Part of the allure of going to Kenai is to stock up on some tasty fresh salmon. Yup, you just sit back and let them swim into your net. Sounds easy enough, right?
It is a good time, though. It is very competitive, and you just don't get in other peoples way; people really depend on these fish to feed their families. However, you are also out there together for long hours, and there is a lot of camaraderie.
This is also an area where Pam excels. She puts on her lucky red fleece (same one for many, many years), her game face and in she goes. We only had one net this year, so I was beach support. Let me tell you what my duties were; wait until she catches a fish, then wade in and help her drag it in. We untangle the fish, and she races back in. I am left with the dirty work of conking, gilling, cutting fins, cleaning it off a little, and then awaiting Pam's next capture. When the runs are in, it is crazy-busy. This year, it was okay. It wasn't boring, though! There must have been a slower time, because I began taking pictures of myself again (I think I just wanted to prove I was along!).
So here I am, sand on my face, blood and fish all over the rest of me. Pam is the yellow one in the water.
Then, here is Pam struggling to bring her catch ashore as I continue taking pretty pictures of myself! Ha ha!
After spending the day with Daddy and Grampa, Amelia came to see what we were doing. At least that is what I thought; she was just excited to see so much sand. This is the first time she'd been to the ocean, and this beach was good enough for her!
Here is our little beach claim.
This is the type of net that we use. It is about six feet in diameter, and on a 20-30 feet long pole.
After a hard days work, Amelia was in charge of bringing the sled with supplies back. The sled started to bite her ankles when she didn't get movin' fast enough!
The next day, it was decided that the beach was mellow enough that Amelia could join the women for the day (and as you can see, she put on a little make-up for the event!) We don't have an Arby's where we live, so it is a special treat to go when we can. Amelia was introduced to dipping fries into her shake, and she declared it the 'yummiest'!
Then it was off to a day at the beach. The beach is actually pretty dirty, and what you see on the sand are fish carcasses. Lots, and lots. But, Amelia was armed with a bucket and a shovel, so she was in heaven!
She then looked around for a 'friend', and immediately found a cute boy. She actually found a lot of them (not a lot of little girls on the beach, it turns out). I looked over at one time to find her in the middle of about five boys, half of them looking manly with their shirts off and all huddled around somebody who was cleaning a fish. She done good!
The one stipulation was that she couldn't go in past her boots. She has no idea how to swim (although she thinks she does) and had no problem wading in to her butt. She's inherited her Daddy's selective hearing.
(this is the view in either direction as far as the eye can see)
We were there for hours, in both sun and rain. Amelia was awesome to have there, but was rather distraught when her boy toy left without so much as a tootles. Gramma and Mommy were freezing, and while quite wet Amelia just sat silently, munching away on trail mix.
She's going to make a great fisher women.
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