Westport’s 24th Annual World-Class Crab Races & Crab Feed - Saturday, April 16, 2011

It's the 2nd weekend of April and in Westport, that means CRAB RACES!! It brings back memories of my previous life, as a big city dweller, a group of coworkers and I used to go to a place called Brennan's Pub, in Marina del Rey. Every Thursday night Brennan's ran Turtle Races, which was a crazy event where for $1 you could choose a "racing turtle" as your own. Each participant would place their racer down in the center of a circle (on the Brennan's outside patio) and then everyone would yell at their chosen turtle until one of them reached the outside circumfrence, thus being declared the winner. Prizes were awarded out of a giant trash bag, and were not anything you could discuss in polite company. It was crazy, and the liberal vegan that I was at the time found it really wrong. But the beer was cheap, it was walking distance from my office, so I witnessed a lot more Turtle Races than I care to admit.

The point is that this weekend is Westport's version of that event. At the Crab Pavilion, a giant tent set up in the Marina district for this event, anyone can register and borrow a racer crab for $3. When your heat is called, racing human places racer crab on a slanted table and the racing human pounds on the table and yells at his crab and the first crab to slide to the bottom of the table is declared the winner! Again, lots of fun for those who are into it, mixed with possible feelings of conflicted guilt if you're an animal lover, with any misgivings removed by the time you take your first bite of the fresh Dungeness Crab from the Crab Feed.

If this sounds at all intriguing to you, below is the Westport Chamber's description of the event with all the details. Rain or shine, hit the coast for the 24th Annual Westport Crab Races and Crab Feed on Saturday, April 16, 2011.

Festivities are centered at the Crab Pavilion, with admission just $2 per person for live music by Catch of the Day, and the main attraction - "World Class Crab Races!" Then dig into the tastiest, freshest local Dungeness Crab dinner you'll ever have, with all the trimmings (just $10 for half or $15 for a whole portion).

Enter the Crab Pavilion for the event - Westport's World Class Crab Races run from 1pm to 5pm - sign up starts at 11am. Select a racer from one of our field of draft picks ($3 registration gets you a crab that's been training since their last molt), or you can bring your own fresh racing crab if you prefer. Racing registation begins at 11am and the heats start at 1pm. Lots of prices donated by local merchants are up for grabs in this annual fun event.

The crab feed will go from 11am to 5pm. The dinner ($10 for half a crab/$15 for a whole crab) includes assorted salads, baked beans, and garlic bread, plus coffee or a soft drink. Hot dogs and other beverages, including beer & wine will also be available for sale. If you prefer to catch your own, take part in sport crabbing right off the docks or the fisherman's boardwalk any time during the season. Westport is home to the most delicious Dungeness Crab you'll find anywhere in the world.

Razor Clam Season Set for 2009!

Razor clam season tentatively set
to open in mid-October

Digging at all beaches will be restricted to the hours between noon and midnight.

Tentative opening dates and evening low tides in October are (the best time for digging is 1 - 2 hours before low tide):

• Friday, Oct. 16 ( 5:50 p.m. -0.5 ft.)
• Saturday, Oct. 17 (6:38 p.m. -0.8 ft.)
• Sunday, Oct. 18 (7:23 p.m. -1.1ft.)
• Monday, Oct. 19 (8:06 p.m. -1.1 ft.)

In addition, WDFW has tentatively scheduled four other digs through Jan. 3.

Digs scheduled in November include:

• Wednesday, Nov. 4 (7:33 p.m. -1.3 ft.)
• Thursday, Nov. 5 (8:18 p.m. -1.2 ft.)
• Friday, Nov. 6 (9:07 p.m. -0.9 ft.)
• Saturday, Nov. 7 (9:59 p.m. -0.5 ft.)

• Saturday, Nov. 14 (4:34 p.m. -0.3 ft.)
• Sunday, Nov. 15 (5:21 p.m. -0.7 ft.)
• Monday, Nov. 16 (6:05 p.m. -0.9 ft.)
• Tuesday, Nov. 17 (6:47 p.m. -0.8 ft.)

