More Baranof Island Scenes; August 2017
Baranof Island was named for the director of the Russian American Company, which was granted a trading monopoly by the Tsar. Sitka was the center of this trade, and it still balances the competing histories of the Russian merchants and the indigenous Tlingits. As a town, it has become more charming and livable in recent decades, with many improvements. In good weather, it offers stunning views.
Many totem poles, both preserved original poles and very high quality replicas, still stand either outside or protected in an excellent Park Service museum.
This pole bears the two-headed eagle of Russian monarchy.
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After a lifetime of mainly expressing myself with words, my postings here will mainly rely on images. They will speak for themselves to some extent, but I'll usually add a few comments of explanation. I've taken photographs for decades, since the 1950's, inspired in part by my father's photographic skill. Four years of photo assignments and quality darkroom time eventually gave way to decades of casual and family picture-taking. I re-immersed myself when I left film and turned to digital.