Notes from Alaska's Woods

Books make great gifts. The Cabin Trilogy.

I pounded a shallow water well, down about 20 feet or so, and although I hit water with reasonable flow for a hand pump, the water never cleared and tasted like a raw frog smoothie, so I pulled out the piping with a come-along and a couple pulleys, but after a few feet the pipe broke at the threads a couple sections down. I didn’t want to just leave the pipe in the ground and it could be used again, so I dug to where the pipe severed, latched onto it, and pulled it all out of the ground. In this photo, I’m at the top of the pipe, using spoons to clear enough space to attach a rope. Doylanne didn’t have much to say about it but did record the moment, happy I suppose, that I was occupied. The hole is now filled, and we collect rain water.

In the old days we slept in a tent. We make a bed in the cabin now.

We received some cool news today. Squirrelland was chosen as a finalist in the American Book Fest Awards. Here's some information about it taken from a press release:
"Mainstream & Independent Titles Score Top Honors
in the 2023 Best Book Awards
Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Wiley, Hachette Books, McGraw-Hill, Routledge, Rowman & Littlefield, Johns Hopkins University Press, The White House Historical Association, American Bar Association, HCI Press, Bear & Company, Shambhala Publications and hundreds of national and international Independent Houses contribute to this year’s Outstanding Competition!"
Animals/Pets: General
Winner
The Blue Leash: A Year of Mourning by Scott D. DoVale
Kuma Bear Publishing
Finalist
Follow His Lead by Richard LaMotte
Koehler Books
Finalist
LUIGI: Mischief and Love with an Italian Cat by D. M. Jennings
Independently Published
Finalist
Sleeping between Giants Book 2, Ask a Terrier: Professional Advice from a Licensed Dog by Dave Jaffe
Cray-Cray Publishing
Finalist
Squirrelland: Imagination and the Alaska Red Squirrel by Eric Wade, photography by Doylanne Wade
Shanti Arts Publishing
Finalist
Tail of Humanity: A novel by Elizabeth Oldham
Doppia Press
Animals/Pets: Narrative Nonfiction
Winner
Mississippi Barking: Hurricane Katrina and a Life That Went to the Dogs by Chris McLaughlin
University Press of Mississippi
Finalist
Brooklyn Goes Home: The Rise and Fall of American Greyhound Racing and the Dog that Inspired a Movement by Christine A. Dorchak and Carey M. Theil
Lantern Publishing & Media
Finalist
Buzz the Not-So-Brave by Dani Nichols, illustrated by Kristin McNess Moran
Punchline Publishers
Finalist
Hark! Follow My Hoofbeats by Mary Chris Foxworthy
Equifit
Finalist
LUIGI: Mischief and Love with an Italian Cat by D. M. Jennings
Independently Published
Finalist
Squirrelland: Imagination and the Alaska Red Squirrel by Eric Wade, photography by Doylanne Wade
Shanti Arts Publishing
Finalist
Wild Thing and The Bagel by Erin L. Neal
Fulton Books
https://www.americanbookfest.com/2023bbafullresults.html
Dangerous work tracking squirrels

It's not quite this nice in southcentral Alaska on November 1, but it's pretty unusal. Sunny, warm (in the 40s by afternoon), and still a bit of green here and there.

Always a highliht to see a trumpeter swan.

This is a young bald eagle, bigger than its parents.

Turkeys live in a friendly co-existence with gray squirrels in the forests of the Eastern U.S, as do grouse with red squirrels in Alaska's boreal forests. We often see squirrels dash among spruce grouse in the yard at our place in the central interior.

Approach for landing.

Eagles are dominant in Squirrelland, the deep boreal forests of interior Alaska, where red squirrels make their home.

Osprey are a favorite to watch. They eat only fish, and here's one bringing a grayling to the nest. This pair was raising a little one about a half mile down river. Photo by Doylanne.

Up close with a beaver.

She hasn't run him off yet, but it's coming.

Ducks in a row

This red squirrel played with this cord for several minutes.

