Editor’s Note: We “met” Patrick at the 49 Writers Discussion Group on Facebook, where he shared this post from his blog Gillnet Dreams, reprinted here with permission.
I drove
the van as far as I could, until the road ended at a wall of rocks scattered on
the edge of the gravel. We packed the crayons, rolls of butcher paper, masking
tape, water bottles, apples, granola bars, camera and a few rolls of film into
two rucksacks. We tightened the shoestrings on our hiking boots, grabbed our
walking sticks and headed down the rocky beach as the tide began its ebb.
the van as far as I could, until the road ended at a wall of rocks scattered on
the edge of the gravel. We packed the crayons, rolls of butcher paper, masking
tape, water bottles, apples, granola bars, camera and a few rolls of film into
two rucksacks. We tightened the shoestrings on our hiking boots, grabbed our
walking sticks and headed down the rocky beach as the tide began its ebb.
It was
mid-morning outside Wrangell, Alaska on September 16, 1974, and we’d heard
there were jewels to be found down the beach a mile, if we were patient and
lucky. 1,000 to 10,000 years ago, the forefathers of the Tlingit Indians sent
their shaman walking over these same rocks to work their magic carving designs
into small boulders for what must have taken weeks or even months. We were
following their paths in hopes of creating rubbings of their stone carvings. It
was my twenty-fourth birthday, and the first day of sun in the past 10 days of
travel to get here.
mid-morning outside Wrangell, Alaska on September 16, 1974, and we’d heard
there were jewels to be found down the beach a mile, if we were patient and
lucky. 1,000 to 10,000 years ago, the forefathers of the Tlingit Indians sent
their shaman walking over these same rocks to work their magic carving designs
into small boulders for what must have taken weeks or even months. We were
following their paths in hopes of creating rubbings of their stone carvings. It
was my twenty-fourth birthday, and the first day of sun in the past 10 days of
travel to get here.
We found the
petroglyphs. We spent the next several hours laying the paper over the images
of faces, whales and spirals, then rubbing the sides of the crayons across the paper
to produce the pattern in he rock underneath in relief. In the process, we
attempted to understand – to somehow intuitively bridge the gap between the
millennia – so we might in a small way comprehend what it must have been like
on this spot for those mystics. When we carefully rolled our papers, packed
away the gear and headed to the van with the incoming tide, our heads were full
of possibilities and we were dizzied from the experience.
petroglyphs. We spent the next several hours laying the paper over the images
of faces, whales and spirals, then rubbing the sides of the crayons across the paper
to produce the pattern in he rock underneath in relief. In the process, we
attempted to understand – to somehow intuitively bridge the gap between the
millennia – so we might in a small way comprehend what it must have been like
on this spot for those mystics. When we carefully rolled our papers, packed
away the gear and headed to the van with the incoming tide, our heads were full
of possibilities and we were dizzied from the experience.
We were
halfway back, commenting in low voices about what a magical time it had been,
when we heard a sound like a rock falling in water – only somehow different,
more organic. More alive, and it wasn’t coming from the ocean just a few feet
to our right. It was coming from overhead, behind us. We turned to look, and
saw two large, black birds flying up the beach, maybe twenty feet above us. One
of them made the sound again – and as it did, it pushed its wings down and rose
in the air a foot higher than its companion, then folded its wings tight
against its body, rolled onto its back and fell. It dropped until it was six or
seven feet from the rocky beach, then rolled upright again, spread its wings
and flapped up to its mate, who had been leisurely flying along the entire
time. We watched, not believing what we had seen when a few seconds later the other
raven made the same sound, pushed itself higher, rolled over and repeated the same
move! We watched as they flew over us and up the beach the same direction we
were traveling, continuing to fall and fly again as they went. Each time, they
made the sound before dropping. Never had I seen a bird fly for the sheer enjoyment
of it, as if it had discovered that since it could perform such a maneuver, it
would. As if to say to any observer, See? Look what you can do.
