The Plane that Wanted to be a Fish

6/12/13

All you can see of the plane, it's floats sticking above
the water

Being in a location inaccessible by road, planes are very important to the village.  They are the only way in or out of the village for a good portion of the year and are a lifeline for groceries, mail, prescriptions, and means of getting items to and from the repair shop, vet, bank, etc.  Words can't accurately reflect how essential the plane is to life in the village.  They come in so often that you quickly get used to the sound and don't notice their rather loud landings and taking off again.  The last couple days, though, we've had a few extra that have drawn our attnetion and created some excitement in the village, one in particular.  We had a float plane land in second lake a couple days ago, that hasn't quite made it out of the lake yet.  One of the floats filled up with water causing the plane to flip over during its attempted take-off and is still upside down in the lake.  Everyone in the village is hoping it'll be taken out soon as the red salmon are starting to come in as they prepare to spawn and they do not seem to think oil, fuel, and other engine fluids are very good at setting the mood for romance.  Perhaps the plane knew this love fest was about to take place, was lonely, and ended up looking for love in the wrong place.

Between those little finned love birds of the lakes and late low tides, this early bird has turned into a night owl.  Low tide makes for the easiest fishing as the salmon have less water to maneuver in and hide and is currently happening around midnight each night making me get to bed much later than I am accustomed to.  Fortunately the sun is in on nature's conspiracy to make a mess of my world so there's still plenty of daylight at that time to see to fish.  There are usually several members of the community along the banks of the creek at low tide, regardless of the time of day, trying to get fish for the winter.  The sense of community is strong here and everyone helps each other so that all can go home with fish, calling out the schools' locations and directions, sharing tackle when needed, and often sharing the catch.  Many of the smokehouses are starting to fill up and show what can be accomplished when people work together.