The Marlin Perkins hour.

A little late but nonetheless I figured a descent topic. The Sockeye salmon run has come and gone, with a two month window now for catching silver salmon other wise known in the fish world as Coho. The Sockeye salmon run took place in a few week period back in July. Sockeye's are referred to as red's, due to the rich red color of their meat. They are a very abundant species, but the key is to catch them in their run up the rivers to spawn. And, that only takes place in that two or three week window.

After they hatch, Sockeye's will spend several years in their freshwater spawning grounds before they migrate to the sea. There they will spend up to four years in the salt water before returning to their original spawning grounds to lay their eggs. Yes, they return to their original place of birth. It is believed that they have some kind of smell for the stream in which they were hatched. Once they lay their eggs, they will die. Now, Imagine not just a few but thousands of these fish at a time making their run upstream. this is where it gets good!

These runs of reds in this window of opportunity will range from a mere few thousand, up to a range of 50,000 in a single day. And this will go on for the duration of the few week run period, daily! There is actually a little man that sits underwater, at the bottom of the river near the mouth of the river. He has a pencil and a pad of paper and he counts them! Actually, modern times have evolved from that little guy at the bottom to an actual sonar that counts each days total.

During the period of Sockeye run there are two sure fire ways to limit out on your daily catch of reds. Dip netting is a phenomenon that occurs every summer. This is accomplished by wading into the river and extending out a net attached to a 10 - 15 foot poll and waiting for the fish to literally swim into the net. Families will drop everything....literally....and flock to the banks of the rivers to catch their limit of 25 per head of household and 10 for each other member. This fishery is only for Alaskan residents, and many people will fill their freezers and stock their pantries by this method.

The other is the old fashioned way. A stick with a line and hook! This is often a phenomenon in itself as out of staters, locals, and about every other type of person you could think of line the banks...and this is no joke, elbow to elbow to catch their 3 per day limit. unlike most fishing that one would experience, reds fishing is not done with bait, spinners, or any other kind of sexy set-ups. In fact, these are all illegal methods. And no wonder when the only thing on this fishes mind is getting upstream to fornicate! So, how do you catch a red your asking?? Take a moment and do this exercise. Say out loud (so your spouse in the other room or the guy in the cubicle next to you can wonder what in hell you are doing) the word....DUH. Seriously, lets all say it..."DUH!" Now keep the position of your mouth in the "uh" position and hold it. "UUUUUHHHHH". This is what a sockeye looks like while swimming upstream. Now my daddy always told me to keep my mouth shut while running up anything, but apparently this is not so with the sockeye. The method used to catch these amazing species of fish is to just hope that while it is swimming with the "uhhhhh" going on, is that your hook will be in the right place at the right time to go right into it's mouth! or rather, it's mouth go right into the hook. But remember, as you are thinking that I am totally screwing with you, your odds are 5,000 to 50,000 that you will snag one. Imagine a school of wall to wall reds swimming just feet from the shore. It is almost like, pardon the pun, shooting a fish in a barrel.

We were blessed with using the lodges boat and our buddy Gilligan, to travel up river and find good areas along the banks that were inaccessible to most people "just out to fish", thus avoiding all of that hub bub of combat fishing and elbow to elbow gig. We often would go out in the late evenings. Remember, with it staying light out until 2:00AM that time of year..... And so we would, fish out in the Kenai until midnight or in some cases literally until 2:00AM! There really is no better feeling that I can think of off the top of my head, than to be butt high in the rush of glacier run off, casting and reeling in repeatedly patiently waiting for the "duh factor" to snag you a Sockeye. Keep in mind, on those days where the counts are 50,000 or better, we would cast in and within the first few casts would have a fish on the line. Seriously. The absolute rush of having one of these huge fish snag onto your line is something that you have not experienced until you have felt the sensation. It is a fight between you, the fish who is not real enthused about running into your hook, and the current. Often times the fish and/or the current will win, hands down. But with patience, a good jerk back on your pole when you feel the strike and a net preferably with a buddy to maneuver it, you will surely land your red. I thought a trout on the line was a rush! Nothing compares to this. Oh, that is the other stipulation.....you have to hook it in the mouth. Any other place than the mouth is an illegal catch, and the fish will have to be released. And Fish & Game do hide in bushes, and cruise the river with binoculars and photographic memory to make sure that you are legally catching, and aren't limiting out in one place, and then moving down river to limit out in another in the same day.

