Ellen was pretty busy this summer. The first part of June her sister, Olga, came up from Sitka for a three week visit. During that time the two of them cut salmon to dry and store away for winter use. They didn't cut that many fish, but smoking them took up a lot of time, keeping the fire going constantly during the day to keep the flies away.

Around the end of July she went on her first boat ride and camping trip of the year. It was a fun trip. She and her son, Ray Jr., went with Delores Paul and her parents on a long trip to Chakaktolik, across from Pilot Station. They went there to pick salmon berries. When they left Pilot Station it was drizzling. All of them dressed warm, wearing rain gear and clothing that would protect them from the cold.

The water was so low in the slough that they had to stop a lot and push the boat through the shallow parts. It took them seven hours to get half way to where they were going. It was still raining and getting late as they set up camp. When they got done setting up they were all soaked to the bone. They spent all the next day at camp due to the rain. On the third day they reached their destination. Traveling through the slough was a little bit easier because the rain raised the water level a bit. That same evening they got to pick some berries. The fourth day was great, because it cleared up a bit and the sun was shining. They picked berries all that morning and then after lunch Mr. Paul told them that they had to go back to Pilot Station because he thought the water would drop and they would have a hard time getting back out because they had to fight the current. And, doing that, they might run out of gas.

The weather was great the whole day. On their way out they saw a couple of beavers enjoying the weather too, plus a moose later in the evening. When they got back to Pilot Station, Delores, Ray Jr., and she got weathered in for a couple of days and weren't able to make it back up to Marshall. After she got home she put her salmon berries away. Then she picked some blue berries. There weren't many blue berries, though, so she didn't pick that many.

A couple of weeks ago she started drying fish again, this time silvers and fall chums. It was a little extra work because she had to keep the fires going due to the rain. She also canned some salmon for use later on in the year.

By: Ellen Alstrom

Interviewed by: Fred Alstrom