Post 7-5-2014 Anchorage Market and Salmon Watching

Post 7-5-2014 Anchorage Market and Salmon Watching

Today we decided to go back to the market place to get some things we wanted and see what else we might want. We did find what we were looking for and we bought a carved moose antler that is just beautiful. It will look great in the cabinet with all the Llardro  and special souvenirs we have collected. Later we wanted to go back to the hatchery and watch the King Salmon that come back there for spawning. I hope the pictures come out OK and you can see them.

This is Sophie, an Athabaskan, and Rogene, an Alaska resident, who worked one of the booths.  They sold Nita a special Christmas ornament. It was made by Rogene's husband with the glacier clay.  The clay has a high iron content and when fired, it creates beautiful brown, rusty markings. Then Rogene's uncle paints a pen and ink picture on the bulb and it is fired again.   I'm holding one.

Jane and Chad joined us at lunch. The picnic style  tables sit six and there is a crowd waiting to get a place to sit so they joined us. They both are flight attendants for Alaska Airlines and are temporarily stationed in Anchorage. Jane said she has a husband and three children, ages 22, 20 and 19 in Portland, OR. She has been with the airlines for most of those years.  We didn't ask her age but she had to have been about 12 when she married.  LOL She was very friendly and outgoing and it was a real pleasure talking with her. They agreed to allow us to post the photo on the blog.  Chad didn't really say much. He was quiet and  a passive listener. But, it's my fault as well. I didn't ask him any questions. Maybe next time we are here we'll see them again and I will bulldoze him.

There was some entertainment going on as well. this young lady was performing native dances. She was at the Heritage Center performing the day we were there. Apparently she likes making a little extra money dancing there on weekends. Native dances are usually just movement of arms and hands due to the small community areas in the villages.  Each dance tells a story, for example, their culture, fishing, sealing and spearing walrus'es, etc. Although, one story was about nothing, nothing at all.    

Coin collector for the dancer.

This is Inga. she is from Russia and has been a resident for twenty years. She imports Russian creations and also goes back home to visit and select new wares to sell. She was a really nice person, but hard to understand at times. It's my hearing, I know, so don't remind me, OK?. We did buy something for someone.

We stopped and bought one of these carved moose antlers to put in our showcase. Our 1st Anniversary gift to ourselves.

The pictures don't show much. When they're enlarged they look better. We'll just have to do better next time

Back to the Fish Hatchery viewing area by Ship Creek.  We've been there 3 or 4 times now.

The salmon can't swim up the waterfall but they find the trap and swim up it and land in this tank where they are sorted.  Some are put back in the creek for the fishermen and most of the females are sorted as to what kind and their eggs make a new generation.

                                             fish, fish, fish

Tomorrow we plan to go down the peninsula toward Kenai