Last night we had a magnetic storm, that triggered a major aurora that danced for more than 5 hours. I watched better than half of it, starting at about 9:30. Often the aurora were in constant motion, flashing not only … Continue reading Is the Aurora Plural or are they Singular?
After a pandemic induced hiatus Alaska Day returned, in limited form, to Sitka. Alaska Day Commemorates the day that the Russian Flag was lowered, and the American Flag raised over Castle Hill (Noow Tlein in Tlingit) and the United States … Continue reading Alaska Day, 2021
Sunday, October 17, folks gathered on Noow Tlein (Castle Hill) to commemorate Reconciliation Day. Reconciliation Day is an attempt to recast Alaska Day. They gathered a day early because on Alaska Day, October 18, the hill was filled with military … Continue reading Reconciliation Day, 2021
Our rainforest is not where you would normally go to see fall colors. We are not New England or the Blue Ridge. Naturally most of the color we see is the alpine tundra, rust and yellow on the mountains. But … Continue reading Southeast Color
Autumn is Southeast is normally a miserable time. Statistically it rains 29 out of 31 days in October. It’s the beginning of stormy season. On October 1 we clocked 75 mile an hour winds at Sitka airport and about 2 … Continue reading Autumn in Southeast (2021)
We anchored behind Composite Island and tarried (some folks taking advantage of the tarrying by going out in kayaks) until Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam sailed past. Captain Eric didn’t want us to even see the big ship. While Nieuw Amsterdam … Continue reading Johns Hopkins Glacier, Glacier Bay
The healing pole sits upland from the Bartlett Cove Dock. It is a 20-foot yellow cedar pole depicting the conflicts between the park service and Huna tribe over their return to Glacier Bay. It combines traditional and modern forms and … Continue reading Ice Refugees, Bartlett Cove
Raptors, eagles, birds of prey, being chased across a lawn by a kid. That’s how I first encountered the Alaska Raptor Canter. It was set in a back yard to care for injured eagles. In 1983 it moved to the … Continue reading Raptors!
Fourth of July is a civic holiday. Christmas and Thanksgiving are for families and church. Labor Day and Memorial Day have evolved away from civic celebration to family picnics that bracket summer. Independence Day is a time for communities to … Continue reading Celebrate in Community
My most intimate experience with a bear was not in Alaska, it was in Albania. A man in our neighborhood had a pet bear that was also his source of income. He and the bear walked around Tirana, he gathered … Continue reading Smart Bears
Here is the second tranche of pics from the 2021 Sitka Fourth of July Parade. One of the highlights of this half, which straddles both posts, is the new Yellow Cedar Bench honoring Alaska Civil Rights Leader Elizabeth Peratrovich. The … Continue reading The 4th is back (Tranche 2)
After missing a year of parading Sitka’s 4th of July parade was back this year. This is the first tranche of photos of the parade. It’s good to see your friends marching down the street, waving and chatting. For me … Continue reading The 4th is back! (Tranche1)
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
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
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