Digs scheduled December 2 through Jan. 3 include:

• Wednesday, Dec. 2 (6:32 p.m. -1.2 ft.)
• Thursday, Dec. 3 (7:18 p.m. -1.4 ft.)
• Friday, Dec. 4 (8:04 p.m. -1.3 ft.)
• Saturday, Dec. 5 (8:51 p.m. -0.9 ft.)

• Thursday, Dec. 31 (6:16 p.m. -1.1 ft.)
• Friday, Jan. 1 (7:01 p.m. -1.8 ft.)
• Saturday, Jan. 2 (7:45 p.m. -1.6 ft.)
• Sunday, Jan. 3 (8:29 p.m. -1.2 ft.)

The WDFW website lists "Twin Harbors" as the location for a 4 day clam dig. That is actually code for the 18 miles of beach that stretches from Willapa Bay to Grays Harbor, ie. Westport/Grayland/Tokeland.

I have made a little primitive map which shows where the best places to find Razor Clams are. If you want to go to Westhaven, I recommend following the map to Westport, then turning toward Westhaven State Park on Jetty Access Road. Park at the state park and walk down to the beach.

To try Grayland, you can access the beach either on Bonge Road or Grayland Beach Road. The area in between these two roads are prime razor clam habitat.

Good luck & happy Clamming!

Springtime means Crab Races

This weekend bring Westport's Annual "World Famous" Crab Races, Crab Feed, and Crab Derby. It also brings a forecast for SUNSHINE! So come on down to the beach and check out the crazy event known as crab races. As I've written in past years, its a wacky event, kids love it, but probably not a favorite of animal rights lovers. It consists of a big tent, a sloped table, and a lot of screaming and pounding, you can't imagine - you just have to come check it out.

Here's the details:

Crab Derby:
8:00 AM Saturday - Noon Sunday
$5 per ticket
You can bring your own crab pot or rent one from one of the many marina-front businesses that rent them. The local crab fishermen will "seed" the marina with crab, so there should be lots of them to catch. I'm not sure how they mark the crabs, but prizes for certain crabs caught will be distributed on Sunday. (The derby goes from ).

Crab Races:
Registration: 11:00 AM Saturday
Races: 1:00 - 5:00 PM Saturday
Entry fees: $2 to Race your own crab, $3 and they will provide a crab for you.
This is in the big parking lot down on the marina district. Drive down to Westhaven, near the Islander and the big Blue Viewing Tower, and look for the white tent ("The Crab Pavilion"). You can't miss it. I believe it actually costs $2 to enter the Crab Pavilion as well.

Crab Feed:
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM Saturday
$15 Whole Crab Dinner (includes salad, baked beans, garlic bread & beverage)
$10 Half Crab Dinner (includes salad, baked beans, garlic bread & beverage)
$4 Hot Dog & Pop
$4 Wine or Beer
$4 Shrimp Cocktail

If the idea of mass shellfish dinners doesn't appeal to you (and some people are weird about festival food, I get it), check out the races, and then walk across the street to the Half Moon Bay Bar and Grill (kitty corner to the Blue Tower, in the Islander Hotel), and have a Surf Melt and Clam Chowder to satisfy your seafood craving. Or go crazy and just have a Bloody Mary for lunch, it's Washington's best, after all!

See you at the Beach!

Last Dig of the Season! And the Shorebirds!

Twin Harbors Beach and Long Beach will be open for morning digging May 3-7, while Copalis and Mocrocks will be open only on May 4-5. No digging will be allowed after noon on any beach. Kalaloch Beach will remain closed.

Details at http://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov

Happy Hunting!!


And if clam digging doesn't float your boat, Grays Harbor will be celebrating the Shorebirds this weekend as well. www.shorebirdfestival.com for more info.

See you at the beach!

