Homer trip 3

Halibut are one of the oddest-looking fish. Since they are bottom-dwellers most predators see them from above -- their top skin is like camo, while the bottom is a milky white color. And both eyes are on one side of the head, although they don't start out that way -- over time one eye migrates over.

Saturday was gorgeous (as evidenced by my sunburn - no photos of that for you!)

Fish cleaning stations usually have a bit of wait. It's always interesting to see what everyone has brought in -- and to do a little comparing with your own catch. A guy came in on Sunday after fishing by himself and had three gorgeous silver salmon. I've never in my life seen silvers that big -- I thought they were kings at first!

Four fillets come off of every halibut. Some bigger than others! The limit is 2 halibut per person, per day.


These damn gulls are so annoying.

Our catch from Sunday. Not monsters, but the smaller halibuts taste better. Not that I would pass up a nice 80 pounder! I don't know how people manage to reel in 200 lb or larger 'buts -- those barn doors are just dead weight on the line.

Did you know that halibut do not show up on fish finders because they lack an air bladder? D taught me that fun fact.

On Sunday we also spotted additional otters, puffins, other shorebirds and WHALES! They were all around throughout the weekend, but Sunday featured a spectacular show -- the whales came almost totally out of the water and flopped down on their sides. Just amazing. And close enough to the boat for a great show.

Homer trip 2

Homer is such a fun little town, and we usually have better luck halibut fishing in Kachemak Bay than Prince William Sound. Plus the sea otters are more plentiful -- and I love me some otters.

While heading back from fishing on Saturday we spotted a nice-sized group of them floating together. D was able to maneuver the boat fairly close to them (but not too close -- we're not wildlife harassers!) and the awesome zoom on my camera helped me capture these guys...

Puffins were spotted periodically through the day.

Somehow these photos loaded out of order -- this is us leaving the Homer harbor on Saturday morning. It's vastly larger than Whittier's harbor and takes a little while to motor through.

One of the many Coast Guard ships docked at the harbor. Behind it is the state ferry Tustumena that runs to Seldovia and points beyond, I think.

Lord almightly, this dog loves being on the water and catching fish!

I'm not sure what happened, but by Sunday I was sporting a nice pink sunburn on my face. Could have sworn I had a nice base tan going. And as an added bonus: raccoon eyes from not removing my sunglasses often enough. Needless to say I wore a baseball cap on the water Sunday.

Dum dum de dum...

Faithful blog readers, I am ENGAGED! Woot!

D proposed on Friday (August 7th) during the drive down to Homer. We pulled over at a beautiful rest stop near Canyon Creek and it happened a little ways down the foot path on a high bridge overlooking the area. I had NO idea it was coming and was so very surprised. I thought, why are we walking the dog when we have another few hours to drive?

These photos were taken mere minutes before D got down on one knee.

I was seriously oblivious to what was coming.

I am so excited and honored that D wants me to be his wife, because I know he will be an amazing husband. For now I'd like to enjoy being engaged so we're not going to tackle any wedding plans just yet. Oh, and I also get to pick out my own ring. He does love me!

Homer trip 1

After a week of cloudy skies and rain, it was nice to see a gorgeous weekend in the making as we left town. Homer is approximately a 4 hour drive from Anchorage -- depending on traffic -- but it took us about 5 hours because of an unexpected stop! (More on THAT later!)

We never know what will pop up outside the car window on a drive down Turnagain Arm. Sometimes a beluga whale or the bore tide will appear. On Friday it was a beached boat and windsurfers braving the freezing water temperatures.

Woo Hoo!

Well peeps, have I got some B-I-G news for you! But for those of you not in the know (yet) -- I'll enlighten you all later this week. Gotta make some calls and such.

But you should know that I am ridiculously, over-the-moon excited!