The highlight of July 8, 2025, was going crabbing at Kelly's Marina in Rockaway Bay, a few miles south of Manzanita. We rented five boats, and bought licenses for the chief crabber in each boat, who was the only one who could touch the crabs. Our crabbers included Ezra, Spencer, Grant, Jonny, and Michael. The other important team member was the driver, who maneuvered the boat close enough to the buoys marking the crab traps so the crabber could pull out the traps. Lisa, Dave, and others played that role. The winner of the crab race was Ezra and the Eberts, who caught two crabs that were large enough to keep. Grant's boat brought back six crabs, but only one was large enough. Grant said he hauled in at least 30 crabs to net that one large one. The teams that caught big crabs ate them, boiled and served with butter. Kelly's Marina also served boiled clams. The losers slunk off to a fish shack nearby where they could buy the fish they couldn't catch!
Grant's team also enjoyed the fruits of their labor.
I went crabbing with Mike, with Lisa as driver. We hauled up at least a dozen crabs, but they were either females that had to be thrown back, or too small to keep. Kelly's Marina gave us a crab measurer, and Mike was meticulous in tossing back crabs that were even a millimeter too small. Mike celebrated a successful crabbing trip when we netted our first crab, even though it was a little one. We all agreed!
In the evening, after dinner, we had our family auction. Lisa and I had assembled more than 70 gifts--everything from board books and a baby doll that cried "Mama", to a MAGA hat, two large bottles of Jo Malone perfume (the brand Princess Kate Middleton uses), and an electric shaver for bald heads. Grant and Meg were the treasurers, doling out exactly $470 in play money to each family member, from baby Soren to Steve Ebert, and making change.
Jonny was our auctioneer, combining efficiency, dry wit, and a faint aura of disgust. He kept the masses in check, as we all bid and grabbed. The auction and candy bar game are deliciously base, as they trigger great passion over small things! We laughed and laughed.
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