The poster had gone to print at Capital Copy. Laura had designed the poster and in a text message to her good friend Liesel she asked, “What should we call our concert?” Liesel’s quick wit and local insight delivered the perfect hook. “I Wish It Was Summer Concert”….at this definitive poster title….locals laughed and agreed.
We were excited to host a joint Southeast Alaska concert tour with New Mexico’s Triple L Band. A year previous, at Triple L’s assent, we explored possible venues and supporting arts councils throughout Southeast Alaska. Alaska String Band and Triple L Band’s first encounter was at a bluegrass festival in Duncan, Oklahoma. Our paths continued to cross on occasion at various festivals in the lower 48.
The Triple L Band began singing and playing music twelve years ago in their hometown of Portales, New Mexico. Triple L represents the three brothers, Lance, Landon and Levi, who are sons of Len and Amy Miller. 
Triple L’s style of traditional bluegrass with tight family harmony and excellent instrumentation both challenged and inspired us.
In early August they arrived on Alaska Airlines, ready for adventure. So we set out… 
On board the Matanuska ferry we traveled the Alaska Marine Highway to our first concert destination. Petersburg, like Juneau, is also remote and can be reached only by water or air. The population of full time residents is around 2,800. Petersburg was named after Peter Buschmann, a Norwegian immigrant. Buschmann built a sawmill, docks and a cannery and Petersburg flourished as a fishing port. People of Scandinavian origin came to Petersburg and settled into a prosperous life of fishing. Today it is known by the nickname “Little Norway”. 
Levi keeps a healthy distance and surveys sea lions on the dock. 
Michelle Pfundt, a former member of the Petersburg Arts Council, was our host for the weekend. Like his father before him, Michelle’s husband is a successful fisherman. The Pfundt family welcomed us to their ocean view home where we were treated to a marvelous halibut dinner. Both organized and thorough, Michelle provided us with great accommodations and plenty of opportunities to play music for the community. On the clip board of fun was an evening community concert followed by a day of music workshops. A potluck dinner and New England style contra dance led by one of Juneau’s favorite dance callers, Odette Edgar, brought the weekend to a festive conclusion. Amy with Triple L boys lead a music workshop.
A little sight seeing for Quinn and Amy.
Back on board the ferry we motored north, passing Eldred Rock in Lynn Canal. 
Our destination, Haines, is one of only three towns in Southeast Alaska which can be accessed by road. 
Haines is connected to the North American highway system, but one must pass through British Columbia and Yukon Territory, Canada to access the Alaska Highway.
St. Elias Mountains
Each July Haines is host to the Southeast Alaska State Fair. The Alaska String Band has played music at the fair in summers past. Pig races are one of the more amusing events. Rides, arts, crafts, produce, flowers and baked goods exhibits are all found there. Also of interest the fair grounds incorporate a portion of the set from Walt Disney’s movie White Fang which was filmed in Haines in 1990.
Another annual event which our band has provided entertainment for is the week long Alaska Bald Eagle Festival.
Some of the events include photography workshops, live raptor presentations, guest speakers, artist of the year demonstrations and music entertainment. 
Daily buses transport visitors from around the world to the Alaska Bald Eagle Preserve to witness the annual gathering of eagles. 
From September through February over 3,500 bald eagles converge on the beautiful Chilkat River Valley. The Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve was established to protect and perpetuate the world’s largest concentration of Bald Eagles and their critical habitat. Natural salmon runs are also sustained and protected there.
Dave Olerud, founder of the American Bald Eagle Foundation, has been a wonderful host and passionately shares his love of Alaskan wildlife. As a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a degree in education, Dave and his wife Charlotte came to Alaska in 1964 to teach. In subsequent years he has served his community in varied ways such as the Mayor of Haines, president of the Chamber of Commerce, and president of the Independent Business Association for Alaska. During the early construction phase of the American Bald Eagle Foundation’s natural history museum, a collapsing wall fell on Dave, crushing his back and paralyzing him from the waist down. Undaunted, Dave’s spirit is evident as he spends nearly forty hours per week in the museum offering insightful presentations to thousands of visitors.
It was at the Bald Eagle Festival that we chanced to meet Haines musician Dave Nanney. A dedicated and accomplished artist in many mediums, Dave is one of those valuable people who come along side to encourage and inspire developing artists. At Dave’s persuasion we were successful in contracting with the Haines Arts Council to give a concert in the Chilkat Center for the Arts. Dave graciously welcomed us to stay in his beautiful historic bed and breakfast located in Fort Seward, just a stone’s throw from the Chilkat Center. 
Fort William H. Seward, a United States Army installation, was constructed south of Haines in 1904. The fort was renamed Chilkoot Barracks in 1922. It was the only U.S. Army post in Alaska before World War II. During World War II it was used as a supply point for U.S. Army activities. In 1946 Chilkoot Barracks was deactivated and sold as surplus property to a group of investors who called it Port Chilkoot. Today Fort Seward is a nationally recognized historic site where a number of privately owned barracks, officer housing, and parade grounds are maintained. Some of these structures are open to the public as businesses and restaurants. 
