ONE, TWO, THREE

Sunday, July 18

The clear sky allowed for some serious atmospheric cooling and the temp dropped well below fifty. When the early morning rain began falling the temp leveled off but the increased humidity made one think it was still cooling.

When we woke at ten after ten, we overslept, the rain was still with us and the thermometer hadn't managed to get back to fifty yet, recording forty eight.

We had coffee and Chai tea along with blueberry scones while looking at the morning paper.

Had we hurried to the showers, through the rain, hurried our showers and hurried dressing and then exceeded the speed limit we might have made it to church on time. As it was we did none of the above even though we really miss church when we don't attend.

Outside our dining room window a few people fished, braving the rain, and their rods bent on a regular basis as their efforts were rewarded.

Onie continued with a second cup of coffee as the writer sat down to make notes and write. With increased fishing activity, processing, smoking, packaging and canning, time to write is being compressed as is the editor's time to do her work. With software problems behind us we are striving to catch up and then stay current.

After our abbreviated breakfast Onie began the task of processing fish to fill the canner.

The writer brought the fish in from the cooler, where they had been on ice, and then cleaned the cooler to wait for the next accumulation. The refrigerator is too small to hold many fish and putting them in the freezer and then defrosting them to smoke or can only lengthens the process. We have taken to keeping them on ice for a couple of days prior to smoking or canning.

Rain continued to fall and fishermen continued to fill their stringers down on the grate.

Sometimes one part of the fisherman makes a commitment that the other part can't keep leading the writer to see each person as three, an inner person and an outer person and the soul. The inner person is the one making the commitments and the outer person is the one trying to keep up and the soul is the one overseeing the process. In early years this is seldom a problem as the inner person tends to not over judge the capacity of the outer person to perform tasks. As birthdays accumulate on the outer person the inner person doesn't seem to have quite so many or it is at least affected in a different way and continues to expect the outer person to leap tall buildings in a single bound. The soul by contrast has no birthdays as it is eternal and can watch the striving of the mortal parts with amusement and the knowledge it need not suffer.

By the age of forty many outer persons are requiring a couple of leaps before the building is conquered. By age fifty a ladder may be needed and somewhere past sixty-five a man lift may be needed just to get to the second floor. In the vernacular this is called “the mind making commitments the body can't keep”. To the mind this is frustrating. To the body the effort to complete the task is numbing so what one ends up with is a two part person walking around frustrated and numb and the soul again looking on in amusement. The grate plays host to a lot of frustrated numb persons.

With jars full and ready for the canner the team of Onie and Tom handed them out of the coach to the waiting canner. When it was full the lid was put in place and the fire was lit. Once steam was coming out of the vent in a steady stream the weight would be placed over the vent to cause the pressure inside the canner to climb to ten pounds. Once that happened we would time it for ninety minutes. After the ninety minutes the fire would be turned off. When cooling caused the internal pressure to fall to zero the lid would be removed and the jars taken out to cool.

With the canner full and the fire lit we turned our attentions elsewhere.

Poles continued to bend on grate. Sixty two thousand fish came in yesterday and the rain that continued to fall didn't bother them at all. They were already wet and probably enjoyed the fresh water.

Onie made hot sandwiches and we had a good lunch.

It was time to turn off the heat under the canner and let it cool.

Up the hill we went to say adios to Gene and Darlene and wish them safe travel.

Back at the coach the canner was cool so it was emptied and and cleaned out to get it ready for a second batch.

Online Onie checked for the results of the drawing for the drive into Denali. Like last year we were passed over. Out of sixteen hundred people fewer than a dozen drawn were from outside Alaska.

With the knowledge we would not be driving into the park this year we began discussing when to leave to visit our friends in Nova Scotia. Of course a big consideration is how long it will take to make the drive. It is a mere five thousand twenty one miles to Church Point but there are many miles of bad road and more miles of road of unknown quality. Web mapping software all want to take us through or near Chicago. The driver has said he will drive through Nashville before he drives through Chicago again. We will have to spread out maps out on the floor and plot our course before we leave but now the die is cast and we know we will be leaving here sometime after mid August.

Onie went to take a nap.

The driver went to fish. It was one, two, three and done. Katy was trying her hand again today and the driver helped her and once again visited with dad, Mark, as well as Sidney, Mike and Jay.

