I'm Back.

Well, after a long and chilly winter I've returned to the Shumagins.

To catch up, I thought it would be nice to summarize the last year through a little photojournalism:

1. Taking a break from homework in Fairbanks, friends and I skied Moose Mountain at 20 below. Yeah, the tip of my nose tells me to NEVER do that again.

2. My sister's epic 21st birthday was a fantastic reunion of the best people I know.

Portland, Oregon was ROCKED the night of December 27th!

3. Cori and her boyfriend Evan decided to get really serious.

4. The world had to say goodbye to this wonderful man:

5. I made a special visit to Ketchikan during spring break. After saying goodbye to Poppa, I needed to go home.






Southeast nurtured my spirit, and I got to catch up with a couple of very special girls, Penny and Hunny.

6. On August 29th, 2009, I will officially have a brother!




7. After crossing paths at the baseball diamond in Unalaska (credit to Penny!), this handsome geologist from Anchorage has convinced me to date him.

8. I turned 25 on the f/v Tustumina,

my home-away-from-home,

while en route to Sand Point.

Mmmm. . .chocolate cupcakes and Kodiak micro-brew.

Hello half-way to 50!

So, now I'm back in Sand Point for a final summer of sampling. It feels good to have another year of school under my belt, and take a much-needed breather in the fresh Aleutian air. I can't believe it's July already! The weather in June was stormy, but it was the first without snow that I've experienced, and already there are signs of a good berry year. I have high ambitions for salmonberry jam. And lots of ocean swims.


My crew leader and friend Lisa is back with her kayak, and I am back in my wetsuit. Good times!

I hope everyone is doing well, and getting plenty of opportunities to have their own summer fun. I'll be posting often, so check back for more, and I'd love to hear from you!