April Clam digs at Grayland and Westport Beaches

WDFW declared 2 weekends in April open for clam digging! This marks a new season, so if you buy the annual pass, its time to get a new one.

Here are the details:

Tentative early-April dates and low tides are:

• Sunday, April 6, 7:23 a.m., -0.7 ft: Long Beach and Twin Harbors only
• Monday, April 7, 8:09 a.m., -1.2 ft: Long Beach and Twin Harbors only
• Tuesday, April 8, 8:55 a.m., -1.5 ft: Long Beach and Twin Harbors only
• Wednesday, April 9, 9:43 a.m., -1.4 ft: Twin Harbors only

Tentative mid-April dates and low tides are:

• Saturday, April 19, 6:40 a.m., -0.1 ft: Long beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks
• Sunday, April 20, 7:18 a.m., -0.4 ft: Long beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks
• Monday, April 21, 7:55 a.m., -0.6 ft: Twin Harbors only
• Tuesday, April 22, 8:30 a.m., -0.6 ft: Twin Harbors only
• Wednesday, April 23, 9:06 a.m., -0.5 ft: Twin Harbors onl

Again, Twin Harbors include the beaches between the South Jetty of Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay. Tokeland, Grayland, and Westport area each great places to stay if you are coming down for a dig. And if you aren't much a clamdigger, but you're curious about razor clams, the Half Moon Bay Bar & Grill has a razor clam basket, with clams fresh from local beaches.

Happy digging!

Westport and Grayland March Clam Digs

Don't forget about this weekend's clam dig - it's a long one - 6 days, a gift from WDFW for last month's bad weather!

Opening dates and tides are:

• March 7, Friday, 6:21 p.m., +0.3: Twin Harbors only
• March 8, Saturday, 6:58 p.m., +0.5: Twin Harbors and Longbeach only
• March 9, Sunday, 8:28 a.m., +0.3: Twin Harbors and Longbeach only (switch to morning tides)
• March 10, Monday, 9:12 a.m., 0.0: Twin Harbors only
• March 11, Tuesday, 9:59 a.m., -0.1: Twin Harbors only
• March 12, Wednesday, 10:51 a.m., 0.0: Twin Harbors only

Here is a repost of my map of the Twin Harbors clam dig areas. I think the Grayland area is better for first timers, because there are so many people out there and you're more likely to find someone to give you pointers.

Happy hunting!

Entertaining the Family in Westport

People always ask me what there is to do in Westport. It's a pretty simple place, after all. So, I thought that I would share my family's list of our favorite things to do. We have a almost-2 year old, and a 2 year old cousin, a 4 year old cousin, a 6 year old cousin and an 8 year old Cousin.

(1) Visit the playgrounds at one of Westport's many public parks. Here is a shot from the Westport City Park, which is behind Anchor Bank off of Montesano (look for the green sign). There is also a great playground at the Ocosta School (you can see it from the parking lot) as well as behind the lighthouse (I'm not sure if this one is supposed to be private for the Coast Guard housing, but it's not locked). Also a small playground for those staying at Westport by the Sea is convenient for smaller children.

(2) Go to the beach. No tools, no toys, no equipment required. Kids love the beach. And Westport and Grayland are special because the auto traffic is low compared to the North Beaches. My son and his cousins can spend hours, in the warm and cold weather, combing the beach, finding treasures, chasing birds, running from the waves, digging in the sand.

(3) Maritime Museum. There is a special discovery room for small children with learning toys and games on all things nautical, including a full size whale skeleton. The Historical Society also runs the tours to the lighthouse, but note if you have children shorter than 40", they won't be allowed to climb.

(4) Fish off the pier, go clam digging, drop a crab pot, anything to bring the kids a little closer to their dinner. Even if you've never done it before, if you go to Angler Charters on the marina, they will set you up with everything you need to drop a hook and tell you what you might be finding at that particular time of year (all for about $40). Clam guns can be purchased at the Red Apple for about $12. Crab pots can be rented up and down the marina. Licenses are also available at various locations on the marina, but often times, the kids don't need them. There are few things more satisfying to most kids than cooking and eating something they helped catch.

