sea-swallow’d by Ryan Peterson

There are so many ways of finding and defining balance. When it comes to the fight for saving Bristol Bay salmon from the threat of large scale mining, namely the proposed Pebble Mine, science and emotion are to be considered. In the situation that I speak of my emotions do run high and it can be a source of embarassment at times when I am not able to keep them in check, but at the same time I know that science is on my side. I think of a lesson that my friend Lindsey gave to open a meeting session and she referred to the items that I speak of as tangibles and intangibles. She presented us with the process of making her mother’s bread and asked us to identify the two terms. Tangibles had to do with the technique applied to making the bread and if it’s not made in a certain way it will not raise properly or taste the way that it should. The intangibles had to do with how she responded to the bread as it was baking and the smell that filled the house and how it tasted. The intangibles are the things that are hard to define and convey and usually the things that elicit an emotional response. Our takeaway was that it is important to have both and that neither should overshadow the other and I believe this to be true.

Above is an image of a little girl from the Bristol Bay community of Dillingham that Ryan Peterson included in his short film “sea-swallow’d.” The work juxtaposes a portrait of a town with underwater images of salmon returning home to complete their lifecycle and begin another for their spawn. Peterson successfully portrays how inextricably connected the people and the fish are to one another. In me it drew an uncontrollable emotional response because I share that connection with the people who were presented in the film, but through a different community and river system in Bristol Bay. Our intangible feelings are balanced by the tangible connection we have with the salmon.

These intangibles are further balanced by the science that has been collected, with a focus on how the Bristol Bay Watershed would fare in relation to large-scale mining, by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA has done an exhaustive study on the watershed and, by using a hypothetical mine scenario that would be many times smaller than the proposed Pebble Mine, has concluded that even if there were no disasters or failures associated with a project, there would be irreparable harm to the fishery.

I would ask that you take the time to watch Ryan Peterson’s short film and take the time to look at the work that the EPA has done in it’s Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment. You will likely feel connected to the place in ways that you did not expect even if you have never set foot in Bristol Bay. If you feel compelled to take action, there is a link on the page where you can leave a comment of support for the work that the EPA has done in assessing the Bristol Bay watershed. Sometimes it is the indefinable intangibles that touch our lives the most.

Mel

Following the EPA meetings was the commercial fishing season in Bristol Bay and I fished the season with my Mother with whom I have fished over 30 seasons prior. Below is a picture that includes my daughter who is gradually becoming a part of our set-netting operation.

Three Generations of Women in the Skiff

Following the fishing season I joined my sister in Oregon at a wine festival called the International Pinot Noir Celebration. We sampled too many wines to count and enjoyed amazing food from the area, including King Salmon that was roasted over open flame on alder stakes. After the hard work of fishing season, it was a pleasurable escape, but the salmon cook-out made it seem like a sensical segway. Before heading home my sister put together some meetings with winemakers who are legendary to me. We had a tasting followed by a lunch with Jason Lett of Eyrie Vineyards. Jason’s father, David Lett, was the first to dream of planting Pinot Noir vines in the Willamette Valley and Eyrie is preparing to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Jason generously shared his special break spot and his very special tamale stash prepared by Enrique the Wonderful. We topped all of that with the blackberries that spill over the wall into the break area and a secret bottling that is yet, if ever, to be released.

Hawk Wakawaka, Jason Lett, and Me

My sister also arranged an interview with Maggie Harrison of Antica Terra Winery and I was able to tag along. Maggie began her winemaking career with Manfred Krankl of Sine Qua Non and claims that she would have been happy remaining his assistant the rest of her life. She reluctantly travelled north to Oregon to check out an opportunity that was being handed to her and, against all of her expectations, took the job when she recognized the potential of the parcel that she would be making wine with. To meet her was amazing and her wines always surprise me in the best possible ways. Both meetings made me feel a bit star struck.

I returned to Alaska to attend and work at Salmonstock, a music festival that takes place annually at the Kenai Peninsula Fairgrounds in the Ninilchik. Alaskans take a lot of pride in our most renewable resource and the event is a great way to celebrate and promote protecting salmon. Headliner acts included, appropriately, Leftover Salmon and Ozomatli.

Soonafter my family re-settled into our life in Juneau to prepare for the oncoming school year. My son entered Kindergarten, a momentous stage in a child and mother’s life. He then contracted pneumonia and suffered from a collapsed lung which provided another momentous time in our lives that included a medevac flight to Anchorage and some time in the hospital. Fortunately he bounced back quickly and we were able to have some fun fall adventures while waiting for the snow to fly.