Mind you, this is only one aspect of the many fisheries that the great state of Alaska has to offer. Maryann landed a King salmon last month on a boat on the Kenai river. Now this is a whole other program for another day. These species are gargantuan and like in her case took 20 minutes to reel in. Snap! She also had the opportunity to fly in to back country lakes last month. Places that are only accessible by float plane! She had the experience of catching and releasing Grayling and Arctic Char to name a couple. The trip in itself was a true experience for her. Not only in itself, but also because she was abe to experience it with only the pilot, and our new found friend of 'Quicksilver Messenger Service.' She even got a chance to fly in to Dick Proenneke's remote cabin located in the middle of nowhere...the bush. This man is an amazing part of the Alaskan dream and I included a link that I highly recommend you take some time and read about. It is an amazing story of true grit, skill, survival and determination. Alone in the Wilderness, the story of Dick Proenneke, by Bob Swerer Productions

It's true that this great state is truly the 'last frontier'. And the beauty and fun that it has to offer is such a great opportunity. Am I trying to sell you on visiting Alaska....well, the Alaska Division of Tourism would certainly appreciate it! But seriously, it is something to see. My parents, for example, made the time during their visit in June to take the train up to Fairbanks, and to this day still talk about it. What an experience! So save your pennies, save your dimes....come to Alaska! Experience life in the 'great land'! As you said Erin, and I quote, "why would anyone want to leave this place"! I guarentee you....we aren't anytime soon. Why would anyone want to?!!

Love Fest 2009 at West Fest 2009

Wow. Can you believe the summer is about gone....at least in the Northland! Furthermore I cannot believe that it has officially been over 1 month since I last posted....OMG! And now, there is so much to catch up on that I don't even know where to begin, much less think I will even try. So, you will have to forever wonder about the August of 2009! Maybe easier to fast forward to present.

We officially are going back to Cali in October for a visit and to celebrate Love Fest 2009. This will be Maryann's first trip back since the loading over two years ago, and she is really looking forward to the affirmation of why we left in the first place! Me, I could go either way. My last visit was subtle and very enjoyable, but it was so, so good to get back to Alaskan soil. I am reluctant to mention the dates publicly as we are booked solid and not taking anymore personal visit reservations. However, have your people contact my people and we could always arrange to meet somewhere along the way if we aren't coming to your town! lol Ha! I do know we are looking forward to a long and fruitful visit to the coast, and there are rumors of a road trip to the happiest place on earth....Disneyland! One event we are looking forward to during Love Fest 2009, will be a day at 'West Fest', a free concert in Golden Gate Park labeled as the Woodstock 40 year anniversary concert. That ought to be a hoot! Speaking of which, thanks Uncle Bob for the forward of Joe Cockers Woodstock performance of "With A Little Help From My Friends". I can honestly say that what was once what I considered to be the 'anthem of a generation' has been morbidly transformed in my mind and I will never be able to watch that video of Woodstock and look at it that song the same.....ever, ever again! lol

This past weekend yielded the remainder of our firewood for the 2009/2010 winter season. We felled much beetle kill spruce which I have been eyeballing down in the lower property for a while now. Then skidded it up to the top with the bulldozer and now it awaits processing over the course of the next few weeks. Plus now we have a cush road that I can take the truck to access the lower end. This new haul coupled with the already roughly 8 cords of split and seasoned firewood ought to run us through the winter comfortably. In fact there is much to do at the compound in preparation of the coming season. Today we woke to 35 degrees, which is a first for the summer, so fall is definitely in the air. Coupled with projects inside that we have had in progress and have in mind for the coming months, it is going to be a busy fall, ending what has been a busy and exciting summer. The freezer is stocked with plenty of salmon, and a bit of halibut, and Maryann is investing in a pressure cooker to begin canning this fall. This will be a first for us, but we are looking forward to stocking the cold storage room with some good canned salmon and veggies.

