At the Food Policy Conference: Neighborhood to Nation in Portland

I'm in Portland, Oregon, attending the Neighborhood to Nation Food Policy Conference, sponsored by the Community Food Security Coalition. A few Alaskans are here: Bob Mikol (TA for Craig Gerlach's Comparative Farming and Sustainable Food Systems class, among other things), Danny Consenstein (Alaska Farm Service Agency), Alli Harvey (with the Alaska Center for the Environment's Local Food project), Diane Peck (Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Obesity Prevention and Chronic Disease Prevention), Rachel Garcia (intern with the Alaska Community Agriculture Association), Eleanor Wirts (UAF RAP grad student and musher), Johanna Herron (Alaska Farm to School), Mark Carper (UAA and the Alaska Food Policy Council), Kelsey Bearden (fellow student from Comparative Farming), Lisa Sadler-Hart (Sitka Local Foods Network), and myself (UAF School of Natural Resources & Agricultural Sciences, Ester Republic reporter and publisher, librarian, gardener, AK Food Policy Council member, Ester Community Association member, et cetera). I'm down here in large measure because of Gerlach, SNRAS dean Carol Lewis, and Diane Peck. There were others from Alaska, too (Danielle Giles, Nikos Pastos, and Ryan Zinn, but I didn't meet them--Zinn was a presenter, from the Fair World Project).

And I'm having a blast. This is a great group of people, a good 640 strong, from 46 states and DC, plus Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec. I attended a short course (Food Policy Advocacy 101) this morning and the plenary gathering this afternoon. The plenary speakers were great, talking about poverty, food deserts, exploited food service and other food industry workers (did you know that the federal minimum wage is only $2.13 an hour? ridiculous!), community gardens, community organizing. Talk about inspiring people.

After the plenary session, we broke out into networking groups, and Eleanor and I went with the Canadians while the rest of the Alaskans networked with the Northwest region. THAT was interesting. We told them we were crashing their party, and they accepted us with good grace and not a few jokes ("I can see Alaska from my house!"). The stereotype of the polite Canadian was not actually blown, despite a not-very-serious attempt to dispel it ("Fuck off!" from one speaker and apparently frequent Facebook poster (not sure if this was a joke, actually) at an opportune and humorous moment of self-teasing about being all polite--I guess you had to be there, but the whole group laughed). There was much emphasis on relationships between people, talking about developing mutual trust and respect between food producers and others in the food system. I was struck by the quiet, polite, and respectful discourse, along with the deep level of political savvy and pronounced opinon concerning the recent majority government positioning of Steven Harper and his party in the Canadian federal government. Very different in approach and delivery than US types, but lots of zing and pow (quite politely phrased, though)!

I've met a lot of fascinating people with great projects and amazing accomplishments. One man, Raymond Figueroa, from New York City, is working with a community gardening project (Friends of Brook Park) taking on abandoned spaces and turning them into a way to give locals control over their food and a way to make a difference in their own lives, to bring dignity back.

Pink sauerkraut

We make sauerkraut every year, anywhere from two to six gallons' worth. Last year, we tried making it with some of the tougher, greener leaves from the outer portions of cabbages. It worked, but the sauerkraut was a little chewy. Still, it was flavorful and good. This year, using the lovely five-gallon ceramic crock that my parents gave us, we made another batch, but for the first time, we used purple cabbage as well as the regular pale green stuff. The result? Pink sauerkraut.

We decanted it last night, scooping off the bits of mold and bacterial colonies that had developed on the surface of the very salty water, scraping off the top bit of the sauerkraut just to be safe, and then Hans rinsed it and I stuffed it into a bunch of 12-ounce jars. Hans added water to some, red wine to others, and to a couple rice wine vinegar. Quite tasty. Photo to come.

I really love having food to put by for the winter from our garden.

Music weekend! Build a library with a song

I have been practicing my ukulele like crazy the last week. Well, I should have been practicing like crazy, since the Banana Girls Marching Ukulele Band has a gig this Saturday, but in point of fact I have only been practicing like crazy for the last two nights. They're mostly songs I know, so I should be okay. Last night I confused myself a little by going back to my baritone. I quickly returned to my lovely concert uke—trouble at the festival if I forget which instrument I'm playing!

The Ester library is having its fifth music festival on Saturday (that's August 21st, all you music lovers, from 2 till who knows when—the BGs are appearing at 3 pm at Hartung Hall). I'm planning on making a pie for the pie contest, too.

