Late Summer Fun

I have a habit of never saying no to an opportunity because I am unsure of the outcome. When it comes to life in the Bush, nothing is certain, and anything can (and will) happen. You take the good with the bad, the stress with the fun, the pleasure with the pain. This weekend I was close to saying no to a trip out on the Yukon to camp and visit a nearby dormant volcano and lake known as Flattop, which is amusing, because there is a dormant volcano near Togiak referred to as Flattop and I am certain dozens more statewide. I think there may be literally hundred of First Creeks, Second Hills, and Flattops in the Bush. At any rate, I was tired, had homework to do, and generally just felt lazy in solitary-confinement-in-my-sweats-kinda-way. 

I decided to get off my keister and go though, having yet to try out the fancy 6 man tent I got on Amazon in May. Gassing we were off around 11:00am and cruised up river enjoying the sun and breeze. It was a glorious day full of hawks, eagles, colorful birds, and tasty ducks. 

Reaching the river we got the hook wet a few times, shot a bucket full of ducks and heading back to pick  acampsite along the banks. Rounding a particularly high cutbank I thought I saw antlers on the ledge and did an obvious doubletake. Realizing it was a stump, I waved to the captain of the boat that it was nothing. Already slowing, he asked if I wanted to look around, to which I happily agreed. Just as I climbed to bank an secureed my footing, I saw a lovely 3-4 year old moose 75 yards away. Startled and thinking of the little boy in the boat, I waved to my companions to join me quickly but silently. They clambered up the face of the bank and we all readied ourselves. Firing first, I was told my friend was unable to hear and was a bit disoriented. Not sure where it was hit I fired off 2 more shots in the front of the animal's path toward a nearby pond. I missed one and hit the spine on the second, sending the animal headlong into the grass about 75 yards from the bank.

Cleaning it in the clearwater was simple as it floated the meat and kept everything very clean and free of hair. Dragging her to the dry land we finished our work and lowered the meat 15 feet to the boat below. As the final peieces were finding their way down, a cow and bull stalked out of the trees across the river. Seeing them so close we were first dumbfounded but soon scuttled into the boat in persuit. Watching with glee, father cheered as son hit the bull just behind the ears! I hit it once again for good measure and we began the butchering once more, this time on the snady banks of the Yukon. 

Nearing completion, the rain began to fall and we decided to head staight home to begin the real work of putting everything away. Arriving soaked and chilled to the bone around midnight, we emptied the boat and heading home to find hot showers. 

Proving my tenacity or lack of better judgemnet I decided to work on the birds instead of showering and catching some z's. By 2:30am I was drained beyond words and my back ached like only a tall man in a small world can understand...

The next morning I woke for church, ate a quick meal at a potluck and dove headlong into my project. Working to clean, slice, cube, vaccuum pack and freez the meat as quickly as possible I must have found a second wind (or perhaps 4th or 5th) becuase my energy only seemed to increase! Giving away many a choice piece to the local elders of my church and any suggestions they offered, I was in a seemingly endless cycle of cutting, cleaning, delivering, and stretching all day. 

I managed to get everything done, including cleaning the kitchen and laundry, by 2:00am on Monday. Sleep never felt so good. Speaking of which, I am currently writing this with about 9 hours of sleep since Saturday morning, so I think that about does it for this episode of Bush Life. Thanks for reading and stop on by for some steak, okay? I'll probally try to get another next month... 

New Teachers and New Adventures

The beginning of a new school year is always busy, but this year was really something! I recall last year being a blur as I flew from village to village presenting SMART training and professional development to teachers all over the state. This year was spent flustered as I was asked to jump on a plane and facilitate video conferencing between new teachers in Anchorage and the superintendent in Mountain Village. It was a wonderful experience and one I will not soon forget.
Fresh faces, bright and cheery, full of energy and "chomping at the bit" to get into there classrooms, many for the first time. I love new teachers. They teach us so much with there fresh eyes on older problems and new solutions to internal struggles. Following the new teacher orientation I returned to Mountain Village to gather my wits for the continuation of the orientation in the district office headquarters.


Finding the time to fish over the weekend, I grabbed a few fish for the teachers. Not one to "feed a man for a day," I invited the new ladies of Mountain Village to practice their filleting skills on a dozen or so salmon. We had a good time and they all left with meat in their freezer.

Welcoming the new staff to the village every Mountain Village teacher, principal, and their families went down to the river for a bonfire and fun. We threw the football and softball around, danced, visited, and made s'mores. The celebration went deep into the wee hours of the morning as we waited for the meteor shower. Streaking across the atmosphere, Perseids kept us wide-eyed in awe at the celestial light show.


