Sitka, Alaska, Home Base

August 23, 2013August 23, 2013 Rich McClear

I have posted a lot of photo blog pages from Sitka this summer and wrote a letter for family and friends. This letter is the best way to introduce you to my home town and guide you to the picture pages in this blog. August 19, 2013 Sitka, Alaska Dear Friends, Such a summer! It is hard to believe that the “Back to School” section of The Sentinel is out. But the days are getting shorter. Sunrise today was at 5:38 and sunset will be at 8:31, just under 15 hours. We are losing 4 minutes a day. I’m sitting … Continue reading Sitka, Alaska, Home Base

Christmas, Christmas Markets, SitkaLeave a comment

2024 Sitka Counseling Christmas Bazaar

November 30, 2024November 30, 2024 Rich McClear

Today we celebrated the 42nd Sitka counseling Christmas Bazaar. It was a clear and cold day. I don’t think I have ever had as much problem finding a parking place as I have today. That means having to walk about … Continue reading 2024 Sitka Counseling Christmas Bazaar

Alaska, Sitka1 Comment

Sitha Whalefest 2024

November 4, 2024November 4, 2024 Rich McClear

If I lived anywhere else, I wonder if I would attend a science symposium. I’m interested in scientific issues, but I don’t think it would occur to me to sit through 9 science presentations. But I live in Sitka, and … Continue reading Sitha Whalefest 2024

Sitka, 2024 Westerdam Legendary Japan, Cruises4 Comments

Home

October 29, 2024October 29, 2024 Rich McClear

I seldom sleep well on days before I fly. It’s the combination of fear and excitement. I have a fear of flying dating back to a day in 1978 when I was sitting in an exit row, landing gear on … Continue reading Home

Alaska, 2024 Westerdam Legendary Japan, Cruises, Sitka2 Comments

Cruise Conundrum

September 15, 2024September 15, 2024 Rich McClear

Friday the 13th does not exist for me. It’s the day we cross the dateline, we move directly from the 12th to the 14th. To compensate we will have two October 12ths on the way back. A lost day at … Continue reading Cruise Conundrum

Cruises, 2024 Westerdam Legendary Japan, Sitka3 Comments

Our Hailing Port

September 8, 2024September 8, 2024 Rich McClear

September 5, 2024. We know most people in Sitka, in the winter. But in the summer a whole new crop of newbies arrive in town. I don’t know as many of them. As we walk from Westerdam to the Sitka … Continue reading Our Hailing Port

Sitka2 Comments

Sitka Shows Off.

August 10, 2024August 10, 2024 Rich McClear

On Thursday I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with Rotarian Timothy Massawe from the Moshi Rotary Club in Tanzania. Our club is working with his to support a group of girls attending school. We do regular zooms with … Continue reading Sitka Shows Off.

Sitka1 Comment

Now it’s 16 Miles!

July 7, 2024July 7, 2024 Rich McClear

For the last several decades it has been a little over 14 miles from one end of Sitka’s road system to the other. Over the July 4th weekend that became a little under 16 miles as the first section of … Continue reading Now it’s 16 Miles!

Sitka, Winds of Change7 Comments

248 Years Ago

July 1, 2024July 14, 2024 Rich McClear

(July 2, 2024, 248 years later.) On an unseasonably cool July 2, 1776, Richard Henry Lee moved a resolution, before the second Continental Congress, declaring independence for the 13 American colonies. To get unanimous agreement Congress made changes during the … Continue reading 248 Years Ago

Alaska, Sitka6 Comments

A Global Moment of Wonder

May 11, 2024May 11, 2024 Rich McClear

As Sitka waited for the dark, (as dark as it ever gets in May) we watched our glorious blue skies fade to dusk and clouds began to form. The forecast was for cloudy skies after sunset. Sunset is just after … Continue reading A Global Moment of Wonder

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Fly Free!

March 23, 2024March 23, 2024 Rich McClear

It used to be a regular event around Eastertide. But Sitka hasn’t seen it since 2019, the annual eagle release at the Alaska Raptor Center. The Center takes in injured raptors, nurses to health those it can, and releases them … Continue reading Fly Free!

Sitka, Winds of Change4 Comments

“42”

February 18, 2024February 18, 2024 Rich McClear

Raven Radio is about to discover the meaning of Life, the Universe and Everything tomorrow Feb 19, (with apologies to Douglas Adams and Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe) when it turns 42. At just before 5 PM, Pacific Time, on … Continue reading “42”

Sitka, Croatia1 Comment

Flashback Fourth…

July 14, 2023July 14, 2023 Rich McClear

…And a look at today. I’ve always loved Independence Day. It and Christmas are my two favorites. I love the sense of community that both holidays engender. At Christmas it’s community parties, singing, decorations and a feeling of celebration. The … Continue reading Flashback Fourth…

Sitka1 Comment

A Famers Market in Sitka?

