A couple that clams together stays together

Published 3:59 pm Tuesday, February 17, 2026

By LUKE WHITTAKER — Chinook Observer

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Trisha Cooper barely finishes dropping a clam into her bag as Bill points to another show with his foot while clamming together on Saturday, Feb. 14, in Ocean Park.

OCEAN PARK — Bill and Trisha Cooper, of Naches, were among the couples that spent the early Valentine’s Day evening digging razor clams north of the Bay Avenue approach, in Ocean Park.

It took over an hour to find his 15-clam limit, Bill conceded, more time than the 20-minute limits he’s had in the past.

Still, the thrill was in the search, he said, even if the clams came a little further in between. The couple, digging among a growing audience of seagulls and setting sun, didn’t plan to surrender, not until Trisha also reached her limit. But with six clams, she was well on her way, with the goal to eventually make fritters and clam chowder, a meal surely to taste a little sweeter.