Memorial Weekend in Homer 4

I've been posting photos a little out of order, but sometimes it's nice to group by type than by day. Anywho, the following are day 2 of fishing. 

Leaving the spacious boat launch. We were pleasantly surprised at how laid back it was, especially for a holiday weekend. I'm sure the 4th of July weekend will be pure insanity - it usually is.

Rounding the tip of the Spit - that's Land's End Resort and some vacation rentals there on the left.

Mussels and other shells. The sea otters eat really well out here.

Shore break! The water was awfully choppy this day and the swells just about did me in. I kept my breakfast in though - I've only puked on the boat once and I'm pretty proud of that.

The Ramblin' Rose is one of the new Deadliest Catch boats this season.

Eagles everywhere in Homer. This was in a parking lot near the fish-cleaning tables we use.

They're not monster barn doors, but chickens sure are easier to pull up from the bottom! Got our limit of 2 each on this day. The day prior, D pulled up a REALLY nice halibut. If you can believe it, we ended up with the same amount of fillets from that one big halibut as from these 4 chickens!

D does the filleting of each halibut - we get 4 sections from each halibut. Then I wash all of the sections thoroughly with a hose at the table. After he has discarded the carcasses, D cuts the remaining skin off the halibuts and I place them in gallon-size Ziploc bags. At the campsite we plugged in the vacuum sealer and package the fillets to place in the freezer.

Halibut are born with eyes on each side of their body and as time goes on, one eye migrates over to the brown side of the fish. The mouth wraps around both side.

Memorial Weekend in Homer 3

Oops, I forgot about my Homer recaps! We ended up doing a ton of little home projects and clean-up on Saturday and Sunday. The weather was pretty rainy/wet and I'm glad we decided to stay home over the weekend. D is now off bear hunting in the Sound for the next few days. Cross your fingers that he is successful...we need the meat! He took the dog so it is very quiet around the house since it's just me and the cats.

The Salty Dawg Saloon is a Homer institution - usually only open spring to fall, it's THE bar on the Spit. They only take cash and the walls/ceilings are covered with dollar bills, underwear, business cards and whatever else you feel like tacking up. It's an Alaskan landmark and hundreds of thousands of people walk through the doors every year. It's the kind of place where rubber boots and rain jackets are fashion-forward. You can't miss it on the Spit - just look for the little lighthouse.

 

The weather was pretty unpredictable during our 5-day stay, trading off between windy and calm, and sunny and rainy. There was one day that we didn't go out to fish since the seas were so rough. It was beautiful but seas at 4-6 feet, plus the Kachemak Bay swells? No thanks. But the wind brought out the kiteboarders...

You have to be incredibly strong and in shape to wrestle with the kite...

The kiteboarders wear dry suits to keep warm in the 48 degree water. 

Continuing our walk down the beach, on the bay side...