(5) Bike or walk along the Westhaven State Park path. Park either at Westport Light State Park or Westhaven State Park, and bring out your bikes, skates, or feet for a nice mile walk (2 miles round trip). For more exercise, you can walk from Westport Light State Park to the Marina, but that is about 5 miles round trip. This provides some interesting signage, deer sighting, I've even seen eagles out there. There are typically not a lot of people out there, this is not the Burke Gilman Trail, so bring your slowest family members, and don't worry about having folks yell "on your left" as you take the time to smell the beach grass.

Other things that are fun include kite flying, paddle boats (on the marina), watching the surfers, shopping in the Marina, and bowling. Of course, in the summer time, just getting a ice cream cone from Whale of a Cone and sitting out in the sunshine is a treat in itself.

See you at the beach!

March 2008 Clam Digs

Since the weather was so bad at last month's digs, the WDFW has decided to open a very long March Dig at Twin Harbors - March 7 - 12, 2008. March 7 and 8 will be morning digs, and 9 - 12 will be evening digs. Make your reservations now.

On a separate note, spring has sprung and its a beautiful 50 and sunny today at the beach! The weatherman is predicting a beautiful President's Day Weekend (sunny and 50's)! Hooray! Come visit us!

See you at the beach!

Where to dig for Razor Clams near Westport

Since I was asked, I thought I would share the following:

The WDFW website lists "Twin Harbors" as the location for a 4 day clam dig. That is actually code for the 18 miles of beach that stretches from Willapa Bay to Grays Harbor, ie. Westport/Grayland/Tokeland.

I have made a little primitive map which shows where the best places to find Razor Clams are. If you want to go to Westhaven, I recommend following the map to Westport, then turning toward Westhaven State Park on Jetty Access Road. Park at the state park and walk down to the beach.

To try Grayland, you can access the beach either on Bonge Road or Grayland Beach Road. The area in between these two roads are prime razor clam habitat.

Note that there IS a beach access where 105 T's off to either Westport or Grayland, but the sand is very soft there, and I've seen enough hefty 4WD vehicles get stuck there to keep me away.

Good luck!

Razor Clam Digs for January

It's that time again, the WDFW has announced that the next clam digs will occur January 18 - 21, 2008, which happens to coincide with a 3-day weekend (MLKjr holiday). So its a great time to visit Westport. As a bonus, the accuweather is forecasting "brilliant sunshine" for that weekend (hey, I know the weatherfolks are almost never accurate, but we can hope right?).

So, in honor of that upcoming clam dig, I am going to publish my version of "how to clean a clam". These are by no means official instructions, I have ruined a lot of clams before I got to this point, but its how I do it.

(1) Catch your limit of 15 clams.

(2) Put said clams into a colander in the sink. An outdoor sink works well, if available, or you can do it out in your yard. You probably don't want to do this in a sink in a rental, you'll probably totally mess it up and get charged for breaking their garbage disposal or something.

(3) Boil a pot of water. Slowly pour boiling water over colander of clams. You have to have enough water to be able to get each clam for a full 2 - 3 seconds. Alternatively, if your pot is big enough, you can immerse the colander into the boiling water, and then pull it out. This is very similar to blanching vegetables. You don't want to leave it in the boiling water for too long, because it will get chewy. Once out of boiling water, rinse with cold water.

(4) The clams should have "opened up" after this. If they didn't, you either didn't expose the clam to enough hot water, or your clam is bad. My philosophy on shellfish is "when in doubt, throw it out". I know you worked hard for that clam, but you don't want to risk getting sick and ruining your trip to the beach. Some people say to cut the clams out of their shell at this point, but I have found that they just slip right off the shell.

