Keys, locks and community

I think one aspect of life in Port Alexander, Alaska sums up the "community" we have here: KEYS. yup, plain old, ordinary keys....have you ever lived where you never (or very rarely--like only when you leave town for 3 months) lock your house? what about your post office box?

Here in tiny Port Alexander--everyone just hangs their post office keys on the key rack above the post office boxes (the key rack which is kindly provided by the local post office postman)....for easier access. Voila! you never have to search for that darn key again....

I love living in a town where you never worry about anything getting stolen, and I can leave anything anywhere in town and go back later and find it in the same spot. Where hardly anyone locks their house, and everyone knows that you just never help yourself to someone elses's boat or skiff without asking first--but they don't need to be locked.

Just consider how different everyone's lives would be if everywhere in America was like this? no locks? no thieves? genuine care for each other? what a sad commentary on humanity that this would be a radical thing.

I remember being impressed when I was in China at the hundreds of bicycles lined up parked near the sidewalks--none of them locked! I could only conclude that folks in China just didn't take each others bikes--or if they did--it didn't matter. I would love to live in a city where I did not have to lock my bike at every stopping place. What have we lost by becoming a nation that locks up everything?

Trust...that is what we have lost..trust that our fellow humans have only everyone's best interest at heart. Do we have to live in small tiny towns to have this sort of trust in our fellow humans? I am contemplating cultivating this trust in my own life when I return "down south" to the "lower 48"---do I dare stop locking my car and my bike in a city like Seattle?

The View From My Cabin

As far as I am concerned, there is really no better view anywhere than the view from my little cabin in the woods here in Port Alexander on a sunny day. This tiny hamlet, located on the Southern tip of Baranof Island in Southeast Alaska (in the Alaskan Panhandle) is the home for about 50 people (counting kids and babies) year round.

The economy here is based on commercial fishing and sports fishing---the town has three small sports fishing lodges. I am currently the chef at LAUGHING RAVEN LODGE, and with my chef job comes my own little cosy cabin to live in for the summer.

Whenever we have lovely sunny weather here I feel blessed to have such strong ties to this place. I lived here from 1971 until 1989---raised babies and small children here--in fact , my youngest daughter was born here--a home birth. At that time the population was about 120 folks, still tiny---but I learned many valuable life lessons living in "the bush." Many of the lessons were about community and how living in a small community breeds not only life-long friendships, but a sense of responsibility to the community one lives in.

Sadly, I now feel that this sense of responsibility for one's neighbors and community is missing in much of the United States. I used to think that the type of community I experienced in Port Alexander (PA for short) was only possible in a small town--but now I'm not at all sure this is a criteria since I have found small pockets of similar communities in cities and large towns in the "lower 48" (which is one way Alaskans refer to the rest of the United States).

I was married to a commercial fisherman when I lived here in the "70's and '80's---and so spent a great deal of time home alone with 2 small children, but I always knew I could call ANYONE in the town for help if I needed help. I traded my handwoven crafts for childcare and home-cooked meals for chainsaw repair...and of course depended on my woman friends for support and companionship.

Port Alexander is an Alaskan second class city---with a city council and a mayor chosen by the elected council. I served on the city council---we all had our turn;-)---not at all surprising in a town of only 120 people. In this process I learned more about city laws and state laws and government than any college gov't class could teach me. I helped to write a "comprehensive land-use plan" for our community---which the state required we have in order to regulate our growth in any way.

All this added to my perspective of what made up a good community---self-government which included everyone (believe me, if you were on the city council you sure heard everyone's opinion on most issues---it was much more fun to be the person giving opinions than to be a city council person) and genuine care for everyone in the community.

Of course, some folks owned more and made more money than others, but we all helped each other out when we needed it. If one person shot a deer (this was Alaska--and eating game and local caught fish was one way we survived) and another family was struggling because of a bad fishing seson you could count on some of that venison being shared with the family in need. If a person was sick or injured, others helped them with food or firewood---and there was a great deal of security for me around living in a place where I knew everyone would help me out if I needed it.

Since leaving PA, I have lived in small cities (pop. 55,000) to larger cities ---like Berkeley, Ca (pop. 102,000)---and each place I have eventually created a community of friends and neighbors---but it has never been with the same sense of community and security that I felt all those years I lived in Port Alexander.

I have long pondered this difference and wondered if the the town's isolation had anything to do with it? The only way to travel to PA is by boat or small float plane---the larger town of Sitka (pop. 8835) is 70 miles away but there are no roads connecting PA to Sitka on this mountainous island in the Alexander Archipelgo. Currently there is not store in PA--so all fresh food, fuel and goods are either brought in by boat or floatplane. This remoteness kept the town small---but also caused us to depend on each other.