Adding to the confusion of the new teacher orientation and inservice schedule, the powers that be decided to have the entire program delivered over video teleconference. This sounded great to a techie like me of course, but it meant we could not hand out computers in person as planned. Instead we were tasked with flying charters around the district, passing out computers to the new staff members, logging them in, and troubleshooting any needs as they arose. It was a long day to say the least.

The week went by quickly in the heat of VTCs, inservices, and trainings. Drained from the meetings, meetings about meetings, and meetings to talk about the next meetings, I wanted a break. As it was 80 degrees in the delta this week, I though a cool dip in the mighty Yukon sounded great...

Sorry for the delay... I was hoping for more pictures... 

Summer in the Vill

 Well it was a great time with the family, but I am glad to be back in the Last Frontier. I made it home to Anchorage mid July and spent a few days enjoying town and doing a little shopping and mailing. Okay, okay, I got really carried away, but I won't need to shop in town for the rest of the year now! 

Always an adventure, the ride over from St. Mary's was filled with wildlife and lush green leaves all around. I managed to snap a few pics with my phone of a family of foxes. 

Getting back into Mountain Village, I found myself falling right back into the role like I never left. 

The first day int he vill I took a boat ride down to gather cut logs that were stacked to dry this passed spring. Tired the next day, there no excuses to not hp on another boat and fish all night. Catching plenty of fish to fillet out and can (jarring them for use later in the year), I managed to get a little sleep that first weekend. 

Hitting the office, I think I worked 100 hours each of the first two weeks, at least it felt that way... Imaging all the teacher computers for the 2012-2013 school year was a more tedious and problematic affair than any of us realized. With no chance of peeling away from the office or homework long enough to fish, I was delighted to hear from a great friend in the village who wanted to share fish with me. I am so thankful for the monster he saved for me and it truly made my week! I thought I would take the time to explain what it is we do out here for those who may not know. First step, clear a good work surface for your processing. I keep tons of cardboard boxes around for all the game processing I do. 

Next sharpen up your knife really well. I would recommend getting Ziplocks or vacuum bags ready and having lots of paper towels ready, too. When I fillet a fish (any salmon-like critter) I like to start by heading and gutting it at the river. I was actually taught a nifty trick for this process by the friend who gave me this fish, but that will have to wait for another post. Being that this big fella was frozen and now half thawed, I left everything in tact. Starting below the head I cut down to the spine, across both sides of the fish then sliced down the middle to fillet it. I go pretty fast and don't worry about wasting meat. 

Then chunking the best parts of the meat into 2 pound portions, vacuum sealed the choice peices with a Food Saver. The belly meat and parts full of bones I cube up and fill a large mixing bowl with along with the carefully cleaned remains I missed in my haste. 

The trimmings were enough to fill 5 quart jars which I began canning immediately. Some like to take the skin off of this meat, but I don't mind it. Others prefer to marinade or add spices to the jars, but I feel like my fish are more versatile and can be used in any recipe this way. I once made 3 cases of various flavors and ended up with lots of teriyaki and lemon pepper salmon jars... 

(word to the wise: teriyaki burns easily...)

Louisianaisms (Part Three)

Swamp Fishing

With the recent popularity of Swamp Loggers, Swamp People, and the dozens of other shows filmed in Louisiana filling your television line up everyone back home in Alaska wants to hear about "Louisianaisms." My favorite questions are about the swamp and especially alligators. 

This passed Friday (following Independence Day) we decided to do some fishing south of Lake Charles almost to the Gulf Coast. We wanted to get our fill of sweet delicious blue crabs and gar fish. Bait fishing the night before, we went down passed Hackberry, La with chicken for the crabs and tiny fish for the gars. The idea was to use a net and lure in crabs with the chicken legs tied to strings dangling in the water. The crabs grab the chicken and pull, then we gently coax them to the bank and scoop them up. The gar fish were a bit more interested in the bait fish. 

Gar is a prehistoric beast with scales tougher than a filet knife (Jeff skinned it with metal sheers and a hack saw) and a mouth like an alligator. Hence the name: alligator gar. 

Anyway enjoy the video!

Louisianaisms (Part Two)

The Muffellatta 

If you have never heard of the sandwich, you are missing out, to say the least. Best sandwich in America? Heck yeah! 

Anyway, I thought I would dedicate this post to the wonder that is a 3-5 meat Italian dream topped in spicy olive dressing. If you want the best in the world you better come to Louisiana. Many, including myself, believe New Orleans, LA (NOLA for short) to be the epicenter of the sandwich. To save you the trouble, time, and money I thought I'd break it down for you here. 

