Whale of a weekend…
It was raining sideways and blowing pretty hard Thursday night when we arrived in Homer. Didn’t bode well for a boat ride on Friday, but Captain Pete pointed out the next morning that the east end of the bay was fairly calm and partly sunny, so we headed out for a great day on the Julia Lynn. We started at Bear Cove and worked our way west along the south side bay…Kings and Silvers were elusive, but the cruising was fun and the scenery spectacular. The grand finale was a terrific orca show by Gull Island, and we took some nice pics and mpeg’s. Thanks for a great day on the bay, Pete, and thanks for your warm hospitality (and terrific apple pie) Saturday evening, Debra! It was a great break from the routine here, and even the trip home was fun…saw a bunch of swans and the best bore tide I’ve ever seen on Turnagain Arm (a few miles west of Bird Point). Good to be home, but we sure could have gone for another week (or two) in Homer. Thanks again for a great weekdend. Hugs around, Jack
P.S. I did my best to top Isaac’s Fishin’ Hole escapade while on a walk with Cheri on Saturday. Ignoring several emphatic warnings from Cheri, I attempted to leap that creek on the west side of the spit…from a 2′ sandy embankment to a rocky shoal about 6-8 feet out. I could have made that jump easy 10 (ok, 20) years ago, but I came up a couple feet short (make that a ONE foot landing on a softball sized rock) and sprained my right ankle pretty good. I also got soaked which was the whole point of jumping (to avoid wading across a shallower section downstream where Cheri crossed). Anyhow, I made it back to the house without limping, but that didn’t last too long after my ankle swelled up and turned black and blue. I perish to think (figuratively, of course, what would have happened if we’d gone down to the Fishing Hole). Yikes. 
September 11th, 2006 at 7:00 am
Hey Jack:
Good post….sorry to see your ankle so swollen. Debra had mentioned that you’d sprained it, but guess I had become preoccupied with dinner. Wish you guys had stayed, but understand trying to pack a little more vacation into the weekend. We had plenty of food and I would have steamed up a couple of legs for the boys. I got distracted and overcooked the king, which I doubt you would have allowed if yolu had stayed, but it held up to the abuse okay (Dee and James like theirs overcooked). Debra keeps reminding me that trips on the Julia Lynn CAN be fun without catching fish, but it is always my goal, and it bugs me when I don’t. Glad you guys enjoyed the day and yes, the whales were great. It’s been a series of trips that have turned out to be a grind to get the fish and will be glad when this tide cyhcle ends (soon). I have the day off today to do all that boat stuff that needs to be done….two rudders will be nice! Thanks again for coming down….you are welcome here anytime. Take care. Love, Pete
September 11th, 2006 at 7:12 am
That ankle is probably going to take twice as long to heal as it would have 10 to 20 years ago. Did you learn a valuable lesson there…..
Thanks for stopping by and for the great little Nomar purse Cheri, sure enjoyed seeing you. Hope you got some rest in spite of your entourage, they looked a little rambunctious. You have your work cut out for you there……take care and see you next time we are in Anchorage…..
Debra
September 11th, 2006 at 9:33 am
pete…on the salmon bbq trail, i’ve taken to grilling those lateral 1-1/2″ fillets…that way i can pull a couple off early, and cook the remainder a bit longer for those who like them cooked through (which is pretty much everyone but me).
as for the trip friday, it’s fun to catch fish, and a cooler of fillets is a nice bonus at the end of the day, but fishing is actually a postscript to my most memorable times with captain pete’s. in hindsight, i wish i’d revised our friday fishing plan and opted for some casual jigging for rockfish…then, we could have focused on the best part…your “kachemak bay experience”…cruising the coves, chasing the sun, chewin’ the fat and watchin’ the birds, whales and other interesting sights. i know you see that stuff most every day, but for us…the salt air and wind in our hair is fun stuff all by itself. hope the rudder R&R goes smoothly (guess it’s just an “R”, eh?), and that the fishing picks up as the tides ease back. that bore tide we saw was amazing…big windblown roostertails were a dramatic bonus to the bore itself.
debra…spraining my ankle was a pretty dumb move, BUT…i’ve been doing pretty good on the therapy and i’m hoping for a speedy recovery. that’s a small step forward for me (albeit with a limp). cheri’s been pushing ice and ace bandages…those have helped a lot. it’s now black and blue on both sides, but the swelling is under control and it feels a little better each day. as for learning a lesson, yeah…i think i knew better to start with, and i’ll probably exercise a little more common sense on my next leap of faith. thanks again for the apple pie…good stuff!
oh yeah…we saw luke at the bakery in soldotna. good lord…that place is scary! we found ourselves wishing there was a bakery like that in anchorage…and then, counting our blessings there ISN’T one like that in anchorage. l,j
September 11th, 2006 at 10:06 am
Sound like a fabulous trip. Too bad about the ankle, that is no fun. Jon is an expert at strapping ice packs to his knee with ace bandages. The ice really helps.
September 11th, 2006 at 10:54 am
lisa…yeah, it was a fun trip…lots of the usual good stuff, and a few fun twists that made it special. thanks again for looking in on the cats! on the ankle trail, cheri’s an “ace with the ace,” too, and for once i’m welcoming the help…i think it’s made a big difference. more soon, l, dad