June 28 2016: Matty gets his driver's license

And we continue to wait for an opening. But this time they tell us to wait until 3 PM for the next announcement.

Matt and David went to King Salmon early for Matt to take his driving test. They almost didn't let him take it - we need to get a light fixed on the truck and the horn doesn't work. This is one of the many things I like about a small town - people have the latitude to be reasonable.

He passed! No thanks to the parallel parking part of the exam. Matt reported that the testing officer said the same kind of thing I did, "You're now driving through the front of the car behind you!" I guess he needed more practice and maybe better instruction.

Part of our supplies each summer is food we can take into the skiffs with us, in dry bags so that we can still eat something high quality when we are fishing too hard to come in for meals. (And when I write that, I don't want to disparage the Hershey bars I grew up on. I heard that on the drift boats, they call them, "deck steaks.") I always try to explain that these need to be saved for when we're fishing... though I do understand that when someone needs some chocolate, they need some chocolate. Well, I think those brakes are slowly failing and pretty soon, we won't have any Peanut M&Ms for the boat. We will be really sorry when we are out there striving to get through the net but running on fumes... only to find one of the birdseed or chalk dust bars to keep us going.

I went into town to take advantage of Roy's internet access. I think the GCI system that the Mifi relies on has been a little overtaxed with all the fishermen in town and trying to find something to do with themselves.

The crew came in a little bit later to go swimming at the pool! Not everyone wanted to swim, so a few were wandering around the dock of AGS when a young bear ventured out onto the mud flats to try his hand at fishing in the remaining water. Roy told me that a couple of kings were trapped there. Oksanna, ever ready with her camera got a bunch of photos.

As I was preparing to leave for home, I noticed this. It always gives me a hopeful feeling.

Some of us returned to camp (David, Sarah, Oksanna, Patrick, and me) and the others stayed in town to have dinner at the D&D (expensive but big servings and yummy) and stop off at the Red Dog. Honestly, that left me a little uneasy, but they identified a designated driver (Davey L) and others said they weren't planning to drink, anyway. I think that's all going fine.

Those of us who stayed back at the cabin practiced a little aviation.

So, I think we should let Oksanna get a little more practice before she solos - somehow, her plane lost its wing as it left her hands. See that shape on the horizon? That's the wing. Nope, no longer attached to the plane.

Then we all went for a sunset walk, some of us in mosquito gear.

David led us up to our old net locker at Pedersen Point - so many of those lockers are empty. It gave me a lonely feeling.

We spent many years here, mending nets on these net racks, visiting with our friends who might have been hanging nets or just hanging out. I've never been graceful with change. I do admire people who embrace it with enthusiasm.

These walls have stood against the weather for many years. I think they gave up on the windows long long ago -- maybe once they got electric lights in the warehouses and web lofts.

We may not be fishing yet, but at least it's beautiful.