Most people probably don't remember that Kaneohe Bay used to be full of manilla clams. They were introduced in the 1920s and by the time I was a kid, had proliferated quite nicely. When I was a young child, we would go down to the mud flats with a large frame made of two by fours with coarse wire wire mesh pulled tight across the frame. Typically, it was a family affair with the kids and the aunts and uncles all along. Most of us had shovels. Two of us would man the sieve. The ones with shovels would scoop up big scoops of sand and mud onto the sieve and then we would shake the sieve back and forth to sift out the sand and mud, typically leaving a few gleaming manilla clams. It was a lot of work for not all that many clams but it was a fun way to get out of the house and spend some time with the family. At some point, fish and wildlife closed off further clamming, claiming the water was polluted or something of that nature and one more ocean activity bit the dust. I'd guess the clams are still there to this day.
Picture: cactus flower (still blooming outside!)
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