Maryann has also taken to horseback riding! Interesting. She seems to enjoy it and is cute in her cowboy boots....giddyuppeah! Now all she needs is a cowboy hat and some butt less chaps to finalize the visual....or at least a pair of green tights, for the privledged few that know the story.....heehee!! It was a rather slow summer at the lodge for her compared to last summer, so she had a little more time to focus and of course with her experience from the first summer helping her, and the ever present deletion of 'Sweet Pea' from her life forever and ever, all in all it went well. Probably about another month and she will start to shift from the lodge to working out of home for the winter. And, johns old room will house a comfortable new space for her desk/office. In fact, Johns old room will be an asset to the comfort of our home soon as it will house the comforts of the workout room/music room/den/M's office. it is still in the progress of the little renovation/remodel we are doing to it, but with any luck and some perseverance, that should be complete within the next couple of weeks with move-in scheduled for the first part of September. Speaking of which, I am supposed to be in there as I write working diligently towards the completion. So, on that note I bid you farewell for now. I leave with this one comment.....I promise it wont be another month before the next post! If anybody is even with us at this point anymore!! lol Take care and our love to all. Be back later in the week.

Where did the time go...

Holy crap, man! It has been a spell and I am beside myself that it has been almost a month since my last post. I just popped on to check out my friends' blog and saw that she is in the same boat as me. Much doing, and little time to blog! Then of course the baggage that comes with that whole scenario!! So apparently I am not alone.

It has been a spectacular summer so far, we have been very busy both with work and finding time for fun and working here at home. The late season run of reds came into the Kenai river last week, and we have made a little time to get in some fishing. John has been out nightly the past few nights and caught his limit each time in the first hour. I am hoping to find a little more time myself here in the next few days. Maryann had a chance to do a fly out with the lodge yesterday. It is the best they offer called 'The Ultimate Adventure' where they fly onto several back country lakes 0nly accessible by float plane, and hike, fish ,and see the sights. She had a blast and had some good stories to tell.

She had the honor of doing the trip with none other than Gary Duncan who was the founder and lead guitarist/vocalist for Quicksilver Messenger Service. A band back from the day who frequented with other bands and people like Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and many other iconic bands from the 60's San Francisco rock scene. I met him at their cookout at the lodge the other night and Maryann and I both were invited into his cottage afterwards for a very enjoyable hour of conversation and memories. I have two original concert bills, one for Quicksilver Messenger Service at the Avalon Ballroom and the other of Big Brother and the Holding Company with Quicksilver Messenger Service also at the Avalon Ballroom and he graciously autographed them for me making the already valuable memorabilia now priceless! Too cool!! He asked us to call him when we come down in October to visit as he and his wife would like to take us out for a night on the town when we are in the area. Life is funny, the people you meet and friends you make!

John was fishing on the bank of the Kenai last night and standing next to him was a kid his age whom he helped out with some tackle. Turns out, the other kid is visiting this week from Sonora, Ca. John and him were laughing about the fact that they competed on the soccer field against each others' schools, and here they meet on the Kenai river in Alaska! Life is so strange. Did I mention that we will be coming down in the Fall for a vacation? We will and are looking forward to some time to enjoy ourselves in the many of our old stomping grounds. Anyways, short post to let all know we are still alive and loving the summer away. I will post in the next few days with some pics and some stories. Until then be stay cool and enjoy the ensuing week!

I wanna be a packaging designer!

