It’s taken years of trial and error, but we finally have a technique for smoking salmon that is both tasty and replicable. We’ve been asked about our process so many times that I decided to post it here with step-by-step photo instructions. (These photos are from previous years; some images will be updated when I smoke our next batch later this summer.) We use a … Continue reading Smoked Salmon
Detasseling corn is a rite of passage in Nebraska. Every July, groggy teens climb aboard dusty school buses at dawn, bouncing along gravel roads to cornfield after cornfield. Kids fan out across the field, one person per row, tasked with pulling the tassel from the tippy top of each stalk of corn in their assigned row. After row. After row. Detasseling was my first job. … Continue reading From Detasseling to Dipnetting
My friend Nancy has a way of drawing me waaaaay out of my comfort zone. In hindsight, this has been going on for nearly two decades. Exhibit A: In our pre-kid days we spent a leisurely afternoon hiking the Winner Creek trail in Girdwood, only to cap it off by spontaneously launching ourselves off Mt. Alyeska in tandem paragliders. I wish I had better photos, … Continue reading Branching Out
Summer is a time for salmon, and Alaskans are chasing them right now. A few weeks ago we headed to the Kasilof for some fishing. The fish weren’t running strong, but the sun was shining and we decided to give it a shot. Our family’s dipnet permit allows us to catch up to 55 fish per season, and the kids are now old enough to strap on … Continue reading Watch us Dip, Watch us Net, Net!
I’m not sure what is up with me. Usually I covet the time I carve out to write in this blog, but since we’ve been back I’ve felt a bit uninspired. A transitional period, perhaps? Nothing profound? Post-vacation funk? Back-to-school blues? Or maybe we have just been going strong, reuniting and reconnecting with our Alaskan family. In hindsight, we’ve only been home for a little … Continue reading Inspired vs. Tired
Profoundly Ordinary 