Stock that freezer!

Gone fishin'

Most people do it.  Down home, you put a pole in the water and hope for the best.  Maybe it's a bobber, a fly or just the old cast and drag.  Father-in-law likes to tell us it's "skill" that gets him the hits.  I think it's because he gets up earlier.  When we go, it's really to spend time together.  We love it when the fish bite and if we are really itching for a bite, we'll hit up the barrel (maybe). 

Sustenance fishing is a whole different world.  It's not really fishing, it's catching.  No bones about it, you're going to get fish.

Out in the water holding onto a fish

I was lucky enough to be invited by a local Native family to enjoy a BEAUTIFUL day out on the beach catching fish on their license.  They showed me the ropes once and I was out in the water by the time I could shimmy into the "preens"  I felt like a vacuumed pack fillet!   You set out a net and the fish can't see in the murky water, the swim right in, get caught and you gotta go and pick them out.  Some do a pretty darn good job of getting very caught.  Other's just kinda bite at it and you walk right up, unhook them and it takes only a few seconds.  *I like those kind!  They were impressed by my picking abilities and that was to be my main job for the day.

The student of mine that was with me, his main job was helping me out if I got a fish I just couldn't pick and watching for seals.  He held his .22 and made sure they didn't get to close.  They see the net and know there's an easy meal to be had so they get warning shots if they start coming our way.  If they get to close, he yells out seal which means I get out of the water and he starts shooting at it while I'm out of harms way.

Picking fish from the net

While waiting to pick, I was also helping clean slime off of the fish, clots out of the gills and watching for whales swimming up the river from the ocean.  We saw a pod of Beluga Whales cresting at one point but I was in the water and didn't get the camera in time.

The haul for the day was 50 Silver Salmon and 1 Red Salmon.  Only one of the Silvers had been up and started to spawn.  He still had half of his milk sac left but he looked to be a bit older as well.  That one was still cut into fillets and was cooked up for their hard working dogs.  Sorry Ciqu!

The half-spawned old guy.  Look at those teeth!

There are really 3 fish on each hand!  Each weighed about 10-15 lbs.

We filled the freezer of the Native family and my freezer is looking pretty good!  20 fish, 40 fillets.  It's amazing how much fish that really is!  I can't even imagine how much that would cost back home.  All this cost me was a beautiful day out on the river, 8 hours of hard work and a bit of a sunburn on the face.  Oh yeah, and some goofy looking glove tan lines.

Just Us

It's been 7 years. July 10th was 7 years that we were married on a quaint covered bridge here in town. I don't know that we thought that our roads would lead us where they have. The twists and the turns have been challenging, trying, engaging and joyful. We've stuck together through thick and thin, ups and downs and through sickness and health. I guess we've really done what we said we would that fantastic day and it's only made us stronger. My one regret; we don't take time for us as often as we should.

That's what we did these past few days.

After our garage sale ended on Saturday we came inside, rested a bit and got ready to leave the next morning for our 3 days at the coast. After a good night's rest, we were off for our home for the next couple of nights and got ready for some time together. It was kind of weird to just be together, no dogs, nothing planned and no real "responsibilities" for a few days. We got to be just us and do whatever we wanted to do and enjoy each other.

The walks on the beach looking for agates were peaceful. It didn't matter how much time we took because we didn't have anywhere to be. We found a good amount and enjoyed showing off our finds. Fossils in the rocks were awesome to see. Who knows how long they have been there and they still look like they were freshly pressed!

Dinners alone while watching wales spout and crest from the ocean-side restaurant were great. We were treated nicely and the food was good. Others near us would hear us "oh look, there it is!" and ask where the whale was showing up at. It was cool to have the others watching with us. That same whale (or whales) was around for the entire dinner.

We found some nice new places to eat at the coast as well. Being more adventurous had it's advantages as we were lucky in our choices. A nice place in Depoe Bay yielded some great gluten free chowder for Eric. It was very rich and I was regretting my choice of a bowl because I was hungry because a cup would have been just great.

A few interesting points about the weekend; Alaska slapped me in the face wherever I went. We went to the antique shops there by the streetcar between Lincoln City and Depoe Bay. Alaska glasses and Alaska blankets. The next day, we were walking in Newport and the person in front of us had an Alaska sweatshirt on. Today while shopping at the outlet store for (wait for it....clothes for Alaska), there were blankets at the Pendleton store with Alaska style icons on them. Really? Slap, slap, slap.

One of the coolest things that happened this weekend was the experience we had when we were walking along the beach and got to watch the pelicans, seagulls and seals feeding just off the shore. They were honestly about 25-30 feet away from us just feasting! We watched as they moved from one end of the shore right past us and moved on as the school of fished moved along as well.

Coming home was wonderful. While we enjoyed the time spent alone together we missed our "babies" and they missed us too. The dogs were all too happy to see us and when we went back out to the car to get our bags you heard the howls of dis-approvement and protest. I think they were happy when we came right back in. We will also be happy to enjoy our tempurpedic bed tonight. I think we'll have to start the Harry Potter marathon in preparation for Thursday's Midnight Showing! We are both so excited!

And now for a bit of reality....24 days.....