I made it! Again! But no cute pic of me with a certificate this time....

After a long and harrowing week of being tossed around by my employer I'm right back where I started. On the Kilkenny, out of Homer, starting fishing on the 6th. Whew!
The test went well, so now I just have to prove my skills as a Shellfish Observer to Alaska Department of Fish & Game so that I can get fully certified. They require a couple trips before granting full certification (which also comes with a nifty patch) which means that technically I'm still a trainee. I'm hoping I'll get enough experience over the summer to earn this so that I don't have to do the training course again.
I'm trying to decide how best to spend my remaining time in Anchorage over the coming week. It's cooled down, but still beautiful hiking weather. The problem is just getting around...rental cars in tourist season are hard to come by and really pricey. July 4th is supposed to be really fun in Homer, so hopefully I can find accomodations down there for a few days before my trip.
Life is good, I'm having a great time networking with other observers and friends I've made in Anchorage.
This job is so cool. Here's what "training" consists of:

Hiking in Girdwood, AK

Saturday, a few fellow observers and I headed out for the town of Girdwood, which is about 30 miles south of Anchorage to do some hiking. Girdwood is known for being an interesting mix between ski snobbery and funky old hippies...this is where the world-class ski resort Alyeska is located. Look, there's actually pictures of me! As you can see, it's gorgeous. I didn't take pictures of all the greenery, but it was like being in Jurassic park. In fact, we gathered the tender shoots of ferns (called "fiddleheads") with grandiose plans to fry them up for dinner. Instead, we opted for pizza and beer at the local pub : )

Fellow hikers and observers Laura, Andy, and Natura

Me and Laura get in the hand-tram

Away we go!

Back we come!

Today was the first day of training and while the material was interesting as usual, I'm a bit nervous about what I've gotten myself into this time. I saw actual pictures of the boat I'll be on. IT'S MINIATURE. The bunks are around the table! There's only one room that quadruples as a stateroom, galley, kitchen, and washroom (no toilet, just sink)! No faucets, just HAND PUMPS. Aaah! I've emailed another observer to ask her more about her experience on the Kilkenny because she really had positive things to say. I hope I can have as good of an attitude as last time.

I also went and saw a very moving documentary this evening called "At the Death House Door". http://www.ifc.com/atthedeathhousedoor. I found out about it at the Quaker meeting on Sunday-it was hosted by the group Alaskans Against the Death Penalty. I'd recommend it to anyone but it's definately not a "feel-gooder".

Back in the land of the midnight sun

After a short 6 week respite in sunny Southern California, I'm back up in Anchorage to train for another stint as an observer. Leaving home was harder this time, but now that I'm here I'm getting pretty excited. There's a great group of prior observers in the apartment and I'm having a lot of fun catching up on everyone's war stories. It's also cool to see the Anchorage that was hiding under the thick layer of snow and ice that I remember from February. The weather is beautiful, and I went on a hike at 10 pm yesterday which was fabulous! So far my sleeping hasn't been affected by the light, but it's certainly harder to make myself go to bed with so much fun stuff to do and broad daylight to enjoy it in.

Most of you know that this time I'll be working in the scallop fishery, which is managed by Alaska Department of Fish and Game. I start training on Monday here in Anchorage, and will probably leave for Homer, AK around the 30th so I can catch the start of the season on July 1st. That's if I pass my certification class of course : ). I'll be working on a smallish wooden boat called the Kilkenny, and it sounds like I'll have at least one day a week on land. From what I hear scallop observing is a lot harder than groundfish for a few different reasons. The scallops are collected by dredging the bottom, and a lot of teeny tiny invertebrates come up with the catch. It's my job to sort and ID these little guys, which can be pretty time consuming. But I'm very excited since all of my prior research and schooling has been with marine invertebrates. I personally think they are much cuter than fish or whales, both of which get way too much credit.
The other reason it's supposed to be harder is the physical aspect of the job. The sampling protocol is a bit more vigorous, and baskets are heavier. I'm looking forward to being superbuff by the time my contract is up.

I plan on doing A LOT more hiking, so I'll make sure to take pictures of the amazing views. No other big plans as of yet...I'm thinking of heading up to Fairbanks next weekend to float the Chena river. Yah it gets hot enough to get in the water!

The Endeavor is en route to Dutch Harbor to start fishing for Greenland Turbot. I talked to my buddy Marq on Wednesday and man am I gonna miss those guys. I know I'll keep meeting wonderful people wherever I go, but I still have such a hard time saying goodbye and moving on. And thinking that a new observer will come along and steal their hearts and they'll forget all about me...OHHH snap, the truth comes out!

And VERY exciting news from Kenya today. The children competed in a music festival and won in 2 categories, "sacred" and "folk". This is an amazing achievement. They have now qualified to move on to the next level of competition to be held in Kericho. If this speaks to anyone's heart, Carol and IHF is trying to raise money to get them new costumes and also get a recording of them up on the web. I'll keep you posted, it's so worth it, these kids can sing! I'm getting goosebumps remembering their voices.

Love to all,
Angela