Salmon season on the way...

As reported in my last entry, the salmon are slow to come in this season - but it appears that there is evidence of Kings in Anchorage. Ships Creek which is located in the heart of downtown Anchorage is the location of next weekend's "Slammin Salmon Derby." Mary and I have derby tickets - hoping to bring in the biggest King Salmon or a taged King Salmon (means money). We went to Ships Creek today to check it out - a mild combat fishing was on tap for today. The derby begins on June 6 (it lasts about a week). As I have a triathlon next Sunday I will only be able to catch the "winning" king on Saturday - HA! Mary has all weekend and evenings during the week - we are approaching 19 hours of daylight. Hoping the Sockeye will be in Seward next week so I can get some snagging in.

We saw "Sex in the City" today - good movie! When I wasn't laughing, I was crying. (so sad to admit). S. Gonda tells me she checks the blog to see pictures of the dogs - so here you go Sue :-) Pictures of the boys after our walk today (we went 2 miles).

Nikan understands the purpose of "the walk."

He also learned the fine art of "napping" from Mko


Bruno - often not phased by "the walk." Today was no expection. :-)

However, I think it may be catching up with him as he is out cold right now (8:30pm).

Tunsina Trail

The Memorial holiday weekend brought with it great weather. Sunny (windy at the beginning of the week), we have actually seen 60 degree temps this week. I wore shorts for most of it. As we move into the end of May we are expecting rain this weekended...but that's ok because I am sure the sun will return and the rain helps make things grow.

On Sunday and Monday I hiked the Tunsina Trail which is out on Lowell Point (Mary hiked on Sunday, she walked the dogs for us on Monday :-)). It is a very popular trail with the town folk as it is easy to access and relatively easy to hike. With the good weather it was a busy trail on Sunday. In the two years we have been here we had never hiked this trail - it was beautiful and will be a regular spot this summer. On Monday I took my camera - enjoy the pictures. (click the link). At low tide I hear the fishing is good - I did see a couple on Monday hiking out with fishing rods.

With such a late winter the salmon run has not yet hit Seward and is very slow in other areas. There is talk to postponing the start of the fishing season in some areas until salmon numbers increase. Alaska is very conscious of the revenue that is generated from the fishing industry and works hard to ensure its longevity over time. Currently the salmon count in the Cooper River (where salmon first appear) is in the rough 23,000 per day rather than the expected 53,000 per day. So we wait...but I did have some fresh Copper River Red Salmon this week (thanks Mr. Hemstock) that was so good (could have been my cooking) that I am still thinking about it.

Flyfishing and longer days

The days are getting longer and we are currently experiencing nice weather - sunny, low 50's (and a little windy). Daylight today is: 18 hours, 22 minutes and 12 seconds. Mary was heard to say today at 5am - there is so much light in the room already. I have made a couple of my ritual afternoon trips to the small boat harbor to check out the fishing haul. The halibit are still small and the boats are coming in later than usual but it is a nice way to pass some time. I am waiting patiently for the Sockeyes to come in - should be any day!

Mary and I took a flyfishing class last weekend. We spent the weekend at a lodge in Sterling (just outside of Soldotna) where the class was held. We learned all the basics of flyfishing - rod, reels, fishing line (hollow), fishing leaders (tappered), the basics of casting, and types of flies. My brain was full by Sunday afternoon.



Mary is demonstrating the classic flyfishing cast
The river is currently closed so that fish can spawn. So we practiced casting in a park next to the river. I can hardly wait until June 11 when the river opens again.

This the view from the lodge - it is on Longmere Lake

Bunnies and Playgrounds...

Nikan and Bruno longing for bunnies stew. From time to time the bunnies are out back - the boys generally bolt out the back door, racing to the right hoping to find bunnies. Nikan almost got one the other day. A couple of weeks ago the community came togeather to build a new playground for the childern of Seward. This was quite the undertaking - as the "PARKS group" began the raising of funds and designing the play ground in October. They raised approx $22,000 dollars. The play ground was build in 7 days entirely by the community. This is a picture I took during the building.

Sharing a moment...

At the school board meeting tonight (held in Seward) I was honored with a "Golden Apple Award" for outstanding service to the district. I wanted to share the moment by placing the text that was read at the meeting on the blog. (I also got a "Golden Apple" that says KPBSD School Board recognizes Ginger Blackmon for Outstanding Service.) Ginger

Ginger Blackmon

Golden Apple Award

May 5, 2008

The role of principal is more than just interactions with students and staff. For Seward High School Principal Ginger Blackmon, it also means involving parents and the community in education.

"She is a breath of fresh air and a dynamic, innovative thinker and administrator. Her efforts to re-establish academic excellence in our school should not go unnoticed," said Seward parent Catherine Bishop.

In her two years at Seward High, Ms. Blackmon has made academics the priority and is dedicated to maintaining an orderly, positive environment for students by being visible and accessible to students, staff and parents.

"She is willing to listen and problem solve - no matter how small," Mrs. Bishop said.

Ms. Blackmon is not only available to help, she seeks out opportunities to do so. She has met with the Seward community to discuss ways to improve Seward High and has actively sought parental involvement in the school.

We, the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education, are proud to recognize Ginger Blackmon for her efforts to make Seward High an inclusive, engaging and rigorous environment that is integral to its community.

Bike for Women

Spring has finally arrived. We are getting a nice mix of sun and rain, flowers are blooming and this school year will draw to a close in a little over two weeks. Last weekend I was scheduled to compete in a triathalon here in Seward but illness kept me on the sidelines. This weekend I was heathly again and competed in the Bike for Women. It was a time-trial race (my first "bike only" race) - meaning riders leave the start line one at a time, at 20 second intervals. You compete against your actually start time - rather than one start clock that hinders you if you are at the back of the pack.

I got lucky and left number 170 out of 500 hundred riders. It was an easy 9 miles (Ha! Ha!)...hoping for a flat course...I was disappointed - as I made the hairpin turn out of the parking lot I quickly came upon a hill, going down. Nice - until I took a moment to realize that same hill, going up, was the approach to the finish line. The ride was 9 miles of up and down - only 2 major hills that tested my will (and my lungs) but...all in all I am very happy with my first bike race. I was hoping to finish in 35 minutes (on a flat course) - finish in 41 minutes with the hills. I also held my own in having only a hand full of people pass me - and I passed a couple myself.

Mary was a very good sport as my cheering squad - particularly because we went two hours before my start time. On a final note - things are good. Mary and I are getting excited about our weekend fly fishing class coming up in a couple of weeks. And it seems we may be going to see Elton John in concert at the end of the month. Stay tuned for more news soon - Ginger