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: A Public Defender's Life in Alaska

So, fine. The below freezing weather and all this new snow is hard. Everyone I talk to seems down. But then I thought about it. Almost everyone I talk to is from somewhere else. People who remember what March "should" be like. I figured it was time to talk to someone else. So I hooked up with a buddy who has a commercial fishing boat. He grew up here and had a different take on this time of year. He likes it. The days are bright and the days getting longer. The snow is still good enough for a little skiing or snowmachining. It is a good time of year, he says. Come help me on the boat he says. He had a personal use crab pot out that he needed help retrieving. He is a super cool guy that just knows how to do everything that Alaska can offer. So you betcha! We shoveled off the boat and off we went into Kachemak Bay, one of my favorite places in the world.
It wasn't quite "The Deadliest Catch" but it was still great to pull up the pot full of Tanner crabs, fighting the ice and snow. There were more than enough legal males to ensure we all went home with crab. I learned how to deal with a Tanner crab...instead of boiling them whole you break them in half. Late last night we had a crab feed. Plates of steaming crab. 80's music. Wine. People laughing and the kids playing. It helped me to remember that it is all perspective. Being out on the water was amazing. Even though it was cold enough to turn a beer into slush before you could drink it. Instead of just thinking "6 weeks to go", I am going to remember standing on the deck of that boat. Being happy. I am still looking forward to Spring but it feels less urgent now.

Full post as published by A Public Defender's Life in Alaska on March 13, 2010 (boomark / email).