The Evening Grizzly Show

Polite conversation typically involves steady eye contact between participants… except when you’re at anchor in an active wildlife area. Then it is (or should be) accepted practice to frequently scan the water and shore for signs of activity. Last night, gazing only into each other’s eyes, we might have missed this gorgeous grizzly work his way along the shore. He moved quickly from one grassy patch to the next, pausing occasionally along the way to poke around rocks uncovered by the falling tide. Looking for crab perhaps? A beaten-down path above the high tide line gave evidence of frequent travel over the same route. Grizzlies are omnivores, gaining most of their nutrients from grasses at this time of year, and this bear appeared to be an efficient mowing machine. His lush coat and overall plumpness indicated a healthy appetite and a plentiful supply of greens. 

Photo safety note: my long lens makes the bear and the skiff look a lot closer than they actually were.  

It was late in the evening and low light levels plus the motion of the boat and the distance to shore presented some photography challenges. There was no time to waste with this photo op; RL threw on his rain jacket, grabbed a camera and fired up the dinghy to motor closer to the bear. I remained on board Rhapsody, comfortable in my robe and slippers, and enjoyed an hour of bug-free viewing through binoculars, darting outside of the pilothouse occasionally to grab an occasional long-distance shot of the Capt. and the bear. RL’s closeups are much more impressive!

The First Salmon of the 2014 Trip

Nothing, absolutely nothing, can rival the taste of the year’s first, just-caught-the-same-day, grilled salmon, cooked to perfection and basted with the “secret sauce”. It might have tasted all the more delicious for us having been skunked on a couple of fishing outings earlier in the month. I had grown cranky about fishing and not catching, so late one rainy morning the Capt. set out solo, armed with a positive attitude and hot cup of coffee. The bite was on. He hooked a fish in the first hour and returned with a big, beautiful bright king salmon. We don’t have a scale onboard, so stating a weight would only be a guestimate, but that beauty was 31.5 inches long, almost 8 inches from back to belly and 4 inches thick. Oh my, that’s a lot of good eats!

RL was super busy that day; catching the fish, cleaning the fish, cleaning up the skiff, cleaning the fish-cleaning station, grilling a small, thick chunk from one fillet, and finally cleaning up the grill. The man grinned through it all. Me? I prepared a small tail section for lox, and then later that day was an appreciative audience/dinner companion. (I won – he grilled another chunk of salmon the next day.)

(Sorry Mike, you left a few days too soon and missed a couple of great dinners.)

Sea Otters keep their distance

Do sea otters know the exact distance at which my Canon requires a tripod to insure good focus? Those cautious little critters with their cute, whiskery, grandpa-like faces manage to keep just far enough away from the boat to be out of range for a quick handheld shot. When the otters have occasionally swum close to the boat, they immediately roll over and disappear underwater at the slightest noise or even a hint of motion on my part. Drat! I’d forgive them for eating all of the crab in the bay if they would just drop by for a closeup.

Kalinin appears to be a summer residence for two pair of otters, a mother and youngster duo as well as an adult pair. Here’s a glimpse of one of our elusive neighbors, my latest otter-at-a-distance photos.