Sometimes you feast on fresh crab, sometimes you don't

Most photos courtesy of Pixabay public domain photos. 

View of Dugualla Bay from my cousin's yard. Photo by Susan Parrish

Has this ever happened to you: You had a first-time experience with a new activity, and everything went perfectly. You assumed it was always going to be that smooth. That easy. That rewarding. That fun. Later when you tried the same activity again, it's a completely different experience.

This week I learned that past experiences are just that: in the past. Just because I experienced something one way doesn't mean I'll have the same experience when I do it again.

Crab pots/courtesy of Pixabay

Five years ago, I had my first opportunity to pull crab pots when I visited my cousin, Donette and her husband, Myron on Whidbey Island. Their friend, Steve, owns a boat and crab pots. During my 2017 visit, I had three opportunities to climb aboard Captain Steve's boat and pull crab pots. The crab gods were with us. It was a thrill to pull pots from Dugualla Bay and find many crabs. 

Crab photo courtesy of Pixabay

How I feasted on fresh crab during that visit! 

Mouthwatering crab dinner. Photo courtesy of Pixabay

So last weekend, when I returned to Whidbey and climbed aboard Steve's boat, I looked forward to pulling pots laden with crabs. I could already taste fresh crab slathered with melted butter! Yum! I'd been waiting five years to repeat my successful first-time crabbing experience.

But alas! It wasn't to be.

Tides in Dugualla Bay have been at historic lows. And the current in the bay was strong. When we climbed onto Steve's boat to retrieve the four crab pots he and Myron had set the previous day, we couldn't even FIND the pots. He uses GPS coordinates to mark the position where he drops his crab pots. We searched in wider and wider circles, but we didn't find any of Steve's pots. They simply were not where they should have been. Finally, after much searching and motoring more than a mile away from where the pots had been dropped into the water, we found one pot, and then another. But we didn't find the other two pots. 

Empty crab pot courtesy Pixabay

No crab this visit.

However, I'm grateful for these positive experiences:

Instead of crab, we feasted on delicious Salmon (from Costco)! 

Salmon dinner courtesy of Pixabay

While searching for crab pots, we circled Seal Rock and saw many seals swimming and some sunning themselves on the rock. 

Seals courtesy Pixabay

We saw a young osprey on a nest in a high piling.

Osprey nest courtesy Pixabay

We saw cormorants, eagles, herons, and many seagulls.

Cormorant photo courtesy Pixabay

We saw a boat that had run aground. 

We had the opportunity to be on the water on a glorious afternoon.

Here's what I learned: Even though we didn't feast on crab, it was still an amazing experience. I'm a believer that if we open our eyes, ears, hands and heart to opportunities around us, we can have amazing experiences every day.

Next year, I hope to return to Whidbey Island during crabbing season. When I climb aboard Steve's boat, I will do it purely for the experience--whatever that may be,

Mount Baker from Whidbey Island: Pixabay

If we are rewarded with delicious crab, even better! 

Elusive crab courtesy Pixabay