What a freakin’ saga getting 22 hand-made baskets from
the interior of Sierra Leone to the coast so they can
be mailed to us. We sent money for the baskets to be
shipped last Feb., but could not contact the person to
let them know the money was waiting for them and to
give them the refenence number for getting the money
out (via Money Gram).

Finally, one of the brothers of our friends there
returned from college in Ghana, went to Kono, got the
baskets, and returned with them to Freetown, where he
shipped them. I am able to intermittenly contact him
by email, which is such an advancement in technology
over even cellphones. He gave me a quote for sending
the baskets, and I sent him the money to do it. He
had a miscommunication with his brother who got the
quotes, and only got a quote for shipping half the
baskets! Luckily, I’d added money in for him for his
lorry ride to Kono and back and for his assistance,
and this covered the basket shipping.

The Post Office there said it would be here in 2 weeks
– 2 weeks?!? I’ll believe that when I see it. I’ll
believe we’ll even GET the baskets, period, when I see
it! Anyway, we’ll hopefully get them in time for
Christmas so we can sell them again with our friends,
and maybe even get a system worked out for the future.
It’s amazing how fast part of the world is moving,
and yet how slow other parts are in just trying to
keep up to stay behind.

I remember having an arguement when I took a job in
the S. Carolina bible belt. My contention that the
world of religious politics was stupid because 99% of
people don’t choose their religion any more than their
skin color- your religion is determined by who you
were born to, and little else, so why do we fight over
which one is “right”. Likewise, we like to tout
ourselves in the U.S. as somehow deserving of the
prosperity and standard of living we’ve “earned”, when
really, 99% of that, too, is determined by where we’re
born.

If I was born in Sierra Leone, it’s a fat chance I
could ever achieve even a semblence of our standard of
living we enjoy here in Alaska. If I worked twice as
hard, all the money I made would have no value outside
of my country (maybe I could use it in Guinea or
Liberia, but that’s it. You can change dollars to
Leones, but not Leones to dollars – no one wants
them). Then, as MONTHLY inflation is in the double
digits, I’d need to spend my money as fast as I could
and turn it into some sort of goods because my 10
dollars this month would be worth only 9 dollars next
month and 8 dollars the month after. You can’t save
for “retirement” or a “rainy day”. It’s always
pouring rain! Every dollar you earn is worth a
fraction of today’s worth tomorrow, so saving it is
the worst thing you can do. No one will sell you a
stock or bond with a leone. So, you do the best you
can, you live for today, and have as many kids as you
can because they – and not savings or assets – will
see you through your old age.

Here in the states, we like to think of ourselves as
somehow worthy of all we think we need to be happy by
buying ever growing consumables, but really, it’s just
the luck of the cosmic draw that are even able to
concieve of the properity we don’t appreciate here,
and “luck” that, unless you’ve been there, you aren’t
burdened by the first-hand knowledge of what’s it like
not to have been born here.

–
Mark Stopha and Sara Hannan
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
Wild Salmon and Salmon Pet Treats
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com

My hometown team lost in the state semi-finals to
Walton, a team who recently dropped to our smallest
school class (D) due to declining enrollment, and who
were appartently a power house in C class, sending 4
kids from a team to Div. I football programs –
something our school has only done once that I know
of!
I saw their fullback in the only photo I saw of the
game, and he already looked like he was in college!

The kids lost 48-0, so it could not have been pretty.
However, after all their success, our team won the
sportsmanship award out of about 30 teams in our area.
If only you could bottle that. Good sportsmanship
and championship teams don’t usually go together. I
don’t think anyone accused the Red Sox of the best
sportsmanship. It’s good to see coaches willing to
work in such a small town as Bolivar, NY and who can
take kids this far but apparently helping them to see
that how they act is as important as winning.

–
Mark Stopha and Sara Hannan
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
Wild Salmon and Salmon Pet Treats
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com

http://www.adn.com/news/politics/fbi/young/story/9478531p-9389565c.html

Read this article for some insight as to how you get
things done in Alaska processing. Our business was
just about put out of business last year by our state
DEC regulators, who simply chose not to address the
needs of our company- with clear statutory ability to
to so – because they could. Independent businesses
like ours, without the money to influence the process,
have little hope when it comes to political
assistance. Had some issue come up with Trident or
Yardarm Knot similar to ours, you can bet your bottom
dollar the issue would have been resolved by week’s
end, and not simply refused.

Even now, when I see state legislative aide friends of
mine, they ask “how it all worked out with DEC”. They
appear shocked when I tell them nothing happened – and
it about did us in. They nor their bosses really want
to take on an issue of a sole businessman trying to do
what the state has supposedly been promoting. My wife
and I are only 2 votes, and they may not get any good
press from assisting one little businessman through a
regulatory minefield.

