Maki's Big Adventure Part 2

Last weekend our friends the Coans came up for a visit  to the new house. It was great to see them and catch up after many months. After  a delicious bowl of  Tortilla Soup, we decided to take a walk.

The day was cloudy, calm and chilly; but it felt good to be walking on the beach. As evening approached we headed north. To our great surprise Maki followed right along. I've never see him on the beach, so this was an amazing sight.  He trotted right alongside, occasionally hopping up and walking along a neighbor's seawall

or a piece of driftwood.

Maki's journey took him as far as the last house in the picture, at which point we were forced to turn around because it was getting dark.

Undeterred by barking dogs or shreiking herons, this crazy cat headed home right at our heels.

And didn't budge the entire following day!

The Wonders of Winter Crabbing

Well, not quite winter.  Last week a window of opportunity opened.

A big storm was brewing to the west with high winds and a lot of rain forecast for the weekend. But on Wednesday the sea was calm, the weather mild and winds down. I rowed out into the bay and dropped our crab pots, fingers crossed.

The following day was even nicer, time to bring in the haul!

We got five big crab; two were enormous!

As I shared a few tasty bits with our cat, Maki, I realized that the meat was much sweeter than any crab we have previously gotten. Besides tasty bits, these five crab provided us with

Thursday dinner - crab fettucine

Friday lunch - crab salad

Saturday appetizer - crab and artichoke dip recipe:

Sunday breakfast - crab omelets

In addition to all that, I froze a  pound of crabmeat and half of the artichoke dip!

We put the pots away as the barometer continued to drop. By Friday the clouds had come over and the winds were building. The lights flickered as I sat watching Ellen and picking crab.

Our first storm together in the new house.

Coming Home

It's been quite a while since my last post, and much has happened. The trip to Spain was wonderful; and I have a few more posts in mind to complete the blog.

But it's good to be home!  We arrived at Camano last night after a pleasant few days getting over jet lag and connecting with our family and friends. But here we are, and it feels a little strange. All the summer folks are gone; some of the seasonal folks have flown south to warmer weather.  Now we'll see what the winter holds in store.

The good news? I looked out on the bay this morning to see a bunch of crab pots. Could it be?  Yes, crabbing season has been extended til December 31st.!!  Seven days a week, no less!! It's going to be a crabby Thanksgiving.