I was supposed to work today at one of my seasonal jobs, but the materials we were scheduled to work on, didn’t come in. My husband was invited to a work-related function, and asked me if I’d like to tag-along. It was being held on one of the inlets of the Puget Sound. I’d get to see one of the projects he’s been working on to help restore the Puget Sound, plus there’d be a free lunch, so I was happy to join him.
Choosing what to wear was baffling. I wavered between work attire and something more casual that would keep me warm, since we’d be outside. I settled on khakis, a corduroy shirt, a pair of low-cut cowboy boots, and my northwest staple, polar fleece jacket. When we left Puyallup, it was a little overcast.
By the time we got to Lacey, our windshield wipers were getting a workout. Did we bring raincoats? No. Fortunately, I keep two fold-up, water-proof windbreakers in my trunk , just in case. I dug them out and we pulled them over our polar fleece. Then we headed to the welcome table and slapped our nametags on. Our hosts offered us rubber boots. I gladly swapped my cowboy boots for them along with a pair of leather gardening gloves.
Down at the water on the mudflats, they showed us how to harvest oysters. While John and I worked on a few long rows, the showers eased up. The oysters were enclosed in heavy net bags strung on ropes that were anchored down in the mud. We stood facing each other. I picked up each bag, and flipped it over to John’s side of the rope. He lifted it, and shook it to loosen up the oysters.
We also checked for drills, tiny conch shells about one inch long. An invasive species, these mollusks wearing ornate shells, drill lethal holes in the oysters' shells. The drills don’t have any natural enemies here, and apparently aren’t good eating either. If we saw any drills, or their egg masses, we picked them off, and then moved onto the next bag. The hardest part was trying to get my feet to follow my body as we moved down the line. The mud loved those bulky, black rubber boots so much, it was determined to suck them off my feet.
Up on the grassy area, we joined those who were cleaning oysters. Standing at tables with built-in grates, we scraped mussels and barnacles off the oysters, and then dunked them in water to wash the mud off. Nobody else knew what they were, but John and I found a few opihi stuck on the oysters. They are cone-shaped limpets that are considered a delicacy in Hawaii. The clouds had parted and the sun smiled on us as we worked, continuing to play its springtime game of peek-a-boo.
Throughout the day, I kept thinking of a book I’d read a few years ago: The Highest Tide, by Jim Lynch. The story takes place on the shores of Puget Sound near Olympia with its unique marine life playing a key part in the main character’s life. Soaking in the landscape around me, I appreciated Lynch‘s accurate, well written descriptions in the novel. It's easy to tell he grew up by these waters.
As we scraped and cleaned, we could smell oysters and salmon grilling behind us. Of course there were oysters on the half shell for appetizers. John couldn’t convince me to slurp them, but he made up for my reluctance. Lunch was served at just the right moment: geoduck soup, clam chowder, salad, grilled oysters, salmon sliders, and crab cakes. What is it about being on or near the water that always makes me hungrier than usual?
The rain started up again while we ate under the cover of a tent. Speakers talked about the importance of restoring and protecting the Puget Sound. At one point the podium had to be moved further into the shelter of the tent because the wind and rain were whipping up so strongly.
As things wrapped up, I looked out over the water. The tide had come in covering the oyster bags that John and I had worked on. Whether it’s stirred up by a spring rain squall or glistening serenely in the sun, the Puget Sound has always been a vital part of Western Washington and it's definitely worth saving.
Laura Keolanui Stark is putting her hood up, and then pulling it down, over and over again through Western Washington’s typical spring weather. She can be reached at stark.laura.k.@gmail.com.
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