A Summer to Remember

This summer was filled with plenty of outdoor activities as well as happy and sad events. On June 13^th, my uncle Peter and cousin, Justin, were found deceased at Golsovia. They were heading towards St. Michael for the king salmon opener. When they did not return after a couple days, a search and rescue team formed in St. Michael as well as Unalakleet. Needless to say, we have been grieving since. Our hearts ache because it was such a tragic event and we never got to say goodbye. I have been listening to the same song that Peter showed me just weeks before his sudden death. I have even learned the words in memory of him. Every so often I think of a memory of him and break down in tears, then I ask God to please take him up to Heaven so my family can see him again. 

Peter was quite the hunter/provider. He was always setting whale nets, salmon nets, trout nets, going out bird hunting and sharing his catches with elders and other neighboring communities. Every time I went to my gram's house, he had to stop me and show me some funny video or meme on Facebook. My gram's house always smelled like breakfast in the mornings. He sure liked his pancakes, bacon, and fried eggs. I sure will miss him. Rest in peace uncle.

Peter and his beluga catch

On a brighter note, this summer has provided us with a full freezer. We have many gallons of salmonberries and blueberries, filleted silver salmon, salmon strips, dried fish, and canned fish. This was my first year doing canned salmon without guidance of a professional canner. My mom and I canned some silver strips and they turned out really good.

Sleepy berrypicker

I also learned how to make homemade jelly. My grandma liked it so much that she wanted another batch. I didn’t realize how easy it was. I will definitely be making more sometime in the near future.

We did a whole lot of fishing this summer.

But you said it was a "pink salmon"! :P

Cassie learned to reel in her rod

One of the highlights of this summer was when my family and I were up at Sauyak fishing. My daughter, Cassidy (2 years-old) was fishing and she lost her fishing rod and I miraculously caught her line 45-minutes later. We thought for sure her rod was long gone. I felt a tug at my line so I thought I had a fish on. I began reeling and saw my hook, but there was no fish, only a line so I reeled in and began pulling the line. It was Cassidy’s rod!!!! We were so shocked and excited that we didn’t need to order a new Ugly Stick from Amazon. Once I pulled in the rod, I began reeling and felt a tug. Sure enough there was a silver salmon on her line. No wonder she lost her rod! It is one of those stories that you don’t believe if you weren’t there. So, Cassidy, at 2-years of age caught her very first silver salmon! She is a village girl for sure. Mom and Dad were so proud and will share her story with her when she is older.

Cassidy's very first silver salmon!!!

We enjoyed most of our summer. It was a hot one. In June, we went bridge jumping, canoeing, and fishing. I got the tannest I have ever been. Even my uncle, Arley, was amazed. He asked me how I got tanner than him. I told him I just went berry picking and fishing. ;P

Also, Keane got braces earlier this month. At first he wasn’t excited at all. He kept asking why he had to get them. Then it came time to put them on and he got to choose a color. He asked the orthodontist if he looked cool. He DOES look pretty cool! He was a good patient so they finished putting the braces on an hour sooner than they expected. 

 

Suffice to say, it was a summer to remember.  💗💗💗💗