For 50 years the Sitka Summer Music Festival has brought the world of chamber music to our remote island town on the fringe of the Pacific. Because we’re remote, we appreciate the world coming to Sitka at the start of … Continue reading Filling a Hole in June
Harbor Mountain Road was cut through in 1942 during World War II. The story in town was that it was to give access to an observation post, more than 2000 feet above the sound, to enable spotters to watch for … Continue reading A Late Spring on Harbor Mountain
Kruzof Island sits 15 miles to the west of Sitka and forms the barrier that creates Sitka Sound. Mt. Edgecumbe, our extinct volcano sits on the island. I can see it every day when there is good visibility from my … Continue reading Volcanic Field
I am afraid of flying. I am frightened whenever I get on an airplane. This is a strange thing for a person who flies as much as I do. I mean, I live on a remote Alaskan island, no roads … Continue reading Let’s Go Fly!
It starts with an image. The leader makes a full-sized sketch of that image. She slices that image up in strips from top to bottom, or sometimes in a grid. Each member of the quilting group takes a slice and … Continue reading A Slice of Quilt
The Parade of Species is a highlight of Sitka’s Earth Day. Usually, it has tons of kids dressed as different species, costumes made from recycled stuff. Last year there was no parade, this year it was limited to Spruce Tips … Continue reading Earth Day 2021
April 23 2021: Forty five years ago today, Dave Molvik threw a switch at Itasca Community College putting a transmitter on the air. Three miles away Jon Newstrom took some transmitter readings, he had to be there because we discovered, … Continue reading 45 Years!
Friday Spring arrived in Sitka. It was sunny, the crocus had popped up in the yard, the daffodils have just shown their green shoots peeking out from the soil, the skunk cabbage had returned to Navy Creek and the temperature … Continue reading Aurora and Sunset Hues in the Clouds
Ramadan is a movable fast/feast. Back in 2008 it was in August and September. Here is a letter that I wrote to my extended family back then, before I started blogging. I did not think it was appropriate to blog … Continue reading Ramadan Mubarak.
Forty Years ago, I was sitting at a desk in Sitka’s historic Cable house. We were in the process of building Raven Radio. I looked out the window and it looked like someone pulled the plug on the harbor system. … Continue reading Front Porch Fishin’
This morning at 10:30 the seiner fleet started fishing. The Sac Roe Herring fishery started north of Middle Island and lasted for 8 hours. It’s a controversial fishery. It takes tons of herring to get the egg sacs of the … Continue reading Permits? We ain’t got no permits! We don’t need no permits! I don’t have to show you any stinking Permits!
…That’s what I said as I looked across the sea walk toward Sitka National Historical Park. Good Lord! I have never seen that many bald eagles in one place save at Haines, Alaska in the late fall. That’s when they … Continue reading Good Lord!
Eighteen and twenty-one are milestone birthdays. When I was in my 20s the old saw “don’t trust anyone over 30” made 30 the milestone birthday where you became irrelevant. But what comes after 30? All downhill? NO! We grew up … Continue reading Raven’s “Jack Benny” Birthday
This afternoon I looked out my window and saw a nice sucker hole opening up very quickly so I jumped on it. On my way to Starrigavan I stopped at Sandy Beach to watch the surfers and the waves rolling … Continue reading Surfin’ in a Wintery Mix
I have walked by this log hundreds of times and photographed it dozens. It probably washed ashore when the pulp mill was in operation and giant log booms, pulled by tugs, passed this point on their way to Silver Bay. … Continue reading Bumps On A Log.
A year ago, Suzi and I stood on a long line to check in for the MS Amsterdam 2020 Grand World Voyage — in a closeness that would horrify us today. The line was kind of a reunion. Many of … Continue reading One Year Ago
I have never been one to celebrate the New Year. It always seemed like an artificial construct. I celebrated my own new year, the start of the school year, which coincided with introduction of the new models of cars when … Continue reading Welcome To 2021
This year on Times Square, according to the press release (which doesn’t get around to telling you that no one is invited to be there until the 4th paragraph, talk about burying the lede), the program will include the traditional … Continue reading What Are You Singing New Year’s Eve?
I was walking along the Silver Bay path, a young family was coming the other way when a little girl pointed over my shoulder and behind me. “Mama, there!” “Good eye sweetie.” I spun around and saw two whale spouts. … Continue reading Pictures on Boxing Day
Christmas Eve is usually a busy day for me. Tradition is that I do my Christmas Shopping on the 24th. I have finally learned that I should do most of it before then but some traditions I can’t let go … Continue reading Thoughts on Boxing Day
Tree moss fires my imagination. On Halloween it looked spooky enough to move me to write a blog post about it. As we approach Christmas it stops looking spooky and begins to look festive. I was walking along the Mosquito … Continue reading God’s Garlands
From our perch, looking South southwest over Jamestown Bay toward the Gulf of Alaska, I have a crows’ nest view of incoming weather, and from September to March I have nightly views of winter sunsets, when I can see them … Continue reading Winter Sunsets
Forty years ago, we were living in Sollar’s Trailer Court. We could see a small slice of the channel from the front window of our mobile home because we were a little forward of the trailer next to us. One … Continue reading Floating Joy