Scored a 10′ raft for the fall Yukon River moose hunt on Craigslist. It has a fiberglass hull and can haul 1400 lbs. It came with an 8 hp outboard and I need to take it for a spin to see how the motor will push the boat. The guy selling it was a plumber now. When he was a kid, I went with him and his dad their first time gillnetting as a favor to Len so they’d have a third hand to help. He didn’t remember. He’s trolling now when he can, and updated me on his dad.

Sara had warned me not to go spending a bunch of money just now, so it was time to start selling stuff I don’t use that’s in the garage. Sold the hydraulic steering I’d bought for the boat that sunk that I never put in. Sold the seats on pedastals and the magic chair from that boat, too. And the 12 foot skiff that didn’t work well as a punt. And the old 8 hp Evinrude kicker. That got me about to what the raft cost.

Got started on my empty woodshed. First I had to tear down the old one made with pallet walls. Then used the pipe from the net pens as a foundation base under the floor that was still good. I’ve been interested in cordless chain saws ever since we got the electric car. So I rented a Stihl one from Tyler. It came with the charger and 2 batteries. I’d read that the batteries could be charged in 25 minutes, but turns out that was with a quick charger, which the one with the saw wasn’t. It was a couple hours to charge. So, I could cut for about an hour with the two batteries, and then it was a few hours for recharge. The saw worked pretty well. I got about everything bucked up that was 2 feet or smaller diameter. I’m contemplating buying one, but they are spendy to get it with a couple high capacity batteries and a quick charger (close to $600 I think), plus Tyler said they can’t get the batteries right now, either. It was a pretty sweet deal for $50 for the weekend so think I’ll keep renting. Rest of this week I’ll split and haul into the woodshed then be good for the year. Got about 2 to 3 year supply now, with dry wood to burn this year.

Kurt called for help with the hydraulic steering on their new boat. The oil level was down, so we added till full and purged it through the fill hole, then took it out for a spin and it seemed to have worked. No sign of leakage so not sure where the oil had gone. I finished today with the saw so took it to Jeff to try it. I was on my way with Gloria to take her for more driving lessons. He’ll turn it in for me tomorrow cause he’s retired. Gloria is getting better and more confident in her driving, but still makes for a nervous instructor. She is applying to go into the Marine Corps, and we talked a lot about that today. We stopped at the gas station for her first time to fill up, and I showed her how to check the oil and where the other fluids were under the hood.

Got an email from Allieu in Sierra Leone. Solomon’s daughter has epilepsy now like her dad did. He said she’s under treatent, but remembering what a bitch it was for Solomon makes me sad. People believe you are possessed by spirits if you have epilepsy. That’s gonna be tough. For Allieu, he’s in a complicated situation where the site he was building his house on was approved by many different levels of chiefs, only to get the walls up and someone came and said they owned the land. Then, somehow the clinic where he works is on land owned by his family, so he’s trying to get the clinic to help him with his other property while they work out a plan for the clinic being on his family land. Oh Salone. I’m glad we’re here for them when we can.

Paul left a message today.  His sister had just left Petersburg for home.  He said “She enjoyed just looking out the window.  She saw shrimpers go by, deer, charter boats, orcas, humpback whales, seals, sea lions, and all kinds of waterfowl and sea birds.  Who knew?  I should look out the window more often!” 

Yesterday, I made an appointment for a 5:30pm haircut. When the call came in to go get the road deer, I forgot all about it til it was too late. Today I called at 9:40am and apologized profusely and got another appointment for 10:30am. I almost forgot again but luckily remembered in the nick of time at 10:25 and rode my bike the 3 minutes to the shop.  When I got there I remembered they only take cash. So I headed to the grocery store in the same lot to get money from the machine. I got 50 bucks out, then went inside the store to get some gum, and back to the salon. My haircut took all of about 7 minutes. When I went to pay, I could not find the money anywhere. Not in my wallet or my pants pockets. I retraced my steps across the parking lot to the store and asked the cashier if I’d left $50 bucks there and she said no (I paid for the gum with my credit card).  So, took out another $20, paid the barber, and back to the office. I figured $70 for a haircut was still less than Sara’s doo. I was hating being 53. When I got back to work, I took off my pants thinking I somehow missed the money going into my pocket, hoping it would be in my pant leg. No dice. On a whim, I emailed the store telling them I thought I dropped $50, and described it as two $20s and an $10. Not long later, I got an email from the store manager. Their employee had found it and turned it in. Back to the store and they were glad I was glad. IGA has good people. But I’m still hating 53.

