Wilderness Blues- Ramblings from the Great Land

A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of watching our friends dog, Rabano, again. They ran down south for a few days, and when they returned, they brought back a shirt for Jan, and some cheese for me. I happen to love Beechers Flagship cheese. My friend Mark introduced me to it a little over a year ago. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, I'm unable to get it here in Hoonah. The closest place I know of is the Costco store in Juneau. It's a little spendy, but well worth the cost. I'm afraid I can't adequately describe the flavor. It's sharp,with a bit of a salty tang that is so satisfying. If you look closely, you can see that I'm holding two blocks of cheese. One is an eight pound behemoth, and the other is about a three ounce sampler. I'm sorry to say that even though Mark and Sarah appreciated the dog sitting, the eight pound block is Marks. However, in all fairness, I must mention that Mark was good enough to order my favorite soft drink, Vernors, a...

  For six days there has been a troll closure for all salmon here in Southeast Alaska. It doesn't impact the sport boys or the charter guys, but it shuts us right down. The theory is that it will give the coho salmon more of a chance to get into the streams and rivers. I find it interesting that in the past, the closure has always coincided with the Golden North Salmon Derby in Juneau. The fact is though, there seems to be less salmon being caught this year than in recent years. How much that has to do with all the hot, sunny weather we've had and the warmer water temps and what percentage can be attributed to the fact that there are more and more lodges and charter outfits targeting all the species of salmon as well as halibut, rockfish, ling cod and whatever else is swimming in these waters is a matter of speculation. I suspect that if something doesn't change soon, fishermen, lodges, charter companies and residents are going to find themselves with n...

  A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to be surrogate parents to our friends Mark and Sarah's dog, Ra'bano. After losing our dog Rigby, it was nice to have the chance to have one of our furry friends come by for a few days. I can only recall once when he kind of whined a little bit. As hard as it can be for people to be in unfamiliar places and uncomfortable situations, I can only imagine what it must be like for our pets. I know that not everyone has the luxury of leaving a beloved pet with a friend or neighbor when they have to leave for one reason or another. I just hate the idea of having to board your pet at a vet or animal shelter. Maybe I'm full of hoo-ha, but I feel like as much as possible they need to be in a loving environment while their owners are away. As you can see, Ra'bano (which means radish in Spanish) is feeling quite at home on our couch. He's really well trained, and though the food right there before him is enticing, he didn't once...