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{SFTH} *Halibut for Lunch* By Mark Crider 3/7/01
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Halibut for Lunch
By Mark Crider
I had lunch today with some business clients at the Water Street Oyster Bar. They had fresh halibut on the board and the waitress said they had been flying it in fresh twice a month and this shipment had just arrived yesterday. I dearly love fresh halibut, just barely done through, with a hint of lemon, salt and pepper. As we were eating my mind wandered (like it always does when I have halibut, I need to just eat it at home) back to a fishing trip I took with some of my friends out of Homer Alaska in the late seventies...
We had had an exceptional trip and must have had 500 or 600 lbs. of halibut each. While we were standing around watching the charter company people filet and package our fish a gaunt woman dressed in what appeared to be homespun or knit clothes with all kinds of colorful patterns on them was watching us. She had on leather homemade booties that laced up the sides and a knit skull hat that covered her ears. She had three little girls with her, two appeared to be eleven to thirteen years old and the littlest one might have been six. They were all dressed in the same kind of clothes, just different colors and patterns. The woman carefully eased up to within about twenty feet of the cleaning tables and said something to the workers in a foreign language. One of the guys yelled at her and she jumped back and started to retreat back toward her children. When I asked what she was speaking, they said she was Russian, native to Alaska and there was a community of them up the inlet. I asked what she wanted and why had the
man been so rude to her and they said they were beggars and were always hanging around bothering their customers. I then asked what the woman had said and they said she wanted the bones and heads from our fish that they were cleaning. I just choked up and Rod, Pierre, Randy and I looked at each other with tears welling up in our eyes at the same time. I could hardly speak, but I did call to them and signaled them to come here. I walked down the slope and remembered I had a large package of gum like I always carry. I took it out of my pocket and offered them a piece then I gave the whole pack to them. I turned around and told the workers to tell them that they could have all the filets they could carry. Then I noticed another woman with a small child further down the way and I signaled her to come here also and had them tell her the same thing. I have never before seen such gratitude and happiness in someone's eyes as those people had. Then they said something to the worker and he said they wanted to know if I was the boss or king, the word is the same translation he said. I told them where I live I am boss at my company but no one is king in America or Texas where I live. They gathered
up all the fish that they could carry and we watched as they made their way down the inlet's beach and disappeared. We all went up to the restaurant for supper and were filling up on all the Dungeness crabs we could hold. I looked up when I heard a commotion and here came the four children of the women we had given the fish to. The restaurant people were trying to stop them but they kept on coming and gave me the most beautiful bouquet of Alaska wild flowers. I don't know what they all were named, but I kept some and pressed them in a book I have somewhere. Later by the fireside we all discussed how good we felt about our little deal that day. Needless to say, I had to blame today's lunch tears on allergies. I just can't eat halibut out in public. Sometimes I'm such a sissy.
Mark Crider
cccoat@swbell.net
Send Mark an email and let him know what you thought of his story!
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Mark and his wife live in Corpus Christi at their wildlife sanctuary and
at their ranch near Laredo. They share their lives with Ms. Doogey a toy
fox/Chihuahua cross that runs the show.
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Dear Mr. Powers and family,
I would like to extend my gratitude to the Precious Lord above for blessing this world with people like you and your family! Thank you for uplifting me on my day of snow, ice, and hail! (snow storm-Queens, NY) For all the stories and/or photos of Brittnia, Caleb, Conner, and Kristi, thank you. May you continually be inspired by His wonders!
God bless,
Irene :)
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Thanks for sharing the beautiful story of how you and Kristi met and fell in love. My husband and I met at age 16(me)and 17(him). We just celebrated our 27th anniversary. It's been a long and at times bumpy road but thank God for bringing us together. Thank-you for your daily uplifting stories they enrich my life.
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and we don't know where she is!"
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_
/_/\/\ MICHAEL T. POWERS
\_\ / THUNDER27@aol.com
/_/ \ "For I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but
\_\/\ \ Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live for the Son
\_\/ of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20
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