Squirrelland Table of Contents

Moose hunting is a part of every year. Hunters in the general hunt (those without special permits) can find the hunting to be a challenge. Only about 20% of hunters bag a moose during that hunt. This moose was taken in the vast boreal forest of Alaska.

Watching over the nest. This eagle and its partner succussfully raised a baby over the summer. The nest in close to our place so they frequently soar overhead.

from Squirrelland: Imagination and the Alaska Red Squirrel

https://www.amazon.com/Squirrelland-Imagination-Alaska-Red-Squirrel/dp/1962082016/ref=sr_1_1?crid=27IZB8DC1AF9S&keywords=Squirrelland&qid=1696288410&sprefix=squirrelland%2Caps%2C515&sr=8-1

We’re fascinated with bigness. Big brains, boats, businesses,
behaviors, bulletins, bullies, and billionaires dominate the
headlines and overwhelm us—many more Bs could be added to this list. If it’s big, it’s important. We view the natural world similarly. The animals that capture our imagination and receive the most attention are the big ones. The most common question after a return from the woods of interior Alaska is: “Did you see any bears?” followed by wolves and moose. I’ve never had anyone ask me: “Did you see any squirrels?” I’ve noticed something, though. After more than forty years venturing into the north woods: most animals are small. The big are few and far between. Some have suggested that this captivation with all that is massive has become destructive. I agree. We learn from a young age that only large is special, and only the giants among us are worthy of the best, but obviously that is nonsense. Take the small from the world, and the big will vanish; the converse is not true.

The general moose season just ended and these two young ones probably made it through alive -- just not legal where this photo was taken.

"Prepare yourself for full immersion in the world of the red squirrel of Interior Alaska. The subjects of Doylanne Wade’s exquisite photos range from the tiny to the immense—from the petite red squirrel to the massive bull moose. " ~~Chris Lundgren, author of Accidental Adventures: Alaska—True Tales of Ordinary People Facing Danger in the Wilderness

Researchers think that black bears yawn when they are anxious. This bear had cubs up a tree near her, and we were about 100 feet away on the deck of our cabin.

Denali rises from a base of about 2,000 feet to one of the highest mountains in the world. This is about fifty miles away.

We think of beavers as small animals, but they're one of the larger animals in the interior Alaska boreal forest. They commonly weigh more than 60 pounds, putting them in the top five. Only moose, bears, caribou, and wolves are larger. A fully grown wolverine (an animal I've never seen) is about the size of a beaver. Lynx can get up around 40 pounds. A red squirrel weighs about nine ounces.

Roses bloomed late this year but plentiful when they came.

Pop art.

Happy 4th!

Steps toward the camping spot.

Spring project. Built this bunk bed in a small cabin. The bed is notched into the walls.

It pretty easy to track a squirrel across a deck

Eagles prefer fish. Look at those talons.

Male spruce grouse sunbathing in September.

Squirrelland is in the editing stage at the publisher with plans to be released this summer. Here's a review by nature writer John Harvey:

"Wade’s observations of this industrious and unique animal—you may grow to admire, perhaps even like the red squirrel—at times take on a kind of free associative style with thoughtful reflections, fascinating tangents, and engaging allusions to history, literature, and philosophy, all of it making for very satisfying reading." -- John R. Harvey, Ph.D., author of The Stillness of the Living Forest: A Year of Listening and Learning

They're back! This photo taken last September.

This beaver has a nice swimming hole.

Doylanne and I have a book coming out this summer titled Squirrelland. She's the photographer and I'm the writer. I've asked a few writers to comment on Squirrelland and the responses are coming in now. I deeply appreciate their help. Here's a brief blurb from John Harvey, author of The Stillness of the Living Forest: A Year of Listening and Learning: "Wade employs scientific observation, but the key is that through careful observation of one small part of nature, a microcosm, we are led to better understand and appreciate the macrocosm of greater nature."

You can check out my other books, Cabin and Upstream, on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and most online book stores.

This photo by Doylanne shows two beavers snuggling. I've never seen this before.