David, my brother called. He is going fishing, tomorrow, in the Gulf. This is the same Gulf that has the “horrible” oil spill polluting it. His grandson, Danny, invited him to go with him and his dad. They went today and they slaughtered the fish forty miles out. They saw no oil.

It is raining.

Onie got up and fixed us another hot sandwich.

We started the second canner then the writer went back to the grate to visit. He called Becky to see when they would be back.

Traffic was terrible going into Anchorage and they came very close to missing the plane for Kurt's folks even though they had allowed five and a half hours for the drive. It is usually two and half to three hours. Coming back the traffic hadn't been nearly so bad. They should be back soon and will fish when they get here.

Onie came down to the grate where she went one, two, three and out. The driver cleaned her fish and his.

Midnight came and with it a new day. Once again Onie and the driver went one, two, three, in about fifteen minutes. Becky and Kurt had three between them.

Onie went to bed. The driver cleaned fish in the dark but went up to Kurt's to take out the ribs.

He was back at the Marlin at one thirty when he placed the fish on ice, ate cherries and played a couple of games of Free Cell before going to bed at three.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Monday, July 19

Onie was up and gone to Curves when the writer rose at nine forty five.

It was overcast and fifty two with intermittent rain.

Writing and note making took place while the body was talking about the commitments the brain made yesterday. The body had tried to fulfill each commitment.

With Onie's return we had steel cut oats, coffee and tea while we worked some crosswords.

After breakfast Onie made fudge before we stripped the bed, loaded all the dirty clothes in the car and headed to Kenai to wash clothes and for Onie to go to Three Bears grocery store for jars. She got ten cases when she was there as well as picking up an unwanted object in the left rear tire. When the wash had been started the writer had stayed at the washateria to monitor the machines and get the clothes into dryers when they had finished washing. With Onie's arrival back at the washateria she informed the writer of this strange object in the left rear tire. He went out to have a look and thought it might be a radio aerial off someone's truck. What ever it was it was causing a leak and would have to be removed and the hole repaired. Fortunately the object was in the center of the tread so the hole would be easy to repair.

The driver took the Subaru a couple of blocks to Alyeska Tire for repair. When the object was extracted it was a metal tent stake. Probably only in Alaska would one run over a tent stake on the road.

Back at the laundry Onie was already folding clothes. The driver pitched in to help finish the chore and then carry the clean clothes to the car.

On the way back to the camp we stopped by Carr's Safeway in Soldotna to select a birthday card for Becky. We are celebrating her arrival to her parents, a few years ago.

By five thirty we were back in camp.

We checked the fish count. Sixty eight thousand fish came in yesterday.

The clean clothes were put away and the bed made before we dressed for dinner.

Kurt and Becky came down to pick us up at six fifty then it was off to Mykals in Soldotna for the birthday supper. The food was good and the company was better.

By eight thirty we were back home when we changed clothes and went to fish. We quickly caught our limits, three each.

The guys from Georgia, who are staying in the cabins on the hill, were cleaning fish, thirty eight. For them it was a slow process and when they finished Kurt cleaned his and Becky's fish.

Our turn came at eleven thirty and we were done by midnight.

Our fish were taken up the hill to Kurt and Becky's house and put in their basement fridge as we had no room in ours.

Back at the Marlin at twelve thirty the writer sat down to relax for a while before going to bed at one thirty. Onie had found the bed earlier, after catching her fish.

DON'T DO THE TWIST

Tuesday, July 20

Onie was up at seven thirty and had her coffee and read the paper. She was off to Curves at nine. On the way out of the coach she slipped on a step and twisted her knee but went on to Curves anyway. It was Freddie’s after Curves.

The writer slept until she returned at eleven thirty when it was fifty seven and cloudy.

Breakfast was warmed up pork shank.

The rain started after breakfast but before the writer headed to the lodge for a shower.

Cleaned and refreshed he headed up to Kurt's to get fish out of Kurt's fridge.

By one he was back down with the fish and put them in the cooler under a bag of ice.

Then the fish that were in brine were rinsed and put into the smoker.

Onie, with the writer assisting, wrapped three cases of canned fish and then the writer put them in the shed. While he was there he did a little rearranging in the shed.

Jars from Three Bears were still in the toad so they were unloaded and put in the shed.

More ice for the cooler was gotten from the lodge before the writer went to the grate to fish.

Eighty two thousand fish came in yesterday. This could be the peak of the run and if it is the writer wants to get his share of it.

