In the meantime...back in Minnesota

First off, I need to apologize for all of you wonderful people out there who follow my blog, because I haven't given you any updates in a few months. (Shame on me!)
So without further ado....here's something for your inquiring minds:

I arrived safely back in Minnesota on Sept. 26th (a day late due to bad weather in Ketchikan, but that only meant an extra day with Dewey, so it worked out great.) My entire family surprised me by picking me up at the airport and then I got to visit my cousin Leah, in the hospital and have dinner with my aunt and uncle.
For those of you who haven't heard, my cousin, Leah was diagnosed with AML, a type of Leukemia back in July. She was in the hospital until mid October and is home now. Leah is 28 years old and has an 11 month old son, Gavin. She will have several more rounds of chemo, where she will have to be re-admitted to the hospital for a week+ each time, which will stretch through April of 2010.

I spent the next few weeks home with mom and dad, (mostly doing nothing but sleeping and being lazy) and traveling all around the midwest to see and catch up with family and friends. I was able to visit my brother Lance, and see his new house he bought this summer. He's in Huron, SD. As well as my sister's new apartment in Omaha, NE, where she is in school. I made it up to Alexandria, back to Iowa, and around the twin cities too! Oh how I've missed all of you!

As for my next adventure, as it turns out, you don't have to be millions of miles from home to experience something new and wonderful or to learn more about yourself. Currently, I'm in Bloomington living with Leah, her husband, Aaron, and Gavin. (More specifically, in the guest room in their basement!) In exchange for a place to live, I'm taking care of Gavin and helping out around the house. The first lesson was that this "stay at home mom" stuff was WAY harder than it looks! So, I humbly apologize and eat any negative words I may have ever muttered on the subject! Gavin is a wonderful little boy though. Very happy, and for the most part, fun to take care of. He's just starting to walk now, and can say a few words...were still working on "Sharon".
It's also been fun for me to hang out with Leah again. We were very close growing up, and it's been a great experience to get to know her again. I haven't even mentioned yet how great she looks with no hair - she's beautiful!

At this point, I'm not working, nor am I looking for work. I'm pretty content to just help out my family and spend time with friends. Life is so short and so precious, it needs to be cherished every day - even the days that seem like they suck, so that's what I'm trying to do.
It has been a change for me, "Mrs. Planner" to sit back and not have a "plan", but I think that's been a good experience for me too. We all need to step out of our comfort zones every once in awhile.

Now that I say I have no plans, I should mention, that I have been offered (and I accepted) my position back next summer at Yes Bay. Plus, an opportunity to return to Ketchikan/Yes Bay early to get more involved with the lodge bookings. I'm very excited about this opportunity, as I feel I still have a lot to learn from the lodge, Kevin, and the industry as a whole. Not to mention, the novelty of working in Alaska has yet to wear off....and yes, Dewey is going to be there again too! (He's the fudge and oreo center on my double layer chocolate ice cream cake. I would say icing, but those of you who know me, know I don't like icing.) LOL!

Guess that's all for now.
Thanks for reading!

We look better in person!

Tonight we tried to get a group photo with the '09 Crew. However, Kicker, Sean and Colin left yesterday and of course, we had three people quit a week and a half ago. So, I guess it's a photo of who is left....

The quality isn't great on the photo since my copy was via email. But, I think it will give you an idea of who was working and living with me this summer.

