I went down to Wrangell to fish for kings and watch the Craig high school girls team play. My niece graduated last year, but I had 3 years invested into most of the rest of the team, so was glad to see them play again. They won 1 game and lost a second. Like many small towns, Wrangell has what I assume is a tradition of a cake auction at half time. I’d seen parents and grandparents giving their young offspring fist fulls of dollars to buy chances on the cakes. At halftime, the raffle begins. Names are called, with a brief break between names. Some of the 3 or 4 or 5 year olds would clomp, clomp, clomp down the bleacher stairs and out on the floor to claim a cake. If they hesitated too long, another would be there choosing too, and that might make them more indecisive. Pretty funny. The first cake was the size of a wedding cake, and about a kindergartner came out and when she couldn’t carry it, her sister – maybe in 4 th grade, took
it and she barely made it back to the bleachers it was so big. The girls split two close games Fri and Sat. Craig girls made about 80% of their foul shots on Sat to win, which was good to see.
We caught all the kings in one place in 20 feet of water. Bob was over in Petersburg working a few days at their pharmacy, so we ran over to Banana Point on Sunday and he piled in with us. Then I went back with him to Petersburg and caught the ferry home from there, where we had dinner at Paul’s house and Paul and Bob yaked about Bob’s gold mining in Nome.
I made another trapper hat on the ride down and back, hand sewing it all. Turned out a bit small, so I think my sister will get this one, but it does look good.
Pouring rain here now, and much of the snow is gone at sea level. But it’s 40 below in Prudhoe, so I embrace the rain.
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Mark Stopha
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
www.GoodSalmon.com