We forgot to mention in our last BLOG entry that we purchased a new toad, a 2008 GMC Canyon. If you remember from our 19MAY08 BLOG entry, we wasted three days north of Houston trying to purchase the very same vehicle. Cousin Paul Peters believes he has some expertise in negotiating good deals on vehicles; so Dan asked Paul to see what he could do? Paul located the vehicle we wanted with more options than we had specified and for the price we were willing to pay in Texas. Unfortunately the sales tax is double in Washington vs Texas. So now even though we are homeless, we have four vehicles – the RV, the new toad, the old toad and a MB in Texas!
On Wednesday we departed the Peters residence to spend Labor Day Weekend at Birch Bay State Park. This State Park was the site of many group gatherings of the Kiesel family (Dan’s mom sister), the Peters family (Dan’s mom brother) and the Ryan family. On average there were eight to ten kids at these gatherings; it’s a wonder that there was only one broken bone during that entire time. Birch Bay is a shallow body of water very near the Canadian border. Being shallow it is an excellent place to be during the extreme low tides that occur on average once a month. During these low tides you easily get your limits of clams and oysters, and you can even wade out in the sea grass and catch Dungeness crabs.
http://www.parks.wa.gov/parkpage.asp?selectedpark=Birch+Bay
Upon arrival we found the campsite of cousin Jennifer (nee Peters) and husband Mike Hayes. Turns out they have a very nice boat capable of holding eight people. And because of this we would be setting crab pots with bait to catch our crabs. So after setting up camp, eight of us piled into the boat to set sixteen crab pots. State regulations allow each licensed person in the boat to set two pots per day and to harvest five mail crabs per day. We’re talking the potential of 40 crabs per day!!! The routine consisted of baiting the pot with a turkey leg, attaching appropriate line with buoy and dropping it over the side. State regulations further state that your name and phone number must be on the buoy, so if you are legally crabbing (and we were) there should only be two buoys in the water with your name.
The next morning during the low tide eight of us went back out to check the pots; while others went to the beach to collect clams and oysters. We did very well catching crabs in the pots but did not get 40. Why? Because it turns out there are many people who come out in their boats and pull other people pots and steal the crabs! We know this happened to us because the bait would be completely gone and no crabs in the pot; or there would be twenty crabs in the pot but they would all be females. In one case the jerks damaged the pot because they didn’t know how to get it open. In spite of this, we still brought back 30. Meanwhile back at the beach Corrie and others were collecting large amounts of clams and oysters.
Back at the state park we commenced cleaning the crabs, and prepping the clams and oysters for cooking. Mike was in charge of boiling the crab, and Corrie boiled up the clams in wine, garlic and other aromatics. Turns out Mike is big fan of Cajun spices, so he boiled half the crabs with Cajun spices and the other half in salted water. Mike also learned the Cajun trick of throwing your corn and potatoes in the boil so they pick up the spices. Dan showed Mike that if he took the cheapest button mushrooms and threw them in the boil, you get a real taste sensation. Some people complained that the mushrooms were too spicy, but they were first thing to go. In addition, we barbequed the oysters over charcoal with grated cheese and bread crumbs. Throw in fresh corn, potato salad and other side dishes, and this was not going to be a low cal weekend.
Over the next couple of days more relatives (including Paul & Shannon Peters) and friends showed up, which meant more licensed crabbers who could add to our quota. Poor Mike being the owner of the boat had to make every run. Dan volunteered on every run but one to be deckhand and only got “bitten” twice by crabs while emptying the pots. Thieves continued to be a problem, but we still did very well. Corrie made one boat run but felt pretty queasy so she stuck to digging for clams on the beach. After two straight days of crab and clams, it was decided that Friday would be a meat day. Dan slow smoked a pork shoulder and made his mustard BBQ sauce. Others prepared sausages, hamburgers, hotdogs and steaks, along with local fresh veggies and big salads. Dan’s mustard sauce was a big hit and he had to give the recipe to Mike & Jennifer.
