Crab Feast

Its that time of year again -- Crab Season in San Francisco!!

I invited some special friends to help me share it: Precious Flower, Mistrie Rose and Patches all the way from the Big Piney Woods and their blog The Calico Girls.I waited by the window a long time for them to get here. My person said they would arrive mid-morning and then we could all go down to Fishermans Wharf for the day.

And then, like magic they were here! In my living room, the three mostest beautiful and sweet girl kitties ever. As Mistrie Rose is an out door girl and not very comfortable in a small apartment we went right down to the wharf, were all the action takes place.

(No, that isn't one of our famous Cable Cars its just a street car)
Its a nice sunny day not too warm, not too cool. I stayed close to my girls... I didn't want anyone to get lost.
Oh, there are some really great smells here, the salt air and a whiff of crab cooking!

But first a little exploring.
Here are some of the boats going out to sea under the Golden Gate Bridge.
See all the 'Crab Pots' on the deck? That's what they catch the crabs with. Soon they'll be back full of juicy, tasty crab for lots of dinners.

Then we all went over to the beach at Aquatic Park.
The girls had never seen the ocean, or the Bay before. Mistrie Rose said the water lapping made her think of something .... I told her that over behind the rocks was a good place to take care her needs. So, while she was doing the needed, Precious Flower and Patches rested on the sand.
(I don't think anyone saw the little sea bird!)
Precious Flower couldn't sit still so she went and dipped her paw in the water, that girl is just a ball of energy! She jumped back because the water is so well, wet. Then she licked her wet paw and said "Yuck, yuck, yucky!"
"That's salt water, for fish and crabs to live in, not for kitties to drink. But don't worry we have plenty of regular water to drink as well." I told her. "You have 2 kinds of water? Wow!"
The sweet girl is something else, I tell ya.

Mistrie, came running back and told us that she had met the nicest local kitty behind the rocks, a "real salty Tom" he called himself. But she didn't say any more. Just then I heard the horns of the boats coming back.

It was time to go pick out out dinner! The Crab man held up some of his catch that day, and I asked Patches which one she liked best. "I like the ones that are all wiggly." "Good choice," I said, "That means they are the freshest." Then Mistrie Rose and Precious Flower picked out the ones that they thought were the tastiest.
All that needed to be done was to have them cooked up for our dinner. Here's what they looked like just out of the steamer.
Mmmm.... smells so good!
We were all licking our chops! The cook cracked them with his wooden mallet like this ---
tap,tap, CRACK!
tap, tap, CRACK!
tap, tap, tap... CRACK!!
Its a special music you hear only at crab season. This is how you get all the sweet meat out of the hard shell.
You should have seen Precious Flower's eyes. Big as saucers following every tap and keeping time with her tail. Flick, flick, SWISH! Flick, flick SWISH!

Here is what our dinner looked like:I was a little worried about Precious Flower's tummy and didn't want her to have an upset. Being the good sister she is Patches brought along some of her special diet. The cook was nice and saved a little of the broth, so she had a tiny sip. We all watched as she sniffed, and then lapped up the flavorfull broth. when she was done she licked her whiskers and said "That is the best thing I've ever tasted!" Then she gave me a little head butt, that sure is enough to make any host smile. Her sisters dug right in and with purrs they agreed with her. The sweet girl didn't want to go back to her special diet food, but was makin' eyes at my plate. So, I nosed a little morsel over to her, and with a flick it was gone. I nosed a second over to her, really less than half a bite, and she ate that too. "No more," I purred, "think of your tummy."
And with that she went back to her dinner like the good girl she is.

After dinner, we were all very full and in need of a good wash and a nap. My person said that she'd have a blanket for us on the beach, so we all went there.It wasn't long before the fog started rolling in to put a chill in the air, and the sun was starting to set. My person gently said that it was time for the girls to go home because Precious Flower is still young and has to be home before dark. There were purrs and kisses and head butts all around. "Can I come back and visit you again?" Precious Flower said. "Of course you can my dear, it would be a pleasure." I replied. "Maybe Beezie would like to come to the Big Piney Woods" said Mistrie Rose. "And bring a little more Crab?" added Patches. "As long as its in season, we don't have it all year. Just for a short time, its a special treat." I said. We all shared one last purr.
And then they were off.

I'm sure the sweet girls from the Big Piney Woods had as much fun as I did. Its not often that a guy gets to spend the day (and have a great dinner) with 3 of the sweetest, and most wonderful girl-kitties ever. I know that there were a few Toms on the beach that were giving me the evil eye for having all 3 to myself.
He-he, I am truly a lucky guy.

More adventures can be found at the Carival Of The Cats this week at Scribblings.