Tag: Santa Cruz Island
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Abalone: the Chase, the Lore, the Future
Abalone are definitely one of the most exquisite things to eat from the sea. Their sublime flavor is both buttery and slightly salty and tastes like a cross between a scallop and calamari. But a big part of abalone is the culture of chasing, catching and eating wild abalone.
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Chasing the Wild Abalone: Confessions of a Field Biologist
To be honest, I love abalone and have always been fascinated by this most unusual of snails. In college I truly began to “chase the abalone” which led me to become a field biologist. So these are my confessions; some of my adventures while chasing abalone. Things I normally wouldn’t admit to but looking back…
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Island in the Stream: the Timeless and Haunting Beauty of Santa Cruz Island
A Haunting Beauty The first thing I noticed was the quietness. Standing on the cliff at the west end all I heard was the wind blowing off the ocean, the waves crashing on the shore, the gulls screaming in the air, all mixed with the smell of the sea. No cars, no trucks, no sounds of…
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The Call of Nature and the Renewal of the Nature Fast
Hiking into the Washington Cascades. 2006. “To perceive the true nature of existence was one reason for the performing a vision quest; after four days of fasting alone in a high rock, in the great silence and solitude of earth, one is bound to discover that what was thought of as a separate self is…
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Coming Home
Born on the Navy circuit, moving every 2 years. Home was an elusive concept at best. As life would have it we occasionally doubled back and that place was San Diego. Living there in the’ 60s and ’70s was a magical experience. Simple, clean, fun, and just right for starting my love affair with the ocean.…
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The Demise of the Black Abalone
To be honest, I love the abalone. Ever since I first saw one as a kid in the 1960s I have been fascinated by this most unusual of snails. Like most people I was first attracted to their taste; abalone are a real delicacy. However, the more I learned the more fascinated I became with…