While Quinn and Laura were still quite young Paul and Melissa spent a number of weeks living in one of the historic homes of Fort Seward while Paul helped to build the care taker’s cabin for the Alaska State Park bald eagle preserve.
This Alaskan native Tlingit tribal house rests at the edge of the Fort Seward parade grounds. 
Chilkat Dancers
A little advertising for the concert.
Triple L Band visits the Haines public radio station giving an interview for the evening performance.
Haines radio show host.
Setting up for the evening performance.
The Haines Arts Council hosted a scrumptious Alaskan pre-concert pot luck. And Dave Nanney filmed the evenings entertainment, generously sharing some great photo memories. The fun continued into the wee hours as local musicians invited us to a jam session. 
Visit this link to watch and listen to a brief sample video from our performance in Haines.
On a previous visit to Haines while driving up the Chilkat River Valley Laura tuned in the radio in search of the weather forecast. The weather man announced, “One hundred percent chance of rain for the rest of the week…..well, actually…for the rest of the year.” It was an amusing and dreadfully accurate forecast. Haines is known for extremely heavy snow fall and in the 2011-12 winter season received a record breaking 360 inches of snow. On a more positive note the summer in Haines is coveted by those of us who live in other towns of Southeast Alaska. Haines has far more sunshine and the local gardeners grow fantastic vegetable, fruit and flower gardens. 
Fort Seward snowed in.
Harbor in January and February.
Moose at 16 mile.
Moon from Tanani. 
Gilnetter
A great catch….dungenes crab, salmon, halibut and red snapper. A good friend of ours is Gary Lidholm, holding the halibut, third from the right. Retired from the U.S. Forest Service, Gary and his wife Juanita spent a number of years serving at Echo Ranch Bible Camp, located approximately 40 miles north of downtown Juneau, and beyond the “end of the road”. Our family loved working with them one summer while Gary served as camp director and Juanita as camp cook. Juanita made friends for life with Quinn. Following their service at Echo Ranch the Lidholms made their home in Haines. Gary served as pastor for the Port Chilkoot Bible Church and Juanita ran an excellent bed and breakfast and grew an amazing garden. One of Gary’s talents is photography and this post is filled with Alaskan scenery and wildlife shots of the Haines area that he has kindly shared with our family. 
Rainbow Glacier
Much of the food and other provisions sold in stores are shipped to Alaska each week in the large containers like those shown here on this Alaska Marine Line barge. 
Letnikof Cove
A walk in the woods.
Spruce cones and aspen.
Moss on rock.
Boat launch at Chilkat State Park.
Hanging glacier across the inlet from Chilkat State Park.
Fields of fireweed grow approximately seven feet high. The blossoms open from the bottom of the stalk and work upward as the weeks progress. As the blaze of color reaches it’s peak we know that the end of summer is near. 
Back in Juneau we were so excited to go flight seeing with our a friend and pilot Joe Fanazick. When he’s not out flying his own private float plane Joe serves as a medivac pilot with Life Link. A medivac plane is essentially an air ambulance which contains basic life support equipment. Joe transports patients in critical condition from Juneau’s International Airport to hospitals in Anchorage, Alaska and Seattle, Washington when specialized emergency care is necessary. In 1997 Abigail was born three months prematurely. Paul and Abigail were transported just minutes after delivery by medivac flight from Juneau to the neonatal intensive care unit in Anchorage, Alaska where Abigail remained for seven weeks. Melissa was hospitalized for several weeks in Juneau and when recovered enough to travel joined Abigail in Anchorage.
Joe flew us over the Juneau Ice Field and the Taku River Valley.
Island hopping is one of our favorite summer recreations. Because there are no roads leading in or out of most towns in Southeast Alaska, a boat is the preferred choice of recreational vehicles. The Inside Passage waterways become the road to adventure. Hundreds of undeveloped fiords, inlets, coves, bays and islands are there for discovery. Lighthouses are scattered along the coast warning boaters of hazardous reefs.
Triple L Band joined us on a jaunt to Shelter Island, just north of Juneau. We stayed in the Camping Cove cabin, one of many State Marine Park cabins that Paul was instrumental in building and maintaining during his years of service with Alaska State Parks.
These salmon are beyond eating but interesting for Landon to see.
Camping Cove Cabin, Shelter Island
Our final concert took place at the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council (JACC) building in downtown Juneau. Paul and Melissa’s nephew Henry Masters, currently a student at the University of Alaska, Juneau, supplied us with some awesome photos. 
The home town support far exceeded our expectations and we played to a standing room only audience. 
Alaska String Band Blog 
Was Joe still playing his hermonica? Have memories of refueling his plane, and him playing the hermonica…