2013-08-28: Farm Country
We are not only on the Puget Sound but also in the middle of farm country. As we drive around, we see some wonderful old barns and fields of potatoes, berries, crops being grown for seed and some small truck farms growing all kinds of veggies.
2013-08-30: Amy
We were so happy to have the opportunity to hear Amy Hindman perform one last time this summer. I'm trying to get Al to learn Skagit Bay Symphony, a song she wrote years ago.
2013-08-30: Campfire
We were invited to join friends from summers past around the campfire. This gave Al an opportunity to share his uke playing.
2013-08-31: Seine Fishing
Every two years, the Swinomish tribe, on whose land we camp, seine fish off the point we call Lone Tree. This year they seemed to be pulling in exceptionally large catches. We've never seen it take so many people to work the net as with this pull.
2013-09-01: Tote
After pulling the nets in, the fish are thrown into totes. We were told that each tote holds about 1,000 pounds of salmon. One pull today filled 10 totes - that's around 10,000 pounds!
2013-09-01: Fishing Continues
The seine fishing continued the whole time we were here. On most days, there were three crews working - one would be pulling a net in, one would be paying their net out into the water and the third crew would be reloading the net into their boat. After talking to the natives, we learned that they do have a weight limit, that the fish are taken to their cannery in La Conner for processing and that the tribal elders are thrilled that the younger generation is again maintaining the seine fishing tradition of the tribe.
2013-09-01: Tribal Chairman
We were lucky to meet Brian Cladoosby, the tribal chairman and the captain of one of the crews. He not only helped add to our seine fishing education but also liked to clown around a bit!
2013-09-02: Visit
It was fun seeing the Spindens and Crosbys as they made their way south to Sun Lakes from Alaska.
2013-09-03: Sunset
The sunsets here have been incredible but this one was beautiful. If you look closely, you can see the natives paying out one last net for the day. FYI, this photo was actually taken out the front window of our coach.
2013-09-04: Lumber Mill
Although many of the mills in the Pacific Northwest have closed down, this one near our campground is alive and well. It's nice to see the lumber industry doing better (at least here).
2013-09-04: Jam Production
The blackberries are doing well so Al went picking and we went into jam production. Because it can get messy, we usually do all the cooking of the berries outside. And with this great view, who wouldn't want to be outside.
2013-09-05: Finished Product
We were able to can 20 jars - that should keep us in jam until we return next summer.
2013-09-07: Skagit Flight Fest
Today found us at the Skagit Regional Airport to watch their Flight Fest. We not only got to see Warbirds (vintage WWII) flying in formation, parachutes dropping from the sky as well as...
2013-09-07: Aerobatic flying
...some incredibly talented aerobatic pilots like Anna Serbineko who flew straight up at breakneck speed, did a quick flip and then came straight down just as fast.
2013-09-07: Biplane
And then there was Will Allen flying his Pitts biplane, doing rollovers and twists and turns all the while singing which is where he got his nickname, the flying tenor. What an experience for my first airshow!
2013-09-10: Relaxing
We have so enjoyed sitting in the sun, overlooking the water reading, crocheting, carving or just plain watching the tides change!
2013-09-10: Heron
The herons tend to feed in the pools that are formed in front of us during low tide. It has been great fun watching them. We will miss our home by the water but know that we will return again next summer.