The library has consumed an increasing amount of my time. I have to say, it's wonderful. Makes me feel like I'm doing something not only useful, but worthwhile in a lasting sense. Years from now, decades from now, the organizing that the library board is doing will have tangible results. There will be a building, an actual library that people in Ester can walk or bike to. It will have art on its walls, its grounds, in its very structure, that is made by Ester artists. The collections will have all kinds of information about Ester, and, because Ester residents have donated the books and movies and puzzles and games that are on its shelves, it will be particularly suited to the interests of the local populace.

Volunteers have come out of the woodwork to help on the library. Sometimes, I must admit, I feel quite grumpy about lack of help on this or that project, but when I sit back and think about it, really a lot of people do come to the various events and work parties and whatnot. Organizing records and volunteers is a lot of work in itself, but when people work on a project together, it creates a real sense of ownership and pride. It builds community, and something like a library is an amazing thing that will give back to the village, and keep on giving.

Volunteering is on the rise, fortunately:

Both the number of volunteers and the volunteer rate rose over the year ended in September 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. About 63.4 million people, or 26.8 percent of the population, volunteered through or for an organization at least once between September 2008 and September 2009. In 2008, the volunteer rate was 26.4 percent.

I think this is true in Ester, too, where community participation has always been high, but lately seems to be increasing.

Monique Musick came up with a beautiful phrase that fits the LiBerry Music Festival perfectly: "Build a library with a song." And that's what every one of the musicians playing this Saturday are doing: they are volunteering their time and skill to help build a library. Everyone who comes and donates at the door or enters a pie or bids on a judgeship or a pie is helping to build their community library.

And it'll be FUN!

Ye Olde Independence Day Celebration and Hoo-Roar

Yes,it's that time of year again. The annual 4th of July parade & picnic is about to deluge Ester with gazillions of people who aren't into the militaristic display at Pioneer Park or the (now not-happening) Fairbanks parade. Folks who like a bit of political and social satire (well, okay, a LOT of satire) with their floats come out to Our Fair Republic for a lot of beverage-through-the-nose-snorting fun on Independence Day here where Progress Is Our Least Important Product. For those unsuspecting innocents who don't realize that off-color and politically incorrect silliness is the usual fare at this event, consider yourselves forewarned.

After the parade comes the Park Picnic, put on by the Ester Community Association. A large roast beast (usually a pig) is served up to the public, purchased and cooked by the Ester Volunteer Firefighters' Auxiliary, along with the usual hot dogs, potato salad, watermelon, et cetera, from the ECA. Be prepared to bring a large side dish full o' your most succulent potluck food, and to shell out a donation. The money raised at this event (also known as Organized Eating and Fun & Games) is used to help Ester firefighters in the aftermath of a fire, keep the park ship-shape, and pay for all that food and beverage and flatware provided to the public.

Details: parade check-in (for participants) 11 am, Main Street & Ester Loop. Kids on bikes should wear a (preferably wildly decorated) helmet. Getcher paper plate when you sign in so the judges can tell who you are so's to give you a Fabulous Award. Don't forget to bribe the judges early, well, and often.

The parade starts at noon for all you Designated Spectators, and the picnic starts after the parade reaches the park. Be prepared for Silly Games and Water Sports (willing or non).

Rumor has it that the Red Hackle Bagpipe Band will be back and in surprising costume. The Banana Girls will return but may not be as organized as last year. There is also a rumor that actual Republican candidates will walk this year. Let's hope they're not as serious as the Democrats have been. Other than that, the Publisher has no word of the contents of aforementioned parade.

See you there!

Back into the fray

Well, it's been almost two months since I last wrote here. Things have been happening to a ferocious degree, and I have become so busy that writing on my blog has been low on the list of priorities.

Lessee, here:

LALLAPALOOZA 2010: this one's been taking up a LOT of my time. The 6th Annual John Trigg Ester Library Lallapalooza & Book Bash is taking place this Sunday, February 28, from 1 to 5:30 pm at the Annex gallery, 2922 Parks Highway. For those of you who've never participated or helped out with it, it involves a large amount of preparation. The whole point of the event is to raise money to keep the current library going, but more important, to sock some away to construct the new building. We started them in 2004, and I started writing about them here when we had the 2nd one. While I was away in Hawai'i (see below) I was hoping that other folks on the board would take care of more of the details than they did, but oh, well. Kate Billington and Jan Roberts (neither of whom are on the board) got going on the auction items, though, and there are definitely going to be some cool things at the Librarypalooza. We've got some beautiful artwork so far.

