Fish, Feet and Framing

Bucky and Carlisle get started.

Carlisle hooks one!

The fight is on

 To the bush.

Around the bush.

Almost to shore.

And then it's Bucky's turn!

 He hooks one.

 He runs stealthfully to the bush.

 Around the bush, to the beach.

 Help arrives!

Fishing for Sockeye, is a repetitive action.. Toss, sweep then tug at the end, toss sweep and tug. Place the hook at 2:00, sweep or drag it to about 10:00, pull it up and do this again. This action is repeated over and over while staying perfectly synchronized with your neighbor. It all goes well as long as every ones clocks are reading the same time. Problems occur when I'm doing 2:00 to 10:00 and my neighbor is doing 3:00 and 6:00.  The hope is that eventually your swings in and out of the water will occur at the same time.   Knowing the person fishing on either side makes it so much easier when the tangle of lines happens. And, believe me, it will happen! When the hook up occurs, it can be pretty frantic with folks crossing over and under each other trying not to lose their fish. When a fish is foul hooked, anywhere but in the mouth, the fight can be wild with the fish heading to the middle of the river at a furious pace.  The hook is likely to return to shore at the same break neck speed with which it left so it is good to wear safety eye wear.  Getting a hook in the eye or head is not good!




 Where are my action shots?

 Carlisle had been nursing a hurt foot for a few weeks.  A visit to the Sunshine Clinic revealed a break. 

The cast.

 Heading for a swim in Fish Lake.

 A Beaver, airplane that is.

The cabin looks great thanks to Bucky's ongoing hard work.  The roof is now on and we are prepared for electricity!

T I A

TIA (this is Alaska)  Should I bring a raincoat? TIA  What about boots?  TIA  Is there any reason to bring shorts?  TIA  I think it may have stopped raining.  TIA.  We've been told that August is the rainy season so this should be interesting.  But, all Alaskans and visitors here know that if you wait for a nice day, you may never do anything.  For this reason, we now put on rain suits or our waders and head out.  And, when it's fishing, what does it matter if it's raining.

The weekend scene at Larson Creek this past weekend.

We arrived early knowing that on the weekend things could quickly ramp up.  It's a great scene with folks of all ages interested in catching the allowed three Sockeye apiece and then hanging out or cleaning fish.  The young kids had fun making mud pies.

Carlisle catching fish

Bucky and I made a trip to Wasilla for building supplies and canning jars.  We should know by now that once the fishing season begins, the chance of finding jars is slim.  We made this same mistake last summer!  On the off chance that the Willow Hardware would have some on their dusty shelves, we stopped in.  And of all the luck, not only did they still have some jars, but I had the pleasure of shaking hands with Governor Palin.  I was surprised that her hair was not as pretty and dark as I had expected.  In fact, it was almost chocolate brown. And, for being an avid runner, even naming her oldest son Track, her legs looked somewhat plump.  But, it was her rear end that shocked me! With a wag of her tail, I was introduced to  Governor Palin an adorable, male ??, lavender Pekinese, mother to three other Pekinese in the store.  Our visit was an interesting one, worthy of its own story.  When I told Carlisle of my meeting Governor Palin, she reminded me that just down from the hardware store is the thrift shop lady who has a plaster cast of a Sasquatch foot behind the counter and will only show if she believes you are a true believer. Carlisle once saw it!

The canning scene.

Sunshine brings happiness

Progress has been made :)

All but the shed wall is now complete.

The loft.

The connecting shed wall.

Carlisle, working on the large carved posts that will hold the loft and the porch replacing what is now there.

Three days of gorgeous blue skies and sunshine have made working outdoors so much more pleasant.  We quit early one afternoon to clear our heads with the breeze and scenery of a boat ride up the Talkeetna.  Knowing that the Sockeye are now trickling in, it's hard not to think about fishing.  We arrived on shore just as a young lady pulled out a large chrome Sockeye.  I like to image what it looks like under the silty water with the fish lined up mouths opening and closing.

                                     Carlisle tries her luck while Lady checks out the competition.

Before long we were the only three people on the river.  The sun was warm and still high in the sky at 8pm.  Bucky put himself in his favorite spot at the mouth of Larson Creek and fished the seam line.

                                                                     He needed company!

The first for the season.  It was with some sadness that we saw her long journey end without having reached her destination and spawn as genetically programmed to do, but.......

We ate our dinner in quiet, knowing that beneath the surface of the Talkeetna a migration had begun which we were now an active part of.  With shadows lengthening, we headed back to town catching glimpses of  Denali's snowy peak visible only on a day like today .  It's a special place.  When daylight persists and the sun shines, the often present gloomy drizzle is quickly forgotten.  It's hard to resist taking advantage of every minute of daylight.  The down side is getting up for work in the morning.