Our Family Through My Daughter’s Eyes

Babes in the Woods

We headed out of state for sun and came back to snow, which was fine by me. This year has been a big year for both of my kids on skis and I have enjoyed witnessing their growth. My daughter is an adept skate skier and she is confident on her downhill skis. My son’s classical skiing skills really came along this year and, after a slow start, took to downhill skiing and was able to ski from the highest lift access point of Eaglecrest.

Out with our Sweet Riffle

My Favorite Picture of My Husband and Me

We made it to Anchorage to see family and both of my sisters were there with their kids. We ate lots of good food that we had foraged, hunted or fished from around the state, mostly from Bristol Bay, and paired the foods with some great wines.

I Love These Guys!

Between work and work related travel I was able to go see my sister in Sonoma. She brought me to some great wineries to taste and we incorporated some memorable food experiences as well. Connecting with friends from Alaska was a huge bonus. On my way home I met my friend Jill in Portland. The hedonism continued as we ate and drank our way through town and into the Willamette Valley. Le Pigeon provided a very memorable food experience and we finished with a dessert that literally moved me to tears. Chris Williams, the winemaker at Brooks Winery, graciously gave us his time when we visited the tasting room. Later we were able to visit Jason at Eyrie and he took the time to taste us on a number of wines and share with us a very special bottling of un-sulfured Pinot Gris from Eyrie’s original vines. Enrique prepared a special batch of tamales and tacos for lunch and I was able to take some back to Alaska to enjoy. Awestruck and starstruck I was.

Le Pigeon Magicians

Chris Williams of Brooks WInery

Enrique’s Tamales at Home with Eyrie Muscat Ottonel

At the Top of Ptarmigan

Work took me to Kodiak and I was able to visit Ronald at Slim Jones Ink. I put together my first blog post because his photography and art inspired me so and I told myself that if I ever made it to Kodiak I would have him tattoo a symbol of what I am working for.

The Artist at Work photo by Katherine Carscallen

Artist and Subject

My work has also taken me to Bristol Bay this spring and during a layover I had time to see the swans that flock there every year. I don’t know enough to recognize whether they were tundra swans or trumpeter swans, but seeing them gather as the Naknek River opens up and frees itself of ice is a sight I will never tire of.

Swans on the Naknek River

Sun and fresh snow was awaiting when I got home and my friends enticed me to get out in it instead of crawling my tired body into bed. Having time with good friends on the snow, in the sun, with snow chilled wine and smoked fish was probably the best birthday anniversary gift I could have gotten. These are the kind of experiences that make me look forward to growing older.

Fun in the Sun

Thank you everybody for another great year!

Mel

I will say that most of them, if not all, can be attributed to Apayo Strub. She is a young artist from the Bristol Bay region who has done a lot to inspire people in her community with her art. I believe that the salmon collage pieces that are shaped into waves, a tsunami, and a fish are group efforts that Apayo led and I suspect that the tiles that surround the pieces that focus on values are group pieces as well, but I cannot say for sure without a first hand interview with the artist herself.

Enjoy!

Mel

I love the thought of having a ski helmet or hat that is modeled after this awesome paper Thor mask that my son kindly let me wear

A year has passed and then some since my first post in fish*wine*ski and I didn’t want the whole month of January to go by without posting something. I have been enjoying a little of each of my favorite things, but not a lot of any. It’s all right, it’s okay, my love for fish, namely salmon, has kept me from doing as much on my skis as I would like, but I get out when I can. Some memorable wine experiences have been folded into the mix as well.

A couple of beauties that I was able to share with my sister when she came to visit Juneau

My kids are becoming more a part of the unique Juneau ski culture and community. It is a great nursery for building the love of both alpine and nordic pursuits.

My Juneau Kids Striding and Skating at Eagle Beach Campground

When it comes to protecting the abundant wild salmon stocks that Alaska possesses we face some mighty obstacles. Unfortunately, many of our lawmakers have their sights set on developments that would disrupt spawning and rearing habitat for salmon. Alaskans have the opportunity to weigh in on one issue by asking that their State Senators and Representatives continue to allow individuals and groups to apply to reserve water in streams to maintain enough flow to support salmon. Currently there is a bill being put forth in the legislature that would eliminate this right. This is just one small indication of the State of Alaska’s current political climate. I feel that there is too much to cover on this topic at this point and just want to take a moment to check in and say, “Hi!” I miss posting regularly, but am happy to be working toward protecting salmon and hopefully contributing to preventing the proposed Pebble Mine from being developed.