UKE CAMP: Melinda Harris, Greta Burkart, Cris Fisher and I went to O'ahu where we took ukulele lessons, visited ukulele factories, hung out on the beach, snorkeled, and ate lots of fresh fruit. It was fabulous, and I've decided I like a lot of water in my life. I fixed up an ugly fake woodgrain bathroom vanity for Peter & Mom (we stayed at their house on Koko Head) with a much nicer turtle motif, and swam in the pool every morning. I bought a lovely Kanile'a concert ukulele.







UKULELE LESSONS & JAMS: I've also been participating in the weekend jams at Hartung Hall and the Golden Eagle on Sundays, and I've been taking ukulele lessons from Russ Copelin. I haven't been practicing much lately, what with all the other things going on, and I am suffering a serious uke jones....

INSIDE, OUTSIDE, MORNINGSIDE: Marjorie's book arrived from the printer while I was in Hawai'i, but Hans and Leah Hill (my marketing maven) delivered some to Gulliver's and to Pat Lambert. I took care of some more orders when I got back and have been working on the review copies and the other publicity for the book since.

And, last but not least, the FEBRUARY REPUBLIC: it finally got to the printer on Monday, and Hans is delivering it today. Actually, I suppose I should count the JANUARY ESTER REPUBLIC also, since I was madly trying to get that out the door before I left. Both issues were late, February's especially so.

So that's what I've been up to, and that doesn't even count my bill-paying job.

Whoosh! gone to the printer like a boîte de Banania!

The April issue of the Republic has gone to the printer and the PDF edition has gone to the various subscribers who get it that way. Whew. Hard-copy subscriptions to go out this weekend, probably. Here's the cover, in the meantime, for those of you who like a sneak peek:

The cover photo was taken by Leah M. Hill, of some assemblage/found art on her sister Hannah's house. I love that Banania drink poster. Cheerful, unadulterated pop racist culture in a handy, well-designed and branded package…French, colonialist identification of Senegalese blacks, with an evident parallel in Aunt Jemima and maple syrup. Alain Mabancko, novelist and poet, has an interesting entry about it on his (old) blog (in French, note) with 55 comments. The drink is made from cocoa, banana flour, sugar, grain, and honey, and mixed with milk. The French Wikipedia entry on it has more extensive history and commentary, with some great links to art, games, and the company site.

The placement of the poster within the various empty frames makes this a rather interesting piece. Great social commentary...

The definition of community

According to Webster's New Collegiate:

community: 1 : a : a unified body of individuals: as a : STATE, COMMONWEALTH b : the people with common interests living in a particular area; broadly the area itself c : an interacting population of various kinds of individuals (as species) in a common location d : a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society.

Note the repeated emphasis on a group of people living in a specific geographic location. The definition goes on, of course, with more variations on this first definition of the term, and other definitions including "society at large" and "joint ownership or participation." Still, the main definition of community involves these two key elements: a group of people and a location.

Readers of this blog and/or of my newspaper may have caught on by now that I am a big fan of local agriculture. Particularly small-scale, organic, gardening-type smallholder agriculture. This has developed over the last several years (although my mother instilled in me a love of gardening from way back) in large part due to the work of the people at Calypso Farm & Ecology Center. I'd not heard of the community supported agriculture concept before 2000, when the farm was established, although I had discovered things like Findhorn back when I was 21 and the concept of organic and heirloom seeds from Seeds of Change and other like-minded seed companies back when I was living in Seattle.

So it rather fries my editorial oats when I read things like this article on Full Circle Farm's subscription service to Alaska communities, in which the author describes Full Circle as a CSA:

The shipment is part of the Full Circle Farm’s community-supported agriculture program, or CSA, which mails fruits and vegetables from the Washington farm directly to Alaska residents. Unlike traditional farms, which sell their produce by weight to grocery stores, CSAs are supported by consumers who essentially buy into the farm itself. Instead of paying for five apples and a head of lettuce, for example, consumers pay a flat rate for a weekly box, or share, of whatever the farm has produced.

