Ice bergs, waterfalls, seabirds, but no fish

Some of the best pictures of the last few weeks - All taken by Captain Jeff Rhodes

Salmon berries everywhere and a few blue berries

Valdez on a rainy day

Columbia Glacier icebergs in Columbia Bay

Iceberg with seabirds at the bottom.

The Wall in Valdez Narrows

The Wall, Valdez Narrows

Silver Dolphin at Gold Creek, Port Valdez, July 2016
Photo by Jeff Rhodes

Another great week

At this time of year, the sun sets usually when I am driving Shelikof Straight. Every night is different. It is one of my favorite drives. This last trip we had Dahl Porpoises playing along the bow for 20 minutes or so.

The skiff is a great way to get around. There is only one other place to go. Makes it easy, not a lot of options.

Below we are tied up to the Homer Public Harbor.

I hope everyone can see the panoramic photo I took of Shelikof Straight. This is the route we have been taking and will continue for a while now. It is a great gig.  And occasionally. I can share some photos.

A panoramic of the wheelhouse

60 days and counting...

We have been on the boat for 60 days so far. Everyone is doing well here. Some mechanical issues and lots of long drives have made this an interesting season so far. We crossed the Gulf again and we are up in Valdez. It's a beautiful place and one of our favorite p[laces to tender. The folks up here are nice and the views breathtaking. The pictures I have taken do not capture the feeling but perhaps your imagination can help:

We are enjoying nice weather. The rain let up to blue skies. I have been cooking. Tonight was cheeseburger pie, a favorite with the guys. Made chicken soup, French toast, another quiche and some pretty good sandwiches over the past week. When we are driving long distances, we sleep in shifts and subsequently eat in shifts. So it's a challenge to cook items that we can all snack on as our shifts change. With only 3 on board this year, there is not as much need for lots of large meals. I have adapted my cooking for what we have going on in those next few days.

About to start another all-nighter, taking fish and then driving to a cannery. 

Entering the port of Valdez today. The seiners are setting their nets or lining up for a good spot.

Sending my best wishes to family and friends. A special shout out to Maren, hang in there. I'm behind you 100%. Whatever you need, just let me know. I'll be there.

Joanna

We are off!

Its been slow... Not much fishing going on. We have been tied to the dock for 4 days and finally heading out. We had time to make some repairs, visit with friends and get some sleep.

 Looks like our destination is Noyes island. I have never been there before. Here's Jeff, ready to go:

Met some people up here from Kailua! That was a surprise. Suns out. Beautiful day. We are off! 

Cooking and more

It has been an uneventful start to the season. We are running freight right now. You know the big containers that go on trucks? We are putting them on the boat and running to and from Homer and Larson Bay which is on Kodiak Island. It's about 14 hours each way. We are running fresh catch that gets loaded on to a truck, then flown to market. Amazing to see how many industries, people and steps it takes to get the fresh catch on the chefs special.

The cooking is easier. The photo is of a chicken pot pie that the boys raved about. That was a definite repeat. It seems whenever I put something in a pie crust, it's a big hit. Made a quiche, the first of the season and they wolfed it down. Other hits - pulled pork, steak fajitas, fried rice, French toast made from croissants and a chicken veggie bake. 

I'm low on supplies now so it's hard to scratch anything together that requires fresh ingredients. I try and use lots of dark leafy greens and fresh produce when I can. Needless to say a big salad usually is met with disappointing looks and I have to make something else to go with it. But they love Keysa's guacamole recipe. When I can find avocados. 

Improving as a deckhand is a challenge. The hawser lines are heavy and unwieldy. When I throw the heaving line, I have a 50/50 chance of getting it where I want it to go. I must improve this statistic right away, not only because it's important but it's mortifying when it doesn't work.  Most of my body hurts. But this will pass the longer I am on the boat. I'm still a greenhorn but now I've been around enough to see my mistakes faster and hopefully fix it before the teasing begins. Yes Joanna, put the PLUG IN THE SKIFF before it's lowered it into the water. Ty and Jeff see my mistake in this particular instance and I hear all kinds of jabs as they raise the skiff back on deck, drain it, watch me put the plug in and now we are ready to launch - for real this time. What a greenhorn move. The teasing is all in good fun and I certainly had it coming. So compared to being a deckhand, the cooking is easy. 

