Pictured above: Kachemak Bay from the air, Jen and sea otter in Seldovia Bay, Halibut coming in!, Jen with Seldovia Harbor behind her, Matt (far left) rocking the survival suit relay.
. . . and so every week we would say to each other, “We should update the blog today”, and “Yes, we really should”. All the while we were thinking to ourselves the matter was concluded, the task delegated, end scene. Many apologies to our loyal followers for the month hiatus. We’ve had quite a busy month indeed, which may explain the lack of time to post updates. We’ll break up the posts to keep you all on baited breath, and so we don’t have to type so much. Also, names have been changed to protect the innocent. So, here is the first installment of what we’ve been up to…
When last we left our intrepid duo they were gearing up for a Forth of July holiday weekend in Seldovia. One of my coworkers grew up there and we were invited along with some others to delight in new experiences in a place only reachable by boat or plane. We were to meet everyone in Homer for a lovely boat ride across Katchemak Bay. The weather for the crossing was lovely, but haze likely stole some magnificent views. Captain Jane (my coworker, whose first name is not Jane or Captain) docked her father’s boat in the Seldovia Harbor 45 minutes after leaving Homer and we hoofed it the two blocks to her parents’ delightful guesthouse. We were sharing the space with another coworker and his girlfriend. The Seldovia festivities had begun earlier that day (July 3rd) and we went down to hear some local musicians and get a tour of the ‘burg. Jen and I were instantly in love with this town of about 300 people and knew we were going to have to visit many more times. Our final stop on the tour was at the Inside Beach, where several bald eagles were enjoying the surf and sun. Back at la casa Jane’s parents shared some of their astonishingly good salmon that I’m sure they caught right outside their door.
We had a blast on the Forth, even without fireworks (yes, it stays light out far too late for fireworks). We all had the pancake breakfast at the fire department, watched quintessential small town parade (complete with a float for the Town Crab (old stodgier grump of the Year winner) and oh so much more. After lunch we watched the canoe jousting tournament before cheering one of our traveling companions into the semi-finals of the log rolling competition. And the fun was just beginning. Tug of war and the egg toss were just warm-ups to the survival suit race and the fish toss (yes, this really was gross). No rest for us after dinner though, as Jane’s dad took us out in his boat out for some halibut fishing. We set the hooks and then called it a day…a really fun day.
Sunday, the last day of our stay, arrived none too welcome as Jen and I were really enjoying this trip. Back out with Jane’s dad to check the line for halibut. It looked like all we would pull up were some monstrous skate until finally Jane’s dad hauls in a beautiful 25-pound halibut (Jen was instrumental in bringing in this fish as well because of her awesome halibut dance when we set the line). What a wonderful experience, and we continue to be thankful for their hospitality and generosity. Our final activity before leaving was my favorite, a sea-kayaking trip up Seldovia Bay to take in more of the majestic country. The waters of the bay met pebble beach and then spruce forest that rolled up into the mountains. On our way back in we paddled right up to a sea otter. The trip couldn’t have ended any better. We took the plane back to Homer, so it only took 15 minutes. And just like that, our weekend in Seldovia was a memory. You better believe we’re going back soon.
Ok, ok, I know this was just a list of facts, a simple retelling of our trip. No poetry, no metaphors, no exquisite language to paint the scene. Well, you’ve simply come to the wrong blog writer for that (although I am married to one). What I can tell you is that Jen and I saw something in Seldovia that we wished we could have seen more of in all of our travels. We saw people simply enjoying life, letting outsiders view that life without feeling the need to be something different. We took joy in seeing our friend Jane so completely in her element and taking absolute and deserved pride in sharing it with us. We felt lucky to have glimpsed this corner of the world.
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