Gardening? no - Fishing? Yes

First, an update on the Mason Bee project. We have had cold weather much later than normal this year. As a result, the Mason Bees didn't hatch until after the apricot trees bloomed. So, no apricots again this year. The bees did nest though as you can see below.
Now I will wait until November to open the nesting block and see if I have any viable cocoons to clean and prepare to hatch next Spring.

The apricots will be given one more chance. One tree is being cut back to four 3" diameter main trunks and the second is being severely pruned. Hopefully one of these techniques will result in apricots next year. Otherwise the space will be used for something we can harvest.

The cold weather has delayed the garden production dramatically. Last year we were harvesting in early June. This year it was late July or early August for most crops and we still don't have a ripe tomato. Of course the zucchini are producing.
So, what do you do? Go Fishing!

My daughter Stephanie made arrangements for me to accompany her along with some friends on a salmon fishing trip. Sandra gets seasick on the dock walking to the boat so she stayed home. You have to get an early start so I left home at 3AM to drive to Stephanie's house then we drove another hour and fifteen minutes to the coast. We put the boat in at Hammond, OR - near the mouth of the Columbia River. There wasn't much light at 6AM. It was a 30-minute ride to the area we were fishing. Along the way the sun came up but it didn't feel much warmer. It was 53 degrees NOT counting the wind chill from a 25 mph boat ride or the spray. I had on a tee shirt, long-sleeved denim shirt, sweatshirt, and an insulated windbreaker. That didn't do much for my face! Next time I will wear a wet suit - I was soaked in no time.
Our guide was Shanon; she runs a charter called "Let's Go Fishing" and is well known in the area as one of the few female guides and one that will bring in fish if there are any being caught. The day before she finished second in the Salmon Derby with the next-to-largest fish. Oregon has very tight controls on sport fishing. You must have a license of course but in addition in order to fish for salmon, halibut, or sturgeon you must have an additional license. A one-day license costs $16.75. It includes a tag on which you have to record each catch with type of fish (8 different kinds of salmon), where caught, length, and date. Failure to do correctly can result in a $300 fine. Also, you cannot keep "wild" Chinook or Coho salmon in order to maintain the species. Whew, glad the guide knows all about this.

We were about 500 feet away from the dock when one of the guys said "Wait, I left the box of food on the dock." We went back and got it. He didn't realize then but he also left the ice chest with the food (fried chicken) and the beer. He didn't discover that until mid-morning when Stephanie and I took out our sandwiches for "brunch". He was most concerned about the beer (a 24-can pack) but Shanon was concerned about the lunch which he was bringing. I gave her a banana and she had some cookies and a couple of cupcakes to tide her over until we got back to the chicken on the dock.

Over 1,000 boats put out today, and there was a lot of jockeying for position. The technique was to speed out and troll back in; then repeat - and repeat. We fished from 6AM until 4PM. I caught the first fish. It was early in the first run and we weren't completely ready. The fish made a run for the boat and I called for the net - no net. The tackle was very light and no way to get the fish in the boat without a net. Besides the guide must determine the fish can be legally caught before bringing it into the boat; otherwise it is released while still in the net. The fish made another run at the boat and actually ran into it - still no net. On the third run in the fish decided to run under the boat and caught the leader breaking the line. Oh well, I caught the first fish anyway. The boat was actually a "jet sled" seating six. It was almost a flat-bottom and there was a lot riding up and splashing back down on the way out. Also, no seat belts! On the final run we were a LONG way out and coming back against the tide so there was a LOT of splash and spray. I was very glad that I took along a change of clothes for the ride home.Three happy fishermen (fisherpersons??). I was happy too just to have the experience. Stephanie caught a Chinook and the other two are Coho. No one wanted the fish heads so Sandra has them for fish stew or grilling salmon cheeks. Stephanie graciously shared hers with us. Sandra wants us to go back and while we are fishing she will hang round the place where they clean and dress the fish and collect the "unwanted" heads. That will be another blog entry.

Well now it's sit and wait for the tomatoes to get ripe!