Homer - Non-Sewing Photos Ahead

Well, it's no-sew time for me again. We've been in Homer for a week camping, clamming, fishing, and hiking. There is nothing to rev up your sewing mojo like a lack of time to sew. I'm feelin' the itch bad.

We spent several afternoons on the Homer beach. Yes, my kids are wearing coats and long pants. It is warm by Alaskan standards but wet kids, wind, and temperatures in the sixties make for cold little kids. They had a ball trying to stay out of the water and picking up random beach things.



We spent a day fishing for halibut. I need one of those grandpa shirts. You know, the ones that say, "My grandparents went all the way to ________ and all he brought me was this damn t-shirt." You've seen those shirts right? Well I went all the way to Homer and all I caught was damn cod. They are good to eat but wormy. They are so parasitized that several of the fillets were reduced to thumb-sized chunks. Eating roundworms is not one of my favorite things. We know, of course, that we didn't get all the roundworms out of the meat. You just try not to look too closely when you eat it. It's the same with all cod, even the stuff you buy at the store. Cod is a heavily parasitized fish. Period. Next time you eat cod, try not to think about it. So, this is girl #2 with her first cod catch. We caught about 25 of the things. They wouldn't stop getting caught.
ETA: Sorry to make you guys not want to eat cod. I shouldn't also tell you that halibut is heavily parasitized too. Well, salmon too. Parasites are a part of life. You, in fact, have parasites all over you. As long as you cook it well, you'll be fine. Any game meat can be subject to worms too. That's part of the reason why you cook them to a certain temperature.



This is girl #1 with her cod. It's almost as long as she is.


We spent a day inside of Halibut Cove and rented a Forest Service cabin. Only about 5% of Alaska is owned by private individuals. They other 95% is owned by state and federal governments. Much of this land is parks, preserves, and national forest land. While you can not buy this land, the Forest Service has set up a cabin system over much of Alaska. You can hike, bike, or fly into remote regions and stay in these cabins. They are very basic but in places you could not stay otherwise. The cabins I have been in have a wood stove, table, bunk beds, and benches in them. You "rent" the cabin by signing up on the web and paying your $65/night. You can barely see the roof of our cabin if you look closely.




We took a .25mile hike to this rocky beach. My son fell in the water, of course.

He's about to go in. I didn't get a picture of him falling into the water but it was pretty funny. We made him get naked on the beach and we wrung out his clothing. Thank goodness for microfleece. It dries quickly and keeps a person warm even if it's wet.

Oh, oh! Sewing! See that pink top? It's a Jalie.

Rock climbing boy.

Daughter #1 enjoying the chilly bay water.

Here's our cabin. It was quite a task hauling our gear up and down this ladder set of steps.

When we left the cabin we found this fantastic little beach that was swarming with starfish and clams. What is my son doing with his face?? Sigh.

Daughter #1 was in love with the starfish.

Me? I was in love with the clams.

We boiled and cleaned these puppies that night. We bagged and froze them for clam chowder. Well, not before we ate a few.

This was after clamming. My favorite part of this picture is that she fell asleep while playing with her toy. Her sister fell asleep the same way about an hour later. It was peaceful.

So, I wish I could say, "I'm'a gonna whip up some sewing tomorrow!" but I can't. I have to run 10 miles, unpack the boat and car, finish my handsewing on my collar, do 78 loads of laundry before packing the truck again. Monday, I'm leaving to go to Fairbanks for a week to see family. Ugh. Maybe a fast knit top is in order. Maybe I can sneak it in. My husband says I get ornery when I don't sew. Maybe I'll convince him it's better for him if I sew something.