Halibut for the Huebel's

We did an offshore Halibut trip out of Homer over Memorial Day Weekend...

Danielle is looking for a king!

Captain David giving us the lowdown.

Halibut fishing is a hella lotta work! That's what 200 ft of reel does

Storage Tank (see the 90 lb monster in there? Yah we didn't catch that one)

Brother Love.

Brotherly love... with some flare.

Seeeesters :)

Adam caught a couple Reds in Seward today, which he grilled for dinner. Fresh fish for dinner? Need I say more?

Needless to say, our freezer is getting nicely stocked!

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Fish'in with Family

We have visitors! Adam, Ross's brother, and his wife Danielle flew up to Alaska last week. We planned a weekend roadtrip to Homer, AK- a place none of us had ever visited. It was a scenic drive, a bit cloudy, but we were most concerned about the weather the following day because we had an offshore fishing excursion planned. We went out for half day of Halibut fishing and the other half was spent trying to snag the elusive King Salmon.

We saw so many Bald Eagles! I think we counted 10- just in one spot along the water.

We stopped at Anchor river to try our hand at getting Kings. No luck. But we did get the new fishing gear wet. I need some girl waders. Ross's boots were a little too big...

Danielle and I gave up earlier than the boys. It was cold.

Check out the view from our condo! Right on the beach!

Early morning boat ride.

Ross telling stories.

The clouds dissipated as the day wore on.

I'll post some pictures from our big fishing day tomorrow. For now, here's a preview!

FISH!!

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FFFFF

Last weekend we went to the 2011 Fin Feather and Fur Food Festival. It's hosted by the American Association of Drilling Engineers, so there was a good turn out of people working in the "oil patch". All proceeds from the event are donated to local charities. BP sponsored a couple teams (one made Moose Chili and the other made Halibut Ceviche). Basically you just walk around to 20+ tents and taste the food, some more exotic than others and some far better than others, and drink good beer. The most unique food item was "Wolverine Balls", a cream cheese stuffed jalepeno wrapped in spicy sausage and then wrapped in bacon. Definitely not my favorite, but a big hit with the crowd. Surprisingly, Baker Hughs ribs won the competition. I thought the ribs were generic, with way too much fat and not enough meat.  Obviously folks haven't tried the Ross rib recipe...  My vote went to a seafood gumbo (venison sausage, crawfish, shrimp, & fish- topped with fresh lump crabmeat).

How do ribs fit in with the Fin Feather or Fur theme anyway?

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Hike: Flat Top

Flat Top Mountain is a part of the Chugach Mountain Range, which overlooks the city of Anchorage. It is one of the most popular hikes, mainly because it's so close to the city and it's only 3 miles roundtrip. When I looked at my Garmin stats, I expected the elevation gain to be more than 1300 ft--- the catch is that you drive halfway up the mountain and then begin your hike. Our max elevation was 3500 ft but we had a boost up to 2200 ft. That's ok with me! I liked having that boost very much.

There was a significant layer of snow on the way up, which made parts of the climb rather slippery (yes, we both fell a couple times). I'm not sure how to describe the last couple hundred feet up to the top... the word "scramble" is the first word that comes to mind. Ross and I were on all fours, crawling over and around boulders. Miss Roma was having a grand 'ole time watching us struggle.

It doesn't look so high right?

We made it Roma!

My new favorite family photo.

It's hard to tell, but we did this hike after dinner around 8pm... I love Alaska summers!

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Spiced Carrot Soup

Carrots + Curry?

It's actually a pretty tastey duo. I was skeptical, but this soup was surprisingly good... and simple. It ranked high on Ross's Food Matrix (Effort vs Deliciousness).

Carrots, onions, spices, and chicken broth simmer for 15 minutes.

Bake the prosciutto, until carmelized and crispy.

Chop up some fresh cilantro.

After a quick whizz in the blender, top soup with prosciutto, cilantro, and a dallop of sour cream. 

Easy. Done.

It's also a "Paleo" diet friendly recipe. But, that is a story for another time...

wink wink.

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Hike: Eagle River Nature Cabin

Kaity and Hunter invited us to the Eagle River Nature Center cabin on Thursday night. It was pretty amazing that we could leave work, pack up at home, grab dinner, and be out in this forest oasis in less than 30 minutes. Roma didn't think the hike out to the cabin was far enough.. that's about the only complaint. Great time!

Started to drizzle just as we got to the cabin.

Doesn't Roma look regal?

Our cabin in the woods.

Hunter cooking some maple sausage for breakfast.

Our view from the cabin!

This was a non-strenuous hike, a perfect windown to a long week.

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May Flowers

What better way to kick off the spring/summer than with pretty hanging flowers??!

When I was in the check out line at the nursery, the woman asked me if I knew about "Hardening Off".  I said no, and she gave me a handout with instructions. Hardening Off is basically the process of acclimating a plant to the outdoor elements; making the transition from a controlled greenhouse type environment to the uncontrolled outdoors. Here is more information.

Now, I just need to keep them alive...

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Grey Swan

Have you seen the movie "Black Swan" with Natalie Portman?

(If not, don't worry, there's no spoiler here.)

We watched the movie over the weekend. My overall review: Great acting, unpredictable, original story line, but a tad weird and hard to follow. I would recommend for a Netflix rental for sure.

The main character (Portman) plays the White Swan (the Good Swan) AND the Black Swan (the Evil Swan) in a ballet production of "Swan Lake".

What about a Grey Swan? The kind of swan that falls in between- a good girl sometimes and a bad girl other times.

Hmm, why does this sound familiar. Good AND Bad you say? Grey?...

The next Grey Swan! Look at her grace and poise. How could they pass her up?

Her ears can really dance!

 

So what, her lips might get caught a couple times...

Grey Beauty.

Casting is closed.

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