Now, I'll attempt to give you a quick run-down on who's who....(starting at the left)
Jim - AKA "The Professor" - he's been here 3 years and takes care of the website and blogs.
Jim - AKA "Slice" - He's old as dirt and has been here since the beginning of time. But he can sing like Johnny Cash and is an great old guy!
John - AKA "Ax Man" - From Oregon, it's his 2nd year. He's dating Linda (who is standing in front of him.)
Linda - A Ketchikan native and a good friend of mine. She runs the housekeeping dept, and in her spare time helps bartend, serve and drinks Captain Morgan!
Dan - AKA "Slammer" - He's been here for 16 years and is like a big kid!
Joel - Minnesota resident who just graduated college. He's a dockhand.
Kenny - 19 year old who is going to start his Sophomore year this year in WA. Kenny works the kitchen, housekeeping and dock. No job is to shitty for Kenny!
David - AKA Batman - this Floiridian is my favorite fishing partner!
PJ - Minnesota boy who just graduated from college. He's holding Saylor, Kevin's youngest daughter. PJ is the dishwasher and comic relief!
Me!
Dewey - Hum.... you know about him already!
Art - AKA "Shaker" - Kevin's oldest son; lives with Dewey and is in charge of all maintenance.
Kevin - AKA "Blackfly" - The boss!
In front....
Josy - Kitchen prep/baker/server. She's off to Colorado for college this fall.
Nicky - Kevin's oldest daughter; head chef; lives in Hawaii in the winter!
Sean - AKA "Shamrock" and his new wife Ashton who is expecting their first baby! These two got married up here last month. They are from Florida.

In four short months we've all kind of became a family, learning each other's quarks, annoyances, and laughs. In trying to organize this photo, I realize we are just as dysfunctional too! Some people I'm sure I'll see again next year, and others, I will know for only the past four months, but each one brought something to the whole, and taught us something about life and ourselves. I'll always remember and be thankful for the parts they played in this chapter of my journey.

Holy Shit Dewey - there's only 10 days left in the season!

Looking for Breakfast

Look who stopped by Yes Bay this morning....
Normally, we'll see bears from the lodge across the river, or in a tree, but today we got to watch this mama and her two cubs from our side of the river, about 200 yds from the lodge. Guess they wanted some salmon berries for desert after a fish-filled breakfast. After they ate along the berry bushes, they made their way back up the river and away from the lodge.

A hook in the hand is better than two in a bush.....

Ok, so maybe not, and really, who understood that old quote anyway? Besides, if you were to ask the two guides who came in with hooks in their hands this week, I think they would disagree...and tell you the hook was a lot more painful.

Since we are in the middle on nowhere out here, Boss Hack becomes Doc. Hack (and between you and me, I think he enjoys causing pain while removing hooks!) The first hand/hook was a few days ago - Batman came in with a number 6 (that is a really big hook!) caught between his pinky and ring finger. It was half in, and they had to use wire to pull the hook backwards and a pliers to pull it up at the same time so the barb wouldn't catch more of his hand. Kenny and Doc. Hack worked that surgery! Needless to say it was painful...I can still hear his screams in my head! Then today, John (AxMan) came in with a hook completely buried in his hand. John didn't yell like Batman, but boy did he swear! I felt bad. This time, they had to actually finish poking the hook through, cut the barb off the end, and then pull the hook back out.
I didn't watch, but I had to leave afterwards....I can't handle people being in pain - makes me light headed. (plus, I think I was holding my breath the whole time!)

And to think...at the beginning of the season I had serious doubts we would go through 3 giant containers of peroxide, 5 boxes of band aids, and 3 tubes of Neosporin!

The photos above are from John today. The first one is what the hook looked like....yep, that's right...all you can see is the top inch!
The second photo is Doc. Hack explaining how he is going to perform a "highly technical" procedure using a potato to push the hook through his hand the rest of the way. The third photo is starting the procedure, and the fourth is the barb being clipped off the end of the hook.

Dear God, let's hope I never have to come to see this doctor!

Huckleberry Finn

Hey - Check out the huckleberries! There were so many of them this year - more than likely due to the warmer weather and sunshine. The lodge has berry bushes all over the place and these bushes were right outside along the boardwalk to the lodge. (That is what you can see in the background of the photo.)
The day after I took this photo I picked a whole bowl full for huckleberry cheesecake.

For anyone who has never tried them, they are very tart tasting and as they get more ripe, they get sweeter.

