Every spring I take a salmon inventory of what’s left in our chest freezer. Ideally, the perfect amount of left over salmon would be 2 or 3 fillets. That would be just enough to eat before fresh salmon are caught for the year. As you can see, we ended up with more than a couple of fillets left over. Luckily, none …
Beluga Watch
My phone has been active this spring. It’s because I signed up for text alerts for beluga whale sightings in the tidal areas of the Kenai River. The text alerts come from the Alaska Beluga Monitoring Program. The data is collected by organizations, communities, and individuals and is made available to the …
Bird’s Eye View of the Kenai River
I still get excited when I think about what’s about to happen. It won’t be long and the salmon will be returning to the Kenai River. You know I’ll be there to greet them. It’s not like I need a a nudge to know what’s around the corner, but a video I recently found on YouTube sure got me going . It’s July drone footage from …
A Final Goodbye
Back in early January, a service/celebration was held for friends and family to say good bye to Jane’s dad, Bill. Many, many stories were shared about this amazing man and his adventures. This past week, the Matthies family, along with a few dear friends, said their final good bye to Bill at a Committal Service at the …
Happy Easter, Passover, and Birthday
There are four important events happening today. Easter, Passover, Jane and Uncle Mike’s birthday. Enjoy the day! …
Spring?
The Farmer’s Almanac missed the mark this year. Their Alaska winter forecast called for a “milder-than-normal, drier winter for 2025–2026.” It’s been just the opposite. And it’s pretty much been that way across the whole state. Fairbanks had their 9th coldest winter on record. Imagine having 31 days where the …
What’s In A Name?
My college buddy/roommate Mark had a side gig catching and selling salmon he caught in Southeast Alaska. He sold his catch to restaurants, grocery stores, and individuals around the country. I was on his email list and on a weekly basis I would get a notice of what was in season and what it would cost per pound to have it …
Mascot
Did you know the word mascot originates from the French word mascotte, meaning “lucky charm”? What an appropriate topic considering St. Patrick’s Day is this Tuesday (don’t forget St. Urho’s Day is Monday). Apparently, our friends Mike and Mary Harden thought we needed a mascot. Regular visitors to Alaska, when they …
Fish Whacker
I spend a lot of my off season prepping for the new year. Being ready for whatever a season can throw at me is the key to success. Okay, healthy salmon runs sure help too. I’ve purchased new waders and boots. Broken fly rods have been replaced, and so have reels that have seen better days. I’ve restocked spools of fishing …
Chamber Vacuum Sealer
One of the best recommendations for our business came over 20 years ago from our friend Dave Anderson. Dave is/was a successful businessman whose passion is the outdoors. He told us that he bought a chamber vacuum sealer to process fish and game and we should get one for our business. We had been considering …