The article goes on to describe Glacier Valley Farm as a CSA and other, long-established CSAs as "new":

By all accounts there is a kind of movement gathering, with new CSA farms popping up in the Anchorage, Fairbanks and Mat-Su areas. These farms are earning popularity among Alaska “locavores,” people who want to eat produce that is grown in their area because they believe it’s healthier or more sustainable than the produce shipped long distances. While Glacier Valley Farm is completely Alaska grown in the summer, in the winter they fortify their local carrots, potatoes, onions and rutabagas with organic fruits and vegetables from outside the state.

Let's get this straight: Full Circle Farm is NOT a CSA, not in Alaska. What Glacier Valley does is based in Alaska, but they are also a subscription service, at least to the Bush, and in winter.

The problem of lack of affordable fresh food in the villages is directly related to the lack of farms there. And, of course, winter. And it's a serious problem, but one that is, for each village, a microcosmic example of the situation that the entire state of Alaska is in. Hell, we ship in 95% or so of our food! That is in no way sustainable or good for the local economy. Sending money Outside for food, even fresh, organic food, is still sending money Outside.

Still, the author is correct: new farms are getting started, and new CSA programs associated with them. Older farms/gardens are beginning to adopt the CSA model. Smaller communities outside traditional Alaska farming regions are developing CSAs. For example, Twitter Creek Gardens in Homer, Jewell Gardens in Skagway, Meyers Farm in Bethel. Even the oldest Alaska CSAs are less than ten years old. But Full Circle is new to Alaska too. As the News-Miner says:

Community Supported Agriculture, commonly called CSA is relatively new to the Tanana Valley. It is a partnership between a local farm and a community of shareholders who buy in for a bounty of fresh vegetables delivered weekly over the summer months.

It's actually really wonderful to see all these news stories and opinion pieces about local agriculture. But I think it is important to keep the distinction clear between local agriculture and import agriculture. Describing the latter as though it is community supported is just plain incorrect.

The Threat Level is Orange

Hans is driving down from Fairbanks to fetch me; he called this morning from Cantwell, where there was an extraordinary amount of background noise. Normally when we go through Cantwell on our way to and from the Alaska Press Club conference, we gas up at Cantwell, and it's dead quiet. (There was one exception, when a blizzard had created near-whiteout conditions. That was the time we got mooned by some impatient immortals.) This year, however, there's apparently some sort of snowmachine happening, and the place that Hans called from had all kinds of laughter and conversation and bustle in the background.

There's a peek of sunshine coming through, which dovetails with the weather prediction last night, that the wind would shift for a while in the late morning and then come back straight from the volcano to Anchorage. However, my flight isn't scheduled until something like 1 pm, by which time who knows what will happen. I still haven't been able to get through to the airport to take a flight credit/change, whathaveyou. I've been using my boarding pass from yesterday as a bookmark. Keeps it functional.

Had a great but extremely pricey dinner at the Corsair restaurant last night, in the basement of this building. It was odd, eating alone, just sitting there listening to the background music, being annoyed by a loud-voiced woman at a nearby table who kept up a stream of incredibly vacuous commentary on her dogs. The dogs sounded ill-trained, and the woman hardly let anybody else get a word in edgewise. It made me think about the kinds of conversations I have at dinner or in public places. I can see trading entertaining dog stories, but really, how long can one carry on a monologue about the dog running around the neighbors' yard and getting the dogcatcher called on them? Not really very witty anecdotes, and more repetition and just plain dullness than I thought was possible in real life. It was like a long, drawn-out,not very funny low-budget sitcom performed by a very bad actress off stage.

The conversations I hear in the Eagle there's all sorts of interesting topics and thoughtful discussion, witty jokes, anecdotes of reasonable complexity or pertinence. Politics, religion, science, construction, music, poetry, books, dance, body language, social interaction....I mean, even when the people I know talk about dogs, they at least have something sensible to say. This was just DULL. Still, I probably missed parts of the conversation, because the people who were with her seemed to have quieter voices, but still. For those of us forced to eavesdrop because of the sheer volume of a voice in a restaurant, it would be nice to listen to something intelligent. If somebody was talking like this in the Eagle, everyone would get up and move away from the speaker, or they'd be cut off because they would obviously have descended past the point of higher brain functionality and be unable to drive themselves home.

Ah, yes. Orange. The color of interminable waiting, of dull conversation, of travelers' disappointment and annoyance, of excruiciatingly stupid television programming. Of petty security bureaucracy.

I have to say, however, that the Era Aviation people have been pretty helpful through all this repeated attempts to get out of town. And the coffee cafe ladies were great.

