get my mind around the idea of 'for as long as we both shall live', I know that I am still doggedly committed to this man and it's not because I have to be, but rather because I chose to be...

Vince is a great man and I give thanks for him daily.

Meanwhile, Vince got a little snitty at me when we got in the car and he caught me sending a text to a friend describing the infidelity going on in the heart of Homer. He quickly recanted when I read aloud her response..."Wait? If she's in the bar, who is home with my kid who is spending the night at her house?"

Happy Anniversary Vince! I love you...

Our Tribe Flourishes!

The day that Maygen and I went to Tutka Bay with Steve and Kathy, we were having a conversation about why we were not catching any fish. The fish were everywhere and yet we were incapable of snagging any.

Finally I said, "You know, this must be what happens to the tribes that are there...that the archaeologists have proof of...that suddenly disappear and those archaeologists don't know why. They don't get fish for whatever reason and then poof! They disappear!"

This statement did not relieve Maygen one bit! She snarled, "I will NOT be a member of the tribe that becomes extinct!"

Today, our tribe flourished.
We arrived in China Poot just as the tide was coming up. We were not the first boat in the river, but early enough to make this a successful day. Maygen and Vince went up the waterfalls. The picture on the left is of Maygen telling Vince, "I just saw 5 fish behind me!"

Once those two had a game plan going, Falcom and I took Iris back down to the mouth of the river with Iris's grandma, Susan. Susan was quite the trooper! Waded across the river and everything. (The water is not warm, if you were wondering.) I told her it would not be long until she was a certifiable Alaskan. She's not convinced.
When we got to the mouth of the river Falcom found two fish floating down the rapids. It looked like they had been caught and then jumped back in the river upstream, only to be exhausted and float back down. Falcom jumped right in and caught them again bare handed. Then he grabbed the net and caught two in one scoop! I was so proud of him and his fantastic fishing skills.


I was also proud of Susan for helping me get the fish out of the gill net and then bonking them on the head with a rock. Iris sat patiently watching and yelling out, "You can do it, Falcom!"

Maygen and Vince each carried at least 50 pounds of fish down from the waterfall to the boat. Falcom had his catch on shore and added it to the bag.On the way home Maygen said, "We are not part of the tribe that goes extinct! We did it!" She then saved all of the hearts from the fish for a ritual blessing of our catch to keep the Gods pleased with us... I'm joking, but it might not be a bad idea.

Visiting our Neighbors!

The sun came out and Falcom, Marina, and I decided to go for a neighborhood tour! We started with Mark M. who has the best horse riding business in Homer! As we chatted he gave Marina a ride on Snowy Owl. She was in heaven. (Falcom is allergic.) We then cruised down to the homestead and up to Gage's. Because the sun is out no one is home! Doesn't matter...it's great to be out with my kids in the sunshine.
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Steve and Kathy

When I was a young woman I found a place on the planet Earth where I felt grounded and at peace. That place was a park called Yosemite. I lived there. I worked there. I fell in love there. I made soul friends there. We had fun together we grew together, and then we had to move on to other things...

Fortunately for me I still get to talk to my soul friends. Even better, they come to visit me.

As the years have progressed onward, my memories are no longer acute with exact conversations and events. Instead, when we are together, I feel the same energetic presence that I felt in my youth.

I took them fishing with my family and Maygen and Iris. I had another pure Alana moment where I neglected to tie off the boat and as Kathy so hilariously recalled, "Alana calmly said, 'I..don't think..the anchor is tied off...' and Maygen said, 'are you kidding?' and then Maygen unfurled her super hero cape and plunged into the sea after it." Steve and Kathy laughed heartily at this event. I was amused because it encapsulated the kind of life I've been living up to this moment. With the exception of my hair being noticeably lighter, I am the same easy going klutzy girl that I have always been. It has been great to be reminded of that.

The fish in Little Tutka Bay were jumping everywhere. The sun was shining brightly. It was a great day to be out on the beach for a picnick and a chat with family and friends.

Kathy and I remembered how we took a rock climbing class together in Yosemite. She was doing great, took right to it. Then the instructor informed her that she was too high and she fell, scraping up her knee and her leg. When I got my turn at the rock I got about half way up and slipped. I was held firmly by the rope. I laid against the rock and thought, "Why am I doing this? I don't think I am enjoying this at all. I just broke a nail!" Kathy ran to Steve that night to show him her massive injury. I decided to continue watching the boys climb from the valley floor and she decided to continue climbing.
Alana and Steve circa 1988

I told Kathy about how I hiked Half Dome with my then boyfriend Todd. I was complaining about the 8 arduous miles of stair climbing that we were doing. We had just past Nevada Falls, maybe done with three of the eight miles, when Steve came down the mountain towards us. He had been on an early morning jog-up half dome. He so casually said something like, "Hey guys! Yea, great day to be out..." not even winded! Yes, he is still in that good of shape.