halfway back, commenting in low voices about what a magical time it had been,
when we heard a sound like a rock falling in water – only somehow different,
more organic. More alive, and it wasn’t coming from the ocean just a few feet
to our right. It was coming from overhead, behind us. We turned to look, and
saw two large, black birds flying up the beach, maybe twenty feet above us. One
of them made the sound again – and as it did, it pushed its wings down and rose
in the air a foot higher than its companion, then folded its wings tight
against its body, rolled onto its back and fell. It dropped until it was six or
seven feet from the rocky beach, then rolled upright again, spread its wings
and flapped up to its mate, who had been leisurely flying along the entire
time. We watched, not believing what we had seen when a few seconds later the other
raven made the same sound, pushed itself higher, rolled over and repeated the same
move! We watched as they flew over us and up the beach the same direction we
were traveling, continuing to fall and fly again as they went. Each time, they
made the sound before dropping. Never had I seen a bird fly for the sheer enjoyment
of it, as if it had discovered that since it could perform such a maneuver, it
would. As if to say to any observer, See? Look what you can do.
I
listened. I realized what was possible, and I moved to Alaska the next year.
Ravens would continue to haunt the fringes of my life there, but as I chose to
frequent the water instead of the shore, my life was visited more by seabirds
than the black-feathered trickster and deliverer of fire. But raven was there
the day I left.
listened. I realized what was possible, and I moved to Alaska the next year.
Ravens would continue to haunt the fringes of my life there, but as I chose to
frequent the water instead of the shore, my life was visited more by seabirds
than the black-feathered trickster and deliverer of fire. But raven was there
the day I left.
We lived
in the Kenai area for 22 years. In late November of 1997 I got a job teaching
at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, where I still live today.
In Alaska, I divorced, fell in love again, remarried, had two children, became
a commercial fisherman, taught middle and high school, learned and taught
photography, built a house, built a new boat. I built a life as an Alaskan, as
a fisherman, as a husband, as a father. And now we were leaving.
in the Kenai area for 22 years. In late November of 1997 I got a job teaching
at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, where I still live today.
In Alaska, I divorced, fell in love again, remarried, had two children, became
a commercial fisherman, taught middle and high school, learned and taught
photography, built a house, built a new boat. I built a life as an Alaskan, as
a fisherman, as a husband, as a father. And now we were leaving.
I pulled
our van into the shipping warehouse, out the loading dock and onto a trailer packed
with our possessions. Afterward, I signed the papers authorizing the shipping
company to send that trailer containing everything we owned except our pickup
truck parked out front to Anchorage, where it would be loaded on a barge and
shipped to Seattle. If everything went right, it would arrive in Olympia a few
days after we did. In the truck outside,
my wife and two sons waited for me as a full-blown blizzard raged around them.
I stepped out the door and into a white-out of silver-dollar flakes swirling in
a stiff wind. I wondered if our belongings would even get to Anchorage as I
stepped across the porch and down the steps to the parking lot. Halfway down, I
heard a croaking behind and above me. I know that voice. I turned around, and
there he was, all fluffed out against the cold, hunkered down in the snow on
the peak of the roof, looking right at me as if to say, You sure about this? We
stared at one another for a long moment. I pursed my lips and said, “No.” I
lowered my gaze and shook my head, then looked up one last time. He was still there.
“I know,” I said aloud. “I can always come back.” He never said, No you can’t. I found that out on my own.
our van into the shipping warehouse, out the loading dock and onto a trailer packed
with our possessions. Afterward, I signed the papers authorizing the shipping
company to send that trailer containing everything we owned except our pickup
truck parked out front to Anchorage, where it would be loaded on a barge and
shipped to Seattle. If everything went right, it would arrive in Olympia a few
days after we did. In the truck outside,
my wife and two sons waited for me as a full-blown blizzard raged around them.
I stepped out the door and into a white-out of silver-dollar flakes swirling in
a stiff wind. I wondered if our belongings would even get to Anchorage as I
stepped across the porch and down the steps to the parking lot. Halfway down, I
heard a croaking behind and above me. I know that voice. I turned around, and
there he was, all fluffed out against the cold, hunkered down in the snow on
the peak of the roof, looking right at me as if to say, You sure about this? We
stared at one another for a long moment. I pursed my lips and said, “No.” I
lowered my gaze and shook my head, then looked up one last time. He was still there.
“I know,” I said aloud. “I can always come back.” He never said, No you can’t. I found that out on my own.
