An Extraordinary Time

The Copper River, located off the Prince William Sound in Alaska, began its salmon season on May 16, 2005.  City Fish offered the first fish for sale in the Pike Place Market where at 8:30am it retailed for $24.99 /lb. for kings and $17.99/lb for sockeyes.  Is it a better fish than the others?

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Kelli Bodenberger, 35, from Seattle driving to California for a big BBQ. “We just came by the Pike Place Market to get us a huge Copper River Salmon to put on the grill and its awesome, you know, and other seafood to go with it.  And its just beautiful, its awesome.  Its none of that farmed raised (laugh), color added, white fish (laugh) So its gonna be really awesome. Can’t wait to enjoy it.   The salmon alone was $100 or right around a hundred dollars.  The Copper River salmon is some of the best seafood you can eat.  Its so flavorful compared to the other salmon, Coho.”

Kaitlyn Boyd, 9, from Lake Young’s Elementary School in Kent,WA, “I like salmon.  It was at a low price and I only have $20 (of pretend money she spent buying Wild King while on a scavenger hunt with her third grade classmates)

Gabe Massey, 12, from Truman Middle School in Tacoma “I was watching them massage it.  It was funny. They got their heads cut off.”

Gioia Foa, 22, with friend Anton Gold, 29, both from Brooklyn “No, I haven’t heard of it.”

Laura Lockhart, 44, from Tacoma,Wash. “I got Copper River salmon, actually for my mother. That’s the purpose to buy it.  And its good. ” 

The Final Word

Jack Mathers, owner of Jack’s Fish Spot and Crab Pot in Pike Place Market

“We sell fish but we don’t sell enough fish because the Copper River Fish is now over-marketed, and its been over-hyped, and so there’s been a backlash, and they don’t quite get the message that people really don’t care. Now after the first week its starting to go down to where it’s a little more reasonable, but before this they basically over marketed the thing and its driven the excitement out of fish business on it and its ruining it.  So they say “No” that they’ve ruined it. (laugh) 

So now after a couple weeks after the season’s opened its starting to get more reasonable and people can afford it.  Now it will maybe start building.

It’s the same (fish) ..It’s just it goes up a longer river and so it stores more oil and then so its good.  Its mainly the first fish of the year and so they’ve taken that as kind of a hype.  I mean it’s a little bit better but it isn’t all that much better for what they’re getting for it. So they’re basically ruining the fish business by making it be designer fish where its supposed to be fun to eat everyday and they’re making it like it an occasion well it isn’t that much of an occasion.  They better get back to it being an everyday meal so people can afford it so that they can sell some.

Lets put it this way, we sold probably 5% of what we used to sell.  For what we would sell that stuff 5, 6 years ago before the hype started, we now sell 5% of what we used to.  And now we’ll start selling some as it gets more reasonable.

Jon Daniels, owner of City Fish in Pike Place Market

“The Copper River (fish) definitely gets the nod over other fish.”

In 1950 only 8.8 % of women over 50 were single. According to US Census 2000 today its 48%.

With the rate of divorce and separation rising combined with widowed and aging boomers who never married, there are more single seniors than ever before. What’s the dating scene like for them?
Shelley Morthland has been single since 1990, and shares her thoughts on dating after 55.

Shelley Morthland, 57,  from Wedgwood, and Gene Neberfur, 61, from Ballard.

Shelley:  My girlfriend on Valentines Day, neither of us had dates, so we went to go to dinner by ourselves and he’s a contractor and he was going to do her doors and he called and so she invited him and that’s how we started going out.  He bought her dinner.  He bought us candy . That’s very cool.   And so that’s how it was. 

Gene: Isn’t that what you do when you go out with a girl and you meet somebody for the first time on Valentines Day you bring ‘em each candy. 

Shelley:  Its pretty cool.  Very fun.  We came down here tonight because you wanted to show me something different and he was gonna take somebody else last night and I didn’t like that (laugh)  You were just kidding.  So last night I didn’t sleep very well and I had him meet me this morning before I went to work and then he said we’ll do something tonight.  So here we are. (laugh)  It’s very funny. 

Gene: Its going to be a nice day.  It’s a great bubble day. 

Shelley:  Well the sun set now and its starting to get a little chilly but he’s not.. (laugh) .  he’s like this.  It’s the thing that attracted me the most the very talented, the sense of humor, you never know what he’s going to come out of that mouth (laugh)  Its great.  He’s a wonderful man. 

Gene: And my feet don’t smell 

Shelley:(laugh out loud)   It’s different.  You don’t usually find somebody you can trust and, I think you appreciate those qualities that you might not when you’re younger.  Also, your spiritual side even just how you think about life in general too.  He opens the door for me, just little sweet things that I think when you’re younger not there or you’re not thinking about it. 

I’ve been single about 15 years.  And he’s the nicest guy I’ve ever gone out with,  Its easy to want to be with somebody who really want to be with you. 

You are in a circle.  Protection from the Goddess or various spirits is invoked. The elements of earth, fire, air, and water are called in. You begin to dance slowly around the circle, then faster.  There is chanting.  The pace increases; the group is “raising energy”.  Everyone is prepared for whatever ritual will be performed, whether to call for protection, healing, world peace, a special favor, etc.
— excerpt from “Witchcraft, Wicca and Neopaganism” by Marcia Montenegro

The origin of the May Day as a day for celebration dates back to the days before the Birth of Christ and like many ancient festivals it has a Pagan connection.  By the Middle Ages, Maypoles were common in every village in England.  Much merrymaking and rejoicing would accompany the Maypole as villagers brought it in from the woods.

“May Queen” Nicole Schmidt from Woodinville, WA dances around the Maypole as she dances with John Jensen from Kenmore, WA who was chosen as the Green Man. I’ve never done anything like it before” says Jensen who was chosen by other men for his pelvic thrusting and dancing. Schmidt, who chose Jensen out of around 35 other “single and available” males had no idea he was the Green Man. “Its a thrill to be chosen as May Queen” says Schmidt who was in the running last year but wasn’t chosen.

After the queen is wrapped in a white cape the crowd of around a hundred Pagans, artists and friends gather in a big circle, join hands and dance around the May Day pole. As the ribbons become twisted the circle becomes smaller “bringing the community together”. Put on by the Fremont Arts Council, this event, has been celebrated in seattle for about 15 years. It is also celebrated in other places in the city and country.

Peter Toms
“This energy which serves to get people together is a really great thing.” says Peter Toms. “Everybody’s thinking about fertility.”

Rodman Miller
“It’s building community through art.”