Anila Mitri in Albania and I had a Facebook conversation about totem poles.  I tried to explain that poles are not items of worship but are memorials to people, tell a story or a history.  I have been waiting for a fairly good day to get to Halibut Point State Recreation Area where a memorial pole to Japanese Wildlife photographer Michio Hoshino has been raised. Michio Hoshino’s memorial totem pole sits across from Magic Island.  It honors Michio Hoshino, a Japanese photographer who was killed by a bear in Kamchatka, Russia.  Master carver Tommy Joseph carved the pole.  It was … Continue reading Michio Hoshino Memorial Totem Pole, Sitka, Alaska

Earlier this summer I posted several pictures of totem poles from Sitka National Historic Park (Totem Park.)  This prompted several comments from friends abroad.  Questions of where the poles came from, how old they where, and questions about their role in religion. The original poles were gathered in the park after the 1906 St. Louis World’s Fair.   (The meet me in St. Louis, Louis fair).  As they aged they decayed, and would have fallen back to the earth (as they are meant to) but in this park they were preserved, some older poles are on display in the visitor’s center.  … Continue reading Sitka’s Totem Walk

This has been a strange summer.  Perhaps stranger than last summer, which was dry with record heat.  This summer has been warmer than usual, and with both more sunny days and more rainfall than normal.  A lot more rain, record … Continue reading Rain Forest Walks, Sitka, Alaska

Each year salmon return in the millions to rivers and streams in Alaska.  In a way it is, like the wildebeest migration in Africa, a great biological machine that moves nutrients around the ocean and returns to enrich the streams … Continue reading Salmon Run, 2014

I posted the following on Facebook last week. Suzi and I went out to take some pictures of The Michio Memorial Totem Pole. It is a pole dedicated to a Japanese wildlife photographer killed by a bear. On our way, … Continue reading Bear Cub Fishing

The Sitka Conservation Society along with Allen Marine sponsored an evening cruise on Sitka Sound.  We had a discussion of Salmon and got to watch the dramatic change in weather as fine weather moved in from the sea, piling up … Continue reading August 19th An Evening on Sitka Sound

Yesterday morning I woke to sunny skies despite predictions from the night before.  I could see whales spouting in Eastern Channel.  This looked like a good day for an Allen Marine wildlife cruise.   Although the weather was fine I checked my weather app and found a weather advisory predicting unusually heavy rain and two storm fronts bearing down on Northern Southeast Alaska.  I looked at the radar and decided that, although it was sunny and warm I would take my Gor Tex.  It was a good decision.  We started out in shirt sleeves enjoying the sun and watched as the front … Continue reading August 16, 2014, A Pretty Good Day.

As part of the Sitka Seafood Festival we enjoyed athletes demonstrating feats of strength, including throwing telephone poles (cabers), weights (both for height and distance) and bales of hay.  I missed the Crab Pot Toss. Continue reading Sitka Highland/Island Games

The Sitka Seafood Festival is probably the last thing you would expect me to attend given the strong allergic reaction I get from eating almost anything that comes from the sea.   True, I give the seafood banquet, prepared by visiting celebrity chefs, a pass;  but I certainly enjoy the other activities.  The Seafood Festival happens largely on the Sitka Fine Arts Campus.  Chuck Bovee, who worked for Sheldon Jackson College for years, said it’s been a long time since he’s seen so many people on the campus, it felt good.  It does feel good.  For several years the abandoned … Continue reading Sitka Seafood Featival

The last regular season concert of the Sitka Summer Music Festival is this evening.  It has been a glorious month of music.  The Festival has concerts or events 6 days a week, evening concerts, brown bag lunches, cafe concerts, music based movie nights, a kid’s concert, a garden party concert and a concert on a boat floating in Krestof Sound.   About half the events are free.  The concerts are a delight, with four centuries of chamber music performed on instruments that span five centuries.  June is a month where I know I am exactly where I should be. Thanks to … Continue reading The Sitka Summer Music Festival Ends Today.

