Meandering Moose

Sure is fun seeing this cow and her calves wander by. So far she hasn't ate my flowers with all the natural foilage abundant. I usually see them in the early morning while having my wake up coffee around 4am. I might get a chance to go King fishing on the Kenai tomorrow. Be cool if I can catch a 22 pounder and serve it for the dinner for 10 Thursday night. Kill it and grill it. Along with the Bobs and Blueberry Cheesecake.

Red Salmon Cookie

From the Moose is Loose bakery in Soldotna, Alaska.

Good enough to eat!

Mail Advice

Sharks Out There

Mt. Redoubt and the sunset last night.

Here is a Mouth of the Kenai report on salmon sharks. Could they be the reason for the slow Alaska king salmon return this year?

Big bite — Fishermen find unusual number of sharks off Ninilchik, Anchor Point

Surf and Turf One

Dinner went well considering I wasn't able to do a lot of prep and had to turnover the whole lodge that long 18 day. Luckily, one of the guests arrived 2 hours late and bought me more time. Dinner was at 8pm and over by 9:30 for the early rising king fishers.

The turf was Beef Sirloin Tip cut in 6 oz. servings 1 inch thick by the butcher. Fresh tarragon, lemon juice and olive oil marinade. Save half, for sauteing the mushrooms in, then top with tarragon.

For next Thursday I'm thinking Shishkabobs and King Size Salmon Fritters.

Nice Hat

I'm making a special dinner tomorrow night at the lodge for 10.

Here is the menu:

Halibut Olympia

Steak & Mushrooms

Grilled Asparagus & Carrots

Garden Salad

Dinner Rolls

Strawberry Shortcake for dessert

Red salmon dip for appetizer

Swedish Fish

Good fisherman lunchbox candy.

Kenai Klams

Fresh dug razors. The easiest way to clean them is with scissors.

Behold the Fisherman!

Behold the fisherman!

He riseth early in the morning

and disturbeth the whole household.

Mighty are his prospects.

He goeth forth full of hope and when the day

Is far spent he retrurneth --- smelling of

Strong drink; and the truth is not in him.

~Author Unknown

Happy Summer Solstice

I'll be waking up at 2:30 am, and it should be getting light out, to make a 3:30 am light breakfast. Put oatmeal in the crockpot on low about 8 pm tonight for ready made creamy oats in the morning. With buttered toast on the side it will make a warm and hearty breakfast for fishermen (a dad and his 2 young sons) chasing kings in the early morning tide on Summer Solstice.


Happy Fathers Day, too!

Pleasure Craft

Spotted this boat in a commercial fisherman's yard.

Sockeye Wraps

Had a fillet of leftover fresh cooked sockeye salmon from the Russian River so I made wraps in jalapeno/chedder cheese tortillas with cream cheese, spinach, black olives, ranch dressing and bacon bits. For 12. We are full from here on out.

Lunch Lures

The best packed fisherman's lunch on the Kenai won't make a fisherman happy if he isn't catching fish. So to brighten up the boat and maybe attract the world class Kenai King to their hook I spruced up the hardboiled eggs. I wrap each egg in a napkin and put them in a snack size glad bag with salt & pepper condiments from McD's (until I find another reliable source).

Poppin' Poppies

Watched these poppys bust through the freshly laid gravel outside my door today. Hardy bright orange petals with a yellow star in the middle. Made me feel lucky. Then 12 guests arrived. Making Sockeye Pie for a 5:30am breakfast. A little sourcream and salsa topping and they will be ready to go salmon fishing.

There are 4 poppys now!

Upside Down Tomato Plant

A friend is trying it out and seeing if growing a tomato plant upside down works for bigger juicier tomatoes.

Lawn on the Mouth of the Kenai

My New Coat

The boss surprised me with a new coat tonight! Its a cool looking army green color (the pic doesn't do it justice) with a hood. It's from Cabelas and has his fish logo on the front. You can see whats on the back and arm. New hats and fleece sweatshirt jackets should be arriving soon.

Tomorrow fishing with bait on the Kenai opens up. I have 10 for breakfast spread out with the first two at 4am. They are going halibut fishing and need to be in Ninilchik at 5:30am which is an hour away. That means I'll be up at 2:45am. I'm getting smarter and already have the lunches made and in the fridge. I made turkey wraps with cream cheese, guacamole, baby spinach and bacon bits.

The first breakfast will be sausage patties, hashbrowns, eggs and toast. Then blueberry pancakes and bacon for the crowd.

After they are all out the door and the kitchen is cleaned up I'll be napping.

Lodge Momma

I didn't take this picture. I posed. For prosperity. And fish.

Fish Scaping

Heres a picture of the front of the lodge after I put the garden cover down on the flower beds. Its supposed to cut down on the weeding. Which gets really crazy in July & August when the salmon are running.

Heres what it looked liked this morning with the flowers in and the beauty bark down.

Then this afternoon I washed the deck so it looks even better. The lodge is clean, stocked and guests are pouring in. I'm as ready as I'll ever be.

Deep Creek Halibut Catch

Got to halibut fishing today with Alaska Trophy Outfitters on the F/V UNFORGIVEN. Everybody on board limited out with 2 halibut each. Though not big halibut the little ones are aptly named "chicken of the sea" as they are good eating. And easier to pull up from 200' below the sea.



A hard days work for the FishTaxi!

First Kasilof King

Little king salmon disected, inspected (male) and made into the first fresh sushi of the season.

Going Halibut fishing in the morning!

Fish Art

Photos: 2009 edition of Wild Salmon on Parade

Cute Kids

It is going to be a good year. Twins were born.

Fish Alley

Beach access road to Cook Inlet with Mt. Redoubt in the distance.

Funny River Road

The corner of the Sterling Highway and Funny River Road.

Cabin on the Edge

Cute cabin on the Kasilof River that sits precariously close to the edge. I'm sure when it was built it was further away. Due to erosion its getting closer and closer to the edge. Might be time to move it inland soon.

Life at the lodge has me busy. Besides my regular duties, cooking and cleaning, I've been preparing the flower beds and planting flowers. Also taking the time to go swimming as the pool opened today with the summer schedule. After 2 weeks I'm into the routine of waking up early. It helps that its light out by 4am. Even though its still light out when I go to bed, I have no problem going to sleep, in my cozy little shack not very close to the edge of the sea.