On the grate the writer noticed the temp was dropping and the rain that started early in the day was increasing in intensity. Hard rain didn't keep hardened fishermen from their calling. There were lots of fish in the river for the taking and taking them we were. Kurt and the writer soon had their limits and began helping others fill their stringers.

The rain fell harder.

The writer stopped to check the fish that were in the smoker which had been covered with a plastic bag to protect it from the driving rain. They were coming along nicely and should be ready to come out of the smoker in an hour or so.

Becky came down to fish and Kurt and I helped her, netting and stringing her fish for her.

Kurt and the writer fileted fish for themselves and others on the grate, and the rain fell.

The hour had passed and the fish in the smoker were removed and placed in pans to cool.

During the day Onie had rested a bit and watched TV, trying to say off her feet and let her knee have some time to recuperate.

By five she was up again and making chicken soup.

While the soup was bubbling away and the rain was beating down the garbage was taken out.

Cold and somewhat damp the writer sat down to a steaming bowl of some of the best chicken soup he had ever eaten. Perhaps it was the rain, the damp, the cold, the tired body or all of the foregoing but the soup was absolutely yummy.

At eight thirty Kurt and Becky came down. With them they brought hot wings, fresh apple pie and ice cream. We indulged ourselves and had a generous helping of each before sitting down for one game of Skip Bo. It was the macho males against the femme fatales. Macho won out. In the middle of the game it was time for pie Ala mode.

Our company left at eleven thirty.

It was still raining hard.

These notes were being made when Onie went to bed at midnight. A little writing followed along with a couple of games before the writer joined Onie at one thirty.

CAN CAN

Wednesday, July 21

Kay knocked on our door at nine fifteen to check on Onie and her knee and see if she was going to Curves today.

Onie slept through the repeated knocking but the writer answered the door, in his robe, said Onie was still asleep and wouldn't be going to Curves today. It was best that she try to stay off her leg, keep it elevated and perhaps put something on it.

Wide awake now the writer sat down to read the paper then played three games before making notes and writing.

Outside it was overcast. Rain is predicted. It is fifty. The grate is empty. The camp is quiet.

Onie was up at ten thirty. She had slept good but her knee was sore.

Chicken soup is good for the soul and the body, particularly a body that is sick or sore or both. At any rate we had chicken soup for breakfast.

While eating we planned our day. We would get the propane bottles filled,.stuff jars with fish and can, can, can. We would also vacuum pack tails and put them in Kurt's flash freezer then the writer would fish a little. When the fish were caught and fileted they would be taken to Custom Seafood and we we would get to bed early.

With our plan in place we began to work our plan. The writer went and got the propane bottles filled and then returned and started the canner.

Onie lay down to get off her feet and while there she managed to nap.

The writer fished with Kurt and Becky. All three fishermen got their limit. While fishing the writer stood next to the mallard hen that is raising her second clutch of eggs. The eggs--now ducklings--will soon, within the next week or ten days, be old enough to fly away and leave mom to her own devices. A few weeks after leaving mom they will leave Alaska and fly south for the winter.

The canner had been turned off and allowed to cool and now the writer took jars out of the cooker and emptied the hot water to let it cool faster for a second load. While the canner was cooling the writer cleaned the smoker racks to get ready to smoke fish tomorrow.

Don, Julie and Shirley arrived from Anchorage. Hellos and hugs were exchanged. This is Shirley's first trip back to camp since her husband and our friend, Stu, passed away. We are all glad to see her.

Fish that had been caught were cleaned and put in the cooler then the fish that had been smoked earlier were taken up to Kurt's for vacuum packing. With the vacuum packing finished the writer drove on to Custom to drop of the day's catch.

Back in camp a second canner load was started. In the writer's absence Onie had filled the cooker.

Supper was an avocado, tomato and chicken soup.

By now the canner was up to pressure. We set an alarm for an hour and a half and settled in to watch a movie, Dr. T and the Women, it was most forgettable.

When the alarm went off at midnight the canner was turned off. It would cool overnight and we would take the jars out tomorrow.

We were asleep by twelve thirty.

CATCH 'EM

Thursday, July 22

Onie was the first one up again rising at nine. Outside it rained. She began checking her email. The writer followed her at nine thirty and checked his email while she made coffee and tea and warmed up biscuits and English muffins to go with the sausage she prepared for breakfast. We sat down to it at ten fifteen.

Kay and Onie were off to Curves at eleven, in the rain.

