I love the smell of dead fish!

When I smell fish, dead or alive, I immediately think "Summer" and "the Puget Sound".

I grew up in Seattle, WA, so those of you who are familiar will know of the famous Pike Place Fish Market where fish are thrown and caught by professional fishmongers. It's a great show and great fun.

Anyway, I never worked there. But, my first paid work was at my best friend's house during the summers on Fox Island, WA. Her Dad was the Captain of a herring boat. We'd go out on the boat at night and set the nets for herring. Then, we'd drop the herring into pens back at the house.

In the late morning under the sun, we'd stand at a sloped table and scoop herring into bags. We would pack them 12 in a bag, 12 in a bag, 12 in a bag while yellow jackets buzzed around our scale-covered fingers.

If I recall correctly, we were paid piece-rate, so fast was good! And, when we were done, we'd float on styrofoam blocks in the Puget Sound.

After I turned 18, I spent a summer working at a salmon cannery on Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, WA. It was a great summer for learning Spanish and packing salmon, but a terrible summer for canning salmon since the salmon weren't running as typical. As a teen who wasn't dependent on the income, it was quite an educational summer. I saw a goat sacrificed by a group of Muslims from Malaysia, the goat head in the oven with its eyes glazed and its tongue sticking out (given to the Mexican workers by the Malaysians), and witnessed a white man's wigwam burn down due to his own stupidity.

I love walking by the Fish Market in Pike Place because it reminds me of summer.
When I first took my, then 4-years old, stepson to Pike Place Market for his first vist, the words out of his mouth as we walked by the fishmongers were "I just love the smell of dead fish!"

I was so proud!