Just like migrating birds

In that twilight stage of sleep this morning I awoke to the sound of Canadian geese talking with one another as they were flying south in their quintessential V shape. The image of migrating birds in flight and the vocalizing they do is such a marker for me. We, just like migrating birds, fly north for the summer and fly south for the winter. This morning HJ flew even farther south on her winter migration back to North Carolina for school. It was a bittersweet morning.

It has been such a beautiful summer season in so many ways. HJ and dad had a very productive fishing season. Having her on the boat with him kept him working hard and they had such fun working together. With the forest fires inland there were some breathtaking skies.
It was also beautiful to watch HJ pick out a pattern and yarn for her first sweater. She has been after me for years to knit her a sweater. Now that I am knitting her one she has been inspired and is also excited to knit for herself. A fellow knitter shared her college knitting history; she knit on the same sweater all through graduate school. HJ is inspired by this thought - it is a romantic notion to her (me too!). She will likely work this sweater at much the same pace as Riki shared and hopes to go to grad school with one sweater under her belt already!

While the college girl was lightfooting it around Madrid, Barcelona and Ibiza her dad and I had a beautiful summer in AK. I still never tire of watching the red salmon in the murky waters of Power Creek and picking salmon berries along the side of the road hoping to spot an eagle feather or 2. Well the salmon berries were pretty slim and the feathers were a total bust but we did find this really beautiful fungus. I was really excited to get a new pic to add to my selection of mushroom and fungus images. It's been awhile since I have added to it.
There is one more member of our little flock that has yet to make his migratory flight south but for now he is still putting in his time on the Flats trying to fill his net with silver blue slabs of cohos. I wonder how much longer he can resist his instinct to fly home...