Waiting for Fish

Carlisle and I dashed between showers for a quick ride up the Talkeetna River to Larson Creek.  We go to the river most days to bail the boat and decided to take a ride.  Larson Creek drains from Larson Lake and into the Talkeetna.  It is a spawning creek for Sockeye Salmon.  With a limited return of King Salmon and the early closing of King season, folks now are anxiously awaiting the return of the Reds.  We thought we'd see if there were any around.

The Talkeetna has dropped in level.  We passed only a few people fishing during our ride. The river is full of snags and huge trees that have been pulled down this past Spring.

Lady rode along but, we also brought a gun as bears tend to be around.  The Talkeetna remains silty but there was a clear seam line at Larson Creek.  Some charter fisherman were there, but we saw no sign of fish.  Later we were told that a few had been caught. Hearing this, we sorted our fishing gear and are now ready when they do arrive in numbers.  The Sockeye travel hundreds of miles from the ocean to reach the clear water of Larson Creek.  Once here, they travel upstream through shallow water until they reach their spawning ground, Larson Lake.

Last year, Bucky stood on the seam line with our salmon.  The limit is three fish per person.  It's easy to see where the clear fresh water of Larson Creek enters the silty grey water of the Talkeetna.

Carlisle stands in a prime spot on Larson Creek last summer trying her luck as the fish move through.  When the fish arrive it is an exciting time with fisherman lining this narrow creek.  We found that going up very early in the morning or later at night, either before or after the charters, meant fewer people to deal with.  It is still light almost all night, so there really are no hours to adhere to.  While Carlisle and I were at Larson, we checked on a house of some people who are trying to build remote.  Having to haul their building supplies in by 4 wheeler or boat makes building the traditional house quite a task.  These folks have not been back now for 2 years and what they had started, now needs some serious attention!

Tall ferns and huge Cottonwood surround the property.  With all the rain this summer, it was truly a jungle.  No sooner had our feet touched land, when swarms of mosquitoes dove in on us making it very unpleasant.

Bear protection.

Wild Geranium

                                                                    Riverside Bluebells

Through the showers and cooler than normal temperatures, Bucky has stayed busy.  I often feel like I'm on vacation and he's not.  He remains cheerful despite rising early each morning to temperatures that are in the forties.  Some nights have been in the thirties and our furnace kicks on regularly.  We were told that it's the coldest July in history.  A little sun would surely be welcomed.

Bucky looking out the kitchen window.

The rear window.

We were able to get our electric pedestal up today and now await inspection by the power company.  It would be so nice to have power before we leave.  We also hope to install a Toya furnace on this back wall before we leave.

What's in a name?

1 Talkeetna Estates

Despite our exclusive sounding address, 1 Talkeetna Estates, ours is far from a gated community.  Forget the image that springs to mind when thinking of the subdivisions that many of us grew up in.  Talkeetna Estates has no pavement for bike riding, no corner bus stop and no town septic or water.  Here, a subdivision consists of a large track of tangled woods and sometimes swamp surveyed into lots and put on the real estate market.  Most subdivisions have some type of road access, but one must be wary, particularly if the word "recreational" is used to describe the property. There are many subdivisions that have no power running to them and some are only accessible during the summer or by 4 wheeler.  Happily, we had Carlisle available to research on our property. We have easy access via dirt road to our lot and will soon have power.  We are not required to put in septic or water.  The only restrictions on these are to abide by setbacks when installing.  Our intent is to eventually dig a well, but for now, it's the "little" house.  Carlisle asked early on if she could construct the outhouse and we were very happy to have her do this.  She began by cutting the ends off of a 55 gallon drum.  After digging a significantly deep hole, about 7 feet, the oil drum was dropped in.  She then placed gravel at the base of the hole.  Using slab wood, hauled over from milling of the timbers, she got to work on the house.  As of today, all that is left to do is to salvage some metal roofing, we'll see what we come up with, and to plant the window box.

The "woodsy" location.

A cute little window box soon to hold forest flora.

Testing the seat height, very important.

Carlisle and I have been full-filling our yearning need for interior decorating.  With the cabin not yet at this point, we have focused our energy on the outhouse.  Carlisle has so many interesting things picked up in her travels and as of yet no home in which to place them.  

While tasting home brew with our neighbors, Dennis and Sharon, Dennis mentioned seeing moose on our property.  We noticed tracks as soon as our driveway was put in.  We're hoping that there will be many stimulating moose sightings from the "little" house!

Last winter's heavy snowfall resulted in many moose dying.  Bucky was happy to see this cow and calf looking so healthy.

This is how the cabin presently looks.  The pine seen on the front is the interior wall and will be covered with rigid insulation and eventually with cedar shakes sitting in VT.  We're using an outsulation technique, building from the inside out.  The poles supporting the porch will be replaced by some larger Spruce posts that Carlisle is carving.  I can't wait to see them.  Next step is to get all of the rafters into place so that we can get a roof on.  It has been difficult to keep things dry with so many showers.