When the rain came back earlier this week I had the feeling of fall coming on.  It has been beautiful the last two months, with our long northern days and lots of good weather.  We have been so blessed with weather that I can’t let myself believe that it isn’t autumn already.  But, of course, we are just beginning summer.  A friend told me we are fortunate to live in Sitka because when something normal happens, that is normal for other people, a blue sky, it is a cause of celebration in Sitka.   We have had two months of celebration.  … Continue reading An Early Summer in Sitka

After a 31 year absence, the Carnival came to Sitka over the weekend – not the cruise ship Carnival, but the cover-your-kids-in-cotton-candy carnival. Golden Wheel amusements brought 14 rides, games, funnel cake, and corn dogs. Sitka was ready. KCAW’s Rich McClear sent this audio postcard from the midway. Awesome – This is fun, do it again next year – cool –I haven’t seen a lot of people gathering like this for a long time, very active, good for the community – my kids were born and raised here so they have never been to a carnival before, They’re super excited, … Continue reading The Carnival Comes to Sitka

I started the day telecommuting with places like Tbilisi, Georgia and Washington, DC.  (I am, after all, only semi-retired.)  Mid-morning there was time for a workout on my recumbent bike while listening to Grace play classic rock on Raven Radio.  Suzi, our friend Nan and I, were downtown in time to hear the glorious noontime change bell ringing at St. Michael’s cathedral.  Just after noon we took the few steps into the Centennial Building to enjoy a brown bag concert by artists from the Sitka Summer Music Festival — Bach, Chopin and Dohnanyi.  The glass wall behind the musicians framed … Continue reading A Day in the Life of a Semi-Retired Sitkan (June 5, 2014).

The Sitka Wearable Art show was a fantastic community event.  Artists designed clothing made from discarded or unused stuff found around the house.  Some of the costumes were made from empty beer and pop cans, there was a chain mail suit made of pop can pop tops, a suite made of old Kodachrome slides, plastic packing material, magnetic recording tape, spare napkins, cloth remnants, kids’ art taken from the fridge, old movie tickets, orange bait bags, old tire tubes, plastic cutlery, beer bottle tops, tire inner tubes, taco shells, money, unused neckties, and clothes pins. Some of the costumes were … Continue reading Sitka Wearable Art Show

Saturday night we had a power failure.  Snow brought down a tree onto a power line between Blue Lake and Green Lake.  Suzi had just pulled dinner out of the over so we had a candle light dinner.  And just in case the power didn’t come back we ate all the ice cream. The view of the snow along Jamestown on Sunday Morning made the power outage worth it.  (Although I am sure the Sitka Electrical Department may disagree.)  This morning we had a beautiful moon set over Jamestown Bay and Mt. Edgecumbe after another night of fresh snow.  By … Continue reading Two Mornings On Jamestown Bay

This is the first full moon of the Chinese New Year, the year of the Horse.  That means it’s the Lantern festival.  Sitka celebrated in style with a parade down Lincoln Street.  The Dragon Dancers formed up under the totem pole and danced past the Russian Orthodox Church.  The Celebration included performances by groups like the Celtic Kittens dancers.  Hank, our local bluesman, learned a song in Chinese and sang it.  Mt. Edgecumbe High School had its own dragon dance and students in the Chinese language program sang Chinese songs.   A Mt. Edgecumbe student in a kilt sang Auld Lange … Continue reading Chinese Lantern Festival, Sitka Style

On Saturday about 100 Sitkans took a swim in the Sitka Channel without wet suits, dry suits, or survival suits, although one was person in a Santa suit.  The fire department had pressure hosed the ramp to get rid of barnacles.  Apparently cut feet are the biggest medical danger in this operation, and there were rescue divers off shore.  I was covering the event for Raven Radio and before the event I asked the swimmers one simple question “Why?” Here is what I got: “Why Not?” — “We’ll be leaving this summer so I figured this is our last Alaska … Continue reading Sitka Polar Dip

On Thursday we had 1.7 inches of rain, it was dark and wet.  I had the feeling that the season had changed.  We were finally going to get payback for our beautiful summer and fall.  On Friday I woke up to blue skies and sunrise alpenglow on Mt. Edgecumbe.  This morning (Saturday) I woke up to — snow. Friday was a good day for walking.  I took my usual turn through the National Park and then walked Sitka’s new Sea Walk.  The Sea Walk opened on Alaska Day.  I have never driven by without seeing people enjoying the walk and … Continue reading Sitka Sea Walk

The highlight of the 17th Sitka WhaleFest was whale watching.  November is when Humpback Whales gather in Sitka Sound to bulk up, either before they make their swim to Hawaii to mate or give birth, or as a prelude to … Continue reading Sitka WhaleFest 2013, The Whale Watch Cruise