A pile of lobsters for dinner?

It was the least the crew deserved after a week of drainer tides. So Will hosted a crew dinner at his place on Thursday night. He and Berg pulled up a pile of "lobbies" from their traps last week. The result? A feast of steamed meats that the crew literally devoured standing up.

We're not the only ones flush with the luxury meat, as this great article in NY Mag can attest (and we know a lot of guys that consider Old Bay their "secret"). But it sure was nice to see Berg's biggest catch, a 2 1/2 pounder get lumped into the feast.

Maggie and Eva contributed with a few sides, like Brussels sprouts and broccoli (which were also devoured within minutes of being plated), while Michelle whipped up a nice guacamole for the crew. My contribution? Brats for the grill, of course.

The girls and I had lots to celebrate that night. We'd officially shut down one of our upwellers (the dreaded 20s) earlier in the week and can probably count on getting the rest of the seed wrapped up by the end of the month. It's a far cry from last year's late August wrap up but one we're all a little sad to see coming. Just when we've gotten the dance down to a science (lift the silo, tip forward, steady the tote, spray the hose here, watch your feet, don't lose the wingnut...) it already seems to be ending. Hopefully, for those who make it back next year, the routine won't escape us over the winter.

This week also marked Dave's first hand-picking tide. We stayed with Maggie on Sunday night so we could arrive at the water for our 5 a.m. start time Monday morning. Dave kept up with the crew, as did Skip's daughter Samantha, and all in all, we picked a somewhat hefty number of crates. I did hear about some tight hamstrings later in the week but I think Dave was surprised at how enjoyable the work was. Plus, he got to see one of the week's most beautiful sunrises...one of my personal favorite perks of the job.

Erin Byers Murray