My Next Adventure

August 28, 2009

Well, my season at Yes Bay officially comes to an end on Sept. 20 when the last guests leave. After that it's clean up and good-bye. It's so sad that the summer is over already - time has gone so quickly and I'm sad to leave. I've had a great summer here meeting new people, learning new things, and getting to experience and do things I never thought I'd even enjoy before (such as bagging fish or killing crabs!)

Many of you have been wondering when you will see me again, so: My flight back to MN is on Sept. 25th, leaving Ketchikan at 7:30 a.m. and arriving in MSP around 6. Ma and Pa will come pick me up as they seem very excited to see me again. LOL! I gave myself a few extra days in case of bad weather and I can't get out of the lodge, and because I'm hoping to hang out in town for a day or two with Dewey and Linda. (Sept. weather up here can get pretty wicked which makes boating into town dangerous.)

As for my next adventure....I'm still working on it.
I have a few things in mind, ranging from hanging out in MN over the holidays and then heading back up to Ketchikan for a job, to taking a month to travel in Thailand with one of the gals I've met up here. I've also been applying over the western half of the US at various ski lodges and got a call back on one today, so that could be fun as well. Guess we will all just have to wait and see what God has planned!

That's all for now...thanks for reading!
~Sharon

Waterfalls....

August 27, 2009

Since some of you don't want to look at my big orange fish any longer....LOL!
Here are some new photos! I took these today when I went with Dewey to check crab pots. (After we checked the pots - we got 5 - we decided to goof off and go for a boat ride back into the bay to see the waterfalls.)

Hope you enjoy!

Look Ma! I caught some earrings!

July 7, 2009

This morning, at 7 a.m. I got to go fishing with "Batman" (David Noble). I had one goal - to catch a Yelloweye (or Red Snapper). I wanted a Yelloweye so that I could have the ear bones in order to make earrings! The ear bones are located in front of the gills and behind/below the eyes on the fish. (The last photo on this post is what they look like.)

Since the tides were going out, and we wanted low tides, we started by trolling for salmon. That's when I caught my first Silver Salmon - or Coho Salmon. What a fun fish to catch! We were fishing by Gedney - a island just up from Yes Bay, in about 35 feet of water, and I was using "cut plug" as bait (That's herring that has had it's head cut off at an angle and it's insides removed so that it will get the proper "spin.") (In the 4th photo, David is holding the Coho.)

Then we were off to find a Yelloweye! You use a different rod and reel for Yelloweye(you use the same rod and reel that you use Halibut fishing. The rod is shorter, and the line is heavier), and you have to fish deep! The deeper the water, the bigger the fish. I was down about 475 feet when I got mine. To catch a Yelloweye, I used 2 hooks with a herring head on each one. Then you attach a weight to your line and drop it straight down. Right after the weight hits the bottom, you reel up two cranks and give it about 10 seconds - then wham! Fish On! Not only are Yelloweye down there, but a slew of other uglies such as Rockfish and Lingcod...but, it was my lucky day as I had hooked my Yelloweye! These aren't big fighting fish, but that's okay since you have to reel the sucker up all 475 feet keeping constant pressure on the line (that means there's no stopping to rest that throbbing arm!)
I can honestly say, that is the hardest I've ever had to work for a pair of earrings! Phew!
(I should mention...that big tongue-looking thing in the fish's mouth (See the second photo), is actually it's stomach, or air bladder. It blows up with the pressure when you pull it out of the water. Cool huh?)

After the Yelloweye was stowed we were off to get a but butt! (That's Alaskan for fishing for a bit Halibut!) We tried another location for the halibut, since we wanted around 250 feet of water. To halibut fish, I used salmon bellies and herring as bait. (At the same time - one on each hook - double your pleasure, double your fun right?!) Then you drop the line all the way to the bottom and jig the weight off the bottom. It took about 20 minutes and I had one! Now this was tougher to reel in since they fight and you're reeling up 250 feet! In the end, it was only about 15 lb halibut. I could have kept it, but I threw it back - I want a big one! (Photo 3 shows my halibut.)
Did you know that halibut swim on their side, so their tops are dark brown, and their undersides are white. And, both eyes are on the top!

