I live and write on Lingít Aaní, and gratefully acknowledge the past, present and future caretakers of this beautiful place, the Jilkaat Kwaan and Jilkoot Kwaan.

Manic May

Yes, it is Manic May– one day feels like summer and the next day we are back in March.  The first cruise ship of the season surprised us all yesterday. It wasn’t meant for Haines, as it was supposed to dock in Skagway but it was too windy so they pulled in...

Sunday’s Thought: The Duty of Mothers

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’I remember my mother’s words...

A Big Thing to Consider

  This is what my husband said to my father on the phone: “Not much is new here. The weather is great. The kids are doing fine, and they found a murderer in our neighborhood.”    Make that an alleged murderer. Later I heard that the guy they were after may have...

Ride Your Bike Today

It’s ride your bicycle to school day, which meant we had a lot more company than normal as we pedaled in from the highway toward the Haines School this morning, usually we might see two other riders and very few vehicles, but today there were policemen,...

Golden Retriever Owners’ Problems

Maybe we should call it manic May? I mean, I wanted spring so badly that I was getting kind of depressed– okay, really grumpy actually. But when it suddenly arrived yesterday– late, but in a spectacular way– all shorebirds, sea lions, bears, wolves,...

Sunday Thought

Schools of little fish properly called eulachon or more often hooligans, have arrived, just as they have every Alaskan spring since time in memorial. Yet the date they show up, the length of the run, and even the strength of their numbers remains a mystery. Einstein...