Yes, it's true. I have long yearned to be in the most important ranks of product planning and safety. It's true, for years I have sighed...cussed....spit...arghed...laughed myself into a frenzy....and even sung songs, spontaneously blurting out lyrics that have even amazed my wife... All in the name of product packaging. Oh, the list goes on from the Kirkland brand milk cartons that will almost inevitably spill each time you pour a cup of milk, the razor sharp plastic packing that everything from tools to toys come in...of which I have lacerated myself with many times over the years. To those idiotic 'eco friendly' gas cans that they came out with a few years back. The ones you had to read instructions to figure out how to use and spilled more gas than a typical gas can could ever concieve.... The lids that a poor senior has to hire a young and spry go-getter to undo just so they can eat. And how about those chip or candy packaged that can only be opened by pulling opposite directions, the foil bag ends that retain them so that wheh the ends finally do give, the contents spray airbound and all over! The list goes on and for years I have been dismayed over it all. I think it was right after the Tylenol poisonings in the 80's that company's began to hire over educated thinkers to design people proof containers.....and by god they have over the years succeeded and it seems to just keep getting worse, this move towards over achievement!! They have gotten so good with it that the simple minded, the elder, the strong...the weak, the spastic, the over medicated, the wise, essentially most of society in general cannot normally function in the face of people proof products! And so I want to be an idiot, just like the brainards who sit in corners of cubicles, being overpaid to be stupid! I think that would be so cool to be able to fool society into thinking that they know how to open something, all the while getting paid to know that I will foil their every attempt and logic. I could spend my days thinking of ingenious ways to keep people out of everything they use as a normal course of life. Imagine: people proof toilet paper rolls.....perfect for the times that you just need a roll because the person before you forgot to reload. Kid proof video games that they can only open if they are hopped up on candy and power drinks climbing the walls backwards. I could eliminate alcoholism by inventing people proof beer and liquor bottles. They can only be opened by slamming them into a curb. Bandages that can only be opened with your teeth for those times that that both phalanges are bloody stumps... I suppose the list would be endless, and all the while I would get paid for being a complete idiot in designing impractical packaging! You would never guess who spilled the milk just one too many times now....?

We awoke to a baby moose at the patio table yesterday morning. Mind you, this is only about a month and a half old. Was too cute. When mama came down the driveway looking for it, she had a look of disdain on her face almost like baby had gotten too curious and wandered away. And the moment baby saw mom, skipped off as to say..."mommy, mommy, look what I found..." Not sure which mama/baby team this was, as I think there are a few running around our immediate area! Other than that summer has been quiet, mild, sunny and fun, with lots of time to streak about what with the kid gone now! Check out Marlin Perkins' Wild Kingdom at the compound....
Where's the food, man!?

While mom is away the calf will play?

Keep in mind, the weeds mom is standing in are about 4 foot high....

Now, this bewildered fella is a stunned Ptarmigan who pummeled himself into the front door window. 'Buddy the bear's' head seemed like the perfectly logical spot to put his hemispheres back in phase.

Funny thing is that this little guy let me walk within a couple feet of him and feared not to flutter off. Kind of helps I suppose when your head is not on straight! He stayed on Buddy's head through the night and finally flew off the next morning after Maryann left for the office.

Solstice.

Once again, Fathers Day June 21st, the summer has peaked and over the other end we go!! In some senses it is somewhat sad as we slowly begin to lose daylight. Mind you it is very much unnoticeable right now, but nonetheless we know it is happening!

So I finally got my wish and in a timely manner for my birthday. Maryann....the sweetest wife that she is....bought me a ticket to Cali for my birthday! And so even though solo, I spent 7 wonderful days visiting friends and family, surprising the piss out of people, and having a good time. Mind you, it was not the same without her there, but it was nice to finally get out. And as all trips of joy do, this one has come to an end and back into reality I am. But what a beautiful place to be, in the world of reality!

Not much happened as I was away. The grass turned green, and the foliage has already grown several feet in that one week. The King Salmon season was somewhat of a bunk deal, but the early run of Reds is coming in and people are already flocking into the area with ice chests strapped to their vehicle roofs, and boats in tow. Kind of like seeing an old friend come home! It was just nice to be able to get out and trim the yard and mow the lawns. Like Maryann said earlier, it just looks so nice coming in the driveway. I have to say I enjoy the frigid winters, but do live for the sights, smells, and beauty of our summers here.

