Prize at Pogi Point.

It was ill timing.

And when I say ill timing, I mean that during the time of supposed vacation, I was ill.

I've been absent the last week or so, off in South Dakota moving my car and unfortunately, I caught a bug on the plane and was out of commission a bit. I still enjoyed myself, but it wasn't ideal, as you can well imagine!

When I returned though, alllllllll better.

Thank goodness too because instead of jumping right back into work, I took a few days and went off in search of adventure in the magical seaside town of Homer, Alaska.

Packing for the outdoors, we spent the first day fishing.

It began slow. Baby nibbles and pour rainy weather. Dad kept catching greenlings (part of the cod family), in which he made a big show of catching (like he always does).

And for awhile, it was just those guys. Then, out of nowhere, my mom starts reeling in something big.

I grab the camera, peering down below at the darkness of the ocean, wondering about of all the possible treasures on the end. Finally, a shape appeared just below the surface, a big ole 'but.

Six pound greenlings and all of a sudden, we got ourselves a sixty pound halibut. Now we're on a roll!

From that point on, we hooked two more black rockfish, more greenlings, and then I expertly pulled in a nice silver.

While there were rolly polly swells (we were out at the tip of the Bay), we managed to catch ourselves a nice selection of seafood, a success well worth the weather.

Ahhh. It's good to be home.

Homer Harbor never looked so good.

Dad at the ready for the first fish to surface!

Congrats to Mom and her big 'but!

One would think that once in the boat, you'd be safe from a sixty pound fish. Such was not the case, however, because this guy was not done fighting. He proceeded to go into spasmo mode, resulting in one unfortunate breaking of the pole. Hey, it was still well worth it!

Then you have Elan: getting a reel good laugh by luring fish into smiling at her fish puns..

Another silver salmon for the books..

Pogi Point: where Kachemak Bay empties into Cook Inlet.

Nice haul, amiright?

And of course, something for the lady who loves lattes.

White Pants.

Whilst enjoying an early morning coffee at work, I saw one of my regulars rocking a pair of white pants.

Naturally, I just had to say something, and after giggles and thank yous, she admitted to me that she was stretching summer out for as long as she could.

It was something I had thought, but never admitted to myself.

But here it is: summer is ending. And fast.

Already, there's a noticeable change in the air, a crispness that snuck in ever so silently. While I haven't seen trees yet changing their colors, I can feel it in the air.

Where has summer gone?!

Granted, I was gone a hefty amount during the month of June, but it feels like yesterday that I was bringing my shorts and tanks out of winter hibernation. I haven't even worn all of them yet!

Alas, there's no point in fighting the inevitable. While summer was short, it was sweet, and I'm continuing to make fond memories.

I mean, just this last weekend, I had one of the best summer nights at the annual Kenai Peninsula Beer Fest. Between catching up with friends, drinking beer, and being inducted as an official Alaskan by finally seeing Alaska's balladeer Hobo Jim, it was one memorable night, and it took to the middle of August for that to happen!

So, like my fellow friend, I'm donning white pants in the hopes of dragging summer out just a little bit longer.

Who knows what other memories I have yet to make...