(5) Now you should have the whole clam and you want to cut that puppy open. Now, I'm not going to pretend to know all the names of the parts, you can read other websites for that, but here's the secret. Cut off anything that looks yucky and brown, and leave everything that is white and meaty. See my pictures below for what is yucky and what is meaty. There is also a clear straw like piece that you should make sure to remove. Again, I'm not sure what it is, but it doesn't taste good. Please don't ask why I know.




(6) There you go. Now your clam is clean and ready for whatever great chowder or fritter recipe you have downloaded off the internet. Congratulations!!

The beaches are open for clam digs!

The Department of Fish and Wildlife opened up the Twin Harbors beaches for clam diggers this weekend, and between it being the first dig of the season and the AMAZING weather we're having, there has been an unending stream of people into Westport and Grayland to catch these tasty guys.

Here are some pictures from yesterday evening's clam dig. It was so much fun, this one lady even ventured out with her walker, which I just can't imagine my grandmother ever doing.






I've only been clamming a few times, I never really enjoyed it because I found it so hard to find the "clam show". But last night, the clam were showing very strongly, and I took a few pictures for those of you who are still learning to find them:



There are so many clams that the people who went out on Thursday said they were "necking", which sounds kind of dirty, but just means they were sticking their necks out of the sand yelling "pick me!" like Meredith Grey on a bad Grey's Anatomy episode. I think this might have something to do with the fact that its the first clam dig of the season (the plentifulness, not the neediness).

So grab your lantern, boots, and shovel, and come on down to the beach!

Westport's "Boat Basin Salmon Derby" offers chance to win up to $2,000

Annual fishing contest offers cash and prizes for largest Chinook and Coho salmon caught

WESTPORT - The coastal town of Westport welcomes returning salmon for the annual Boat Basin Salmon Derby scheduled to run from Sept. 15 until Oct. 31.

Anglers are invited to purchase a $5 derby ticket and fish anywhere in the Westport boat basin for Chinook/King and Coho/Silver salmon. Running seven days a week until the end of October, the long-term Boat Basin Derby offers cash prizes totaling more than $2,000 and ranges from more than $300 for the largest Chinook salmon, to $500 for the winning Coho, plus many merchandise prizes. All eligible fish must be caught during daylight hours and validated with a derby ticket at the official weigh station at the marina between 10 AM and 5 PM.

"The Westport Boat Basin Derby is intended for anglers of all ages and skill levels," said Leslie Eichner, Westport/Grayland Chamber of Commerce spokesperson. "The returning Westport salmon were fingerlings reared in pens three years ago and released under the direction of Ocosta High School conservation classes and the Humptulips Hatchery. After their time at sea, the salmon come back into the Marina - with the Coho salmon returning now.

You don't need a boat, just a fishing rod and license to fish from the dock," added Eichner.

Last year's winning Coho weighed in at more than 17.5 lbs., quite large for this type of salmon, according to Jim Jackson, the derby coordinator.

"I was down at the marina last year and you could see salmon schools with literally thousands of fish just off the floats," said Jackson. "This derby promises to be an excellent year for anglers as well. There is a limit of six fish, four adults and two jacks."

Complete Boat Basin Salmon Derby rules and regulations are available on-line at www.angler-charters.net. Derby Tickets can be purchased for five dollars each at local fishing charter offices, the Westport/Grayland Chamber of Commerce, Angler Charters and the Hungry Whale Grocery.

There are other activities in Westport including an historic lighthouse, a maritime museum, the lighthouse trail, fishing charters and outdoor amusements. For more tourist and travel information, click on www.westportcam.com or call the Westport Tourist Information Center at 1-800-345-6223.

