The first day of work is over, and I really cannot believe that it is already after 10:30pm local time. Looking out the window right now at the Chase family's home, it looks like it should be maybe 5:00. We don't technically begin our work (per our signed contract) until Friday, but the rule is: you work, you eat free. If not, you're on your own. So today we opted to work, and spent most of the day working on the cabin that we will be sleeping in for the summer. It is mostly assembled already. We did some insulation work to fill in large cracks and holes, added some tin (or aluminum?) paneling to the roof and built the loft by laying out, leveling, screwing, and painting plywood and OSB. We also worked on installing the windows, but they were too big and need to be sized down and finished up tomorrow. Eventually (possibly not before our summer here is over) there will be a propane stove, kitchen area, wood stove, and couches on the lower level of the cabin.

The cabin is rustic, but very nice, and a little larger than I had expected. Even better than the cabin itself, is the location. It is set right at the edge of a bluff, maybe 30 or 40 feet, that drops down to a sandy, gravel beach. It looks out over Cooke Inlet, and beyond that is a long range of huge snow-capped mountains. It looks fake, it is so beautiful and different from any other view I have witnessed in person. There are bald eagles everywhere - I saw a brown juvenile today flying so close to me at eye level as I was looking out over the bluff, I could have hit it with a rock.

We were working hard today. Didn't break for lunch until 3:30 and didn't have time for picture taking. I snapped some pictures yesterday during the drive from the airport in Anchorage to Kasilof. I will post those and try to get some of the cabin in the next couple of days.

The food has been awesome. Liz (the mother of the Chase family) is a great cook. We had grilled cheese (made w/ home made bread), tomato soup, and crackers with salmon dip. For dinner we had salad, rice, and fresh halibut that was brought up today from Homer where the oldest son, Brian, his wife Anika, and his one and a half year old daughter, Elise are from.

Tomorrow we are hopefully finishing up the cabin by early afternoon, and then heading to town with Liz to buy our fishing licenses, crew licenses, fishing bibs, groceries, etc. Then we will be on our own for a few days. I'm encouraged by what I've heard about the sport fishing in the area. The Kasilof (Kuh-SEE-Lof) River is supposed to be great for salmon fishing and is only a two mile hike up the beach from the cabin. There have also been rumors that in the next couple of weeks we may be going to visit the town of Homer, about an hour and a half south of here, to take their big boat out off the coast to catch some halibut!