Some people make their mark carving their initials into the bark of a tree. I have a cat that leaves his mark – or puddle – every day on the bathroom floor mat. (I have no idea why he doesn’t use the litter box literally two feet away from that mat.) I tend to make my mark with art, but it was a little unusual while in Alaska.
My sister and her husband run a fishing lodge in the Last Frontier. It’s a family thing. Their son is the chef. Their older son runs the other family lodge a little ways down the Naknek River. They all fish, hunt, hike and love anything outdoors. Their fishing guides didn't think I was really related to them. How could it really be possible? Seriously, give me a screened-in room free of mosquitos, no-see-ums and white socks, then toss in Internet access, and I’m in my own little paradise. But, I do have skills that my sister and her family appreciate.
The kitchen at the river camp is my nephew’s domain. He has such a passion and gift in that realm. What he creates, and the ingredients he uses in some of his creations, are not fully appreciated by all of the fishing guides or their clients. Some people enjoy cuisine. Others prefer hamburgers. Hunter makes cuisine.
It was a small workspace to create all that cuisine!He started learning at my sister’s elbow before he was even a teenager. And, he flourished. Now, he runs that show. My sister helps when and where she is needed. And, one of her tasks is writing the daily supper menu on a chalkboard so the guests know what their taste buds are in for. I’ve seen my sister’s handwriting. It’s usually very flowery with circles for the dots on her letters. However, she took her time with the lettering on the menu. She didn’t need my help at all. But, after a few days in Alaska, she thought maybe I should be the one who wrote the daily menu.
Okay, okay, I’m an artist and we all know it. I’ve made more than my share of posters and cards. As an art teacher, when my students created illuminated manuscripts, we practiced calligraphy. Almost universally, every student hated that. Why practice calligraphy when you can print out beautiful fonts on the computer? But, I practiced as well since I love working with letters.
Every week, without fail, each group of fishermen stopped to comment about my writing skills. Some of the men touched the lettering to see if it was somehow painted with a stencil. There were no stencils. I used special chalk markers that I’d never seen before. There were no lines. But, the text was always close to centered and nearly perfect. I told people that I practiced a lot and oozed with talent.
Beautiful to look at, better to eat.My older nephew said the lettering was “ridiculously good”.
My brother-in-law said that is just wasn’t possible that anyone could create lettering like that.
The chef said, “It’s just lettering! Okay, you do it well, but it’s just lettering.” Hmmm . . . it was his domain. He should get most of the praise. I made sure I praised him.
My sister just said, “My brother is an artist.”
Even on my final night in Alaska, a new group of fishermen asked who did the lettering. I told them to really enjoy it that evening. It was my last night so for the rest of their stay, they would have normal handwriting. (And, by the way, my sister said that the next evening her normal handwriting was mocked - probably more by family than guests.) Anyway, I didn’t leave my sister completely without my talents. At the top of the menu board, I painted “Welcome to Naknek River Camp”. They will have that to remember my stay for a long time to come.
There is one other project as well that will remind my family about me for a while. Above the entrance to the dining hall, someone painted their business logo many years ago. The painting didn’t hold up well in Alaskan sunshine, rain and winter. Later someone else tried to touch up the sign. I’m just going to limit my comments to the fact that he said he wasn’t an artist. Of course, even an artist can’t create a masterpiece without proper materials. When the guy painted the blue water, he didn’t have blue paint. So, he used blue nail polish. Under this sign is the location where most visiting fishermen pose for their group pictures of fishing in Alaska. My sister was embarrassed by that sign's condition for a very long time.
But, I visited Alaska.
In the final few days that I was at Naknek River Camp, my brother-in-law decided that maybe it would be a good idea for me to repaint that entire sign. There was a lot of lettering involved. Need I say more? And, since I had the proper supplies to do the job, the end project was completed to my satisfaction. But, I finished it only the night before I left. The sign wasn’t installed when I headed to the airport. However, everyone who saw the work was very pleased. I was pleased as well because I know when this sign is weathered, worn, frozen and faded, they know who to bring back to Alaska to repair it the right way. And, I would love to return to King Salmon.
But, I visited Alaska.