The writer took up his laptop and worked on notes and stories til one fifteen when he stopped to shower and dress.

Dressed he went outside to start fish in the smoker. It was raining harder.

Back inside he checked the fish count. Forty four thousand came in yesterday. The run has probably peaked so we need to catch 'em while we can. With that thought in mind the writer went down to fish a little. He wore rain gear since it was raining.

Onie returned at one thirty and started getting ready to can. Becky came by to see her, visit and help.

Briskets that we had brought up from Coldspring had been taken out of the freezer two days ago and placed in the small fridge in the shed. Now the writer took them out and into the coach to Onie for her to prepare them to smoke. The rain was pelting down now and water ran on the drive like a small river.

While Onie was taking care of the briskets, canning and visiting the writer went down to the river with Kurt to fish. They each got their limit and the writer, about to become the cook, went back to the coach at four thirty to get the briskets. The rain had abated a bit.

Don Hickel, Donnie, has a smoker with a firebox so it provides indirect heat. The cook had decided to use it as he feels that is the best way to do brisket. When the cook went over to fire the smoker it was in use as Donnie was cooking chicken for an event at six.

The cook stayed to watch him do the chickens and visit a bit before returning to the Marlin to help Onie and watch her season lamb chops for dinner. The soon to be cook went over to the event at Donnie's and got salad and vegetables to go with the lamb chops then returned home and fired the gas grill. Eight minutes later the chops were sizzling on our plates. The were delicious in the extreme and the salad and veggies were a perfect compliment. The lamb had originally been planned for out anniversary dinner but if the reader remembers the anniversary couple spent the evening at Frank's with friends.

Still savoring the lamb chops the writer, now the cook for real, went to Donnie's and started a fire in the smoker at seven. Although the smoker was still somewhat warm from the chicken the cook used a lot of charcoal as the ambient air temp was a cool fifty two. When the smoker was good and hot the briskets were placed on the smoking racks. With the lid closed a light sprinkle sizzled on it. By this time the voluminous smoke coming from the smoker, some hickory chips had been added to the charcoal, had attracted a crowd of guys. They watched as the cook adjusted the dampers trying to learn the smoker and get the proper temperature. By eleven it was clear that due to the construction of the smoker, thin walled, and the cool air temperature it was going to take more than thirty pounds of charcoal to smoke the briskets so the cook drove to Freddie’s and got an additional thirty pounds, half regular and half mesquite. At home, in Coldspring, the writer likes to use oak and mesquite wood in addition to charcoal. He also likes to add pecan when he has it. Here in Alaska he had none of these woods so that was another reason more charcoal was needed. Sidney had bought four bags of hickory chunks for the cook to use but the cook wanted to use them sparingly as he had no experience using hickory, to smoke.

Half the men had left the smoker when the cook returned close to midnight but the other half lingered to watch and visit until about one when the last one toddled off to bed. The cook, bundled up against the cold night wind stayed with the smoker adjusting the fresh air vent and the stack damper. By three he was convinced that he had the settings right so he could stoke the firebox and leave it to maintain the proper temperature while he slept a little.

In he coach a smoky smelling cook joined Onie.

ONIE'S EVENT

Friday, July 23

Onie was up at six fifteen to go to Curves. She and Kay left at seven fifteen leaving the cook asleep. He woke at eight fifteen, donned his robe and boots, the ground was still soaked from all the rain, and went to check on the briskets. The temp was still good but the charcoal had burned down quite a bit so more charcoal was added to the firebox before the cook sloshed his was back to the coach and bed.

Just as the cook was about to tuck himself back in bed Onie returned from Curves. She changed clothes and was then off to go to yard sales with Kay, Becky and Dixie. They were gone by nine.

The cook was still asleep at eleven fifty when Kurt knocked on the door. He was going down river to fish and asked me to go along. He said he would wait for me to get ready. I was up, showered and dressed in about ten minutes then hustled off to check on the briskets and stoke the fire box.

We were ready to go at noon. It was down river with Kurt and two of his other buddies. He dropped us off and went back to ferry more friends from his hometown down to he gravel bar.

The fishing was good and the catching even better. In half an hour the writer was sitting on the bank, his limit of three fish caught and strung. From his vantage point he was able to watch the other guys and help them land and bonk their fish, in the drizzle.

