Friday, July 22, 2022

FIFTH YEAR OF FISH CAMP - DAY ONE

Household total - 15
Group - Total 58 
Trip Total - 58
Group Allowance - 315 (We will NOT catch this many!)


It happens every year in the busy, frantic, manic space between the end of winter and the start of the following winter. The blog disappears. I am encouraged I made it all the way to June 18th before disappearing this year. LOL I have goals to recapture the missing weeks...

How does one begin to catch up when life continues on - I suppose one just begins? And the first day of Fish Camp is as good a place to begin as anywhere. 

After a week of "serious" prepping, today was the morning we pulled together from our various homes for the annual trek to Fish Camp. The goal: fill the freezers with fresh, wild, Alaskan sockeye salmon (reds).  On a side note, this is our FIFTH year of dip-netting. HOW could that be? Insert thoughts on the passing of time...

Benny went on his first dip-netting trip when he was just eight months old. He knows the routine. He reminds me of key elements I forget (like dinosaur shaped ice for lunch) and is quick to help with all the little chores. 

Papa and Benny bring in the slides

Loaded and waiting patiently

Tired but willing....poor Allie closed last night and was up and 
in the RV by 0800. 


There comes a point where everyone, but Michael and Cory, are loaded. The two of them do the walk arounds...adjust tire pressure....


...and it is time for Millie and me to leave the RV....Millie is quite sure she is getting the short end of this "stick." 

And they are off!

As everyone left and I was "left behind," I reminded them to send photos and info and I'd document it on the blog. I finished Grandpa's morning routine and then LIT CANDLES...My goal for these days is to RELAX...nap when Dad naps...refresh. I'm weary. 

As I enjoyed my candles and a book on finding spiritual whitespace photos began to arrive in my text feed. All the photos of fish camp are from family: Maria, Arielle, Carrie, Krista and others....


Everyone was racing for Kenai...dead stop in construction outside of Anchorage, now passing Hope turn-off, passed Hope 15 minutes ago, passing Cooper Landing...and on they raced. CyRi arrived first. 

Carrie, Liv in the back, Josiah 

Arielle, Benny, Danny, Cory 

This year's camp will have several new elements. First, I'm not attending. Second, three of the girls each took a communal meal to plan and cook.  Third, both CyRi and KrUke secured tent sites in "the pasture" as we simply can't fit everyone in one site any longer. I'm sure there will be other unique factors this year...

CyRi's site...📷by Carrie

Luke and Krista suit up at the campsite. Maria is along on the trip. She is not allowed to help with the fish in any way on the beach...she is taking the majority of the photos I will share. She is also going to be helping with children and meals....

It has been raining for three weeks!  I was happy to hear that it is a bit cold and windy, but so far it hasn't been raining on the crew. 



Luke caught the first fish of this year's extravaganza- and while I don't have a photo of him catching the fish, I DO have a photo of the fish. The "L" Arielle is making with her hand signals this is Luke's fish. 



I'm stymied on how to organize photos or even know what I'm seeing. I think I'm simply going to do a photo dump. LOL Michael reports 15 fish on the first tide. He said it was a slow start...but it's a start. 

Arielle sent this summary, "Day one! Luke got the first salmon, then Allie, then Cory. The sun was bright with some crazy waves and chilly wind, but all were grateful for no rain! If I'm making a weird hand signal, I'm trying to make the letter for whose fish it is. (This goes beyond the call of shore duty! They aren't going to need me next year. LOL) Stacia manned the camp and loved on the boys." 

Stacia with CoRielle's boys 


Allie (2nd fish) and Liv

Carrie, Arielle, Krista, Alex, Allie


Mike, Allie, Luke, ?, Liv, Carrie, C, Maria 









Cory - 3rd fish of the trip 



Krista and Allie

Assembling nets

So GLAD Alex is fishing this year 

Josiah taking a turn at shore duty


Arielle and Livie


While beach photos began to hit my feed...I relaxed at the nail salon. 


I picked up more meds for Dad and then Nolan, Dad and I finished off leftovers for dinner. Nolan is using the time to get caught up, maybe ahead, on his capstone project for college. 

Meanwhile, back at Fish Camp, Krista provided a meal for the crew, and they all cleaned fish. 
Arielle, Cory, Danny, Benny, Josiah
Maria, Michael 

Livie, Krista, Allie, Luke, Stacia

It's now after 11 p.m. and I'm going to call it a night. It's been a good day and I BLOGGED the day...this is a good trend. Here is Nolat at 10:30 p.m.  Nolan took the week off of work to stay with Grandpa. Grandpa has had some cardiac events and is on a slew of new meds.  Which meds and their dosage are determined by various readings we take throughout the day. It's all to new for either he or I to feel comfortable leaving him with all of it for 5 days.