We have survived our first week of the summer without getting up at 5:00 a.m. to prepare for seminary. I'm usually out of bed by 6:30 a.m. but I really splurged one day and slept until 7:45 a.m.
Before driving the rest of the way to my fishing rock, I stopped to look back and take a picture of the four ships in the Juneau Harbor.
The two Doctrines of the Gospel lessons that I prepared for Institute this week were, The Creation, and The Fall. We didn't have a very big class this week. The cruise ships are coming in at the rate of 4 and 5 each day. When each one brings 2000 tourists that need to be entertained while they are in Juneau, anywhere from 6 to 11 hours, our bus driver YSA members end up working late. They are busily helping to shuffle each of these tourists to the many tourist attractions that are here. The ones that came were very involved in the discussion, and that makes for a good lesson.
The Adult Gospel Discussion Group was centered on the first 8 Chapters of Acts. What a great lesson that turned out to be. Peter takes hold of the reigns and leads the church. Jews and Gentiles join the newly organized Christian church literally by the thousands. The Quorum of the Seventy is organized and Stephen becomes a martyr for the cause. Peter and John perform miracles in the streets which causes great concern to flow through the halls of the Sanhedrin. They are given stripes to discourage them from creating further disturbances in Jerusalem. I have suspected that as the summer season came, we would probably not have anyone come. But they are still coming and our numbers are holding steady at 10 to 12 each week.
This is Downtown Juneau, Alaska on a partly cloudy day. The shot is across the Gastineau Channel and looking back to the East.
The Missionary Prep class was held again this Sunday. We had two young ladies attend. Our oldest of the two just returned from her second year of school at BYU Provo. Her application is filled out and she is excited to get that Stake President's interview. The younger of the two has just graduated. Emilyanne will be spending the next 3 weeks touring the Eastern United States with her younger brother and a Russian foreign exchange student that has stayed in their home during the school year. Emilyanne is young to look at, but mature in her understanding of the gospel. She says she will start the paper work for her mission when she returns from the East Coast. Our twins, Josh and Villi are having a hard time working Missionary Prep into their schedules. The church had a nice article about them and their football in the Era recently.
After the missionary prep class we went into the cultural hall to have our Break the Fast meal. It's a pot luck where everyone contributes to make it a success. We had a great variety of cookies and salads, casseroles and soups. Bro. Richard Welling spent the night mixing up fruit smoothies with berries, ice and yogurt. That was a hit. After everyone had their fill a lot of the summer workers quickly exited opting not to stay for the small fireside we had prepared. We did have about 18 stay and participate in a great discussion. I read a talk by Elder Marvin J. Ashton from the April 1981 General Conference of the Church. It is titled "We Serve That Which We Love." After that wonderfully written talk I got the YSA going on the talks relevance in their lives today. It is fun to have these wonderful insights by all of these returned missionaries.
The tide was low when I arrived to try my hand at some shore fishing. The rocks were covered in barnacles and mussels.
We have had a bit of free time to fill in since seminary has taken the summer hiatus. I have been doing some things on Ancestry.com and checking with Family Search. Diane actually gets in and does a little research. She's good and she is patient with it. When I get a bit discouraged with PAF family lines not looking like those from my pedigree lines on Family Search, I close it down and open up the Indexing Site and I will do a batch or two each day.
Today the sun almost came out. It was partly cloudy and in the low 50s so I pulled out my missionary fishing starter kit and drove out to the far side of Douglas Island. I walked through a most beautiful boggy area which had sturdy, well structured planks laid out by the forest service for easy walking. I was so anxious to cast my carefully selected lures out into the ocean from the shore my heart was just racing in anticipation. I cautiously walked to the edge of the water and climbed up on some protruding rocks that were covered in mussels and other shelled sea life. I cast that silver spoon with the pinkish orange oval in the center out as far as I could; that was about 110-125 feet and I excitedly reeled it back towards me. I had it half way back home and BAM. I could not believe it. I had a fish on. I had attracted a fish on my very first cast. I instantly realized that I didn't have the drag set at all and the line was sailing off of my reel. I finally got it screwed down a bit and I had a fight on my hands for about 30 seconds before I lost it. I did get to see it though. It was nothing like a strike in the Rocky Mountains. This thing hit like it was made of steel and was in the neighborhood of about 20 inches I'm guessing. I did actually get to see it break the surface a couple of times. (So if you would like to, and if it will make you feel better, you may subtract any number of inches off of my estimate you would care to.) I quickly realized that I hadn't let it wear itself out at all and I had it at my knees way too soon. So I lost it.
This was the area to the right of where I was fishing. The shot is looking to the north.
My heart was thumping. This is the greatest thing for a fisherman, to feel power like that on the end of a casting rod. I threw the spoon out the same distance three more times. While reeling the lure back home I saw this fish off to my right. It was about 60 feet out, and had jump out on the surface of the water. In my mind I was thinking that the next cast would be in that direction. I didn't even have to wait for the next cast. I saw that thing glide like a torpedo towards my lure and suddenly it was hooked. I played him back and forth, in and out for 10-13 minutes. I even got it very close to my boots. But I had no way to get this fish over the edge and into my hands. I was kicking myself for not having brought a net. As I gave this king salmon my best imitation of getting a trout out of the water, he found new life and was back out to sea for a few more minutes of frolic and thrashing on the surface. I did lose him as well. I never had another hit the two hours I was out there. It came too easy, and too fast. However, I was thrilled to have had the experience of a King Salmon to fight with for the amount of time we did tug at each other. I don't know how long, or how heavy he was. I do know he was over two feet long and maybe as much as 30 inches. I just know I can't wait to get out there again. (Again, please feel free to insert the number of inches you feel probably should be in that position.)
Now my purpose in relating this adventure was to get my boys excited about coming up to try their hand at some Alaskan fishing. I still can't say I've caught an Alaskan salmon, but the experience was priceless.
We did have a couple of adult brown bears wander by the Relief Society windows during Relief Society on Sunday last. There was a time out while the ladies grabbed for their phones and took pictures of them.
I just love Alaska.
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