I flew out to my cabin in Tenakee on a beautiful 70 degree spring day. The pilot and I were masked up and ready to go. Shortly after I arrived, turned on my well water and unpacked, I put together a light supper. I took my smoked salmon, red wine, garden salad and pasta out on the deck with my freshly picked daffodils. I added a few sprigs of salmon berry for greenery.
In the evening stillness there was only one sound. The distant blow of a solo humpback. I grabbed my binoculars and scanned the horizon. There was the spray hanging in the windless air. Suddenly a hummingbird buzzed, then stuck her long proboscis into the salmon berry blossom. She drew the nectar long and deep. Exhausted from the effort she rested on the rim of my wine glass. No kidding!! Just inches from my face.
Here are a few pictures of my first seventeen hours here. A minus 4 tide took me to Graveyard island and the intertidal wonders of spring. The ?leather sea stars? were abundant, (dermasterias imbricata). They took over when the mast wasting eliminated most of the sun stars and other species of sea stars. An exciting surprise was to see two martens chase each other along the rocks. It was as if they were playing hide and seek. Fortunately, they ran by enough times for me to focus my camera and capture a few shots.
Overhead, an eagle was clasping a salmon. As she began to eat her catch, the tearing and chewing were the only sounds for many minutes. While she dined, a sea lion swam by checking out the human on the beach. Then, right on cue, a humpback exhaled from afar, her breath blowing through all other sounds.
The tide turned and so did I. This time instead of hugging the shore, I was drawn to the forest edge. Song birds serenaded the day and a bright yellow Townsends warbler sang me to her.
The day ended with a bike ride through town. Today began with zoom yoga. Just now, my neighbor brought me a hunk of halibut. My Mother?s Day dinner is now complete. Missing my children, grand children and extended chosen family from Alaska to Australia.
love,