61st Annual Westport Seafood Festival and Craft Show

Labor day is when my husband and I celebrate our wedding anniversary. I'd have to think twice to remember the actual date that we got married, but since it was on a Labor Day weekend, we just try to remember that and call it good.
So this Labor Day weekend (well Saturday), we get to do something that appeals to us both: The Westport Seafood Festival. He loves it because he gets to eat, and I love it because I get to shop. Needless to say, we're looking forward to it.
If you want a dose of small town eating festival, come down to Westport on Saturday, September 1, 2007. The event is being held at the Maritime Museum down on the Westport Marina (you can't miss it), from noon to about 6pm. In addition to live music and craft vendors the menu will consist of BBQ Salmon, White Fish, Tuna, oysters, salad (Ceasar salad from the Half Moon Bay Bar and Grill), corn on the cob and garlic bread. All this for $14 ($9 for seniors). Chowder, hot dogs, beer and wine will also be available separate from the seafood feast.

While you're down here, try your hand at catching some fish and get ready for the Boat Basin Salmon Derby thats coming up next month. The limits are 6 fish per day, and reports are that fish are being seen already under the docks.

Come on out - the weather should be perfect!

Westport SalmonFest and the Boat Basin Salmon Derby

My family eats out a lot, and last September, while we would be eating at the Half Moon Bay Bar and Grill, we would often watch people out fishing on the docks outside the restaurant. Having, at the time, a 3 month old, I didn't think much of it (most of my thoughts were focused on strategizing the next nights sleep patterns at that time). But talk about the Westport Boat Basin Salmon Derby has been surfacing and I want to share it with you all.

Apparently, the local High School (Ocosta) has an oceanography program, that follows a batch (I don't know what you'd call it - a litter?, hatch?) of salmon hatchlings that are eventually released into the Westport Marina. When the fish come back to spawn, they come through the Marina, and apparently, there are tons of fish. So many, that the catch limits are higher for this location at this time than most other places - each license can catch 4 adult and 2 jack salmons. The beauty of this is that the catching happens right off the docks on the Marina, so no boats, no seasickness, no fear - all you need is a rod and a pole. To hear the locals tell it, you can watch the salmon swimming in schools right under the docks and around the boats. HOW did we miss this before?

According to Jim at Angler Charters, the fish are starting to enter the Marina now, but the peak time to catch Salmon are from mid-September through the end of October, which is when the Derby is run. You can see the rules from last year's derby at the Angler Charters website (http://www.anglercharters.net/PAGES/BOATBASIN2006/BOATBASINDERBY2006.htm), and Jim says 2007 rules will be up shortly. Last years winners ranged from 15 - 19 pounds.

What do you need? A rod, reel, and lures. Again, deferring to the local expert, Jim says the equipment is fairly straightforward, and you can buy a whole setup from him for $40. I am going to do some research and see if anyone on the Marina rents this stuff, and will post back.

The derby is a friendly competition, tickets will be $2, and prizes will be somewhere around $2,000 total. Half Moon Bay Bar and Grill will be handing out free derby tickets with every salmon entree you purchase there.

I'm excited. The last time I went fishing, I was on a group trip on a boat in LA, and it was a lot of fun. We caught a lot of ... well, I don't really remember what we caught, but catching a nice fish made us all (cynical 20-somethings) feel like kids again, and its hard to replicate that feeling. So come next month, I will drag my husband down the marina and see if we can't catch the big one!

The Freshest Fish in the West

One of the more common questions people ask when they're driving through town, sticking their head out the window, yelling at you for directions, is "where can we buy some fresh___" (insert favorite type of locally caught seafood... halibut, salmon, crab, oysters, etc). It's one of the quintessential things to do when you're on the coast - the search and acquisition of fresh seafood.

Here in Westport, my favorite finds depend on what is in season, and as you get to know the locals, more often than not, someone will just bring you a fresh piece of salmon or halibut or a few dungeness crabs when their husband/cousin/brother comes in from a particularly fruitful trip. But the one favorite that I will pay the premium for all year long are local spot prawns. My husband is a shrimp fiend, and so we have always consumed more than our fair share of tiger prawns and mystery shrimp from Safeway. But since we have discovered Spot Prawns, this is all we can ever stand to eat. They are local, so you can actually buy them fresh, not frozen, and they are absolutely rich and tasty. It's like eating little tiny lobsters. I highly recommend everyone try them when they find them.