All in all, a great morning fishing!
Now it's back to work!
Hope you enjoy the photos!

luv from AK!

Bailey Bay Hike 1 of 4

Ok - I finally had a few minutes to upload some photos from my hike at Bailey Bay. This was a few weeks ago, but was one of the best days spent up here in Alaska. It was a gorgeous hike with good friends, lots of adventure and a hot springs too!

July 17, 2009

We left Yes Bay around 10 a.m. and it was cold and rainy. There were 7 of us on the hike: Nicky, her boyfriend visiting from Hawaii, Josy, PJ, Joel and me. From here, we took a boat 20 minutes back to Bailey Bay. We also had to bring a raft to row into the bay since it was too shallow for the boat. (See photo 1)

From there, we followed the trail up and around and back. It was a better trail that the one we have around the Lodge, so that was nice. It was also more exciting, as we got to hike through streams and waterfalls. (See picture 3 and picture 4 - where we all posed on the waterfall) Good thing they had ropes tied up so we could hang on.

About 1/2 hour into the hike, you can walk out onto the top of this huge waterfall. (See picture 5 and 6 (with all of us)) This was amazing...we were so far up and even though it was raining and foggy, the view was still amazing.

On the other side of the waterfall was this gorgeous lake. (picture 7) The actual hike takes you all along the bank of the lake and winds you back into another bay where the hot springs are located. However, being the adventurous, or stupid individuals that we are. (We can blame it on being young), we found a canoe and decided it would be faster than walking. Then we proceeded to put all 7 of us, with our packs into the canoe and rowed along the shore instead. (I would guess that we shaved off a good hours worth of walking, which gave us more time at the hot springs, so that is good.) (See photo 8 of all of us in the canoe, and picture 9 is a shot of the lake - beautiful!)

After disembarking from the trip down the lake, we had to hike a bit further (see photo 10) until we got to the lean-to by the hot springs. (Photo 11, 12, 13) Since we packed in a huge lunch, drinks and beer, we decided to have lunch! Joel made us a bon fire (so we could attempt to dry our clothes out a little bit) and we chowed down!
Then we got our swimsuits on and headed for the hot springs. The hot springs were cool because the hot water actually comes down a series of waterfalls until it pools into a rock basin that has been built up on the side with rocks. Then it turns into a hot tub! (See picture 14 of all of us sitting in the hot tub.)
Now, since it's a natural hot spring, it smells like sulfur (i.e. rotten eggs), so, once everyone got nice and hot, we had to run down to the nearby stream and wash off so we wouldn't itch all the way back home. What a shocker that was - the water was freezing cold - worse than the ocean water - take your breath away - toes numbing cold water (I'm sure due to ice melt!) In photo 15 you can see the guys tip-toeing into the water and complaining about how cold it was! Then of course, us gals decided we had to be cool and just run and dive right in! (I mentioned the water was cold, right?)

After drying off and getting our still-wet clothes back on, we headed back. This time it really poured raining! Oh well.

Half way back we decided we wanted to see the bottom of the waterfall instead of the top. (This is stupid move #2) So, we follow Joel and PJ off the path and all the way down to the river. Once we finally made it, the view was great. (See photo 16) Now, the trip back up the hill to the trail (which we were all just PRAYING we would find back again) wasn't so pleasant and there was a lot of complaining going on!
But, we found the path and made it back to the pick-up spot right on time at 4 p.m.
(See photo 17 - the survivors!)

Hope you enjoyed the story and photos!
Luv from AK!

