Smells Fishy!

Bay Port was a small town on the bay that sold fresh fish.  When we wanted fish, there wasn't any messing around with poles, hooks, worms, bait or sinkers, we got in the car and took a nice ride to Bay Port.  There was a big building that looked like a garage with the dock doors that went up and down.  Before you got close to the place is smelled fishy.  Since they were so close to the bay, there was usually a strong breeze blowing.  On a hot day it felt good.  Inside were cement floors that were always wet from being hosed down to keep it clean, wash away excess ice, fish scales and fish waste.  Men working here wore rubber overalls, and tall rubber boots, also gloves.  Because of all the ice the fish layed on it was very cold inside.  There were several huge bins as tall as I was, being 6 years old wasn't much to measure by.  On top of the ice were tons of fish, all kinds and sizes, some were still flopping around trying to get away.  You could tell they were slippery that is the reason for the gloves when the men handled them.  At my age you get a closer look into their eyes, they have tiny eyes that follow you everywhere.  I went in but was afraid of falling on the slippery floor, tripping over a hose, or getting fish goo on me, yuk!!  Hanging from the ceiling were scales to weigh the fish, pay per pound.  Mom and dad walked around for awhile shopping, and when they decided on an order, they got the attention of a worker which gathered our catch of the day.  He threw them into the scale to get the weight, and then tore off a big piece of freezer paper to wrap for transport.  There was a big table, wet of course, and bolted to the table was a 40 inch long, thick roll of freezer paper threaded under a blade like a saw, to make a clean straight cut to wrap the orders.  If you wanted, each could be individually wrapped, what ever you requested, and marked with a grease pencil to let us know what was inside and what it cost.  Most of the time, we got an order of fresh smoked fish for the ride home, not in the car, but at a roadside table.  Smoked fish was good but had fine bones in it so you had to eat it cautiously.  once I choked on a bone and coughed so hard I wet my pants and that was it for the day, no more smoked fish.  Grandma loved to ride to Bay Port with us and was a big fan of smoked fish.  When we got home, I thought we smelled like fish the rest of the day, it's smell that permeates everything and if I close my eyes it's easy to remember the trip, even that smell.