Winter on the Totem Trail
Winter in Sitka is a season the tourists don’t see. They often ask us “What do you do in the winter?” We smile and think about … Continue reading Winter on the Totem Trail
Out and About When The Sun Goes Down.
Sometimes I am out and about when the sun sets especially in December when it sets just after 3 PM. Fortunately I have a new iPhone 13 pro so I always have a reasonable camera with me. These are sunset … Continue reading Out and About When The Sun Goes Down.
Winter Sunsets From My Perch
Suzi and I are skipping the rest of the winter. We’ll attempt to complete the circumnavigation we started in 2020 when our world cruise was interrupted in Australia, and we were sent packing back to Sitka and quarantine and then … Continue reading Winter Sunsets From My Perch
Winter Wall 2.0
My son, Brian, and I went out Sawmill Creek Road past the old mill site to look at the half mile where a wall of ice sometimes forms. It was not as continuous as it was when Suzi and I … Continue reading Winter Wall 2.0
Claus for the Cause
I’ve played Santa on several occasions; I have the beard and physique to pull it off. While I enjoyed it, I was somewhat put off by the greed displayed by some of the kids who sat on my lap when … Continue reading Claus for the Cause
Winter Wall
Sometimes Sitka surprises me, even having lived here for more than 40 years. A week or so ago I was driving and walking along Sawmill Creek Road, beyond the old mill site, across the Sawmill Creek Bridge, heading for Herring … Continue reading Winter Wall
Political Junk.
After the deluge of political mail last cycle I vowed to count each piece of political mail I got this year and report back. This report is late because we’ve had incredibly beautiful winter weather. Walks and taking pics trump … Continue reading Political Junk.
2022 McClear Family Christmas Letter
Sitka Whalefest. It’s Back!
I missed it the last two years. We HAD Whalefest for the last two years, but it was virtual, on zoom. We got great lectures at the science symposium that is always the center of Whalefest, but we missed the … Continue reading Sitka Whalefest. It’s Back!
Whalefest Cruise, 2022.
An Arctic air mass sits over Southeast Alaska. It is cold, colder than usual in November. It is acting like late December or January. If I lived on the inside, closer to the mainland, I could have horrific winds as … Continue reading Whalefest Cruise, 2022.
Hardwood Fall
The fall colors in a hardwood forest take me back decades. While we were primarily in New Jersey to enjoy being with family I took some time to explore places of memory. We started our drive on Paramus Road going … Continue reading Hardwood Fall
Reconciliation Day 2022
October 18, Alaska Day, marks the anniversary of the transfer of Alaska’s sovereignty from Russia to America. The problem is that sovereignty was not Russia’s to transfer. The land was owned for thousands of years by indigenous people ranging from … Continue reading Reconciliation Day 2022
Alaska Day Parade 2022 (more pics)
The joke in Sitka is that the Russians did not want to spend another rainy October in Sitka so sold it to the Americans and pulled out on October 18, 1867. That’s why we celebrate Alaska Day. Of course, the … Continue reading Alaska Day Parade 2022 (more pics)
Halloween in Disguise (Alaska Day, 2022)
Halloween comes twice for kids in Sitka. The preview is on Alaska Day. Kids line the parade route with their sacks open, ready to catch candy thrown by the different marching groups. Sometimes the candy catch can seem a bit … Continue reading Halloween in Disguise (Alaska Day, 2022)
Bagpipes and Cool Patches
Does anyone know how bagpipes became an integral part of Sitka’s Alaska Day celebration? I don’t, but my first Alaska Day in Sitka featured bagpipes from firefighters somewhere in Washington State. Currently it is the Seattle Firefighters who come to … Continue reading Bagpipes and Cool Patches
Waiting For Alaska Day
October is a good month to leave Southeast Alaska. It rains all the time, at least it used to. The last couple of years we have had some surprisingly good weather in October, like this year. But the joke is … Continue reading Waiting For Alaska Day
A Vacation in Plain Sight
I have never had a vacation where I could look out from my cabin and see my house across the bay. But that’s what happened this weekend. Living at my house is already kind of like being on vacation. My … Continue reading A Vacation in Plain Sight
Gorbi
Last night I didn’t sleep well. I wasn’t restless, I didn’t toss and turn. I lay still in thought, contemplation, and prayer. Mikhail Gorbachev is dead. My Albanian friend Arben Kallamata posted on Facebook (Awkwardly translated from Albanian by Facebook): … Continue reading Gorbi
Looking for Fall
Yesterday I went to Silver Bay and saw some change in color of the ground cover and the fireweed in it’s final burst of rebirth. (see the post before this one.) I thought that if I went up to the … Continue reading Looking for Fall
Fogbound Seaward but in Silver Bay…
Today Jamestown Bay was fogbound for most of the day as was most of Sitka to the seaward. I got in the car and drove into Silver Bay, a long fjord that cuts into the island’s mountains. When I got … Continue reading Fogbound Seaward but in Silver Bay…
Late Summer Break
It wasn’t raining. In mid August that’s a good thing if you are going out on a wildlife cruise. The last week has had the feeling of autumn, as the fireweed tops out and the leaves on the ground bush … Continue reading Late Summer Break
Big Ship Day!
August 9, 2022 Yesterday and today are big cruise ship days in Sitka. When more than 5,000 visitors are scheduled, the city closes Lincoln St. to cars and trucks and opens it for tourists. At the beginning of the season, … Continue reading Big Ship Day!
Independence Day 2022
Two hundred and forty-six ago a resolution written by Thomas Jefferson and moved by John Adams passed the Continental Congress. It read, in part: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are … Continue reading Independence Day 2022
Magnetic Storm Warnings
The aurora started on April 8, a green glow behind the clouds. On April 9 we had a full blown Magnetic Storm firing solar particles into the atmosphere and creating a beautiful Aurora. Continue reading Magnetic Storm Warnings