Bailey Bay Hike 2 of 4

Bailey Bay Hike 3 of 4

Bailey Bay Hike 4 of 4

My new tattoo

July 29, 2009

Yes, I'm posting about my new tattoo...and yes, I realize how incredibly cheesy/tacky it might be. However, I wanted to show all of my family and close friends since I'm a million miles away.

The design was created by PJ - the dishwasher here at the lodge. He majored in art in college and did this incredible watercolor of 3 forget-me-nots for me, which is what the tattoo design came from.

It was done by Angel at Island Ink (Yes, Lance, this is the same place that I could also by my 9 mil. from! LOL)

PJ came with me for moral support and to hold my hand - what a sweetie huh! Plus, I think he got a kick out of me using his art to permanently mark my body!

It wasn't nearly as painful as I expected given that it is placed on the back of my neck, so that is good.

The only downside so far, is that it's hot and sunny here and I can't be in the sun, or go swimming with it for the next 7 days!

Hope you enjoy the photos:
The first, is of me getting ready to get the tattoo....
The second photo is PJ looking scared/nervous for me.
The third photo PJ took during the tattoo; the fourth is when we were all finished, and the fifth is of PJ and I on Creek Street in Ketchikan. (Since we had to walk through town to get ice cream when I was done!)

Luv from AK!

Jumping off the ramp

July 27, 2009

I didn't realize that I had these pictures, but since I do, I thought I would share. This is how we spent yesterday afternoon. Once again - on the dock - jumping in the water, laying on tubes, and working on our tan. Then, when the tide got a little higher, we jumped off the ramp into the water. VERY COOL! Too bad no one got one of me the couple of times that I did it :-(

Oh well. It was still a rock'n way to spend an Alaskan afternoon.

(This is Joel and PJ - the two guys from Minnesota!)

Luv from AK!

My Alaskan Hottie

Okay, due to popular demand...here is my "Dewey Post" and photos.

(I'm even in a couple, so you know I'm not making the whole story up! LOL!)

For those of you who don't know....here's the story (the short version):

My side: I arrived, checked him out on the dock and was instantly too nervous to think of anything to say around him (Yes, that's right - ME not have anything to say!). Spent the better half of the next month trying to not look stupid when he was around.

His side: I arrived, he checked me out and was instantly too nervous to say anything to me. (I don't even think he managed to introduce himself!) But, he spent the next month coming in the office 3 times a day to get soda so he could see me!

Then our coworkers caught on, and clued him in (evidently my flirting skills need some work!)

After that we started hanging out and are having a lot of fun! We've even been on a few dates (Yes Bay style, that is). He's taken me to check crab and shrimp pots, and to the back bay to watch the sunset.

Other details:
He grew up in Washington, but has lived all around Alaska over the last 10 or so years. He's worked at Yes Bay for the past 5 years, and spent last winter out here as one of the caretakers. This year, he runs the dock.
He's 100% outdoors/hunting/fishing/Alaska guy who can rock a pair of Carharts. (Jeeze...I can't believe I would ever say that!)

Luv from AK!

Mow the lawn...

This is Kenny - He's our youngest employee at 18 and he is our "no job too shitty" go-to guy! He will do any of the hard, nasty and gross jobs without complaint. In fact, he even volunteers for them! So when I walked out back yesterday and saw him mowing the lawn with a mower -circa 1960's, I just had to get a photo!

I guess I should explain that at the beginning of the season we had Scottie, the chef, mow the lawn with the brand new lawnmower-he volunteered. However, Scottie had never mowed a lawn before! With the rocky terrain and massive tree roots all over, he ended up completely frying the mower. (As in, dead, gone and beyond repair!) He also managed to mow over the boss's Internet and cable wires chopping them into about 12 pieces. (NOT a good situation, although we laugh about it now.)

Since that little escapade, the guys have been scared to mow the backyard, so Kenny decided it would be better to use the push mower instead! Kenny, I'm sure you got a work out, and I was entertained (especially since I've never seen one of these babys in action before!

Luv from AK!