Bounty of the Sea

In a true celebration of Independence, this weekend was the annual Bounty of the Sea seafood harvesting and beer drinking extravaganza. This event involves various salty types setting out to gather, trap, and dig some of Puget Sound's salty bounty, meanwhile engaging in discussions on the vagaries of bivalve anatomy and why geoduck pate may not really be possible (because geoducks just don't have livers, ya know?). Some savage allergies took me out of the running for the early morning ferries over to Whidbey Island, so I missed out on extreme shellfish harvesting, but a banner number of geoduckers turned in an impressive haul. I also failed to bring a camera, so I have to resort to photos of Bounties past to explain what all is involved here.

With the low tides smack dab in the middle of the day, conditions are right for gathering up all sorts of shellfish...okay there were those Vibrio warnings going about, but I guess you have to live life on the edge a bit, which is why I wasted no time in enjoying the geoduck sashimi prepared by the resident Japanese guy! He did a bang up job and I suffered no ill effects, well, at least yet. For those not in the know, the geoduck, Panopea abrupta, is a long-lived bivalve that seems to have outgrown its shell and has a rather large, uh, siphon.

They are found deep in the sediment, so the harvesting can be a considerable challenge, necessitating diving head first into a giant hole that took forever to dig. The effort of this year's harvesters was clear from all the sandy heads and ears walking around. Way to go team!

Though the Bounty was timed to correspond with the opening of crab season, the haul was, well, non-existent. Too bad. I did add in a few spot prawns, Pandalus platycaros, from my Sequim source, so that was a nice addition to the bivalve smorgasbord. Also, one adventurous soul harvested some moon sails, Polinices lewisii, and turned them into a moon snail salad of sorts. My review: moon snail makes squid look tender; this was the most rubbery thing I've ever eaten. "A" for effort on the trial species and preparation though--gotta applaud adventurous dining. Maybe next year we can get a Parastichopus!

The Worms Crawl In

Grass pollen allergies are killing me. So, it was with a keen eye that I read Elizabeth Svoboda's article in the New York Times about hookworms and allergies, The Worms Crawl In. I'm not sure if I'm ready to sign myself up, especially for any more than 10 (the magic number of vile beasties that results in health and not harm), but the satisfaction of the worm-infested allergy-suffering guinea pigs has made me think about how bad a few parasites would be relative to the itchy eyes, running nose, and overall misery induced by a few over-zealous grasses.

I think I'll hold out for those "molecular mechanisms" the doctor refers to, but I am intrigued about the possibility of a few friends to help me breathe easier!

A Buoy in its Environment

Some of my overachieving coworkers started a small photo club--they have taken some really fantastic photos as a result. The theme this month is "Environmental Portrait." As I sat watching for bubbles, providing surface support for my underwater coworkers, the float we had left to mark our study site caught my eye with its simplicity. Its beautiful movement, as it danced about on the surface of the water, gently urged by a combination of the dying breeze and the shifting current, seemed to represent it in its environment to perfection.

Roll On Columbia, Roll On

I spent the week in one of those places people are lucky to experience at some point in their lives: the dynamic, churning, and turbid waters of the Columbia River estuary. And I mean really spent the week in the estuary, out on the boat and diving in those challenging waters. As my wise friend Earl told me, "I spent a lot of time in my career diving in the Columbia River and I can't say that I ever thought one of those dives was enjoyable." That pretty much sums up life in the water. But while bobbing around on the boat, I have to say there are few places I'd have rather been this week...given the absolutely perfect weather we had.

The mouth of the Columbia River is notorious for its sea conditions, and I can say from experience, that the reputation is well deserved. On my very first foray into the belly of the beast, running from Ilwaco, WA, we got just past the famed Cape Disappointment Coast Guard Station before sliding down the back side of some 16' swell, regaining steerage, and turning 180, heading right back into the same channel we had just left. But this week was one of those rare stretches of 5 days in a row without fog, dicey chop, gale force winds, rain, or rollers threatening everyone's enjoyment, and for that I was quite grateful!

Every time I'm down in the Columbia River estuary, I can't help but think about what it must have been like for Lewis and Clark to have come barreling down the river--how horrible (and typical!) the weather was that they experienced, but how extraordinarily beautiful the estuary and its surrounding hillsides (free of clear-cuts and development at that time) must have been, with enormous trees and marsh-laced shores. It's not hard to imagine, when on the stretch of river between Ilwaco, WA and Astoria, OR--take away the Astoria bridge and look towards Washington (as in the photo below), and it looks pretty wild (okay, save for the aforementioned clearcuts). A lot has changed, but the wildness of the river is still impressive.