The Publisher's Picks 2009

Wowsa. That was one hell of a party. The bands were GREAT. There was enough food, and everyone seemed to have a good time. There were HUNDREDS of people. The Publisher's Picks went very rapidly, because only a few people were on hand to receive their awards, but here's the rundown:

• Satire: this award went to "Ester Thought Posse Report," to the Ester Thought Posse Company, Dr. Bhagat, Deepa Bhagat, and Soo Ichy, who were foiled in their attempts to make Ester a clean-thinking environment.

• Review: runner-up in this category went to Gabriel Hill, for "Hot Off the Griddle", a review of the Easton Stagger Philips CD, One for the Ditch. Gabe, after listening to the album, believes the world is gonna be alright.

The Publisher's Pick for Review went to David A. James for his review, "Shwing!” of the book, A Mind of Its Own: A Cultural History of the Penis. He figured it was time to review a book about dicks, and said so.

• Letter to the Editor: this was a tie between two letters by the same author, Eric Forrer, an observer of human endeavor, for “Six-Pack Punctuation” & "Stupid Watery Ideas", on the value of substance and eduction in politics and the folly of water sports, respectively.

There was a dishonorable mention in this category again this year, for “Trying for Another Dishonorable Mention”, a short insult-filled diatribe railing against the paper, by W.J. Stringer, subscriber (also known as His Very Fine Excellency, William the First, Emperor), whose post in government has gone to his head.

• Poesy: this was awarded for “Before the Riot,” a free-verse poem by Shanna Karella, who longs for spring.

• Travel Writing: went to “Ticolandia,” about a journey to Costa Rica, by Dan Darrow, whose house is full of monkeys.

• Wildlife Photograph: this was awarded for “the Bear-tender,” a cover photo taken by CP McRoy, Intrepid Wildlife Photographer, who kept safely on the other side of the window.

• Portrait: this was awarded for “Joe Geiss, EHL player,” a cover photo capturing the essence of Interior masculinity in the wintertime, taken by Monique Musick, another intrepid photographer.

• Sports Writing: this went to “Fairbanks Spring Hysteria,”, a story on the origins of the Great Tanana Raft Classic, written by Admiral Merritt Helfferich and Commodore George Cresswell, instigators of inspired lunacy.

• Cartoon: this, as always, was a tough category. The first runner-up was for “Bail-Out,” an editorial cartoon by Jamie Smith, economic prognosticator.

The Publisher's Pick in this category was "Tom DeLong: Party Crasher,” an editorial cartoon by Dan Darrow, who was rooting for the underdog.

• Column: this award was given for “Dose of Reality,” a journey through the Byzantine world of medical finance, by Neil Davis, who is slogging through the morass for the rest of us.

• Most Delicious: this went to “Greek New Year,” recipes by Mary Wagner, who watches Dr. Zhivago every New Year's Eve.

• Most Independent: this was awarded for the article, “In Defense of the Lunatics,” on winter bicycling, by Mary Wagner,
an all-weather bike commuter.

• Most republican (note the lower-case "r"): this Publisher's Pick was awarded for “The Long View,” a column on the history of Alaska by Ross Coen, who, by reminding us of where we've been, helps us keep an eye on where we're going.

• Esteroidia: this is awarded for an item illustrating or exemplary of life in the People's Republic of Ester. This year, the Pick was “The Center of the Universe,” a letter to the editor on the geography of Ester by Average John Reeves, subscriber.

and last but not least,

• the Mike Kelly Award, presented to those who provide a much-needed civics lesson, science education, or sex advice (or all of the above): this went to “Live Free or Die,” a column by irregulars Hannah Hill & Kate Billington, who kept Lady Liberty's torch lit in dark and troubled times.

Ten years of crazed publishing

Yes, it's coming up this Saturday at the Golden Eagle Saloon: The Ester Republic's Tenth Anniversary Birthday Bash! I am frantically getting ready for this party. Fortunately, Su Tate has been helping me with putting up posters and spreading postcards thither and yon, and simply organizing everthing.

The Schedule:

• 7 pm: the Party Begins, with nacho bar (I'm making black bean salsa), keg o' beer, and potluck. Bring your favorite eats!
• 8 pm: the Publisher announces her Picks for the year, and a few all-time faves for the decade. Awards and prizes presented.
• 9 pm: the Slippin' Mickeys, playing Irish tunes with a rock edge. (Kelly Louden tells me that almost none of their songs were written after the 1930s.)
• 11 pm: the Bac'unry Bruthers, yer favorite bouncy jug band.

