July 16

Awoke to full sun and clear skies.  It is a little frosty this morning and the dew is thick on the grass.  We are in Cottonwood season.  Anchorage has already gone through it and we are getting it here now.  The view is like looking through a snow globe.  Tufts of white Cottonwood seeds float everywhere.  We slept very cool last night needing a blanket.  We even have a grandma patchwork quilt on the bed.  Lots of hot water for showers.  We are on a well and septic here.  The dogs aren’t out and about yet, maybe we can sneak away before they visit.  LOL.  Just saw Sarah and Jed’s house pics on Facebook.  What a lovely home and the yard is gorgeous.  Ready for many happy family gatherings.  Hint, hint!  Homer is like Sausalito of the north.  An active artist colony and crafts of all types, yet has much ocean influence in recreation and industry.  We are off this morning for adventures down the hill.  Dinner tonight across the Bay at very famous haute cuisine Saltry restaurant.  This will be our 6^th visit over there, always delicious.  Pat is eagerly anticipating their signature pickled salmon.  Ann just walked down the lane like she’s a young girl.  These people must be 80, they have two sons retiring, one from Coast Guard in New Jersey and the other from BP, slope worker.  A third son continues to work on the slope.  The two slope sons have houses on the property.  Our first stop is the Homer United Methodist Church rummage sale.  We find a few eclectic items and avoid more.  Stop off at the Homer Farmer’s Market down the road.  A collection of tents with Kombucha (sp) tea, it sounds gross to me so we avoid it.  The peony stall with every color imagined and lots of local grown veg, seafood, baked goods.  Meet a local woman who sews children’s things.  Find a cute drool bib for Dean that looks like a neckerchief with moose antlers and a stuffed gnome with a pointy hat.  Can’t resist the made on the spot rounds of deep fried fresh yeast dough rolled in cinnamon sugar and topped with rhubarb compote and walnut pieces.  But managed to resist the fried green tomato sliders, they looked most excellent.  An all female ‘band’ play awesome xylophone music on every size of instrument and a set of drums.   Stopped at Ptarmigan Arts, the second oldest local artist coop in the state.  Very beautiful works of art of all mediums.  One artist living across the Bay has to bring his glass across in a skiff and it’s incredible.  We decide to drive as far out along the coast as we can on East End Road.  We drive high along the cliffs to the end of the Bay where we see multiple big glaciers coming out of the Harding Ice Field across the Bay.  We are in full sun and the sky is blue with some cloud.  It makes taking pictures a bit difficult in this bright light.  We see the top part of Grewingk Glacier.  It is huge as it fills the valley.  Near the bottom we can see the glacier lake that has formed with calving and a river spilling out of it to the sea.  If the ice dam ever breaks that lake will cause quite a shock through the Bay.  We drive all the way out to the end of the paved road and enter wash board road that serves the Russian community.  These are the ‘old believers’ Russian orthodox and seem to be a little like the Amish in their separatist ways.  While the women wear long dresses like the Amish, unlike the Amish their’s are colorful and with lace and print.  Their heads are covered in brightly colored babushkas with lots of glitter and glitz. We did see some of them at the market this morning selling their veggies.  The road ends with a drop off a cliff so we decide it’s far enough.  We pass a pair of Sandhill cranes in a field, always a thrill.  It’s hard to describe the wild flowers, bright pink fireweed, white yarrow, Shasta Daisies, Cow Parsnips, white cotton crass are everywhere.  Stopped at the Pratt Museum back in Homer and visited the gift shop.  Found a few things that we liked.  On to the National Parks Alaska Islands and Oceans Visitor Center.  The displays are very nice and the facility is artfully done.  We listen to a presentation on the volcanoes that exist in this area, particularly those in the Aleutian Chain.  Find the wonderful handmade Alaska animal mobiles that we found in the past.  They are almost gone and not to be repeated so we buy swimming salmon and floating otters.  We drive out to the spit and right next to our car is a mile long flotilla of sea otters.  Hundreds of them, we have never seen such a thing!  Stop off at the Salty Dawg Saloon for a quick libation.  It’s a dark old log cabin with low ceilings.  People have left dollar bills tacked on every surface.  It’s a real class place; they sell thong underwear with their logo.  We go to the pier and board the Danny J. to cross the Bay.  We have done this a half dozen times in the past and it’s still a thrill to be on the water.  Today it is emerald green with big swells.  We pass by an otter, then a seal swims by and then a humpback whale surfaces, blows and then waves at us with its tail.  We enter the quiet Halibut Cove and it is as picturesque as any ocean spot in the world, with a few houses jutting out of the rocks and mountains looming behind.  On our last visit we were amazed by the devastation the spruce beetle had caused, looked like someone dropped a bomb.  But now the area is recovering fast with new growth.  We walk the floating ladder up to the Saltry restaurant.  We have come here a few times and the food is always excellent.  Some kayakers paddle in for a meal.  A couple boogey boarders paddle along.  We sit on the veranda overlooking the cove.  We start with a combo plate of veggie nori maki, shrimp poke with seaweed, halibut cerviche, smoked salmon spread with rice crackers, and pickled salmon.  A half dozen Katchemak oysters round it out.  Chuck has a cup of seafood chowder and Pat has frisee and arugula salad with champagne/pea snow vinaigrette and feta cubes.  The bread is a multigrain with sea salt.  Pat has grilled octopus with black rice and mango; Chuck has salmon three ways, one salmon is feeder salmon, very moist and mild with a side of chard.  A nice bottle of Oregon pinot gris is a good choice.  Pat has olive oil cake with rhubarb compote; Chuck has Callebut chocolate cheesecake.  We winch ourselves out of our seats and set off for the boardwalk.  We circle around the cove visiting a few small art shops and enjoying the beauty.  Time to return on the Danny J.  At least 3 humpback whales are blowing mist near us, one waves with his tail.  The water looks like quicksilver and the sun is getting low.  We walk the beach for a short time and then return to the cottage.  The moon is rising, it will be full in the next day or two.  Can’t figure out why we are so tired.  Brenna just sent pictures of Dean.  Can’t believe he has changed even more since we left.  Night Baby Dean, your grands are exhausted but thinking of you.