But I digress. The point of this post was to provide a primer here on the best places in town to hit when the urge hits:

(1) Merino's Seafood Market, 301 E. Harbor Street, in the Westport Marina. Merino's always has a fresh supply of whole and sectioned dungeness crab, crab cocktails, spot prawns, shrimp cocktails, razor clams, and whatever fish happens to be in season. They also sell the "fixin's": seasoning packets, cocktail sauces, tartar sauces, panko (for your fritters and crab cakes), as well as canned and smoked fish and seafood meats of all types. The best part is, if you're kind of squeamish, they can clean everything, for example, taking all the guts out of the crab so that you are just left with a perfect, shelled crab, to have the experience of cracking crab without all the yellow goo. Plus, if you're on your way out of town, they can package your catch on ice in a cooler, and even ship it ahead of you.


(2) Seafood Connection, Float 8. Besides the "atmosphere" of actually walking down a dock to buy your fresh fish, this little market offers most of the same seafood that Merino's does. They are basically brokering a deal between the consumers walking the marina and all the individual fishermen. The fish is "the freshest" available. This is where I go to get my spot prawns. The cool thing is that they have some great specials when the fishing is great (like albacore tuna fillets for $3.50/lb a few weeks back)




(3) "Boat Sales". Sometimes, and I have no idea what the rhyme or reason for these signs, but fishermen will decide to offer whatever they've caught right off their boat. So keep your eyes open for the signs, which are typically handmade a-boards on Montesano as you enter town. They'll usually give you three key pieces of info: (a) What's for sale (fresh-bled tuna is a popular one) (b) What float they're at and (c) the name of the boat to look for.

(4) Nelson Crab. Not quite in Westport, but in Tokeland, 15 minutes south, Nelson Crab is another old favorite that people know-of-but-can't-seem-to-find. So here's the basic directions, head South on Highway 105, turn left into Tokeland when you hit the casino (you'll know you're in the right place because the speed limit changes dramatically), and go all the way down until you see the Nelson Crab on the left hand side of the road (across the water). They have their own brand of canned crab, as well as fresh and frozen, shelled and whole, dungeness crab. I don't know the pattern for the other stuff, but they do carry a selection of other types of seafoods that I haven't every really paid much attention to. I have used Nelson Crab to ship crabmeat back to family in Hawaii, and can vouch for their professionalism in doing the crab shipping.

I hope this helps you find the fresh fish you've been dreaming of!

Zen Fishing

Occasionally I see men out in the surf fishing and I wonder what the heck they are fishing for (I supposed I could ask someone) and how it could be worth standing in that cold water for so long. But on days like today, when the weather is clear and the temperature is hot, I almost wish I was out there with them.

Clamming is On!

The Department of Fish and Wildlife rules the roost when it comes to saying when you can gather food and what you can gather from our local beaches, and this weekend they told us it was okay to dig for clams. I have mostly avoided this local activity for the past few years because, frankly, I wouldn't know what to do with the clams if I did find some, and I hate to waste food.

But we had out of towners and it was a beautiful day, so we gathered up the necessary clam guns (big PVC pipe things that act like a coring tool), shellfish licenses, and containers and headed out to the beach.

The trick to clam digging, apparently, is to know what you are looking for. And what you are looking for is the clam "show". Which I like to describe as air bubbles. Which is impossible to notice in the sand if you've never seen it before. Our friends Mary and Matt were joining us for this little adventure, and for the first hour that we were out, I'm pretty sure they thought they had been scammed into thinking there was something to catch. However, once we figured it out, we caught a handful of clams, enough for Matt and Mary to make a homemade clam chowder, which would put any Seattle Restaurant to shame.

I think this might be our last clam dig for the season (until fall), but when the WDFW gives us the thumbs up again, it will be Clam On!