May 17

Evening again. Dinner is over and the guys are out hunting. Last night was pretty exciting for the one hunter, Mark. They anchored their skiff and walked up the beach and found a bear party! There was several bears and of course the one Mark wanted, no rub, nice size and a male, everything was just right for the trophy shot. UNTIL, a sow interrupted the shot and started walking towards the hunter. That's right, a female bear saved the male from becoming a rug. Mark and Brad said the sow walked within 20 feet of them, turned her head towards them and just kept walking. And the boar, turned and went the other way much to Mark's frustration. But they were pretty pumped so both boats are going that way tonight. We'll see how they do. I'm on the top deck again, tank top and shorts. I kid you not people, if the weather was always like this, I'd move up here. But, I've been told by the Alaskan's that it's not always like this and don't expect it from one day to the next. But I do, cuz that's what I've been enjoying. Got my first close up bear pictures today. She was on the beach and we drifted by close enough to get pictures. She has a rope around her neck, no one knows why though. Alaska Wildlife is going to tranquilize her and get the rope off of her, they just have to keep track of her. She traveled quite a distance last night, she was out at Mark's bear party last night and this morning she was fairly close to our boat. Kind of stayed on the same beach most of the day. Feel bad for her, they think the rope is cutting into her neck and will eventually strangle her if they don't remove it. I'm hearing lots of animal sounds and have no idea what some of them are. Can't even begin to describe them, sorry. We are in a bay that has an old cannery at the end. It was the last working Sitka cannery but shut down in the early 70's. It's now owned by a group of lawyers that supposedly want to build a fishing lodge. Some of the buildings are falling down onto the beach and others have been refurbished. Looks like there are caretakers that live there, hard to believe. They are out here miles from civilization. Not for me thank you very much. If there isn't a Baskin Robbins within driving distance, count me out! Good old chocolate chip, yumm, I miss that. We've been eating way too many carbs but those are some of the things that give the hunters fuel, yeah, I know, I'm not one of the hunters, but when in Rome.... :-). So today is Sunday and Byron gets here Weds night. oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. Hope the weather stays nice cuz we can sit up here in the evenings and just enjoy the view. My poor little feet need some lotion too.