As that hack Dickens once wrote, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. . ." So it was with our time in Sitka (if not quite as far on each end of the scale). There is no finer place to be than Sitka when the weather is good and the smell of the trees is in the air. However, a year of rain, cold and dampness that went deep into the bones made for a rather dreary, ill-spent twelve months time. And, to make matters worse, this place is run by a committee of clowns who fancy themselves city administrators. The constant bickering between the charter fisherman, commercial fishermen, and the old guard who fondly remember the great days of the sawmill can get tiring as well. One bumper sticker fairly well sums it up: "I'd rather have a daughter working in a whorehouse than a son working on a charter boat."
Still, it wasn't all thorns and no roses. Here is Sitka, August 2011-August 2012 (in no particular order):
Having my son Corey up in January was great! Unfortunately he came up when the temperatures was -5 or colder. We froze our butts off!
He's tough!
Fortunately, there were bagels to be made!
Yummy!!
I finally saw a bear out at the estuary. This young bear was munching on the grass, while waiting for the berries to ripen.
The wind can be fierce here, often up to 70 mph. Lots of trees blow over (due to the shallow roots) and some, like this one, snap in two!
The WWII bunkers still on some of the islands around here are very interesting to explore.
Christmas decorations on the Cross Trail path!
Devil's club thorns will pierce just about anything!
Bald Eagles still give me a thrill when I see them in flight!
Snow at the estuary.
Kirsty took to knitting during the dreary winter. Here are two felted bunnies she made for her nieces, Eryn and Isla, in England.
Dem bones!
The colors here are amazing!
Lots of ice on the house this winter.
Indian River with light snow falling.
One of my favorite views in Sitka!
Indian River in the spring.
Kirsty and our friend Fonda heading to the WWII bunkers.
Standing in a bunker.
Kirsty's 40th birthday party with Kiki and Cecilia at Ludvig's restaurant.
Damn, Kirsty is going to miss those XtraTuffs!
Making mango chutney.
Sitting pretty on the Columbia ferry.
Good stuff!!
Not in Sitka, but the Mendenhall Glacier (in Juneau), was one of our highlights this year.
Mt. Edgecumbe is an awesome sight to behold when crowned with snow.
A couple of my favorite colors.
Patrick the starfish.
Patrick the tomato peeler (for canning).
They grow big and beautiful here!
Delicious!!!!!
Eye candy.
So many salmon, one could almost walk across the river on their backs!
We had a bit of snow this year. Everyone kept saying "we don't usually have this much snow, this early."
Our Christmas reindeer.
Frozen grass at the river.
First snow.
We usually don't get this much snow, this early.
Snow on the beach.
Storms passing through.
The spot prawns are simply delicious!
We were very glad to see the signs of spring!
Sunset at the grocery store. Nicest view of any grocery store we've ever been to.
Iced-up lake.
Happy couple on the Columbia!
Wanda, with the new curtains Kirsty made.
1st Anniversary dinner: white king salmon of course, cooked to perfection by my lovely bride!
Beautiful Sitka! As we hope to remember her.
We sail away next week, back on the Columbia down to Bellingham. Followed by a couple of weeks camping in Wanda. Then we are off to Europe for a few months. See you soon!
Peace my friends!
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