It's really August?!

Sand Point under the sunniest sky I've seen in two weeks.

Usually Sand Point has pretty nice summer weather--even compared to Ketchikan which is nearly the same latitude. This year, however, it seems to be reversed. It sounds like I'm missing one of the best weather years in Ketchikan's history, and catching all the rain clouds in Sand Point. I'm still in hats and gloves on the first day of August! Wow--I can't believe it's August already! The percentage of red salmon in the daily harvest has dramatically decreased, and the silvers are starting to show up. Watching the volume and percentage of salmon species in the harvest really shows the passing of summer. Here in the Southeastern District, June typically has the largest percentage of red salmon, and by August the harvest is largely pink and silver salmon. With the 20,000 fish I sample in a season, I notice even the little things, like the tightness of their scales and the firmness of their meat. This time of year, I start to see more "watermarked" fish--chum salmon that have been in or near freshwater and are starting to get their characteristic striping, pink salmon morphing into "humpies," sockeye turning into "reds." The signs of summer's end are starting to show.

Yesterday my schoolteacher friend Heather and I went for a hike despite the weather. Sometimes you just can't let the rain hold you back! With 20 days left in town, I feel an urgency to enjoy some of my favorite places and activities before I jump on a plane for the kiln-heat of Arizona and my sister's wedding. Things on my list: ocean swims, smoking salmon, a trip to Red Cove, and salmon berry picking. Somebody send me some good weather!!!