Clams and Such

We spent this past weekend in a yurt at Grayland State Park again, clamming, hanging out, reading, getting makeovers and tattoos (!) and having a fabulous dinner out. We packed a bit hastily for the trip, so I was planning on gourmet meals like peanut butter and jelly, but Jeff got a few beers in him and decided to take us out. We chose Bennett's because it looked like a family restaurant. I was expecting maybe chicken strips and fries, some burgers and a few pasta dishes. But nooooo...........once the specials were read, the kids fired off their orders and NONE of them ordered off the "kid" menu. Arlie downed a New York steak like a grown man. Harrison delighted over the halibut special - complete with fresh asparagus, Dungeness crab and shrimp. Hayley got the New York special, smothered with asparagus, crab and hollandaise sauce (Jeff did the same). Hannah got her coveted fish and chips and I went with seafood fettucini ("heart attack on a plate" Jeff calls it and advised me "you should never eat this dish after age 40"). I couldn't believe with what relish the kids finished off their dinners. It made the bill worth it (which was not as bad as expected). We passed the time on Saturday reading (me and Jeff), doing makeovers (Hayley with anyone who was willing - of course she brought her entire collection of makeup camping!), and drawing "tattoos" on each other (with a Sharpie marker). I got through almost half of the book I started that morning, which was delightful! On Sunday morning Jeff and I headed out early for some clamming. This was my first time going (who wants to get up early on a weekend to get cold, wet and sandy?). I walked along, helping him find the "holes" where the clams were hiding, and holding a bucket. He dug 30 clams (our limit) and then we headed back so he could collect the kids and get 30 more clams (their limits!). We did get 60 clams total which Jeff might have regretted a bit later, as it took him a few hours to clean them all! But the weather was good and we had a nice time just taking a break for the weekend. I'll post photos in this and a couple of other posts, as I can't upload more than 4 or 5 photos at a time on blogger (lame!).