June 21: Hello summer solstice!
Today was mellow.
Fred Anderson, a professional artist and fisherman, initiated the Blessing of the Fleet many years ago. It's the third weekend in June and the idea is to promote safe boating practices in a dangerous occupation, to remember those who have been lost, and to come together as a community. Freddie was recently quoted as saying, "We'll bless the hell out of you, feed you, give you door prizes and send you on your way."
We were a little bit late (for the first time, we managed not to come empty-handed, but it meant waiting a little bit for the brownies to finish baking) so I didn't catch the name of the man who delivered the blessing, but he said he setnets in Egegik and Harry thought he said that he is the pastor at the King's Chapel church in Naknek. He read some passages from the Bible and then led a prayer of gratitude and remembrance, a petition for safety and healing, and a petition for abundance.
Our fishing neighbors, the Williams are always heavily involved in this event. Having these folks as our neighbors is part of what makes this whole enterprise such a joy. I don't know kinder, more capable, or more helpful people. When I think of what I'm grateful for, the Williams family is always high on the list.
Here is Mark. This photo was from earlier in the season but maybe it shows who he is. I met him when I was 14 - I think he was about 10. He was the youngest brother and the biggest. He was assigned low-man jobs and big-man jobs... and he did both without any complaint that I ever heard. A jerking net once pulled him out of the boat and from what I hear, he was back in the boat on the next wave, having found a way to bounce himself off the water.
I don't remember when he married Dana, and I don't know if her life prepared her for living on the beach in a cabin without running water or electricity, living on canned rations and drinking water that's been packed in, but she is such a welcome and graceful addition and has always seemed so at ease with it, you'd think she grew up in it.
Here are their sons, Marcus and Sam. Like my sons, these men have been fishing all their lives. Like their parents, they keep an eye on their neighbors and if we need help pushing out a skiff that's gone dry, or drying out a skiff that's swamped, they come running over to help. And I do mean "running," through the mud in their heavy fishing gear.
In addition to being lovely people, they are extremely enterprising. They recently bought some property in town with a house and a cabin. They built a small fish processing plant on part of the property, ran it for a couple of years, and then sold that part of it when they decided that they'd rather focus on the actually fishing and introducing others to this unusual and rewarding slice of life. So they've started a business called the Wild Alaska Tour Company (wildalaskatourcompany.com) and will book the type of Alaskan Adventure that a person would otherwise need to know someone to figure out.
Early in the season, Mark mentioned that he is hoping to conduct week-long (+) tour/adventures for young people who can afford to pay the cost with the hope of taking some of that profit and using it to provide scholarships for other young people who could really benefit from the experience but couldn't afford it. That is who the Williams are. I just checked out their website and don't see how to contact them, so if you're interested, try aksalmonwild@yahoo.com.
They have also just opened a bed and breakfast (without the breakfast part if we're fishing), using the cabin next to their house in town. They call it "Naknek Who's There?" because when they first had the cabin, they just let different people use it who were passing through town and needed a place to stay. Since they were never quite sure who they'd find there, "Naknek Who's There?" seemed like an apt name. (And just so you know, this description is just me trying to do a good turn for whoever might read this. The Williams probably won't ever know that it's been written. I just know they are excellent neighbors and extremely gracious people; the people that vacationers want to find.)
Back to the blessing. We were sitting with Harry and his "group," including his kids and Tim Cook and his crew. I took what photos I could. Here is Harry (I always loved his dimples).
And Everest, Harry and Jane's middle child, during the blessing. Ev and his new wife Maddie have settled down in the midwest, so I think it is a particular treat for Harry and Hannah, (and Makenzie once she gets here after her whirlwind experiences as a bridesmaid), to be in the boat with Everest. Though I do understand that he is given to vivid dreams. When he was here before, he and Makenzie were part of the crew. During a sleeping period, Harry and his friend Tony were jolted away by Ev shouting "Help! There's water everywhere! Get Makenzie! It's everywhere!" Harry and Tony were flying around the boat in their underwear looking for the water and the leak, desperate to save everyone. When they couldn't find the problem, they looked in at Everest, still asleep. To me, though, that story tells what everyone is made of. Harry and Tony would not waste time in the face of a real emergency, and everyone would focus on taking care of each other. I think that's worth knowing.
Here is Hannah again, Harry and Jane's youngest. She has been out here twice before. The first time, she accompanied Jane and stayed down on the beach with us, while Ev and Makenzie fished with Harry. The second time she came out with Makenzie and helped get the boat ready, fished "free week" and then went back home. This is her first whole season and I understand she is doing great.
After getting the hell blessed out of us, it was time to eat! They invited the elders to go first, and my family made me go with the elders!! I think it's time for me to get my hair dyed. The youngsters were in line after, AJ shortly after the elders. Here is Jake, "AJ, get me some chicken!"
David, Roger, and I left early to head out to Northern Air Cargo (NAC) to pick up the outboard that had just arrived. I felt a little like a cowboy dogging that outboard to be sure it left Alaska Mining and Diving, then to make sure it arrived at NAC in Anchorage with the correct instructions (it had arrived, but without instructions; these needed to be repeated), then to make sure the folks at NAC in King Salmon were expecting it, and to be sure the flight was coming... and then finally to get there in time to pick it up. Once Roy install the outboard, Phase II in the life of the New Boat will commence.
Fred Anderson, a professional artist and fisherman, initiated the Blessing of the Fleet many years ago. It's the third weekend in June and the idea is to promote safe boating practices in a dangerous occupation, to remember those who have been lost, and to come together as a community. Freddie was recently quoted as saying, "We'll bless the hell out of you, feed you, give you door prizes and send you on your way." 
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