–
Mark Stopha and Sara Hannan
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
Wild Salmon and Salmon Pet Treats
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com

Looks like the only deer I’ll get this year will be
via bribe or just love from my neice in Craig. I’ve
only seen one deer all season, and my hunting
companions have yet to see even one. I saw 2 sets of
bones from what looked like yearling deer in the woods
on Wed. My partner said he heard there may have been
up to 90% winter mortality last year, and it sure
looks like it.

There must have been a line south of here where there
was little snow, because I’ve heard many good reports.
The best from my 13 year old niece, who took 4 deer
(and her dad 2 deer) about a week ago hunting near
Craig. He had to go back the next day to retrieve
some of the deer he hung in trees. He took a friend
to help. My brother in law ended up running into into
another 4 point, and his friend into his own deer, so
he had less help and even more deer to get to the
beach. So it goes. I’m really itching to get down to
Prince of Wales, but have already burned up enough
time and money, and the freezer is pretty full with my
elk share from Afognak. Time to work more on crab and
garage cleaning, I guess.

–
Mark Stopha and Sara Hannan
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
Wild Salmon and Salmon Pet Treats
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com

There are days when I really miss my hometown of
Bolivar, NY, nestled in the foothills of the Allegany
Mountains in western NY state. Today is one of them.
Our football team won it’s first Sectional title
today, and they have a chance to move on to a state
title. Our town is about 1000 people, and about a
decade ago, we merged with adjoining town of Richburg,
which is smaller than Bolivar. My graduating class
was 44 and the Richburg class was 18, so I suspect the
merged school graduates maybe 60 kids now.

The players last names are much the same as they were
when I was growing up. Tompkins, Konert, Miller, and
Lounsberry. Too bad no Stopha’s anymore. Like most
rural NY towns, there’s only enough work for a few to
stay in town. The rest move away. But I hope for
most of us, we never have to leave, at least in our
mind.

Bolivar is much the same now as it was 25 years ago
when I moved away. One stop light, and about a 2:1
ratio of churches to bars. Friday night is game night
– football, basketball, wrestling or baseball –
depending on the season. Away games are a reason to
get out of town for most, not a reason not to go. I’m
sure the last names in Belmont, Scio and Cuba are much
the same as when I was there.

Bolivar was the definition of hick to my freshman
classmates at St. John Fisher College in Rochester.
We all ventured there one fall day in my roommates old
chevy van. As soon as we all walked in the door
unannounced, mom and dad ran to the local grocery
store, bought food, and started cooking. Most of my
friends had never been to such a rural place other
than in passing, and they still talk about that trip.

Winning the title will mean a parade, complete with
the lone fire truck and the lone police car, if I’m
guessing right. The whole town was up at the game
anyway, but it won’t be complete without more
celebrating when they drive the 2 hours back from
Rochester to town. The bars will be packed tonight,
probably talking about the last undefeated season back
in the early 1970’s, when local hero Bob Torrey was
the fullback. He went on to play at Penn State and 3
years in the pros – NY Giants and Dolphins. Not sure
if any of the current class have the potential to go
to a big college for football. Those kind of athletes
only come along about once every 2 generations or so
in our parts. Most kids are in every sport in order
to field teams and because that’s how rural
communities work – everyone does everything. If you
aren’t on the team, you’re a cheerleader or in pep
band or at the game one way or another. I hope we
haven’t lost part of our town to video games and cable
tv.

This is a day I’d rather be in Bolivar in person.
Luckily, it’s a place I’ve never really had to leave.

–
Mark Stopha and Sara Hannan
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
Wild Salmon and Salmon Pet Treats
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com

Went hunting on Monday 102607 on Admiralty Island. It
was pouring rain, and blowing pretty good. I found a
decent place to anchor-out the boat, and headed into
the woods. I didn’t see so much as squirrel all day.
It should be rut time for the deer, but no response to
calling. I worked my way up to the base of the ridge
before I saw any deer sign. The ridge had fog and/or
mist 3/4 of the way down it, so that didn’t look
promising. I walked through the muskegs at the base
of the ridge for awhile and nothing. I thought maybe
a deer would come out in the rain because they may be
rutting, but no luck.

Tuesday it stormed harder than Monday, so I stayed put
in the cabin, but by Wed, it had blown through, and so
seas calmed enough to make it home. I pulled the crab
pot, and the bio-twine had broken and the lid was
open. I tossed back the lone crab still in the pot,
put new twine on, and the pot back to fish.

–
Mark Stopha and Sara Hannan
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
Wild Salmon and Salmon Pet Treats
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com