We headed out to Steveston today to see what all the fuss about the sockeye salmon run is all about. As it turned out we did not see any salmon running anywhere but we did see many of them being carried around in plastic bags.
However, before we could do anything about the sockeye salmon, we had to stop at a thrift store to get my Sweetheart a pair of jeans. Before we left home I noticed she was wearing jeans, and me, being the helpful sort that I am, reminded her that it was going to get sunny and probably much warmer later in the day. So she ran back upstairs, pulled off her jeans and put on a very cute and summery skirt.
Oops. I should not give fashion advice. As soon as we stopped the car and opened the door the wind just about tore the door off. My Sweetheart looked at me and told me to drive back to the thrift store that we had passed on our way through Steveston.
So much for my wish to get away from shopping. Eventually my Sweetheart came out of the store with a massive bag of baby clothing and toys. Then it was off to the Steveston waterfront.
The Gulf of Georgia Cannery is a beautiful setting; it is even used as a back-drop for wedding pictures.
The boats were all lined up at the wharf and the people were lined up waiting to get a piece of this year’s record sockeye salmon run.
Personally, I hate line-ups so I refused to take part. Apparently they were selling sockeye salmon off the boats for $15-$20 each. A jolly good price that many were more than willing to pay. Instead of buying an entire sockeye salmon though, I wanted mine golden-fried with chips.
So along we went to Pajo’s Fish and Chips.
The line-up was 30 minutes just to order your food and then another 30 minutes to get the food. Having two toddlers with us (and me with my blood sugar getting dangerously low-equals me very cranky) we decided that the Pajo’s at Garry Point would probably be less busy. (Cue the laughter here).
Actually, at this one I walked right up to the counter and ordered our food (salmon and chips, thank you very much). Forty-five minutes later we sat back and ate. I have to admit, it was worth the wait and the kitchen staff at Pajo’s were busting their butts all day. Cudos to them for their efforts at feeding the masses today.
After eating I took the family over to see the Steveston Fishermen’s Memorial. This memorial is a giant net mending needle with the names of people who have been lost at sea inscribed in the base of the memorial.
I am saddened every time I visit the Memorial and I see my uncle’s name, Toby Bjerke and his boat the Mistress on the memorial.
The loss of too many of my family member’s was part of why I was so passionate about the water safety contest/giveaway that I recently ran. Far too many people die from preventable deaths like drowning. We really do need to change the way that we think about water and safety. At any rate, today was the day that I met with the winner of our water safety contest, Deni, commenter #9.
Ironically, when her name was drawn I was concerned that she might live somewhere far away in the USA or who-knows-where. No problem, she lives close by our family and we met for a coffee this morning so I could hand the gift card over to her. Even funnier, her and her husband also have twin girls that she blogs about. You can visit her blog at These Happy Days dot com.
But back to our Steveston day-tripping…on our way out of Steveston my Sweetheart says, “Hey there is a guy selling salmon, let’s stop.” No lines up, no waiting, $12 a fish, beauty. Next thing I know there is a “thump” as she drops a bag in the trunk of the car. She then jumps in and we drive away.
Then we get home and I open the trunk.
Well my Mom worked in a cannery when she was younger, so what the hell, I can gut, clean and behead a salmon I suppose. My theory is that I might have picked these skills up from my Mom through some genetic thing-like thing, seeing as she worked int he cannery years before I was born.
Get out the trusty Swiss Army knife and the Ginsu knife and away I went at it.
It was actually easier than I thought it would be.
And then a little clean up.
Having a background in Shakespeare, all I could think about was Lady Macbeth as she tried to clean the blood off her hands. “Out damned spot, out…” or something like that.
Soon I was done my bloody handiwork though.
The gutting and cleaning was actually the easiest part of the process. We do not have a knife sharp enough to fillet the salmon so it was a bit of a mess trying to complete that task. Regardless, it tasted really good!
Another great day in the city. What a fabulous city we live in!!