Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Snow and Clams

Is the clock speeding up? why does everything seem to happen so fast anymore? My phone starts ringing at 7:00 am, and I'm checking emails starting at 6:00. Now it is going on 6:00 pm and I'm still checking emails, doing my blogging, and thinking about the several things I had planned to do today but was not able to get to. Sheesh!

The extended Birthday this past weekend was good. Marilyn celebrated her BD on Saturday, and I did mine on Sunday and Monday. The kids came over on Saturday night. Fred's was the locale for the beer and dinner gathering last night. Many good friends came to celebrate the day with us.

It snowed all day on Saturday making the roads icy, and there was trouble on the hills around us at about 8:00 when folks were heading home. Judy shoveled the snow at our house, as always, but I have to note that she is grumbling a bit about it. Apparently even her endless patience for snow and show shoveling has an end. I saw it snowing today, but when the temperature is in the mid-30's it doesn't stick. La Nina apparently has full control of our winter weather this year, and we are all suffering from it.

I have been semi-invited to participate in a razor clam digging outing this spring. For those who are not familiar with razor clams, they are 4-7" long, live in the sand flats of places called Long Beach and Moclips, and have the life strategy of digging rapidly straight down when you walk near them. To catch them you use a "clam gun". Yes, it is called a gun. It is actually a pipe with a cap and handle on one end, and a small hole in the cap. You plunge it into the sand over the spout that indicates the clam's position, put your finger over the hole, and pull as hard as you can to haul up the sand column inside the pipe (and hopefully the clam is inside!). What I have not yet mentioned is that you have to do this at low tide, and low tide does not care one twit when it might happen. Clamming at night is common. And in a cold wind, with rain. And did I mention it is wet everywhere? Anyway, once you have enough anti-freeze inside you, it really doesn't matter. The clams are very good fried in a beer batter, but they are a bit rubbery. I think it is an acquired taste. I have acquired it, though.

2 comments:

  1. I totally want to go clamming some time! Can we make our own clam gun out of some PVC pipe?

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  2. Absolutely! Most are plastic these days. In years past they were stovepipe, which were subject to bending and damage. Plastic ones are more durable. They sell them at the triangle fishing store in Snohomish if you want to see one in finished form before going to McDaniel's to buy the raw ingredients!

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