Diving in the estuary is quite an experience. With visibility about on par with the clarity of a good clam chowder (New England, of course) and currents that can severely challenge a diver's yaw (let alone leg muscles), it is quite an undertaking just to get in the water and get headed in the right direction. Add in the promise of 4-5' sturgeon bumping into you either for fun or because they can't see a damn thing either, derelict gear and pilings, and deadheads, and really, it just doesn't seem like all that much of a picnic. But, I stand by my tenet that a bad day in the field is still better than a good day dealing with bean counters and bureaucracy, and overall, things didn't seem so bad...and besides, the bigger the challenge, the greater the feeling of success once the job is done, whether diving in the Columbia, climbing mountains, or crafting a respected piece of research. Of course, I probably could have done without seeing both the sunrise and sunset while doing my job--we did have some of the longest days of the year, and at 47 deg. N, those are not short--but you can't have everything!

Summer...where are you???

Here we are, on the verge of the summer solstice, and I'm still wearing jeans, long sleeved shirts, and fleece products...what is wrong with this picture? I am ready for some heat, some real heat, some it's-so-hot-I'll-kick-Mark's-butt-in-tennis kind of heat, some I'm-so-hot-I-can't-sleep kind of heat...okay maybe not that much heat, but some nice NW heat would be a pleasure. Sadly, judging by my recent trip to www.wrh.noaa.gov I'm pretty sure we're in for more of the same moderate drizzle, or the threat there-of, and nothing resembling shorts-and-flip-flops, kick-back-with-a-cold-Pilsner kind of weather. Bummer dude.

But, the flower garden does seem to be pretty happy--not a whole lot that's needed to suffer the dry heat yet, so the flowers are looking good and the blossoms on everything from lupine to lavender seem to be going strong. Even the lithodora has lingering flowers.











And there have been a few bees around--I'm still holding out for the glorious swarms that come to attend to the English Lavender once it's in full bloom--but the few brave souls venturing out in the early summer chill have earned my respect.

Unfortunately, the veggies aren't faring as well as the flowers, but there is some hope. The green globe artichoke I planted last year survived the winter and is off to a brilliant start, with lots of small artichokes popping up on its stems, like flames on a candelabra. Last year the two measly artichokes the plant produced were infested with earwigs--nothing says unappetizing like an earwig! This year, the plant seems to be holding it own.

With the summer off to a cold start, I think I'm glad I ran out of energy when it came to prepping tomatoes. I think tomatoes are going to be a losing NW proposition this year, unless we see a spectacularly warm end to the summer. For now, I'll just be grateful for the few things that are showing promise. And perhaps it won't be long before I can reap the benefits of the vigorous strawberry crop...there, under some big green leaves, were a few bright red berries, portending the bounty to come.

Celtics Bring Home the Championship!

Photo submitted to the Boston Globe by Dan Gillette

And...they did it!
Congrats Celts!
As this young fan points out, we've been on quite a run!

Giddy About Boston Sports

With the Celtics poised to take home the NBA Championship, I couldn't help but get a little giddy about the successes of my Boston sports teams over the last 12 months!  I may be living on the Left Coast, but by birthright, I am a Bostonian (of course, if I say this too loudly in Maine, where I spent much of my youth, I'll forever be cast as "From Away").  

It all began last October when the Sox clinched the World Series for the second time in a few years!  I have to admit that the 2004 victory brought tears to my eyes, sitting alone in my house at the time, with not a proper sports bar in sight for 50 miles.  It was quite a moment.  I would get high fives from other Sox fans whenever I wore my hat after that.  In 2007, it was a little less spectacular, but no less of an achievement.  Perhaps absence does make the heart grow fonder, which is why the '04 victories were so darn cool.  And currently at the top of the AL East, with some fine youngsters making quality contributions, they may, once again, find themselves in the playoffs.

With the World Series wrapped up, the Patriots marched their way to the Super Bowl...okay, there were some allegations of less-than-sportsman-like spying, but I don't know enough to make a statement one way or another.  And in general, despite loving the games, I abhor the business and payroll of professional sports--talk about disproportionate!  At any rate, the Patriots had their Super Bowl showing, and though not victorious, they made it there.

With that showdown done-for, the Celtics were at the top of their game, playing .600+ basketball and seeming like they finally had it together after several, uh, less than spectacular years.  With some dicey moments in the earlier play-off rounds, the Celts had an amazing come-back victory over their long-standing rivals, and it seems like the momentum is with them to hold yet another Duck Boat Rally along the streets of Boston!

Lest I forget the Bruins--they made the playoffs but could probably use a little improvement.

For now, it's good to be a Boston fan!