Collector's items of various sorts will be available for sale, but mostly there will be eating, drinking, dancing, and making merry. Ye Olde Editor hopes that you all will be able to make it through the Great Quantities of Snow to Attend what will surely be the Republic's Shindig of Shindigs, not to be repeated unless we make the twenty-year mark.

Sometime late at night your favorite local publisher will collapse from exhaustion, but she plans to be well fed and well danced before that point.

The poster has been going up all over town. I commissioned it from Corwyn Wilkey, player in and designer for Sweatin' Honey. Definitely worth every penny:

Lallapaloozaed

Whew. The 5th annual John Trigg Ester Library Lallapalooza & Book Bash is over. I was exhaustionized the next day; spent most of the day in bed. Mostly it went well, although there were a couple of glitches and lost tempers, but generally better than the previous years. There was, however, a serious shortage of volunteers before the event. The day of plenty of people showed up again, but it's kind of hard to explain everything that needs to be done on auction tables and the pay table while the event is going on. Only three people showed up to the volunteer meeting beforehand, and that just wasn't enough to handle the activity properly during the event. But it worked out.

The News-Miner covered the event, sending a photographer and a reporter, and we made the top of the front page on Monday! It helped that the apron parade featured local ham Joey Hadro (the Carhartt-themed apron he wore ended up fetching $60).

The dessert auction also went well--one plate of fudge went for $100! The winner graciously offered fudgy bits to me; it was delicious and smooth.

It takes all the running you can do…

"… to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!" —The Red Queen, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll)

Yes. Well, that's me right now. The lallapalooza seems to be shaping up nicely, and all sorts of interesting auction items are coming in. Hans is doing most of the solicitation, but Debbie is working on the dessert people and Amy is rounding up apron-makers. (The dessert auction and the apron show are gonna be kick-ass!)

I was in the midst of finishing up the February Republic when I got a call from Rep. Guttenberg's office about the grant request I'd sent in a couple of months ago to get starter money for the library building. I'd requested too little, of course (I seem to have inherited my mother's Yankee scrime muscles), but it seems that the federal stimulus package does include money for libraries, so we adjusted the request and submitted it, along with several letters of support, to Senator Begich's office, in the hopes that he'll support (and then that we'll get) funding for the Ester library.

It's a funny thing. I realized yesterday, as we were heading home, that the library is far more important to me than The Ester Republic, say, or my art. The Ester library is something that can benefit a lot of people for a long, long time, in a lot of ways. It feels like a Right Thing.

I get a little worried when I think about how small the actual membership is (i.e., that we won't get taken seriously simply because we are such a small library), but we live in a small community, and still, people all over use it. So although the membership is around 150, the actual population it could serve is around two to three thousand. Of course, small and local is what a local community library is all about. (One of the things I absolutely LOVED about Seattle was the network of neighborhood libraries throughout the city. It was absolutely great. Such a pedestrian-friendly place, despite the population and square acreage.)

Unfortunately, as I said in the proposal, it can't really serve the population adequately because we are crammed into such a tiny space. There's just not enough room to make proper use of the library. (We NEED a couch--but first, we need space in which to put it! Plus all those books--about twice as many as we currently have space for!)

The meeting to vote on incorporation is this Sunday (take note, dear readers: Hartung Hall, 4 pm, downtown Ester). Plus, Matt Prouty of USKH is going to be there with the new and improved version of the new and improved concept of the building. (Gary Pohl is taking a well-deserved vacation in Hawaii, although he foolishly brought his cell phone with him so people at work could call him. Thoughtful and all that, but I can't imagine he was too happy about the rush estimate that Begich's office needed us to provide--we had to ask him a couple of questions on it.) As I told Jared VanderWeele, who sent the estimate to me, these guys ROCK!

Nonsustainable industry practice: stupid wanton waste

This extremely pertinent question was posted on Fiery Blazing Handbasket, and picked up by Kodiak Konfidential, but it's just too barbed a point not to repeat once again:

Does anyone else find it odd that the Bering Sea pollock trawlers can catch and discard as bycatch over 100,000 king salmon per year while the small, community-based fishing effort has to shut down? That we haven't even managed to let enough kings by on the Yukon to meet our treaty obligation to the Canadians?

All so Americans can eat cheap fish sticks?