Be well and do good work-to paraphrase the words of Garrison Keiller

Mel

The Mouth of the Naknek River in December

It is December and the State of Alaska’s Board of Fish is meeting in Naknek to deliberate over proposals that will affect sport, subsistence and commercial regulations throughout the state. The cold is extreme and weather in different parts of the state caused the conference to start late because of travel delays. The conference is in full swing now, but the river called and I had to visit.

Peter Pan Dock

It is full of ice, but the river still breaks and floats the ice in the channel on the out-going tide.

View from Naknek City Dock to Old Red Salmon Cannery

I wish you could hear the churning of it and see the swift power of the water.

View of Bristol Bay from Naknek

The incoming tide pushes and piles the ice.

Looking downstream toward Alaska General Seafoods cannery

The Naknek is a giving river.

Mel

1999 Quintarelli Valpolicella Superiore

If I could pick any bottle to share with you it would be one that we have already shared years ago as we were getting ready to celebrate with friends. Even in the midst of our preparations we recognized the wonder of this wine. I still have a bottle stashed safely somewhere for us to enjoy. Here is what the Italian Wine Merchants website has to say about it:

“There is no doubting Quintarelli’s impact on Valpolicella, the red wine zone located in the northeast corridor of the Veneto, and as with all of his wines, with his Valpolicella, superlatives seem the default setting for Quintarelli. Just as his Amarone is an apotheosis of the wine, so too is his Valpolicella. Savory-sweet, redolent of dark cherries and berries, touched by menthol and spice, it’s a rich, complex, otherworldly wine. This subtle, nuanced gem of a Valpolicella will once again recalibrate the scale for greatness, which is exactly what we expect from Quintarelli.”

A great wine for a great man.

Love,

Mel

11/11/11 captured by Sherry Kendall Lamkin

It’s our first anniversary and a lot has happened in this year, but our lives began intertwining long ago. We have been chasing each other around Alaska, the U.S. and, now, the globe since before the new Millenium and now it’s time to celebrate.

J.L. Vergnon NV Brut Conversation Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs le Mesnil sur Oger

I found us a bottle of grower-produced Champagne from a hallowed district known for its Blanc De Blancs. I have never heard of the producer F.L. Vergnon prior to this evening, but I have a feeling that this wine will serve well as an anniversary toaster to mark our occasion. J.L. Vergnon NV Brut Conversation Blanc de Blancs le Mesnil sur Oger has a Grand Cru classification and most of the fruit in the blend is sourced from the 2007 vintage. That was the year I knew our lives would forever be connected.

Your calm and solid strength has been something I look to, and you still surprise me with moments that bubble up and excite, like a great bottle of Champagne.

Love you Babe and see you soon.

Mel

Salmon drying in preparation for winter in Bristol Bay photo taken from Alaska Department of Fish and Game regulations

Today is an important day to cast your vote in the hopes that the outcome will align with your beliefs and what is meaningful to you. Many of you know that salmon mean a great deal to me, my family, and friends. Reading a piece this morning written about the work that was done by two Social Anthropologists in my family’s home region of Bristol Bay really brought me to a place of clarity. The piece really exemplifies a sense of core values in my opinion.

Lydia Olympic hanging salmon to dry at her family’s fish camp photo taken from pbs.org

May we all recognize what is important to us on this day and do our parts to move our lives in that direction. Take the time to vote if you have not done so already.

Mel

Fresh Tracks on the Cat Track

It was blowing hard when I got up to the parking lot and the wind had kept the open trail areas from getting as well covered as I hoped so we made a bee-line for the cat track leading up the mountain. It was touch and go as the gravel on the road poked through more in some areas than others. Going off into the tundra proved to give me more glide, but there were some rock surprises along the way and shrubbery that provided entanglements.

Ski Partner

Not the best of ski conditions, but to a woman who feels simply in between things when she is not fishing in Bristol Bay or not on skis it felt pretty good. There were some great little stretches where full extension was achieved and some nice downhill traverses that were uninterrupted by jagged rocks.

Outside Eaglecrest Ticket Office picture by Jake

Here’s hoping for many more days on skis this season.

Mel

Yay! It’s starting and I can’t wait to whiff that cold electric smell and have my skis glide across perfectly formed crystals.

Mel