Hopefully I can post some more videos and photos. If anyone wants the chicken pot pie recipe I will send it along. 

Aloha, 

Joanna

2014 season about to begin

One of my favorite parts of the beginning of a new season is the train ride from Anchorage to Seward. I love trains. And this ride cannot be beat. It is beautiful and breathtaking. Our last few moments before the work begins in ernest.

More updates later. 

Joanna

Amazing colors

One of my favorite wheel watches came to a close during that short moment between sunset and sunrise in Prince William Sound. This photograph is without filters, and shows the back deck of the Silver Dolphin. Words cannot capture that night, but this photo comes close...

There are times when I miss being on the boat, the movement and sounds of it, traveling through breathtaking places. There is a  feeling of freedom even though we have schedules to keep and responsibilities. It must be the huge open spaces, the enormous mountains and glaciers, the vast water - all  creating a sense of peace and freedom.

Along side the Ocean Hope 3

It's impossible to adequately describe the past few weeks. We have spent time driving long distances in some of the largest seas I have personally experienced, but I'm just a greenhorn so that's not terribly impressive to those who have done this for years. We have spent days on anchor waiting... And waiting and waiting. I will post more cool stuff another time. Since I'm at the library in Dutch right now, I thought I would check in. Aloha!

Thank you Petersburg!

We are off on our next adventure. I found these photos on Jeff's phone. We walked along the water in Petersburg on a beautiful day this summer and he snapped a few photos. Great people to work with there and we look forward to seeing y'all again next year. 

A little Hawaii style up in Alaska. Worked most of the summer in my slippahs and a skort. Think I got a few strange looks, especially when climbing on and off the boat! I felt like I had to explain - it's not a skirt, there are shorts underneath. But who cares, let them wonder if they are that curious. Throw on some knee socks and extra tufts and I was ready for anything!

Chatting on the phone with Keysa that afternoon. We are out of cell range so often, when I actually get to talk to friends and family, it is a wonderful treat. Keysa is looking after the infamous Bootsie and we are grateful for her help and friendship!

Mahalo Keysa!!! 

Still going...

We are headed out to Port Malmsbury in Chatham Strait. Ready for the opener tomorrow. Nice to be in town and nice to get out of town. Gives me a break from cooking and a chance to stock up on supplies. New idea for breakfast - stratas! Never heard of it let alone made one. But going to try. 

Jellyfish in Affleck Canal. Wow. Didn't jump in that day!

Checking in

We are waiting to offload. Lots of fish to process. After the last 2 day opener, virtually everyone headed back to town:

This was the view from the wheelhouse. Boat masts fill the skyline in Petersburg.  The world if commercial fishing is complicated and fascinating.  

Reading lots of great books:

Ocean Treasure by Johnson and Byers

What ship is that? A field guide to boats and ships

Alaska Inside Passage

As the Gurney Turns

And more but I can't get to them right now. Jeff is grabbing a quick nap before another late night. Since I can't go in the room without waking him, I will add to the list later. 

Pa is doing ok. We haven't found Sandy, his little dog yet, but Pa is in ABQ with my folks. Think he is enjoying the company!

Thanks for the photo Sarah. This made my day and it had been a hard day. Much love to our families... Be in touch soon  

Joanna

A new month - August begins

I haven't written in a while and I am short on words. There is no sufficient way to describe events since my last post. Just part of the job. I will try and show you because words fail me recently. 

Hiking to wade in a glacial lake. 

Isn't she beautiful? Great credit to her owners for keeping her in top condition. Not easily accomplished! We take care of her for the summer with pleasure. 

It's been a time of changes and adventure. Our family said good bye to the Quarters on the west side. Yale is open, so you can still get your fix of BBQ and pick up a bottle of wine. 

Much love to our families. As always. 

Chilling at Baranof Warm Springs the water is actually more blue:

 We are working and playing hard. 

Several folks have mentioned to us how lucky we are, living in Hawaii and working in Alaska. I agree with the sentiment and get what they are saying about how sweet it is. Absolutely.  

At the same time, the word lucky gives me pause. I actively sought out and created the life I live today. There were plenty of hard times and sacrifices, but it was worth it to me to make it work.  When my husband and I married, we became a team that continues to define our relationship, goals and values while living this life of adventure and logging lots of airport hours. 

