Signs of Alaska
I grew up in a sign-painting family and worked in the industry for a number of my early years. Back then, the zoning boards and code enforcers did everything they could to tamp down signage in the visible landscape. Urban planners said signs were, “just a means of indexing the environment.” Well such ‘planning’ was…
What Are The Odds?
Seventeen years ago I bought my first power catamaran. Little did I know it was to be the trading stock that propelled me towards hundreds of future multihull deals. I was living on Bainbridge Island and working in Seattle’s SoDo district down near the Duwamish River. The cattle-call of the ferry commute was breaking my…
West of North
Ken & Kim Hoover retired, bought a power cat from me in Tacoma, Washington, and promptly pointed their bows West of North to Wrangell, Alaska. Then Ken wrote a novel – West of North (https://www.amazon.com/West-N). I ran into Ken on the docks and he gave me a copy. Right now, I am sitting in the…
Wrangell: Time to Mow
The vibrancy of the late spring growth erupts from everywhere in this part of the world and any inch of terra firma, including sturdy docks awaiting a make-over, are quickly taken over by the bountiful wild greenery. The wet earthy aroma infuses with the salt air during sun breaks for a deliciously primordial olfactory stew.…
Wrangell and the Mysterious Petroglyphs
We arrived in Wrangell on a delightfully sunny afternoon. As we entered the channel behind the breakwater to tie up in Heritage Harbor, a bit south of downtown Wrangell, a new blend of avian sentinels was immediately noticeable compared with the usual marine birds hanging around harbors closer to home: bald eagles and ravens perched…