Well, short post as it is late I am at a loss for words, and I am getting tired. A note to leave you on. Being in California for a week was a little strange. Imagine going from almost 24 hours of daylight.....to actual dark nights?! Oh, it was a charge, man! I called Maryann at 9:45PM the first night and told her I was heading in because it was dark. And then she reminded me that it was light as noon out at 8:30PM and she was watering the lawns. So it took some time getting used to actually trying to go to sleep before midnight. In fact, I layed awake the first 5 nights until like 1:00AM and found myself waking at around 5:30AM. Then finally on like the 5th night started to sack out early and sleep past 5:30AM. Only to come home to lack of night and back into my old habits! Talk about a strain on the body.

Oh, and get this. So my flight out of SFO which was supposed to be around 7:50PM was late taking off by an hour. Then, we took an additional hour of flight due to turbulence. Mind you I had a flight taking me straight through to Anchorage. So after finally arriving in Anchorage at 1:30AM, we drove around for almost an hour trying to find a room for the night. Maryann was there to pick me up. We had absolutely no luck as Governor Sarah Palin was in Anchorage for a mayoral convention and every room in the city was either sold out or over $200.00. So around 2:30 AM we decided to make the trek home. It was smooth sailing until we hit road construction. You see, Alaskans know that there are two seasons here. Winter and construction season! With long winters and short summers, the window for road work is small, and there are alot of ice damaged roads to contend with each year. Couple in the daylight each day...all day. And we were fortunate enough to see front row our tax dollars at work. Sitting there, half asleep for an hour. A whole hour of going nowhere. Long story short, we finally got home around 7:00AM and headed straight for the bed. I even passed up early breakfast at Louie's in Kenai for fear that my head would flop in the stack of flap jacks! Like I said....it is so nice to be home! Thanks again to all I got to see for the hospitality and especially you Michelle (our friend and live in companion from our arrival here), for braving the masses to see me off at SFO. It was so nice to see you again. Until next time!

'Stage Of Life'

Would you believe that after over 48 hours, that bush twit is still pecking at the same window?! What is up with this guy! The dogs have become immune to the distraction and Maryann is amazed yet baffled. I just shrug my head..... To each his own!

Exciting news! Recently I published a post here on the blog titled Congratulations! , in honor of Johns successful completion of his schooling. Apparently this post brought about some attention both in the form of tears and in the form of interest in my writing. Shortly after the post I received a comment from a successful businessman and knowledgable entrepreneur who recently started a 'lifestyle' website. Actually it is more than just a lifestyle site, as it allows everyday folks like you or myself to both read and comment on issues that face each and every one of us at one point or the other in our lives. From high school through retirement, this site provides the public with real time wisdom and knowledge from the people who 'have already been there and done that'. It offers suggestions and guidance to those who are moving through life's stages!

I was approached through that comment on our blog and was offered a place as a featured writer on this amazing website! I am just getting started, but will be venturing into this new and exciting opportunity to write and share some of the stages of my life that I have experienced. Such as 'Raising A Family', under which category I just published my first post. Life after. - Raising A Family Blog - Stage of Life - Stage of Life - Rewards for Life's Journey > Stage - Raising a Family > Posts, or any other stage that I feel I can contribute to.

You don't have to sign up to read the many wonderful posts from the knowledgeable writers or questions from other viewers. The benefit of signing up is that you can then participate in question and answer type forums, and as an added benfit you do get all kinds of discounts and bargains from such common merchants as Target, Amazon and too many others to mention. You will find all kinds of savings on shopping, merchandise, services, travel, health, food, books, music and more, just for signing up. I won't give any details but I just saved about $50.00 on a service that I regularly use just for becoming a member. There are no obligations, and no shenanigans involved, so I encourage you all to at very least, check it out and support me as a writer. In doing so you will also be supporting those many people both young and old who are experiencing new stages in their lives and just need a suggestion, opinion or some good encouragement.

