Sometimes living in Alaska can seem like kind of a waste.  Case in point - salmon.  I love fish and seafood but I absolutely, positively detest salmon.  Smoked, poached, baked, pan-fried...salmon burgers, salmon patties, salmon fillets, salmon puffs, salmon spread...I hate salmon.  Hate it.  It completely figures that I moved to a place - the place - with the freshest, most delicious salmon in the United States.  To this I have only one thing to say:

Ew.

So when my friend Kate asked if I could help out with a study on salmon being conducted through the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (in conjunction with the Cooperative Extension, where Helen and Kate work) I knew I couldn't refuse!  Hanging out with Helen and Kate for six to eight hours each day more than made up for my proximity to the salmon.  Getting to know Trina and Alex was another highlight; for those of you who keep up with me on Facebook, Trina is the genius behind my newfound love of lumpia.  I can't wait to make them for my dad!

Helen, Kate, and I spent four days in plastic gloves and hairnets, opening can after can of salmon at the UAF Student Union at the Wood Center.  Trina's study is centering on important issues such as sustainability, health, and nutrition by looking at how adding salmon oil back into processed fish improves use, taste, and nutritional value.

After a long week of scraping the skins off of canned salmon, portioning it, and serving it up to volunteer tasters we headed over to The Oasis for our own taste test.

In other news, the aurora is back and Josh has the camera ready for its next appearance.  Tuesday evening was our first time seeing the lights since returning from New York and the first time photographing them with the new camera.  By the time Josh had adjusted the settings correctly the aurora had disappeared, but the long, dark winter lies ahead and we promise you that our best photos of the Northern Lights are yet to come.