Something
both John and I loved was fresh cracked crab. I have many memories of eating
crab with him.
The first one that pops up in my memory
occurred before Mt. St. Helens blew her top. Seven months pregnant with AJ, we borrowed
a camper that belonged to his mother’s friend. We drove around the state and eventually
went to the ocean. John hated the ocean and sand and only went there to please
me. Before we headed inland, we bought fresh crab and found a place on Spirit
Lake that would allow us to camp overnight. This location no longer exists.
I’m sure the other campers would have
liked to shoot us or do something that would have eliminated our presence. We
arrived after dark. The camper we’d borrowed had a generator, so John put it to
work. We sat at a table and cracked our crabs and ate them with fresh melted
butter and crackers. They were absolutely delicious.
Years later, my parents found a place
on Highway 99 that had an all you can eat crab night fairly often. I cannot remember
how many times my parents, John, AJ and I went to this place. We’d bring our own
nutcrackers, scissors, picks and anything else that would help us remove that
delectable delicacy from its shell. It was such fun and a very enjoyable time
with my family. Eventually I think the place closed (too much cheap crab maybe)
and this pleasure stopped.
John and I still loved crab; and
whenever there was a sale, I’d buy a couple and we’d gorge ourselves at our own
dinner table. The crab, fresh melted butter and crackers were like manna from
heaven. We loved it. And, I believe AJ, having his first crab in utero and
later with his wonderful grandfather, loves this delightful and difficult treat
as well. While he isn’t eager to crack crab, he does love a dish I make with crab,
hardboiled eggs, cheese and a few other ingredients.
It wasn’t all that many months ago
that John and I each ate a crab with butter and crackers together. I noticed
then he wasn’t as quick to crack his crab and gave him a hand when I’d finished
cracking mine. He also was unable to eat his entire portion. It made me rather
sad to see his pleasure in something he loved diminished.
In
the sale paper that came last Tuesday, I noticed QFC was having a sale on fresh
crab. I bought a smallish one and last night I ate crab for dinner. Instead of
sitting at the table with a warmer keeping the butter ready, I stood at the
sink and cracked my crab. Once done, I melted some butter in a small dish and
ate my crab dipped in the butter and placed on a soda cracker. In between
bites, I had a bit of gin to wash it down. I enjoyed my crab (and gin), but not
as much as if John had been seated at the table with me cracking his own crab.
Another shared enjoyment that’s become
a singular enjoyment. Really good, but not quite as good as when I shared it
with John or my family.