Change of Course Required

Directly across the road from where I live is Illiuliuk River, a small intertidal stream flowing maybe a mile from the lake to the ocean.  In the summer, especially in "even" years, the river fills with salmon, mostly pinks with the odd sockeye and coho.  Year round there are always eagles, perched on the slopes of Haystack Hill, on the light poles, and on the shores of the river.  I used to wonder why they watched the water so intently, even when the salmon were not running, until I saw one swoop down and come up with a fat Irish Lord, a type of sculpin common in these waters, called "Toad Heads" by the processors when spotted on the by-catch sorting line.

Along with eagles, an assortment of skiffs line the river's edge, and invariably a few break loose in the winter storms and get knocked around, drifting up and down the river with the tides, filling with water until their owners notice and rescue them or they wash out to sea.  Before I moved here I would look at Google Earth pictures of the area and those skiffs tied up just 40 feet from my soon-to-be bedroom never failed to capture my imagination.

January is behind us now and it's time to take stock - let's see, just 4 books read and 277 miles on the recumbent bike for the month.  That is not going to get me to 100 books and 10,000 miles; I may not be quite swamped and ice-bound yet but I do need to step up the effort!