 Christmas Vacation 2006 Have you ever seen anything more beautiful than this? Peaceful scenery like this is everywhere you look in the shores off Sitka, Alaska–where Dr. P & Mary Ann spent Christmas with their son and his family. The sharp white peak reflected in the water is Annahootz and it is located on the Nakwasina Bay. The day was gorgeous, as you can see! You can also see the 2005 vacation. | |
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 Jeremy is at the wheel of his new red boat [“The Razorback”] in search of his favorite fishing spots. He does air rescue for the Coast Guard [Have you seen “The Guardian” yet?] and has extra time for fishing and family during “Holiday Routine.” The Coast Guard does the Christmas bonuses by relaxing work requirements during the holidays, and that makes it a perfect time for a visit! | |
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 Dr. P and his son are preparing shrimp pots with bait [smelly, oily herring]. They will drop the pots in about 200 feet of water, mark them with a buoy, leave them for at least four hours, and then return to pull in the catch. Each pot is fairly light [about five pounds] when it goes in the water. | |
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 Dr. P dropped the shrimp pots while Jeremy let the wind carry the boat forward so that the pots were about 50 feet apart. They are fishing at a spot that is pretty close to his home; but a couple of hours north, the shrimp are HUGE…but these are plenty big! Sitka’s airport ships more fresh seafood than any port in Alaska--several million pounds a season! There is an active tour industry for visiting fishermen, because the shrimp, halibut, crab and salmon are so plentiful in season. | |
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 Mary Ann loves to go along for the ride; the scenery and the company…just don’t ask her to fish! This scenery, again, is gorgeous. Jeremy has a “subsistence license”, which means he feeds his family with the fish he catches. That way, there is no limit. He graciously shared with Dr. P and Mary Ann and they came home with two carefully packed boxes of fish! | |
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 This is five-year-old Lauren decorating the window of the boat. She didn’t fish this particular day, but she has a “Barbie” fishing rod that is pretty swell. What a great way to spend the day! | |
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 Dr. P got to ride “shotgun” with Jeremy and Lauren spent a good bit of snuggle time with her Poppy during the day. She even got to drive the boat, with a considerable amount of guidance from her dad! From the time we left the dock, we did not pass even one boat this day…we had the whole Nakwasina Bay to ourselves! | |
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 We can’t resist this picture: it is the view outside the Sitka, Alaska McDonald’s Restaurant. That is Mount Edgecombe in the background, an inactive volcano mountain. Besides McDonald’s, there is only one other franchise restaurant on the island: Subway! | |
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 Saying goodbye is never fun, so we are getting one last dose of Lauren. Her mom was at work, so we popped in to give her a Diet Coke and say goodbye there. It’ll be summer before we see them again, so we wanted to savor one more hug! | |
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