For example, if your outboard motor broke down and you needed a part for it---you would have to order it "from town" OR maybe a neighbor would have just the right part you could use right away. One learned to plan ahead but also to help others when they were in need. In our current economy we could sure use more of this neighbor helping neighbor and trading (without money--just trading services and goods) with ones friends and neighbors to survive--and perhaps it would also help foster a sense of community?

All I know for certain at this point is that I am blessed to have lived here in Port Alexander in my youth--I really grew up here-- since I was 21 when I first came here, and left when I was 39. And now I continue to be blessed to be able to come here in the summers and work and eat local caught fish, pick berries, hike, sit on the beach, watch the eagles and ravens and deer--- and once again be part of this special community.

How to Can Beach Asparagus

"Beach Asparagus" is an inter-tidal green plant that grows on some beaches profusely in Southeast Alaska ( I have also seen this plant growing in California beach marshes). In Port Alexander there is along tradition of harvesting this plant and canning it for future gourmet feasts ---preferably served with plenty of fresh caught fish. Yesterday, my friend Sue and I set off on a beach asparagus harvesting expedition.....

The first step (after rising at 5:30 am to take advantage of the low tide) was to get into this little punt and row to the head of the trail---we planned to hike about 15 minutes to a secluded beach---locally called "Ship's Cove, because there are the remains of an old minesweeper lurking there...visible at low tide.


Here are some views of Ship's Cove-----


We used scissors to cut the beach asparagus

filled our bucket and hiked back---rowed back to the dock, and took the harvest home....we were back at the Lodge by 8:00 am....

Of course, then we had to find the canning jars, wash them and then after soaking the beach asparagus in fresh water (since it grows inter-tidal--beach asparagus can be quite salty if you don't thoroughly rinse it in fresh water)---we filled the jars, packing the greens down firmly....

loaded the jars into the canner---and "canned"them--ie: first let the canner steam awhile, then sealed it---and raised the heat until the gauge was at 1o pounds and then adjusted the stove so the canner stayed at this place until we were done....

and viola! 25 pint jars of canned beach asparagus greens for future consumption...

Although I had not done this--(or canned anything!) for about 6 years or more...the whole process was familiar to me from many years of doing this each summer...I also used to also regularly can salmon, halibut, and crab. There is something special about eating food you harvested in the wild yourself....somehow it tastes better.

“Some sensible person once remarked that you spend the whole of your life either in your bed or in your shoes. Having done the best you can by shoes and bed, devote all the time and resources at your disposal to the building up of a fine kitchen. It will be, as it should be, the most comforting and comfortable room in the house.” ---Elizabeth David (1913-1992) French Country Cooking

(Sometimes) you can go home again

I've now landed--for the next 3 months or so--in my old home town: Port Alexander, Alaska. Never heard of it, right? (unless you know me personally). It is a small remote Alaskan village on the southern tip of Baranof Island in Southeast Alaska. Sitka, a town of about 8000 and an early outpost of the Russians in Alaska, is on the same island---about 120 miles away. However, one can only travel from Sitka to Port Alexander by boat or small floatplane--I arrived, after an hour flight over spectacular mountainous scenery, on a floatplane---the regularly scheduled twice a week "essential air" flight.

I lived here in Port Alexander for about 18 years in my youth--from 1971 (or 2?) until 1989....so it has a special place in my heart. Port Alexander currently has about 40 or 50 residents (I may be off on this--could be less)--when I lived here it had about 120 folks--counting the children. Back then, most folks made their living commercial fishing---along with the few local jobs--the teacher(s), school janitor, the post office manager, sometimes a fish & game job or two, and some jobs for the city (city clerk, maintenance), the store owner, one job taking daily weather data--but mostly fishing.

Now some folks commercial fish and some own small sports fishing lodges. I Have been hired to cook for the Laughing Raven Lodge--owned by longtime friends of mine, Laughing Raven is a family run lodge--operated by 2 older adults (Pete & Sue), and their grown daughter and son-in-law (Molly and Ryan) with help from their 2 year old, Sage.

one view from the lodge....


and here are some photos of the Lodge wrap around porch/deck...



and the trail to the lodge...the terrain here is a RAIN FOREST--the Tongass rain Forest to be exact...the largest National Forest in the nation. This forest is very lush and green and wet, so the only feasible "trail" is a boardwalk--and boardwalks meander all through the woods here connecting the town...



I have my own little rustic cabin, located between the guest house and the main lodge....

the view from my cabin....

ferns grow everywhere in this climate....
so I will blogging from the land of the northern lights and the midnight sun for a few months...still knitting and crafting between cooking so I will be sharing some Alaskan stories and images and recipes and as well as my usual art and crafts.

Today's quote: " The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness. " ---John Muir