It's real stupidity, and corruption in action, that's what it is. Bycatch waste has got to be the stupidest shortsighted cut-off-your-nose practice in the fishing industry. It costs fisherfolk a lot of effort, time, money, and bad press--but it's the bottom trawlers and big industrial-size factory fishing boats and nets that do the real damage. "Bycatch" is dead dolphins in the tuna harvest (finally got some protections there, after a long, long fight), king salmon in the pollack harvest, dead sea turtles, dead sharks, dead birds, and so on and so on....and it's a HUGE problem. According to Global Chefs magazine, something like 25% of all fisheries catch is wasted.

Bycatch.org has a database of bycatch reduction methods, and NOAA has a whole Fisheries Feature devoted to the issue.

But, as Global Chefs and others point out, consumer action can have quite an effect. And it's the big fleets and megacorps, not the little Yukon River villages, that do the most damage.

Here's an interesting article from March 1999 from the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations on the management issues regarding sustainability, with a good bit of background on the present problems.

Transvesterites

Well, our party was a huge success, if not as huge in numbers of people or movies we got to see. We ended up watching only one, To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar. What a wonderful film. I love campy films, but this, while full of good old drag-queen silliness, was a serious drama as well as a good-natured comedy. Very different than, say, the science fiction musical Rocky Horror Picture Show, and much more like Priscilla Queen of the Desert.Patrick Swazey is great.

We had two men, one woman, and two girls cross-dressing. No genuine drag queens or transvestites showed up, alas. Nor any of my gay/lesbian/musical friends (and Leah FORGOT, the fink!). One cartoonist, one gem-cutter, a political activist (Republican turned Democrat), a geologist in a fez, a couple of boys of the cootie-worrying age, one teenager, lots of really excellent cooks, a few artists, a postal worker, and a gallery owner were among those who showed, though. Good eats, good company, and our fire didn't escape the fire pit. We had shrimp, chewy sourdough bread with salted olive oil, borscht, sauteed mushrooms, grilled chicken, grilled salmon, salad, melomel, wine, beer, mead, orange juice in a glass bowl glowing with light, cranberry juice, tea, roast beast. Lots of fun, and those of you who didn't show up MISSED OUT. Tough tuckus for you.

Eat local week

Cracked up when I saw Alaska Grown's farmer "ad": "Local farmer seeks tasty relationship."



The farmer in their ad looks a heck of a lot like a miner to me, but the idea is pretty dang cool. There is a concerted effort across the state to get people to eat locally. It's great. Alaska Grown doesn't list the Ester market on their farmers market page, though.

Parade: for those of you who want to know

The Ester Fourth of July Parade starts at noon, check in at 11, no reservations necessary. If you haven't seen our parade before, be warned: it's goofy. And politically charged, usually incorrectly. And riddled with punsters. And the paraders will throw things at you (anything from radishes to newspapers to gumdrops, and sometimes people get hosed by the fire department), so practice your catching and/or dodging skills. Do not expect displays of military might, or respectfulness of any sort. We often have cross-dressers and occasionally the odd risqué float or costume. The judges expect bribes, but they'd better be witty ones (judges and bribes both).

Irreverence-R-us!

Gazebo progress

So yesterday, again after a hastily gobbled open-faced sandwich dinner, Hans and I headed down to work on the gazebo some more. On the way we saw a porch gathering of guys--including Bill! so we stopped and said hi. Jim Smith had invited us to a bratwurst barbeque at Bill and Michelle's place a couple of days ago, but we didn't have complete directions, so we spent a while driving around Fiddle in Cripple Creek, which was sort of a pleasant exploration, but didn't get us any brats. I gave Bill a hug and told him I was glad he wasn't dead. Hell, what else can you say to a guy who damn near froze to death?

Anyway, we hung out for a bit and drank red wine and apricot beer (I avoided the peanuts), and then went off to the gazebo. It is really wonderful how many people stop to tell Hans how good it looks or how much they appreciate the work he's doing. One woman complimented us on it and asked if it was a bus stop. I said, no, it's just a gazebo for the library, but actually, she's right: it could be a bus stop, too. I'm realizing just how useful this little place will be: bus stop, music chamber, hangout, reading room, wedding chapel, playhouse…and I bet there will be scads of people using it during the Fourth of July.

