Haines resident Graham Kraft hosted a friend from Whitehorse, and one day turned into four with the closure of the Haines Highway north of the border. A highlight of the extended stay was that Canadian friend Ryan Bougie finally got to meet local Brian Rougie. Both are friends of Kraft, and he had eagerly awaited the opportunity to introduce them. Ryan Bougie and Brian Rougie shared a fun ski day.
Lenore (Nori) Nash and Dan Henry joined Harlequin Romance writer Anna Grace on March 1 for a presentation of their past and upcoming publications in Eugene, Ore. Bill Winkley, former Haines Children’s Theater director, hosted the panel at The Abbey, a senior living center in downtown Eugene. Stan Coleman, another former Children’s Theatre director, entertained with piano tunes. Former Skagway resident Nita Nettleton, who now lives in the Abbey, attended. Robin Grace cooked a brunch of local organic produce and a sensational frittata. The audience was treated to a lively discussion as the authors shared inspiration and experiences writing novels and non-fiction. Nori Nash has written 11 books. Her mother Nancy Nash’s love of Agatha Christie and assorted “ladies of crime” were some of the inspiration for Lenore’s foray into a new genre for the soon-to-be- released, “She Fell Away,” a mystery thriller. Nancy and Dwight Nash missed the event as their ferry out of Haines was canceled. They are headed off to Portland for a family visit.
Tim Huber was asked to represent Alaska at the national AgrAbility conference mid-March in Michigan. Agrability is a relatively new program in Alaska run by University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension. Huber was recommended by Leslie Shellcross. Huber will receive training and visit farms with disabled farmers. Shellcross did an assessment on Alten’s land and Henderson Farm last spring, while in town for the growers conference.
A predator ate Helen Alten’s chickens. Her neighbor, Blythe Carter, also lost a few ducks and chickens to something. The neighbors lost 20 birds between the two houses in under a week. Taylor Ashton lost a few birds nearby. Local trapper Nate Motes speculated that it could be a marten, so he set some traps. The animal escaped the first traps, and left prints. Motes caught a mink in the live trap by 8 p.m Thursday. “This is the culprit,” said Motes. He said that minks like water, so Chilkoot Lake is where the mink lives for now. So watch out Lutak chicken tenders. “Them critters ain’t gotta chance when they got the Cajun on the case.” Motes is from Louisiana.
The 39th Buckwheat International Ski Classic started in the rain, was delayed two hours for avalanche danger, and ended with sunshine. This year’s theme was “The Blizzard of Oz.” Chip Lende and Thom Ely completed the 16-kilometer course. Lende’s time was 1:30:27.5 and Ely’s time, 1:59:32.5. Deborah Marshall was disqualified, but had a good excuse. Ely says that she followed someone and went off course.
Amanda Painter, Leslie Ross and Cynthia Adams attended the Fisher Poets Gathering in Astoria Oregon. Painter describes it as fisherfolk from California, Oregon and Alaska sharing stories, songs and poems about their fishing experiences, sharing their joy, emotions and grief on stage. Ross says it was an incredible show of community expression, and cannot wait to go back.
Chloe Copeland helped her friend Lylith Widmer rehome 12 boxes of stuff and hundreds of pounds of heavy houseplants from Haines to Fairbanks. None of it would be possible without Copeland’s prowess with a wheelbarrow and heavy jade plants on ice-covered walkways. Copeland says that they made the trip in record time to avoid shocking the plants. The roadtrip included a Sarah Bishop e-book recommendation, and 15 hours of curated music from Copeland. Widmer has lived in Haines since 2015 and said she plans to be back. For now, she will enjoy Fairbanks, skijorning regularly and having a dishwasher.
Hammer enthusiast and museum owner Dave Pahl has been preserving the history of the hammer for years. Recently, he had the opportunity to share his expertise with a wider audience, contributing a series of articles to Gristmill Magazine, a publication dedicated to traditional tools and woodworking. Pahl has written three articles for Gristmill Magazine – Midwest Tool Collectors Association. Pahl said that the three articles, “A Tale of Two Hammers,” “The Wedge,” and “Daisy Guard for the Tool Heads,” appeared in the June, December and March editions, and should be available at the Haines public library soon and at the Hammer Museum by mid-May.