I am excited about the opportunity that has reached out to me. I look forward to continuing not only my posts here on kenaialaskaorbust, but also to publishing posts and essays on Stage of Life. To be given the chance to be able to comment answers to questions, and share my experiences is an honor, and at the same time I find my knowledge expanding from the truth of others. To be able to learn something new everyday, grow and expand our horizons...what a wonderful thing! Take care for now, and hope you will continue to share this experience with me. Love to all!

The word that I've heard.

It took a while. It is like hush hush or something. Like if I know too much a black SUV with tinted windows will pull up, Jack Bauer will jump out and I will disappear. But the word came down. At least the short version! Yes, there was a fire at the refinery the other night. It was an electrical fire in one of the units. Fortunately nobody on site was hurt, although just minutes before it occurred there were people in that area, so we are lucky nobody got hurt. As for John Q. Public....your guess is as good as mine. It is said that the public would be notified if anything serious happened, and I have heard that from more than one person over time. But sitting there in my truck, thinking through my mind what I would do if at any moment the sirens went off, or the automated call came in. Scary Mary and crazy Larry I tell you! But this was info from a personal....shall we say, source?! Nothing in the papers, nothing on the news. Hmmmm. But life is all settled down, and from what my....source...tells me, they are still investigating the cause and that unit is shut down completely until. So there it is, the latest and greatest! Intense cliff hanger, huh?!

Onto bigger things. John is officially out and son, if you read this don't be offended....but life is good! It is sad to see the empty room. But knowing that soon I will be tearing into it and beginning the mini renovate we have been wanting to do, and then what the end result will be. It makes for smiles and abundant glee. All in all we are both happy for the dude, and we know he will do just fine. The sun has been in and out as of late. Right now there are two very annoying little bush twits pecking at the family room window and freaking the dogs out. They have been at it for about an hour and a half now, and I cant seem to get them to go on their way. Frankly, I am a bit frightened that if I try to go out and scare them off, they may try to peck my.....oh forget it, it is just freaky, man! Who are you and what do you want??? We have been getting a regular drizzle every other day though. My fear is that we are starting to look like last summer. No sun, clouds, and rain. UGH! Lets just hope it is temporary for now and the sun will prevail. We are nearing the solstice soon. The longest day of the summer. The day the sun never seems to go down!

We Alaskans are honored to know that as of Tuesday June 2nd, we were blessed with a visit by our Nations Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, at Fort Greely the northern most missile defense base for the northern hemisphere. You know, the one that would take out any incoming ICBMs from Asia or Russia. This is what he had to say, “That does'nt mean I think any less of missile defense — I told the Congress I’m a very strong supporter of missile defense — but I think we need to put the money where we can get some value out of it,” So I am figuring Mr. Gates, what you are saying is that we really don't need any missile defense, considering that North Korea is on a rampage and has about developed a long range missile that can reach Alaska? “It’s not a forever decision, and if capabilities in one of these rogue states should develop faster or in a more worrisome way than anyone anticipates, then I think the way is open in the future to add to the number of silos and interceptors up here,” Gates said. No truer words could be spoken from a bigger jackass. So what is it Bill...."are you on or off the bus" (quoted by the late Ken Kesey of the Merry Pranksters) (which by the way, Maryann got a personal letter from Kens wife last month....no joke!) I know I know, I would never get political in our blog..... And I am not. I am not saying a word about the Obama administration. I am just amazed that we still have not learned our lesson. Keep up the good work guys! Palin in 2012! Ok so now that I have given myself gas, I am going to go for now. Just thought I would share the word, the skinny, and the crap that has been on my mind the past couple of days! Hope all is well in the other part of the world. Us Eskimos are pretty isolated and primitive up here. If we see any incoming scuds we will just throw stones and spears at it to bring it down, no worries here! For now! Our love.