At three Kurt ferried the writer back to camp so he could check on the briskets. The filets, the fish had been cleaned down river, were placed in the cooler and gear stored before the writer donned his cook's hat and went to check on the briskets. The temp had held steady.

Now onlookers were gathering again as it was well known that the meat would be taken out of the smoker around five. The cook visited with them as well as Don, Julie and Sidney.

The ladies returned from the yard sale adventures at four. Each of them had a contribution to make to Onie's event this evening. Onie started her scalloped potatoes and grilled some of our sausage.

The briskets were taken off at five thirty. The cook had used fifty pounds of charcoal and almost ten pounds of hickory blocks. In addition he had added a bit of apple wood from his supply in his shed. Now it was time for the denouement, the trimming and tasting. Working at the grill the cook began trimming excess fat from the first brisket. As the trimmings were placed aside fingers began taking bits and pieces to be nibbled by the curious. Ever the generous and magnanimous one the cook sliced pieces for each of the nibblers. From the sounds coming from various sets of lips the results of the smoking had been rewarding. Each of the guys and gals that watched and sampled gave the cook their approbation.

Onie was on her way from the coach bringing paper plates, plastic dinnerware and condiments to Don and Julie's where four canopies had been put together to protect the diners against clouds that still threatened rain. Three picnic tables rested under the canopies as well as a patio set with four chairs.

Supper began at six.

Onie's event was a big hit. Others had brought salad, bread, potato salad, baked beans, green bean casserole, fresh peach cobbler, chocolate cake and sundry other items.

The event was over at eight. Several folks helped clean up and take left overs.

We were home and started a movie, Simon Birch, at nine. The writer was dozing off by nine thirty. We stopped the movie and went to sleep at ten.

Outside it was cloudy and cool, forty four.

STEP AND FETCH IT

Saturday, July 24

We were awake at nine. It was fifty and cloudy.

Coffee and tea were made and then we sat down to buttered cornbread with sorghum syrup, venison/feral hog sausage and crosswords.

We were still working crosswords when Becky came by at eleven thirty.

She will be back at twelve and help Onie can. In the meantime she will bring over her canner and burner and Kurt will bring a propane bottle so the ladies can do two canners at a time.

Motivated by such help we left the crosswords, dressed and began work. The writer brought in jars from the shed, fetched buckets of water to rinse the fish, got some fish from the small fridge in the shed and still more from the cooler. Then more jars from the shed and more buckets of water were fetched. For those of you old enough to remember the show the writer felt like Step and Fetch It. Onie was busy stuffing jars and when she had sixteen stuffed we loaded one canner and got it started.

Kurt and Becky returned at twelve thirty. Becky and Onie loaded more jars and Onie and I loaded the second canner. Now both canners were going. More jars were brought in from the shed and the rest of the fish from cooler. With all the jars that were needed in and all the fish from the fridge and cooler in the writer donned his fishing hat.

It was two o'clock and a light rain was falling through the fifty two degree air. Kurt, Craig, a sixty five year old surfer from California, and the writer headed down river.

Last night the limit on sockeye salmon in the Kenai River had been increased to six per person. It took us three hours to string eighteen fish. Quick! How many minutes did it take, on average, to catch one fish. We had done our part in decreasing the numbers of fish from the thirty five thousand that came in yesterday.

After we cleaned our fish we headed back to camp, in more rain some of which was heavy.

A chili cook off was underway at camp. Sidney, Dixie, Jay and Sandy were vying for honors as the best chili cooker. It is hard to say who had the best but by the time the three fishermen got to the serving table all of Jay's chili was gone. The other cooks accused him of eating all of it himself so it would seem his was the best. The author will never know the truth. Onie had fixed wild rice and strawberry cobbler as her contribution to the event. Both were a hit. Again we dined under the four canopies at Don's, as the rain fell.

We were home at seven thirty.

Once again Onie and Becky had both canners going.

At the grate Les was busy landing his only fish of the day.

Kurt and the writer put our fish in the cooler, after rinsing it out, and went to his house to get some ice to put on the fish.

When we returned he and Becky left for the day.

Looking through the kitchen window Onie and the writer were able to check both canners for pressure.

Onie checked her email as the writer made notes.

The rain that had been falling all day continued making the fifty degrees seem even cooler. This will undoubtedly go down as a very wet summer. Anchorage is already ahead of their total average rainfall for the summer if they get no more.

We retired to the bedroom at nine where we finished the movie.

At ten we turned off the canners and went to sleep