End of the Season

ON my last post I mentioned where I caught the fish and shrimp, and I did have a picture of it, but for whatever reason it didn't upload. Being the technical genius that I am, I couldn't figure out how to correct it, so here's another picture. It's not the same picture, but it's the same area. See that point that sticks out way down the bay on the right hand side? That's where all the action took place. I took this picture last Sunday, and as you can see, it was glassy calm that day- just the way I like it. Although there aren't any boats in this picture, there are still a few guys trying to get their halibut quota. For whatever reason some fellows prefer to wait until the fall to chase the halibut and black cod. I've done it before, but would rather not wait, even though the price usually goes up a little. Almost always you have to battle the seasonal storms and I hate that.

I was down at the cannery the other day enjoying the serenity of the area. All the tourists are gone and along with them, the whale watching and charter boats. The streets aren't clogged with the throngs of people and the large green buses are parked in the lot. The boardwalks are empty and the shops are locked up
and there is a delicious stillness that has decended upon the area. It's delightful. For now the town is ours again and we can go about our daily lives not feeling like we are on display. With the exception of the disregard for the common sense and common courtesies that would prevail in their own home towns, most of the tourists seem to be decent folks. They just get overwhelmed by the beauty of the area and the abundance of wildlife and forget, perhaps,that this is a real town and we are real people with real jobs to do. We're not all actors and Hoonah isn't just like Disneyland, though for some reason several have been led to believe that. Some folks are surprized that there aren't any igloos or dogsleds here, and there have been more than a few - American citizens no less- who didn't realize that we were a state, not a foreign country and we do trade in US currency. I guess it's good that I've been exposed to the tourist industry here. Hopefully it will help me to remember my manners when I'm on vacation.