Two Weeks in Homer---Part Two

EARLY Wednesday morning, Bob and Larry made sure Connie and I made it to our boat on time---6:00a.m.!  It was tough to get up and get going, but we made it. Unfortunately, a couple on the boat forgot to get their fishing licenses and had to run to get them before the boat could leave. It was a good thing Connie and I had our coffee.

 The vessel we went out on was a 51 foot Delta Marine--Sundy. We had a great time fishing. The weather was beautiful and the seas were calm.

 Connie and I both caught our limit. We don't know whose fish was whose--we think the first mate kept the same fish out for all the pictures. The limit on halibut is one fish over 29 inches and one under 29 inches. Once you catch the two you want to keep, you are done for the day. Alas, I was one of the first to catch my limit.

 Bob and Larry as well as other Boomer friends were at the dock to meet us when we returned. We took our fish to a processing plant (the first mate filleted them as before we got to shore) where they were vacuumed packed and frozen over night.

 Then we all went to the Salty Dawg Saloon for a celebratory beer and to trade fishing stories.

Thursday we were invited to Tony and Madeleine's cottage for a fish fry and 'world class croquet.'  Tony and Madeleine spend summers in Homer and winters in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Madeleine's granddaughter Paula helped get the fire going in the fire pit.

 Tony has a traditional cache in his yard. We all climbed up to see what he kept inside.

 And before the evening was over, Tony ended up in the 'doghouse.'

 As you can see, this is no ordinary game of croquet! You'd think it would be easy to get the ball through those wickets with no problem, but it is not!

 We may have started the game on the same wicket, but we didn't stay together long. We were spread out all over the yard.

Later, as we sat around the fire pit, the eagle that nests near Tony's came for a visit. As you can tell from this picture, Tony and Madeleine have a million dollar view from the front of their house.

Paula went in and got two salmon heads for the eagle. She threw them in the air and they landed on the middle of the croquet court. The eagle circled the court and called its mate. They both swooped down and grabbed a salmon head to take to their nest.

 We thoroughly enjoyed our evening in Homer. I know, I keep saying evening, but it doesn't get dark in Alaska until after midnight. We watched the eagles about 9:00  p.m. and it was still as bright as in the middle of the day!

Friday, Bob and I took the ferry to Seldovia, a small fishing village at the end of Kachemak Bay on the opposite side from Homer.

The ferry stopped about halfway so we could watch a humpback whale spout. To get a picture of a whale, you have to have the camera ready and predict when and where the whale will surface. There were too many people trying to look out the same window for us to even try to get a picture. The rest of the trip, I perused the map trying to decide which trail would be the best one to hike in the allotted time.

 Once we arrived in Seldovia, we saw that it also had a lot of wood carvings around town. The main street is the only one that is paved, the others are packed gravel.

 This man was carving as we walked down Main Street. The banner announces the chainsaw carving contest on Labor Day.

 As we moved around him, we saw the carver was prepared with a truckload of fresh logs.

 After walking around Main Street and picking up a few geocaches, we decided to have lunch before heading out to the trail. We ate at a restaurant overlooking the cove. Then it was on to OtterBahn Trail. The trail was planned and blazed by junior/senior high school students in 1989-1990. It winds from behind the school through the woodlands, a bog, and a marsh to Inner Beach on Kachemak Bay.

There were informative signs along the trail showing the indigenous plants.

This is the only place I have seen bog orchids.

Near the end of the trail was a long boardwalk across the marsh.

Not far from the end of the boardwalk was Inner Beach. Unlike Florida beaches, it is covered in rocks.

We turned around and retraced our footsteps to get back to the school and the end of the trail.

 There was plenty of time left for Bob and I to enjoy a beer while sitting along the waterfront.

 Of course, I decided to try the panoramic setting on my phone once again.

 Hmmm....this post is rather long so I think this is going to be a three part blog about our time in Homer.