Step One: come to NOLA and stay in the Quarter. 

Step Two: get a large extra shot daiquiri from the plethora available on Bourbon, Decatur, or basically EVERYWHERE in NOLA. 

Step Three: Visit the Central Grocer on Decatur across from the French Market. Ask for the muffellatta and split it with a close friend or two... yes it is that big. They're closed on Monday's, so be sure to schedule your trip accordingly. ;-)

Now to the difficult task of rating the other sammies in the area.

Contestant #1 - The Camellia 

Not a terrible snadwich, but definitely not a true muff. Made with corned beef and heavy on the olive oil, this guy will fill you up, but you may need to schedule some recovery time afterward at the hotel. 

Contestant #2 - Cafe Maspero

Great sandwich overall, and a heck of a value. With fries this plate will take care of any grumble and tune you up for a long night in the Big Easy. I don't use the lettuce, tomato, or pickle on the plate, but knock yourself out. 

Contestant #3 - Frank's 

A classic New Orleanian spot, Frank's is a great location across from the French Market on Decatur. I suggest you eat upstairs on the balcony with a ice cold beverage of your choosing. Great view, great sandwich, and heck of a deal. I suggest you get the half...

Now for the bad news. I am a sandwich lover like no other, dare I say connoisseur. My favorite sammie isn't in the Quarter, though. It's not even in New Orleans. It's in Baton Rouge at the family owned and operated Anthony's Deli in Baton Rouge, LA. Mad props to the best in the state (WORLD). 

What are you waiting for? Get down here and try one of the best tastes of Louisiana... you won't regret it. 

Louisianaisms (Part One)

Living in Alaska for the last few years I have had many a conversation about things we do in Louisiana  that are unique, different, or just plain weird. Whether it's eating crawfish and alligator or zydeco music, we have a distinct way of doing things...

One of the most well known things we do in Louisiana is drink. I know that sounds strange and it certainly isn't something we should be "proud" of, but it is a Louisianaism. I grew up in a state that was the last to adopt the 21 year old drinking age, meaning I drank with my friends (who were 18 at the time) in high school. Now that Louisiana is serious about the drinking age, we still have the stigma of New Orleans, Mardi Gras, and 100 other reasons to party every day of the year. One feature of Louisiana no one believes me when I describe is the mystery of the drive threw daiquiri shop. We have several in Lake Charles, La, my favorite being The Frosty Factory. We took a break from floating parched in the pool for a few icy beverages. I took the opportunity to document the process here.

I loved living here, and wish I could take so much of Louisiana back with me to my new home: Alaska.  This trip I will return with 50 lbs of frozen food in an ice chest on July 10th. Tasty treats will include: alligator, andoille sausage, smoked deer, pork, and beef sausage, and crawfish. Keep posted for cooking dates...

Birthdays Never Get Old

Well I am officially "in my thirties" and loving every second of it! I suppose one could be sad, angry, or maybe even overreact to the number, but what would be the point of that?! I am young enough to run, surf, climb, dive, have fun, and generally get into lots of trouble. I am also old enough to relax, "enjoy finer things", afford to travel, and make good decisions. Okay, enough of the philosophical mumbo-jumbo.

Talk about your colossal screw-ups... I missed my flight to Baton Rouge, LA on Sunday night, scheduled to arrive in BTR Monday afternoon. Always a silver lining, it turns out it was perfect for my sanity. I had been burning the candle from both ends for way to long. With the extra time in Anchorage I got to relax, visit more with friends and loved ones, and leisurely head to the airport on Tuesday night. 

Arriving in Baton Rouge early in the morning was really nice. Its best to ease into a hot tub, I mean Louisiana, and not dive in to the 2:00 pm sweat box. The airport looked great, especially since the last time I was there the entire building was under construction. Meeting me at the airport, my lovely mother and I share a wonderful drive home and lots of conversation until others joined us. My wonderful sister and charming young nephew arrived for dinner later and we fired up the grill. 

I am in love with life, to say the least. It has become an annual tradition for my mother to make a cake and spoil the heck out of me. I don't mind. 

(Strawberry accented, cream cheese frosted birthday cake, with a side of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla)

Of course any logical person would say I deserve it, and I won't argue, but for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. I've been getting up early and jogging, working out, and doing crunches every morning since. I am working up to a 5 mile full on jog/run, but I am currently stuck in a walk, jog, run routine. We'll see how it works out. 

My nephew needs a super hero uncle to look up to, after all. I love that little guy. Speaking of which, could there be anything better than a cool pool to hop into on a sweltering Louisiana day? 

I think not.