Forward

Over the past four years I have lived in New York City, New York, Middlebury, Vermont, Breckenridge, Colorado, Oyster Bay, New York, Queenstown, New Zealand, Waihi, New Zealand, and Homer, Alaska.  I have traveled all over the world, or more specifically, to the countries of New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, and Cambodia.  Yet, none of this would have been made possible, nor would it have been as amazing as it all was, if it weren’t for the wonderfully giving and generous people I met along the way.

The Machs and Canning Red Salmon

As previously posted, upon moving to Homer, Alaska, we were taken on quite a bumpy ride when it came to finding housing.  Nothing, and I mean nothing, seemed available for the summer.  Under these harsh circumstances this could have left us potentially camping for the entire month of June until we were able to finally move into our monthly rental (that would not be available until July).  Fortunately, this did not happen because of an incredible family called The Machs (they are family friends of Mimi’s) who graciously took us in, meaning all three of us, not just for a week, but for the ENTIRE month of June.  Staying at the Mach household was a great experience not only because they were unbelievably kind people, but because they also gave us the opportunity to partake in some “Alaskan” activities.

One of these activities included participating in the procedure of canning freshly caught Red Alaskan Salmon.  The Machs, along with some of their extended family members went off for a long weekend of enjoying each other’s company as well as fishing for “Reds,” which is the Alaskan term used in reference to this type of salmon.  They returned with about 120 large Reds (maxing out their fishing license quota for the year) that needed to be filleted, canned, or smoked.  Mimi and I decided to jump in and help with the course of action happening in the kitchen at that time: canning salmon.  Basically all we had to do was cut the filets into slices that would fit diagonally into the jars that had already been seasoned with salt and various spices.  Then we would watch Terry (mother Mach) place the jars into her very large steaming pot that would act as a sealer for the already canned salmon jars.  After all was said and done, the Mach’s caught enough Reds to last them a year.

This undertaking is a yearly tradition/necessity not only for their family, but also for many of the Alaskan families in Homer.  From what I have noticed, it is also a very giving and taking activity.  What I mean by this, is that, say for example, a family has a bunch of halibut from the fishing season and another family has a bunch of salmon from the fishing season, well, they go ahead and trade so they each have some of both.  Or, a lot of the time, they just give some of their salmon away as a gift to friends or as a way of saying thank you.  Or, as in the case of the Machs, they just give some of their salmon away, without expecting anything in return (we ate a lot of delicious fresh salmon while staying at the Mach household).

This activity of exchanging/giving salmon made me think of the quote my mom wrote on the card she gave me when I graduated from college.  It said, “Always remember to give more than you take.”  As I was sitting there canning salmon in the always hospitable kitchen of Terry Mach it made me ponder all of the exceptionally “giving” people I have met as I have traveled the world over the past couple of years.  So I write this salmon canning post as a tribute to all of you who truly understand the meaning of this quote, and who have made my time abroad as well as my time in the US such a memorable voyage.  I hope that one day I can return the immense favors you have bestowed upon me to the next generation of wandering souls!

To You

Thank you to the Mach’s for graciously taking me into your home, to Paula and Derek Hesterman for making my time WWOOFING in NZ such a marvelous experience, to the Stockdales for being my wonderful New Zealand family, to the one and only Paula Ryan who is one of the most benevolent and giving people I have ever met, to OJ and Susan Donovan who I just can’t thank enough for being my outstanding New York family, to the Barretts for taking me in during a time of need and always treating me like one of their own, to the Springers for their continual love and support, and of course, to my family, for giving me the confidence to always take that leap of faith it requires to jump ship and move somewhere new.