I’ve been traveling. Traveling north. Learning about salmon.The absolute hands-down highlight of my trip was a morning spent on the Myrmidon, a bright blue, neat-as-a-pin, fiberglass bow-picker salmon gill-netting boat out of Cordova, Alaska. To know how awesome it is and know why I wanted to share it with you, dear sfgirlbybay readers, you need to understand that Cordova is often gray and wet and the other boats in the harbor are white and black and gun-metal gray aluminum. A blast of cheery turquoise was really quite the thing.

The small, efficient cabin was no monument to design – this is a working fishing boat, after all – but it had charm, it had je ne sais quoi, it had purposeful style. The sleeping bunk in the back had a pretty patterned fabric cover that looked nice when not in use (and a sleeping bag neatly rolled up at the edge, bolster pillow-style, to use for when it was). And across from the driver’s seat was a small counter and bar stool next to the kitchenette. It was set up so while the owner ate her meals she would have a view of whatever she was sailing by that day. Maybe she watches the weather, maybe she watches the water for signs of where fish may be schooling, or maybe she gazes at the ocean and the mountain and sits in awe. That’s what I did.

Like good food, good design is all about the details, isn’t it? Speaking of which – and I took this picture just for you – how much do you love this detail: Yep, salmon in the sidewalk.

You can read more about my trip over at The Dinner Files.

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Each week, the Friday Food Files are deliciously brought to you by Molly Watson. For more on Molly and her delicious recipes, you can visit her in one of many wonderful places:
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[ Photos courtesy of Molly Watson. ]