We have new pets. Their names are Clammy and Pearl. They are oysters. It’s a long story with lots of pictures but I have a moment if you do.
We had the most wonderful day trip on Friday to Tomales Bay. We drove out Hwy. 37 to Lucas Valley Road and then on to Nicasio Valley Road. The scenery was just so beautiful and the drive there was almost as good as our time spent on the bay.
Once we arrived, we visited the
Tomales Bay Oyster Company.
There are picnic tables and grills right there along the shore. You can schuck your own oysters and barbecue them up with no waiting. We already had made plans to have lunch elsewhere but I love oysters and the idea of having fresh ones right out of the bay was quite tempting.
I love this picture of Doug and Jacob. It reminds me so much of a shot I have of my dad when he was probably about 2 or 3 standing alongside his dad.
Doug told the girls we were going to buy a dozen oysters to take home. Anna had a worried look on her face and said, “We’re not going to eat them, are we??? I don’t want to eat them. I want to keep them as pets.” Lauren immediately chimed in with the same sentiment and so Doug agreed they could keep two of the oysters for a few days as their new pets. They spent the rest of the day thinking up monikers. You’ve already heard the final names….
The scenery along the bay was quite lovely also.
Afterwards we headed into Point Reyes Station for lunch at the Station House Café.
The kids wanted grilled cheese but Doug and I thought it would just be wrong to leave without having any oysters. I had the Po’ Boy while he had the fried oysters. All three kids were enjoying themselves. Lauren was in a great mood, Anna kept singing songs, and Jacob decided to break out a few kisses. As these are few and far between, not to mention quite precious, we all jumped to take advantage of the windfall.
Once he graced each of us with a few, he decided he’d had enough. Anna didn’t get the memo and tried for another but was rebuffed.
He then plugged his ears to any further requests.
Point Reyes Station is so cute and eclectic. I fell in love with Toby’s next door to the café. It is a family owned and operated general store and working feed barn. They seem to offer a little bit of everything, from flowers to organic fruits and vegetables to honey and baskets.
I wish I could have brought all of the flowers home with us.
In the back they host the Gallery Route One Artists in School art show. Toby's even had a kids' section. There was something for everyone.
We also stopped by the Cowgirl Creamery. They were making Red Hawk cheese while we were there. I’m sure their cheeses are just amazing. I thought perhaps we could get a little ice cream and maybe some cheese to taste but the girls decided the creamery (i.e. the cheese) was just too stinky and wanted to leave.
The kids wanted to go swimming and as Doug initially thought there would be crowds he had planned to take us to Shell Beach. We drove out that way and it was just beautiful. However, since we hadn’t encountered any crowds at all during the day, we decided to give one of the bigger beaches a try. We headed out to Heart’s Desire but once we arrived we thought it would be fun to hike the ½ mile trail over to Indian Beach. The trail was so beautiful, thick, and luscious.
We emerged from the trail to this sight:
As soon as we hit the beach, the kids started making plans….so much to do and so little time.
The girls headed in for a swim
while Jacob opted for a little castle making time.
Afterwards Anna convinced everyone to bury her in the sand.
Everyone was having a good time until Jacob pulled out the big stick. He walked right over and whacked Anna on the forehead with it and that was the end of being buried in the sand.
Once Anna dried her tears she came over and hunted for shells with Mommy.
We were amazed at how much wildlife we encountered. There were stingrays and fish, and lumpy little sluglike things that appeared to turn their stomachs inside out to display a flower for (I guess) some type of filter feeding. Here's Lauren trying to catch one. She did catch a baby crab earlier in the day at the Oyster Farm (see the picture at the top)!
The girls also found a baby seal skeleton. There were birds everywhere and Lauren discovered a chipmunk she named “Pop”. Finally, we decided it was time to head back and so we packed up and set out on the return trip.
It was such a great day and I highly recommend taking a trip out that way if you've never been!
