Cordova

My quarterly meeting in Cordova was on a Thurs-Fri this time, so DL came along, and we are staying through the weekend. We have both worked in Cordova before, but have never had tourist time here before, and it is a really beautiful area, so we thought we'd check some things out. The weather is as usual:


The fishing fleet is just waking up from a long slumber. Black cod and rockfish are the main catches. Next week, salmon season opens, to great fanfare!

Sigh:


DL pondering:


Our colleagues were happy to see DL "helping out with the project". I told them I was sorry to disappoint them, but he was also not technically on this project, and was along on vacation at our personal expense. He did join us for dinner though, and we all had some great conversations. Later, DL also met with the power company CEO, who is also the mayor (one wears many hats in Cordova!), and we discussed an upcoming project, which he *is* involved in.

Team RADIANCE!



Then we swapped out photographers:


This spot is a fish cleaning station. Very convenient! You clean your fish at the table, then rinse the guts right down to the ocean. Bald eagles hang around and help clean up.


Eyak Lake, from right outside the Powder House, a homey local restaurant:


After we bade our colleagues farewell, we picked up our own rental car. So far, the "vacation" portion of this trip has been relaxing, but also very chilly and wet, as the damp air seeps to my bones. I feel like a fish belly. These are the days at home when I light a big fire and then promptly overheat the cabin since it's not actually that cold by the thermometer! (maybe about 40 degrees F).



There is a very nice little museum and gift shop in The Cordova Center. Most of our work meetings have been in there, but I had never seen the rest of the beautiful building. We learned more details about the tragedy of the Exxon Valdez oil spill (from which the local marine ecosystems have still not recovered), saw some lovely local art, and saw some historical exhibits about the local fishing industry.

Look! It's an "Iron Chink"!


The "iron chink" apparently displaced many Chinese fish cannery workers in its day.


I'm glad the Cordova Museum is not too "politically correct" to hide this term.


Workers were racially segregated in those days--The "white men's bunkhouse" and "the Japanese and Filipino bunkhouse" are clearly labelled on one historical map. To deny it is to risk repeating it.


And as an aside, it looked terrifying! And it still evidently required quite a bit of manual handling while in operation. DL: "And this was a world without OSHA."

Look! It was indeed quite terrifying! Look at those quick, flashing blades! And the lack of safety glasses!