There's nothing like being out on the water. I know, spoken like a true Toad. But really...a good boat ride is great for the mind, body, and spirit. Its also great when you are on the prowl for a few whales.
If you've never been on a whale hunt before, I'll fill you in.
In these fishing communities in Oregon you can pay a small fee (like $10-20) to get on a nice little hour boat ride and go look for some whales. But its not like going to the zoo. At the zoo the animals are pretty much always there when you want to see them...whales have a whole ocean to play in...so you cross your fingers every time you go out!
While getting ready for this excursion, my dad told Ethan a story about me and whale watching...not sure if its a fish tale, but we'll go with it.
Evidently when I was 6 or so we went out on a boat to find whales. We weren't having much luck, but then a nice, big, fatty whale came right up next to the boat came up out of the water and blew his spout. According to my dad it really freaked me out and I wanted to go back to land. Sounds like it could have happened...all I remember is needing to go to the bathroom. :)
Dad's boating days are long gone. He gets super sick on a boat (probably the closest thing to what I feel like for 4 months when I'm pregnant), so he sat this trip out. It was Mom, Ethan, Aidan, & I with the wind wisping through our hair!
The boat captain was pretty confident that we'd see some whales. A little whale had been spotted just off the coast about an hour or so earlier, and within10 minutes we got to the area he had been seen.
Just when we got there, I looked out over the water and I thought I saw a whale spout about 200 yards away! The captain heard me and headed the direction I was pointing. Then it spouted again! This time I was grateful my mom saw it too...otherwise I would have felt pretty silly...especially because that was the last we saw of the whale!
The captain said usually they come up for air every 3- minutes...so we waited. And waited. And waited. Darn it. Then he told us that sometimes they can take a big breath and swim 1/2 mile away. And that's what this whale must have done.
So we just enjoyed the ride...
and also enjoyed bugging the sea lions sitting on a local buoy.
Maybe next time we'll catch a glimpse of a big whale. But if not, that's okay too. Feeling like a free spirit out on the open waves isn't so bad. I think I could be a fisherman and like it...for the most part.:)
And as we got off the boat onto the dock we saw crab like we've never seen before. A fishing boat had just come back and was "gutting" the crab. I'm pretty sure its not an official term, but you get the idea. In order for them to be "keepers" in Oregon they have to be 5 3/4" across the shell & male. (There could be a number of jokes made about only eating the males, but I'll resist the urge.:)
Which leads us to this...
{My Mom's Crabs}:)
For those that my follow my blog, you may remember that a few posts back my mom shot a mole that was in the front field. Yes, she is quite the woman. So it shouldn't surprise you when I tell you she went on a fishing boat with a group of people to catch some fish and came back with this...
12 crab (the limit) and 1 nice big fatty Chinook Salmon. Yum. She also came back with some fun stories...and one involved beating a man to a fishing pole to pull in a Salmon. Love it.
The 1st thing she did when she got back was sit down at the table and eat some crab. In fact, we all did. And it was fresh and yummy.
Ethan especially loved it. He loves crab. I know, a kid who loves crab. I don't even think I started liking crab until I was 25.
And these crab legs didn't even need crackers. When they are that fresh you can rip right through the shells without any tools.
Double yum.
And that Salmon wasn't bad either. Dad grilled that baby right up with a few spices and we devoured it. Wish you all could have tried some!!
Thanks for sharing your treasures mom.
{Look Out}
And be on the look for this mask little man. He turns 4 this week...
1 comment:
Looks like you are having a great time! It's so nice that you get to go spend time there each summer!
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