The Harvest Begins
The first batch of Halibut is in the freezer and Bill has his reds for the year.
This is six of the eight we got this trip. Bill has a secret hole just five miles out of the harbor.
He also scored twenty reds from a friend that is a purse seiner. That resulted in a day of cleaning, smoking and dinner with the neighborhood. This community on Ohlson Mountain does not need much of an excuse to gather for food, drink or whatever. The main course was backbones on the Barbie followed by roasted heads.
The backbones have plenty of meat after filleting.
This is our chef for the evening, Taro. It is hard to describe just who Taro is. A craftsman of wood, chef extraordinaire, skier of all slopes and maker of fine music. He has many more talents but eating fish is right up there.
The heads get cut into halves and the gills removed then roasted. He especially likes the cheeks and eyes. I actually tried a cheek (kind of like an oily scallop, very good) but i draw the line at eyeballs.
Going to move back up to Soldotna for July. Time for the serious red harvest to begin.
There is some heavy rain forecasted, so some planning is in order. Never fun to be setting up in a downpour.
So far I've reached acceptable proficiency at the following, in chronological order: Silversmith, infantryman/door gunner, helicopter pilot, fireman, carpenter, residential contractor, FAA Air Traffic Control Specialist and crotchety old retired guy. Currently, I'm learning to fly again and that is what this is all about. 7/7/2020 edit: As I have had the opportunity to reflect (old people do that a lot) on my actual proficiency level at the above occupations, I feel adjustments are in order. The term "acceptable" depends on the observer, their own proficiency and experience level. Acceptable to me might be woefully deficient to the master. I think it would be more accurate to claim that I have earned a living wage at all of these occupations but never got rich. Actually, I feel that I have gotten rich at the last one. I have what I need and am profoundly grateful for all of it. The future looks bright indeed, as I have learned to fly again. For that I have all of you to thank. Thank You!
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