July 13, 2023July 13, 2023 Rich McClear

When some folks first hear that Sitka has a farmer’s market they say, “I didn’t know Sitka had any farms.” Don’t expect to see big John Deere Tractors or long rows of soybeans in Sitka, but, historically, Sitka has had … Continue reading A Famers Market in Sitka?

Sitka, Winds of Change3 Comments

Almost Independence Day

July 2, 2023July 2, 2023 Rich McClear

(July 2, 2023, 127 years later.) On an unseasonably cool July 2, 1776, Richard Henry Lee moved a resolution, before the second Continental Congress, declaring independence for the 13 American colonies. To get unanimous agreement Congress made changes during the … Continue reading Almost Independence Day

Sitka1 Comment

It’s The Emotion

July 1, 2023July 1, 2023 Rich McClear

My music education was largely intellectual. I learned about scales, keys, meter, time signatures, tonics, and modes. It was almost like learning mathematics. I was taught that listening, particularly to classical music, was an exercise in intellect. But that’s not … Continue reading It’s The Emotion

Sitka4 Comments

Surprise!

July 1, 2023July 1, 2023 Rich McClear

(June 30, 2023) OK, I was feeling a little down. It had been raining most of the day, which is not unusual for Southeast Alaska, it was a Friday night in June and there was no music festival concert. The … Continue reading Surprise!

Uncategorized, Sitka3 Comments

Jazz on the Waterfront

June 26, 2023June 26, 2023 Rich McClear

The first program Raven Radio produced was for the Sitka Fine Arts Camp. We produced it before Raven was even on the air. Suzi, the kids, and I moved to Sitka from Juneau in the fall of 1980 to help … Continue reading Jazz on the Waterfront

Sitka1 Comment

Music on the Mountain

June 25, 2023June 25, 2023 Rich McClear

(June 19, 2023) “My idea is that there is music in the air, music all around us; the world is full of it, and you simply take as much as you require.” — Edward Elgar. Suzi and I were hiking … Continue reading Music on the Mountain

Sitka3 Comments

Sitka Pride Post

June 24, 2023June 24, 2023 Rich McClear

Okay, I admit it. I almost missed it. Today started out fairly nice with rain in the forecast for the early afternoon. Suzi and I had Saturday Breakfast at the Nugget. I dropped her off at home and headed out … Continue reading Sitka Pride Post

2023 Grand World Voyage, MV Zuiderdam, Sitka6 Comments

OK, This is Really the Final Cruise Coda.

June 18, 2023June 19, 2023 Rich McClear

Of course, we would have loved to finish the 2023 Grand World Voyage and not disembarked in Mauritius for medical reasons. We would have loved, to have visited the African ports, the Spanish and Portuguese Atlantic Islands and cruised Europe. … Continue reading OK, This is Really the Final Cruise Coda.

Sitka2 Comments

Counting Rubber Duckies.

June 18, 2023June 18, 2023 Rich McClear

(June 17, 2023) OK, they are plastic, and they are not the ducks we’ve been picking up off the beach after a container full of them fell off a ship and broke open years ago. They are ducks used in … Continue reading Counting Rubber Duckies.

Sitka2 Comments

Music in the Mist.

June 15, 2023June 15, 2023 Rich McClear

I must be getting older. It is mid-June, and I am exhausted. May and June have always been the big social season in Sitka with the Music Festival, Art Shares from the Fine Arts Camp, wildlife cruises and all sorts … Continue reading Music in the Mist.

Sitka5 Comments

Fishing Farm League

June 13, 2023June 13, 2023 Rich McClear

I am not sure why we need a special Kids’ Fishing Day in Sitka. This year in the Sitka Salmon Derby kids, not adults, walked off with the big prizes. A 9-year-old won $10,000 for the biggest fish, an 11-year-old … Continue reading Fishing Farm League

Sitka3 Comments

Critters.

June 7, 2023June 7, 2023 Rich McClear

You are a new naturalist on an Alaskan excursion boat. You just came up from Outside, you’ve narrated a few wildlife tours and are beginning to feel a little confident and then… You are on a wildlife tour filled with … Continue reading Critters.

Postcards from the Transition

Postcards from the Transition.

Category: Sitka

Sitka, Alaska, Home Base

2024 Sitka Counseling Christmas Bazaar

Sitha Whalefest 2024

Home

Cruise Conundrum

Our Hailing Port

Sitka Shows Off.

Now it’s 16 Miles!

248 Years Ago

A Global Moment of Wonder

Fly Free!

“42”

Flashback Fourth…

A Famers Market in Sitka?

Almost Independence Day

It’s The Emotion

Surprise!

Jazz on the Waterfront

Music on the Mountain

Sitka Pride Post

OK, This is Really the Final Cruise Coda.

Counting Rubber Duckies.

Music in the Mist.

Fishing Farm League

Critters.