8-13-2016 BLAINE, WA

Jim

Liz and Marnel

This resort, Birchwood, in Blaine, WA on Birch Bay, is quite beautiful.  We are surrounded by tall pines that reach all the way up to God and the broad expanse of the blue bay peeks through the trees.  It is quiet and starry.  Best of all, we are parked next to friends,

Rob

Marnel and Grubby,

Grubby

who are pickleball snowbirds we met in Pahrump.  In addition, tomorrow we meet up with two other snowbird pickleball couples, Jim and Liz and Ada and Bob.  It is a veritable tournament and reunion!

Just kidding on the tournament part.  We just bat around on the courts and giggle and horse around.  Yesterday, we played for 4 ½ hours!  I was completely wasted!  But never let it be said that we can’t go on!  Bob and Ada own a parcel of land at Sandy Point Shores where they park their fifth wheel for the summer season each year.  The power boat is moored at the pier but otherwise, the land is undeveloped.  A picnic at their digs followed pickleball and everyone brought treats.  Bob and Ada bbq’d outstanding Korean teriyaki ribs. 

Oh Bob!

Rob and I were assigned to bring chili beans.  As luck would have it, on Saturdays, everyone who is anyone has a garage sale on the point.  There were garage sales for miles!  Well,  you need a crock pot for chili beans, don’t you?  We found a crock pot for $2 and bazinga!  Beans!  After the picnic we were done, right?  Not so fast!

OK, he's texting?!

The annual block party takes place nearby, the “Elvis Festival.”  Well, who can go through life without attending that?!  Indeed, that is why we traveled here!  Marnel wrote and told us that they were attending the Elvis Festival with Ada, Bob, Jim and Liz and it wouldn’t be complete without us.  Okey dokey, then!  Drive 2,000 miles to four inches from Canada (eh?) to join a monster block party and watch Elvis and

Roy Orbison

Roy Orbison impersonators and drink beer till we drop?  We can do this!  What else is there to do in August in Pahrump?!  And who was the best Elvis of the three performers, you ask?  Erin Wong.  Last I checked, Elvis was not Asian and Erin is not Caucasian but Erin did a great job.

Caught in the act!

 

Elvis Wong

Everyone made merry and danced in the streets for several hours in the balmy evening air on the bay and we pretty women shaked, rattled and rolled!

Sunday called for a ceremony at St. Pickleball and another picnic at Bob and Ada’s out on the spit.  This time, my job was pulled ham sandwiches.  Enter trusty $2 crock pot!  Here’s the recipe:  Chop a picnic ham into chunks that will fit into the crock pot.  Pour a beer over it.  Simmer all night and the next day, remove the bones and fat and shred the meat.  Pile it on a hard roll with horseradish, dill pickle relish and hot mustard.  Wash down with an ice cold beer.  Yum!  This trusty fool-proof recipe is brought to you by my baby brother, Larry, and his wife, Linda.  

Did I capture this or what?!

In the afternoon, Bob and Ada took us out on the briney to capture crabs.  This was a learning experience for Lucky Lindy.  First, you drive the boat out to your favorite secret crab spot.  The trip in itself was worth the price of admission. 

Rob, Grubby and Mount Baker

Ada and Marnel, cruisin' babes!

The sun, sparkling water, blue sky, snow-covered Mr. Baker on the skyline and salty ocean spray provides a feeling of sublime serenity and exhileration. 

Then, Captain Bob got seriously into teaching us the fine art of crabbing.  First, put the boat at the perfect coordinates where all the crabs hang out.  We brought the bait enroute to Bob and Ada’s:  a few pounds of fresh chicken.  At this point, we sliced the chicken to give the crabs even more reason to come and check this out, put the chicken in the bait box, hooked it down inside the cage and then, threw the crab cage overboard.  The cage is about 2X2X1 wire attached to several buoys and a flag so we would know where to find it later.  We lowered the four cages down to depth, then, turned off the engine, poured a drink, laughed and told stories and argued religion and politics while we waited for crabs to get suckered into the traps as we drifted along in the warm ocean breeze.

After about an hour, Capt. Bob decided we should have a look at each of these traps to see if we had caught anything at all besides an old tire or something. 

Crabs!  Yay!

When what to our wondering eyes should appear:  Many crabs were in our cages!  We carefully meaured each one and if one were too small or a female, Bob would throw it back.  Pays to be a chick, if you know what I mean!

Careful, Krauser!  They bite!

 -continued-

Chicks go overboard!