We laughed for two days and then they had to leave and return to their home.

The waking dream in this visit came to me when Steve said, "Alana, when we pulled into Homer and I looked out over the sea and the mountains, I had the same feeling I had when I came into Yosemite Valley."

I remembered that I felt that same way when I first arrived in Homer. The sun glistening on the ocean and the glaciers slow progression to the sea brought my soul into alignment with my physical reality in the same way that being held in the womb of that Valley in Yosemite did. I realized that Yosemite and Homer are my spiritual homes and that if I were to ever get my way and be able to leave here I would want to turn around and come right back. Fortunately, nothing changes here, just as nothing really changes between those walls of stone and where ever my path takes me I'll be able to come home... or go home...

Thank you for visiting me Steve and Kathy. Love you guys...

Surprise!

Anna! Look who is in Alaska. That's right. Steve and Kathy! They are great. More later...
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Tutka Bay Lagoon

Two seals are so busy catching red salmon that they are not paying attention to me or my boat. It doesn't matter to them if the sun is out from behind the clouds or whether it is the second straight week of rain. They are so quick I can't catch them on film.

Maygen and I left the kids at Mema's today (their request) and took the skiff out to Tutka Lagoon for red salmon. I wanted to prove to myself (and Vince) that I am not a total knuckle head and that I can provide for the family too.

So far I have had a great sand which from Fritz Creek Store, I watched 4 eagles fight, I tangled the bail on two rods, I dropped Maygen off at shore so she could get to the fish, and I contemplated the seal lifestyle while I lay in the sun.

The only thing that can make this a better day is if Maygen is able to catch fish for both of us! So what if I still haven't proven that I am not a knuckle head.
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Partial Success

No we didn't smoke 'um out, but we learned a lot, we got a couple, and we had a great time. We saw baby sea gulls which are fuzzy and cute and we saw seals.

We have voted to try again tomorrow so wish us luck!
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And we are off!

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Dip Netting

We are sitting at the Kenai River Dock waiting for our turn to put our boat in so that we can have our very first dip netting from a boat experience. Matt Wise was kind (and trusting) enough to let us borrow his river able boat.

It is a glorious sunny day. We are sitting 6th in line, waiting for the tide to come up high enough for us to put in. While we've waited 12 more boats have lined up behind us.

We are up. Write more later.
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Spit Fun!

Today we are on the spit enjoying some shopping. Ok, what I should have said is that I am walking off a delicious lunch of seafood chowder and oysters (and crab legs and salmon burger). The kids ran around the beach while we chatted and enjoyed the atmosphere! Suzanne is buying this shirt.
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Alaskan summer moments

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Week in Review

After this week, Laurie is going to need time in this crab pot to relax before going back to work!
Laurie, Mema, and I relaxing by the bay.

This fish was the new derby winner of the week. The size of the fish is put into perspective when compared to my children. A lady angler brought in this fish and I hope she wins the jackpot.After watching the fish get weighed, we went to the Kachemak Bay Shell Fish Growers Cooperative for a dozen oysters. They were delicious even with small packages of lemon instead of fresh lemon. Laurie turns out to be a master shucker. We will return!

The next day I took the girls on a boat tour of Kachemak Bay. Look at our cute otter friends that greeted us!
I was a completely butch Alaskan girl, taking them around and showing them the sights that are so near and dear to our hearts. We were having a great time!

Unfortunately, not all days turn out as a girl would hope. While killing time on the way to dinner in Halibut Cove I toured the girls a little too far and I ran the boat out of gas. What will be remembered from that trip? Three of us waving to a neighboring boat to get their attention as other boats zipped by like middle aged women always dance with their raincoats spinning on 20 foot skiffs. The other lasting memory will be of our good Samaritan teaching us how to blow into the gas tank to pressurize it so that I could get fuel to the engines. Urg!
Seldovia on the 4th of July is always an Alaskan treat. The streets were packed and everyone had fun participating in the games and activities that the locals had orchestrated.

Laurie and Yvette had fun walking through town seeing the sights and the great chainsaw carvings. They took a hike to outer beach and picked up rocks.

Maygen and Vince took part in the Canoe Jousting. I can not believe that they did not win! She was absolutely determined and a woman standing next to me said, "She has the heart of a lion, that one!" In this picture, she is reaching up to show the judge that they were the last ones to go down. Unfortunately, they didn't win.

Yesterday I was able to flex my butch Alaskan self again by showing Laurie around our neighborhood via 4 wheeler. She was a good rider and had fun touring the Kilcher Road Homestead and the beach with me.
Tonight dinner at Maygen's for a little bluegrass music and bar-b-que.