B&W Wednesday

This Weekend I . . . *Crabbing Edition*

If you ever visit the Oregon coast, you have to go crabbing.  We took my brothers a couple of years ago, but I didn't get a license and just watched instead.  So when we decided to go this weekend while camping at the coast, I was pretty excited to try it myself.

Tips for Going Crabbing:
1. Bring (or buy) gloves!  There is a particular way that you pick up the crab to avoid getting pinched, but even if you do it right, they might get you!  Tristan and his cousin told me "Their legs will poke at you but it won't hurt...if you pick them up from the back, their pinchers won't get you."  WRONG!  On the very first pot that I pulled up and attempted to empty, one got me!

It's no joke...that thing hurt!  And they will draw blood.  Knowing that pain, I was too nervous to pick them up from then on.  I still continued to pull up the pots, but I made the boys clear them.

2. When bringing in the pots, pull them up quickly to prevent any captured crabs from swimming out on the way to the surface.

This is another reason to have gloves.  After a few hours of tugging on these ropes to pull in the pots, especially with the current, your hands really begin to hurt and it becomes difficult to grip the rope at all.  My hands still feel a little raw and sore.

3. Wear sunscreen!  When packing for camping, I wasn't anticipating too beautiful of weather.  After all, we were headed to the coast.  But it ended up being a perfectly clear day when we were down on the docks.  Plus, the sun will reflect off the water, intensifying the rays and increasing your chance of getting a sunburn.  My neck is starting to blister a little today because it got so burnt!  Hopefully it will turn to a tan...

4. Pack your chairs.  The dock has a tendency to have "guts" from the fish that is used as bait, and I wouldn't advise sitting on it.

5. Focus on the larger crabs. When crabbing, you are only able to keep the male crabs, and they must meet the minimum size requirement. Once we pulled up a pot, we would quickly scan it to see if there were any big enough to possibly keep. When the pot hits the dock, they crabs will start trying to escape and make their way back to the water. You want to make sure that you grab any possible keepers before the crab-walk right off the dock.

We had 6 pots between the six of us....and after three hours, only got this one keeper!  Many people were a lot more successful than we were.

Jetty Fishery is a great place to go crabbing...they sell the shellfish license, rent you the rings, sell you bait, and cook the crab that you catch, free of charge.  You can also purchase other seafood, drinks, and other supplies in their store.

 There will be more from our camping adventures later in the week...Goodnight!!

The Last of the Summer

I had big plans for this summer.  Big.  How is it even possible that it is over?  Granted, we still get decent weather through much of September, but really?  Labor Day has come and gone and I feel like there are so many things I planned to do this summer that never were done.

1. Spend a night downtown with friends.
2. Visit the Painted Hills of Eastern Oregon.
3. Go to a drive-in movie.
4. Take a week-long camping trip.
5. Go jet-skiing.
6. Dance at Bushwhackers with the girls from work.

What's really sad, is that almost all of these were absolutely doable, but I just didn't!  It is a little hard for both of us to take enough time off to go camping for a whole week, and the Painted Hills would be a camping trip in itself, but really?!  There is a drive-in theater less than 2 hours away, and how hard is it to arrange a real girl's night out?

Next summer, I am writing a bucket list, one specifically for the summer, and COMPLETING it!  This weekend we are going off for one last hoorah - a couple nights of camping at the beach with some friends and family.  I am going to try to put together a post for tomorrow, but if I don't have time, have a great weekend!!

Labor Day Reflections

What is Labor Day really about?  Good sales at the mall and a day off from work, right?  When you think about it, there are quite a few holidays that are observed in the United States every year that many people don't know the real purpose of or history behind.  For example, Memorial Day or St. Patrick's Day.  Even Christmas is just presents and food to some people.

So what is Labor Day really?  Labor Day was established in the late 1800s to celebrate the achievements of the American people, particularly the American labor force.  According to the U.S. Department of Labor, "It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country."  I am proud to say that my home state of Oregon was the very first state to pass legislation to officially recognize Labor Day as a holiday.

Today I am celebrating by not going to work, and instead spending time with friends and sharing some more pictures from last week's trip to Seattle!

Gas Works Park features the remnants of the last remaining coal gasification plant in the United States.  *Don't ask me what a coal gasification plant does...I could only guess*  The structures that I shared pictures of last week stand in the open, while the ones above have been restored and turned into a covered play area.

Yes...I am a child sometimes.

 

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Probably the highlight of our trip was getting to visit friends!  Saturday night we got to meet up with one of my dearest friends, Miss Elana Mae.  Elana and I spent 3 months together in China during our study abroad trip (along with Miss Natalie who we were missing last weekend!)

These are our "sad 'cause we miss Natalie" faces

I wish we lived closer so that we could get together more often.  But once a year is about as often as that happens, so we have to make up for it in a short period of time.

That meant happy hour at my favorite sushi bar in Seattle (Umi Sushi on 1st Ave. in Belltown - if you are ever in Seattle and like sushi you should try it.  They have a great atmosphere and some different types of sushi that I LOVE - including the Crunchy Seattle Roll), photo shoot at Kerry Park, and dinner at Jai Thai in Fremont.  Actually, I didn't even end up eating at Jai Thai because I was still full from sushi...but that's okay, it was still fun.

We aren't very good at being serious for too long.....

Actually, before going to Jai Thai we headed over to another little park just down the road to watch the sunset over the Sound.

To see more pictures of this sunset, as well as some tips for shooting the
sunsets/sunrises, head over to A Beautiful Day, where I guest posted last week and shared some of these.

I think I will be able to wrap up my Seattle trip with one more post later this week.....We shall see.

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The last thing for today, a follow up on last week's 5 for Five {this might get ugly...}

1. Get caught up *and keep up* on the laundry.  Actually, I did manage to do this, which is a major feat for me!  I even did the same with the dishes - double wow!

2. Plan out next week's blog posts.  Fail - I only got through Tuesday :(

3. Work out at least 4 times. Yes!  I made it to the gym three days this week, plus spent an entire day cleaning my house {which in my book, as long as you're sweating, it counts}

4. Drink 8 glasses of water EVERY DAY.  I made it a couple of days, but there were also days that I barely drank any.  Looks like I will have to try this one again next week.

5. Write down daily tasks, and stick to them.  Eh...better add this to next week.

SO . . . Goals for this week:

1. Plan out next week's blog posts.>
2. Drink 8 glasses of water EVERY DAY.
3. Write down daily tasks, and stick to them.
4. Get caught up on editing photos and get them in the mail.
5.  Keep track of all food and activity points.

What are some of your goals for the week?  Link up with Jenn & Jessica and share!