On Wednesday we departed the Peters residence to spend Labor Day Weekend at Birch Bay State Park. This State Park was the site of many group gatherings of the Kiesel family (Dan’s mom sister), the Peters family (Dan’s mom brother) and the Ryan family. On average there were eight to ten kids at these gatherings; it’s a wonder that there was only one broken bone during that entire time. Birch Bay is a shallow body of water very near the Canadian border. Being shallow it is an excellent place to be during the extreme low tides that occur on average once a month. During these low tides you easily get your limits of clams and oysters, and you can even wade out in the sea grass and catch Dungeness crabs.
http://www.parks.wa.gov/parkpage.asp?selectedpark=Birch+Bay
Upon arrival we found the campsite of cousin Jennifer (nee Peters) and husband Mike Hayes. Turns out they have a very nice boat capable of holding eight people. And because of this we would be setting crab pots with bait to catch our crabs. So after setting up camp, eight of us piled into the boat to set sixteen crab pots. State regulations allow each licensed person in the boat to set two pots per day and to harvest five mail crabs per day. We’re talking the potential of 40 crabs per day!!! The routine consisted of baiting the pot with a turkey leg, attaching appropriate line with buoy and dropping it over the side. State regulations further state that your name and phone number must be on the buoy, so if you are legally crabbing (and we were) there should only be two buoys in the water with your name.
The next morning during the low tide eight of us went back out to check the pots; while others went to the beach to collect clams and oysters. We did very well catching crabs in the pots but did not get 40. Why? Because it turns out there are many people who come out in their boats and pull other people pots and steal the crabs! We know this happened to us because the bait would be completely gone and no crabs in the pot; or there would be twenty crabs in the pot but they would all be females. In one case the jerks damaged the pot because they didn’t know how to get it open. In spite of this, we still brought back 30. Meanwhile back at the beach Corrie and others were collecting large amounts of clams and oysters.
Back at the state park we commenced cleaning the crabs, and prepping the clams and oysters for cooking. Mike was in charge of boiling the crab, and Corrie boiled up the clams in wine, garlic and other aromatics. Turns out Mike is big fan of Cajun spices, so he boiled half the crabs with Cajun spices and the other half in salted water. Mike also learned the Cajun trick of throwing your corn and potatoes in the boil so they pick up the spices. Dan showed Mike that if he took the cheapest button mushrooms and threw them in the boil, you get a real taste sensation. Some people complained that the mushrooms were too spicy, but they were first thing to go. In addition, we barbequed the oysters over charcoal with grated cheese and bread crumbs. Throw in fresh corn, potato salad and other side dishes, and this was not going to be a low cal weekend.
Over the next couple of days more relatives (including Paul & Shannon Peters) and friends showed up, which meant more licensed crabbers who could add to our quota. Poor Mike being the owner of the boat had to make every run. Dan volunteered on every run but one to be deckhand and only got “bitten” twice by crabs while emptying the pots. Thieves continued to be a problem, but we still did very well. Corrie made one boat run but felt pretty queasy so she stuck to digging for clams on the beach. After two straight days of crab and clams, it was decided that Friday would be a meat day. Dan slow smoked a pork shoulder and made his mustard BBQ sauce. Others prepared sausages, hamburgers, hotdogs and steaks, along with local fresh veggies and big salads. Dan’s mustard sauce was a big hit and he had to give the recipe to Mike & Jennifer.
On Saturday Mike made one last crab run and all the gear was collected and broken down; and the boat was hauled onto its trailer and washed down. In addition to those of us who were camping on site, several of Mike’s relatives and Aunt Jan Peters along with Jim Peters drove up just for the day. That night was the crab feed to end all crab feeds, along with clams and numerous side dishes. And it turns out that it was Spenser Peters’ birthday and we had birthday cake. An excellent time was had by all!
Early Sunday morning with our bellies still full we headed back to the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe, WA. We were leaving before the end of Labor Day weekend because we had to meet someone who was supposed to help us on our property starting Sunday.
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