Clammin'

On a beautiful, peaceful day in a month that spells 'relaxation' the group -- Lacey Harris, Amos Stephens, Stella Marcott, Tyler Bounds, Great Bear's own brewmaster Jay Kelly and myself -- again took a drive to Homer. I have never been to Homer. Remember I just moved here not too long ago, so the only 'Shock and Awe' in my life is this land that spreads out so far and wide.

Anyway, after a drive of dartin' and dodgin' with Ween and Oysterhead playing on the Toyota juke, we arrived.

We made camp on a beach, not bad huh? With a ready-made fire pit and circle of friends the unwinding began. We met up with friends Cherie and Guy who live in Homer. Guy just wrote a fantastic article in the Anchorage Press about musician Greg Brown in Alaska. Back to the story, we left our camp and headed to somebody's house, I don't remember, for a bonfire and party. The atmosphere was grand, people chatting, fire crackling -- the night was as I should be. Inside the house David Grisman and Jerry Garcia play a melody together and smile to lost times. They were on the TV but the sound felt live.

The next morning after a sweet homemade breakfast burrito the group met up for a full day of clamming.

It started slow then a rhythm emerged and soon everybody was digging and searching. The tide began to come back in, chasing us and the margaritas on ice.

That evening, grooving to KC and the Sunshine band, we made a fire, food, and began to get down.

The next morning with the skies gray and a light breeze in the air we eventually made our way back to the beach to collect more clams.

The tide was out and somewhere between the salt water of the Kachemak Bay and the beach the motivation set in. I was a part of the audience gathered to watch as Tyler and Stella launched a full frontal attack under the rocks beneath them.

The sounds of metal scraping and digging with the every-other-moment 'ya mon' symbolizing a find, our clams were coming in. A couple tried to escape but that was OK, they didn't get far.

With a bucketful of satisfaction we slowly walked back to the cars, then camp, to relax and begin to pack up.

The weekend was great but, like all weekends recently, not long enough. When the day was done, my bones tired and our separate ways went, I sat back with a smile and said to myself, everything is as it should be, till next week.

Peace.