I finished painting the first coat of stain on all the boards and did the second coat on the first batch, the ones nearest the gazebo. Hans got a bunch of old cedar shiplap from Mark Simpson (donated for the cause) and put up the planter hooks. He put up the planters, and we stood and admired the rather gazebo-like effect for a bit before heading up to the Eagle to celebrate. It's going to look pretty good when it's done.

Hans and I were thinking about maybe dedicating it or naming it for some local woman, perhaps Ida Clausen. Margaret Rogers suggested that we ask the Flodins if there was anybody they might want to consider dedicating it to, since it's their land. My opinion is that it should be a woman, somebody of importance to the community, and someone who is not alive anymore. Alaska Linck? Ida? Mrs. Pidge? Rose Berry? Ester and Eva? I'd also kind of like to have a little transfer of title/dedication ceremony to break the gazebo in. It could be fun.

Oh: I found my camera. Or rather, Frank found it and gave it to Monique who gave it back to me. So once I get the images off it I can show you what we've been up to!

Rain, sun, and hot chocolate

There's this stuff they have at the Golden Eagle, insta-mix hot chocolate, that is actually palatable when a bit of half and half is added along with the hot water. I'm not sure what sort it is and I don't think I really want to know.

Yesterday, after work, Hans and I quickly gobbled dinner and went down to the gazebo to sand the posts (him) and paint the boards (me). We stopped at Sami's place because we saw Denise there (gave her the form for the gazebo windows), and met baby Amaru for the first time. Incredibly cute fat baby cheeks on that cheerful little kid. Turns out that Chris had some leftover cedar sealer, according to Denise, so we went over to his and Dell's shop and got the ol' handpump w/leftover. So, of course, by the time we got to the gazebo it looked rather gray and cloudy. I get everything set up and begin painting, and sure enough, it starts, just barely, to rain. I hurried it up and used up all the sealer, and the rain steadily increased in strength from a faint sprinkle to a decent shower. So I went up to the saloon for some hot chocolate while Hans continued sanding (under that gazebo roof it stays nice and dry).

There I was informed that chocolate, cocoa, is GOOD for you. Now if that isn't welcome news, I don't know what is. Dark chocolate is full of antioxidants, can lower blood pressure, and will certainly produce that infamous mild euphoria that relaxes. Alas, the milk is not so good.

Nothing like hot cocoa on a rainy evening. Unless it's hot cocoa on a snowy one.

Yes! Dave's Quick Crumpets!

Dave Down Under, also known as Dingo Dave to himself, has posted a recipe for crumpets. I've had crumpets, and they are YUMMY. I did not have them in Merry Olde England, though. I had some in -- get this -- that West Coast metropolis and American harbor town of commerce with the Far East, Seattle. In a wonderful little tea and crumpet shop down by the waterfront. Seattle, for those of you whose tastebuds have not gotten off the East Coast, is a really really great town for eating.

One of these days I'll get to Australia. Maybe by boat. I don't relish a 26-hour plane ride, or however long it is. All I know is Australia's got lots of poisonous whatsits, heat, drought, an active Green Party (especially in Tasmania, where the very first Green Party ever is still going strong), some old family friends, AND on top of that it's a day ahead of itself. Or us. Or part of us, if the Aleutians were sensibly back on sun time.

Anyway, I want to go there.

Librarypalooza auction items

Just in case you were wondering if it was worth it to show up to the John Trigg Ester Library Lallapalooza & Book Bash, here's a few more items we're putting up for auction:

• tickets for two to the Palace Theatre
• an Ivory Jacks sweatshirt & a $25 gift certificate for lunch
• two one-pound bags of Ethiopian coffee from the Alaska Coffee Roasting Company
• a bottle of Aurora Borealis merlot from Goldstream General Store
• introductory flight lesson in a Cessna 172 plus a 6-month subscription to Flight Training Magazine, from Warbelow's Air Ventures
• a water fillup gift certificate from Goldstream Water
• jewelry from Judie Gumm Designs
• artwork from Jamie Smith
• books from the Ester Republic Press, including certificates for three books not yet published: freeze-frame IV & Nuggets and Jorgy
• a subscription to The Ester Republic
• a collection of hot, rare, & exotic spices, with recipes and wine (this basket's got some rarities in it--you're not going to find garam masala and other such spices in Fairbanks anywhere else)
• a basket of live plants (spring!)
• a basket of family movies & popcorn & theatre candy
• campy horror movies (Santa and the Martians!)

Not only that, but the lasagne feed menu is looking pretty good, with a variety of white and red sauces, salads, bread, and beverages.