Call for deer number 3 came in a little after 3 pm today. The dispatcher said the officer was on his way to put the injured deer down, and could I come salvage it. I said sure. I headed home, put on my coveralls, grabbed my knives, and asked Sara if she wanted to go. She said sure, and she got her work clothes on. The officer had dispatched the deer then moved it up gravel drive and put it in the shade and out of sight. We arrived to find a nice buck. Sara helped me put it in the truck. We stopped at our friends to get the key to the food bank area.  When we got home, I parked uphill, and dressed the deer on the tailgate, dropping the organs into a big round tote I got at a garage sale. I hosed out the body cavity of the deer, then dragged the tote of organs up the hill into our woods. We’ve got an eagle trained, I think, and I’m guessing he or she soon found it. Not much damage to the deer meat. I hung it by the head in the garage, skinned it, then cut off the hind quarters, then the tenderloin, the backstraps, the front quarters. Then cut off each rib cage with the reciprocating saw. I cut the back bone with the meat remnants into two, then cut off the neck roast. I hosed off the deer hair from the meat. I headed over to the food bank and got the meat separate into bag lined boxes and into the freezer to cool. Sara had, in the mean time, made a big salad and pulled out some venison meat pies for dinner and it was all ready when I got back. It’s satisfying volunteer work and good practice for next fall.

Good times at the North Douglas boat ramp yesterday.  It was the lowest tide of the year – nearly -5 ft – and we were going to the cabin to fix the “easy out” clothesline set up that is an anchored pulley on one end and another pulley on the beach with a line through it where you can pull up to the beach and tie the painter to the line and pull it out to the anchor.   The parking lot was packed and overflow truck/trailers were parked up on the road.  Not unusual for Memorial Day weekend and 60 degree dry weather.  What was unusual was there wasn’t a soul in sight fishing because king salmon season is closed due to poor return.  Where were all those boats.  Sara and I launched the boat and about 100 yrds from the ramp everything quit.  Outboard, electronics – everything.  Thought there was a main fuse that blew.  I thought the positive cable was loose but tightened it and that didn’t fix anything.  With the tide so low, it was already below the end of the ramp at the dock, so I thought I’d just drive down the beach and put the boat on the trailer from the beach.   It didn’t take long to bury the truck to the axles on the beach.  This was at about 8 am, and low tide was at 9.  I called every towing company in town and couldn’t raise one of them.    Next I made a 911 call to Jeff and Kurt. They got Erik and showed up with Ben’s Suburban.  Kurt took me home to get our Yukon and some heavy houser line.  Kurt also called Frankie the Eraser, who showed up with his 3/4 ton pickup.   We took the boat off the trailer and tied it off the dock, then unhooked the trailer from the truck.  Try as we might, the truck wouldn’t budge with the other vehicles pulling.  The vehicles just spun trying to pull me out.   Sara noted that the trailer was worth more than the truck (so true), so we pulled the trailer up the beach with a line to a truck.  9 am came and went and things started getting serious.   Finally the tow company called back. Said they’d be there in 15 or 20 min. 945 came and went.  No tow truck.  A crowd was building up on the road. My best friends were taking lots of photos and sending them out.    We’d tried everything I could think of and thought this might be the end of the old truck.  Just as the water was under the back bumper, the tow truck showed up.  Pulled me out in 5 minutes with his winch.  I tipped the young driver and his girlfriend $200 for good karma and coming out on a weekend holiday just in the nick of time.   When we got home I figured out the boat problem in about 5 minutes.  The ground wasn’t tight enough on the battery.  Sometimes I sort of dream about living out in the bush again on my/our own.  But how would I get by without a constant, it seems, little help from my friends. Today, I mostly watched Jeff and Erik put new shingles on Jeff’s garage.  I helped where I could.  I learned a lot.  Another day of free tuition.   

Lt Lance from the Salvation Army emailed yesterday.  He and his wife Dana are transferring to Fairbanks soon. Did I want to take over being the one the authorities called if a deer is hit by a car so it gets taken care of right away and the meat gets to the food bank?  Sure I say. First thing this morning, it’s Lance.  Deer down on N. Douglas.  Can you help?  On my way, I say.  I drive home, put on my coveralls, and head to the location.  I pass the 7000 block and don’t see it.  I call Lance for the house number again and turn around.  There it is.  Blood still fresh mixing with the water in the ditch.  I pull the young buck up, grab front legs in one hand and back legs in the other, and swing him into the truck. Lance meets me at the house.  We carry the buck up into the woods behind the house, remove the innards, drain the body cavity, then carry it to the garage and hang it up on the lines that are through a pulley from the ceiling just for this purpose.  We decide to hang it by the head since the rear leg was where he was hit and might not hold if we hang it from the hind legs.   I rip from under the hide up to the chin and immediately notice the hair flying.  Lance comments about shedding and I realize – the deer are shedding this time of year and I’ve never skinned a deer at this time.  Try as we might, there’s hair everywhere until we can get it turned under as we work our way from the neck to the hind quarters.  The two of us skin the deer and I start to cut off the quarters, then the tenderloins, then the back strap.  I then cut through the neck and put the ribs and neck on the table.  I take the cordless reciprocating saw and cut off one rack of ribs, then the other, and then the neck roast.   Lance takes each piece and rinses it with the hose, and I notice the hair seems to rinse off alot easier than it does in the fall.   Lance fills clean buckets with the meat.  That’s all the processing we need to do.  He has elders salivating, he said, for the deer and all he has to do is deliver it as it.   That’s my kind of butchering. I take off my overalls and notice a spot of blood snuck on my shirt.  I put some water and soap on it, and put on a new shirt.  I’m back to work shortly after 10.  It’s a good day already.