Brendan Jones

I keep thinking Sean could live for some time in the woods. He could. He'd go out and cut wood for days by himself. He'd find food. No problem. Even as I write this, I think that.

In the morning, wads of fish appeared on our screen in Neets Bay. And when we pulled the lines, a fish was on every hook.

Southeast Alaskans have a way of insisting spring isn’t too far away, despite all evidence to the contrary.

Our daughter, who we’ve nicknamed Chou-chou, thrills in the wind. Arms pinned to her sides, head raised, she’s like some Viking bowsprit driving headlong into the elements. When she cackles, we exchange parental glances.

Despite being subjected to the environmental and health risks of upstream mining projects in Canada, Alaskans have no say in their approval. Which is why thousands of Alaskans have been clamoring about them.

Today the Sitka Fine Arts Camp hosts close to 800 students from three countries, 20 states and 45 Alaska towns. About a quarter of them came from Anchorage. Since taking over the Sheldon Jackson College Campus in 2011, the Sitka Fine Arts Camp has raised close to $4 million.

Even the dog looked up as the night sky shivered green. It was magical, as if gods were taking a comb to the firmament. Out there in the dark, as the Earth was washed by solar winds, this was the first heart-level moment of Yes. Family.

Want to gauge the political mood in Sitka? Sit down at the Backdoor Cafe with a cup of coffee and a salmonberry scone, pick up The Daily Sitka Sentinel, and chat with folks. You’ll learn that not much is predictable in the 49th state.

The availability of inexpensive troll permits gives the Southeast Alaska chinook fishery an everyman feel.

A feud over whether to cut the Tongass timber can always be reduced to bumper-sticker arguments. But in Sitka there has been increasing consensus that old-growth timber should be left alone.

OPINION: The sac roe herring fishery spells the end of winter in Sitka. Along with being an engaging spectacle, the fishery brings more than a million dollars to Sitka's economy. But crashing catches worry fishermen.