We have had wonderful support from family that help make it work and we miss them terribly. Because along with this life, there are sacrifices. Hawaii isn't all sunsets and rainbows anymore than Alaska is.  We are far away and miss family and friends. There are big events like closing a store or a missing dog and we are so far away and not able to be there to support or help. Someone took my grandfathers little dog Sandy out of his car while he was shopping at the grocery store. 

Who takes a 90 year old man's dear companion?!?!? These are the times when it is hard to be so far away. I get homesick for my family and friends no matter where they live.

We miss out on the little things too like the everyday tennis game or dip in the pool. 

So I don't feel lucky to live this life. I feel blessed and proud. As my niece Isa has in her byline  - in a world where you can be anything, be yourself. 

Will do, Isa. No problem. 

Aloha. 

Melt down in Baranof

French toast and the breakfast from hell 

    Breakfast is my least favorite meal to cook. It usually involves getting up earlier than I would like in the morning. I am not a morning person and never have been. The guys usually have to wait a little too long before I actually feed them. In my own defense on the topic of timing, most of us need time to wake up and aren’t ready for a full breakfast until after our coffee or tea. The boys know, if they are hungry, there are plenty of breakfast snacks and I will deliver a hot meal … eventually. This morning I wanted to use fresh herbs from my little herb garden I bought in Petersburg. So I cut fresh rosemary and chives for the fried red potatoes. If only it had been that easy. I decide to complete the meal with sausage and French toast. Jeff had thawed out a nice, thick Texas toast and it is one of his favorites – freedom toast. I hope he enjoyed it, because I’m not making that mess again for a long time. For some reason, submerging bread in a thick, egg-custard concoction is incredibly tedious and not very appetizing to me. Sweet breakfasts make my stomach turn. I realize I may be reporting things that cooks are not supposed to openly admit, but I could care less today. I am not a real cook anyway, I am just pretending to be one for a very small, forgiving audience. 

     When things start going awry, it happens fast, there isn’t a lot of counter space or room to maneuver. Organization, timing, and having ingredients close at hand, but not too close because of the tight quarters is a delicate balance. While cooking, Ty came down for coffee and I handed him the box of 5 dozen eggs and asked him to please get them away from me before I threw them out of the galley. Not long after, Jeff came down to “get something” and I promptly shooed him out because there was not enough room in the galley for both of us. He retells it differently, of course, and it all sounds so dramatic. 

     After what seemed like an eternity of cursing, rushing, flipping, stirring, splattering grease everywhere, and using more dishes than I could count, I announced breakfast was ready and they could come down at their own risk. Then, I hastily went out on deck to my favorite hiding place, striping off my apron, earphones, fleece and burst into tears.

On our way again

We are leaving Petersburg for Amalga Bay, north of Auke Bay which is NW of Juneau. This is new territory for me and I'm excited to check it out. Beautiful sunny day in SE Alaska. Got my boots on and ready for work. 

During those rainy, cloudy days, I loke to make soups pr stews for us. I made pho twice and everyone enjoyed it. The beef stew was average, so if anyone can recommend a hearty recipe for the slow cooker, I'd  appreciate it. Jeff made his awesome Okinawa chicken tonight and I had a break from doing the entire meal. Spoiled the boys yesterday with biscuits and gravy, bacon, scrambled eggs with red potatoes and cheese. So this morning it was a yogurt Greek style with berries  and honey. 

Mornings like today are a great treat. Jeff and I got to walk to the coffee shop and wander around town. We walked back to the boat, and I had some time to spare. So I headed to the flower shop and book store for some quiet time. It was delightful. 

So happy.... Aloha. 

Crossed the gulf again

All went well. Working out of Petersburg now. Enjoyed Baranof Warm Springs yesterday - amazing!

Gratitude.

I said it last year, and it bears repeating. It is a wonderful feeling to be thankful for all the blessings you have in your life at the time that you have them.

For all the blessings in my life, beginning tonight with my husband, I am grateful. 

Waiting in Valdez

Waiting for fish in Valdez. Not much to report on this foggy, rainy morning. Thinking of all the firefighters, those lost and those still on the line. 

I want to thank Gin Getz for her blog, GinGetz.com, for providing perspective and prose during this fire season as it threatens so much of the San Juan Mountains. The cold, wet weather here seems like a gift compared to the hot, dry weather they are dealing with... 

That's all for now... Got to get back to work.