I did,
eventually, return to visit. Of course that wasn’t what I meant in the
snowstorm, but I’ve been back to visit several times, and many were to read my poems
and writings about Alaska at fisher-poet events. One of the first times, I went
to Kodiak in April of 2008. I spent the night on a friend’s boat in dry-dock in
the Kodiak boatyard. The yard was deserted and after a late night, I awoke to a
thickening spring snowstorm. My friend was already up and gone, so I walked out
on deck in my sweats and went to pee over the stern as the snow dropped
straight down from low, gray clouds overhead. There was no wind. The flakes
hissed as they landed on inches of white coating the decks of the boats, their rigging
and the gravel of the yard. Holding my arms close to my chest against the cold,
I turned to go back to the warmth of the cabin – and I am not making this up –
I heard a sound I hadn’t heard in over 30 years, like a rock, falling in water.
I recognized it immediately (I had told the Wrangell beach story dozens of
times). I twisted around to look. Across the yard came one, no, two ravens,
flying at rooftop level. I had looked too late to see if one of them had rolled
over. They were just flying… then I heard it again, and sure enough, one of the
large black birds lifted a few feet into the falling snow and rolled, dropping
toward the ground like a stone above the ocean. She spread her wings and
flipped at the last second, then rose to join her mate, flapping together through
the flakes until they disappeared behind a curtain of white.
eventually, return to visit. Of course that wasn’t what I meant in the
snowstorm, but I’ve been back to visit several times, and many were to read my poems
and writings about Alaska at fisher-poet events. One of the first times, I went
to Kodiak in April of 2008. I spent the night on a friend’s boat in dry-dock in
the Kodiak boatyard. The yard was deserted and after a late night, I awoke to a
thickening spring snowstorm. My friend was already up and gone, so I walked out
on deck in my sweats and went to pee over the stern as the snow dropped
straight down from low, gray clouds overhead. There was no wind. The flakes
hissed as they landed on inches of white coating the decks of the boats, their rigging
and the gravel of the yard. Holding my arms close to my chest against the cold,
I turned to go back to the warmth of the cabin – and I am not making this up –
I heard a sound I hadn’t heard in over 30 years, like a rock, falling in water.
I recognized it immediately (I had told the Wrangell beach story dozens of
times). I twisted around to look. Across the yard came one, no, two ravens,
flying at rooftop level. I had looked too late to see if one of them had rolled
over. They were just flying… then I heard it again, and sure enough, one of the
large black birds lifted a few feet into the falling snow and rolled, dropping
toward the ground like a stone above the ocean. She spread her wings and
flipped at the last second, then rose to join her mate, flapping together through
the flakes until they disappeared behind a curtain of white.
I haven’t
seen a raven in a long while. It’s been over a year since I was last in Alaska.
I don’t recall seeing one the last time I was there, though I can’t imagine
they weren’t present. I wonder if I’ve stopped looking, or if they’ve given up
on me. I don’t much like either of those possibilities. There are charmed
places near where I live where ravens live and work their magic. I think I need
to find one.
seen a raven in a long while. It’s been over a year since I was last in Alaska.
I don’t recall seeing one the last time I was there, though I can’t imagine
they weren’t present. I wonder if I’ve stopped looking, or if they’ve given up
on me. I don’t much like either of those possibilities. There are charmed
places near where I live where ravens live and work their magic. I think I need
to find one.
Patrick Dixon’s writings have been published in Cirque
Literary Magazine, Oberon Poetry Journal, Pacific Fishing, National
Fisherman, Oregon Coast magazine and others. Mr. Dixon lived,
taught and commercial fished in Alaska for 22 years. He now lives and works as
a freelance photographer and writer in Olympia, Washington. He is the recipient
of an Artist Trust Grant for his work as editor of Anchored in Deep Water:
The FisherPoets Anthology(2014). He has read his work widely across the
Pacific Northwest.
Literary Magazine, Oberon Poetry Journal, Pacific Fishing, National
Fisherman, Oregon Coast magazine and others. Mr. Dixon lived,
taught and commercial fished in Alaska for 22 years. He now lives and works as
a freelance photographer and writer in Olympia, Washington. He is the recipient
of an Artist Trust Grant for his work as editor of Anchored in Deep Water:
The FisherPoets Anthology(2014). He has read his work widely across the
Pacific Northwest.
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Nice read this morning. Thanks.
No matter how hard you wish, you still can't see the middle rip from shore. Still have to leave by 3:00 A.M. to there get by opening