Like the greenhouse, the main house is also birmed. Both the upstairs and downstairs are accessible at ground level.

Eagle's Nest...the sea lions frequently are near this point.

The wolf and bear must have been within a few hours of eachother that day.

Apparently a bear broke into a shed down the beach at another residence last year trying to find a dennning site. This bear walked south on the beach sniffed a little by the greenhouse, and kept going. We forward tracked it for about a mile then called it quits when we got scared by a large rock that looked like a bear. Everybody is brave tracking, until you actually see the animal, or a rock resembling it. It was quite comical.

All we had seen of bear, until a few days ago. I am no expert, but I think this was a big one. (I am about a size 8.5/9 for scale). We found these on our way to check out the wolf tracks that day.

and I do mean jagged...the quality of the photo is not that great, but you get the idea

View of Roundtop, and Jagged jack, the Isanotskis peaks are approximately 8025'...Shishaldin volcano (approx. 9,372' not pictured.) There are three volcanoes on Unimack Island.

View of Roundtop and Jagged Jack.

From relatively the same vantage point in late October, the view across the pass to Sourdough flats and whirl point where the stellar sea lions and harbour seals hang out. Stonewall place is in the draw in the foreground, and Stonewall point to the right. Roundtop hidden in the clouds.

We frequently hike up behind the house to glass for caribou. Eventhough we would love to take one, the weight of the guilt of the declining herd would be far too great to bear. Old tracks are the only sign we have seen so far.

Close up of the Sankin Bay (in previous entry.)

We were the bears that went over the mountain...and this was what we saw...Sankin bay in the distance...a beach combers paradise...four mile walk via the beach...just have to time it right with the tides to walk there

On that same saddle...curiousity was killing us when we got here...we just had to know what was on the other side...

On the saddle behind the house in mid September...Sentinel peak in the backround

Stonewall from the water. (From left to right) the greenhouse, the tool shed, the sauna/ wood shed, the smokehouse is on the stilts, the guesthouse with the root cellar and batteries below, the wheelhouse, and up the hill is the main house and chicken coop. The moving water, the source of our power, comes from two draws directly behind the house.

Caribou, Moose, Bear, and wolves frequently choose to swim the pass...perhaps the tundra really is greener on the other side. Here Josh just happened to look out the kitchen window at stonewall at the right time. He/she went into the water up to his/her neck, then decided to go south on the beach and disappeared over the hill behind the greenhouse. This healthy looking wolf, and the other wolves on the Alaskan Penninsula, have been blamed for the decline of the caribou. Apparently there is high mortality in calves less than two weeks old. Due to the high price of other meats like beef, our locale, and culture, many families depend on the caribou herds. Times are tough for both parties.

Finally! After some good talks, and sacrifitial offerings of slugs from the greenhouse, the chickens started laying again on November 15th.

Reminders of the lands' volcanic legacy are everywhere you look.

A recent week of nice weather and cloudless nights reminded us that there still a moon up there. Here, the full moon was just starting to peep up behind the house.

Basically an ornithologists' dream up here...the point just south of the house is aptly named "Eagle's Nest."

There were atleast six land otters just as curious as Roo. Neither of them really knew what to make of eachother. Neither party was aggressive.

retreat! retreat!

alright, I think I'm out a little too far...

a little more...

just a little closer...

On our walk to shut off the good neighbor Steve's electric fence, Roo decided to get to know our other neighbors a little better.

mmm...fruit leathers! This batch was the last of the blueberries we picked at the end of October, with just a bit of salmonberries we canned the previous month.

I am pleased to report that Roo's hunting skills have increased exponentially with each outing. He now flushes and retrieves...well, he sort of retrieves...well, not really, he just finds them and sits by them...but he will soon enough. For a while we could spot the ptarmigan from quite a distance since they starting turning white while the landscape was still brown. I think they sighed in relief when the snow finally came.

ahh, the many uses of bull kelp...The long stem or "stipe" (which can be up to 50 yards long!) we cut up (after soaking in fresh water overnight) and made into pickles and relish...the bulb we boiled, stuffed and baked just like one would a pepper...the leaves we dehydrated, crushed and made into a salt substitute

Containers and deep beds in late October hold crowns of rhubarb (left) turnips (right) and four more plots of potato, kolarabi, and mint. There are two large white doors at the north end of the tool shed. The doors provide a way to get large projects, like a boat, out of the work space when completed. A small family of fox has made one of their entrances below the doors.

The greenhouse nestled into the side of the hill. The birmed and terraced design is ideal for the locale, spacious and efficient.

Einer's cabin in early september...not more than a half mile south set up on the hill.

"A man may work from sun to sun, but a man's work is never done."

Collect, split, stack, rinse in rain, stack,dry, transport, stack,burn, repeat

Creating meals in the kitchen...nasturtiums and window sprouted lentils add a nice touch to the steamy ptarmigan and dumplings...a late lunch after splitting firewood on a cold day.

Looking once again to the sea to provide. After only a little over an hour of jigging (less than four miles from the house) we had caught enough to keep us busy on the filleting table till dark.

Looking to the hills. Never taking more than what we need. Careful not to put too much pressure on the flocks. As the year progresses the rock ptarmigan begin to turn white. The flocks are getting larger in the area as winter approaches, this is typical behavior.

After making the traditional jams, wines, and sauces of rhubarb, salmonberry, and blueberry we looked to the sea for more nurishment to put up for the long winter. Bull Kelp, after soaked in fresh water, makes an excellent alternative to cucumbers. We made all sorts of dill and bread and butter pickles as well as some relish.

Cleaning the screens in both dams is a twice daily event as well. An early breakfast, and after dinner treat, golf ball sized salmonberries awaited us every trip until the beginning of October. There was a dry spell until that time, but a great year for berries.

Built around the turn of the century, the waterwheel is greased twice daily. The wheel is secured, water allowed to bypass, and the power turned off before leaving for any extended amount of time.

By the time we arrived in early September, the boletus had flushed for the last time that season. We found about 15 mushrooms...or should I say roo did. By the time we got to them they were all shredded apart. I really hope he doesn't do that to the amanita back in Southeast.

I have no idea how I spotted this on the ground. I think I may have followed a little trail of discarded urchin and snail shells. It is peculiar walking up on bluffs and seeing the various remants of seabird snacks. Snail shells which seems like they are out of place, and seem to want to be on the beach, or better yet, back and alive in the water. Why don't I ever feel bad for the empty shells on the beach?

At first glance the flora of the tundra appeared simple. Yet, when one spreads appart the crowberries there is a whole other world just below the surface. The diversity is overwhelming when you learn how to look for it. Can you see the blueberries?

Collecting driftwood about one mile south of whirl point. This was a nice sized log considering how far we are to the nearest forest. We were glad to have spotted it. In order to not dull the chain, we washed off one side of the log, bucked (but not all the way through), turned the log over, washed off again, and completed the cuts. Our dog had a fun time chasing them to the skiff as we rolled the cookies down towards the water.

Bringing in the turnips...winter will be here soon. (Although these are delicious, Florida Mountain turnips, Massachusetts, are still the best! AND cabbages from Bent Mountain, Virginia)

Tucking in the kale for the winter. A little bit of straw goes a long way to keep the roots from freezing.

Looking NNW

Beyond Stonewall point,

The town of False Pass