In Alaska, the weeks leading up to the summer solstice are a brilliant crescendo of light and life. Every plant, creature, and person is coaxed into fullness, a full bloom of the spirit and soul, syncing the cycles of Mother Nature with our proximity to the sun.
This Friday we celebrate Summer Solstice, the highest manifestation of sunlight all year, which is significant for a culture of people whose lives and livelihoods are in sync with the rhythms of sun and moon. Homer, the hometown of my husband Arron (WAC founder + CEO), will bask in over 18 hours of daylight — on Friday, the sun won’t set until around 11:30pm AKDT, a dramatically long day that keeps us energized well past what we think of as bedtime.
To inspire you to bask in the rays of peak astronomical summer, whatever latitude you’re in, I’m sharing an essay this week from Chef Mandy Dixon of Tutka Bay Lodge in Kachemak Bay. It’s a short, beautiful piece that tells of summer through the cycles of harvest that she experiences as an Alaskan chef.
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The Love of Place
By Mandy Dixon
There's a certain magic to summer in Alaska — one that settles into your soul and stays with you long after the light begins to fade. Long days stretch golden across the water, catching the glint of otters tumbling in kelp beds and eagles soaring above spruce-lined coves. This is where I found my place on Earth. Not just coordinates on a map, but a soul-deep connection to the rhythm of tide and wind, of fireweed blooming and salmon returning home. Here, mountains meet sea, and time slows just enough to notice what matters. Cooking here means embracing those rhythms of the land and water.
We don't cook separately from the natural world, we cook alongside it. From the timing of our tides to how much rain has recently fallen, the environment informs our daily menus and our creative spirit. This sense of place invites both spontaneity and reverence. Whether filleting a fresh caught halibut, baking bread with wild yeast, or garnishing a dish with foraged beach greens, every ingredient tells a story of where we are.
What makes an Alaska summer special isn't just the beauty. It's how people come alive here, embracing the land and each other. It's campfires and shared meals of seafood, salt air and muddy boots, the sense of belonging to something greater. This place taught me that everyone can find their corner of the world where they feel most whole. It might not look like Kachemak Bay — with its wild coastlines and endless sky — but it will feel just as true. All it takes is presence, wonder, and loving a place completely.
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Happy summer solstice, and Live Wild,
Monica
Pictured above: A delectable summer’s bounty of wild salmon and shellfish, grilled al fresco over smoldering wood on the shores of Kachemak Bay.
