Grayland Beach 2018

I started this blog after a trip to Grayland Beach on the Washington coast in 2008! This marks ten years of blogging and my 978th post. I don't have many followers and I don't post regularly, but I love my little blog and the memories it holds for me.

This past weekend we took another trip to Grayland beach to go clamming. The campground was full so we booked an Airbnb. I was bummed about the campground being full but here in WA state, if you don't book your campground several months in advance, you can pretty much forget about going camping. We have only used our travel trailer once in the past two years and are contemplating selling it. For one thing, it's a rare event when more than two of us are available, it's hard to book a camping spot, and I think at age 50 I deserve a flushing toilet on my adventures. So, we will see....

However, if you do visit Grayland, the state park campground is among the best we've booked. Clean restrooms and showers, and sites right on the beach with a bluff to protect from the wind. Definitely worth the stay when you can find a spot. Yurts, too, with sites that include hook-ups so if you go with a non-camping family, they can stay in the yurt while you enjoy your RV.

The house we rented had 48 positive reviews on Airbnb, plus the host was a Superhost (you can't achieve that status with negative reviews) so I booked it eagerly. When we arrived, we passed a few houses, oohing and ahhing over how cute they were. And then we arrived at a bedraggled house with worn siding, just screaming for a paint job. Sure enough, the address matched our reservation. Sigh.

Fartwater Cottage

The inside of the house was not too bad - it was decorated with an eclectic mix of antiques and unique items that made wandering through it feel like a museum visit. The kitchen and its appliances were many years old, and I felt like I should wear a hazmat suit when standing in front of the ancient microwave. But it was cozy enough, and clean enough and it was only for two nights. Although our bed faced a wall decorated with a giant goat's head that stared at me all night.

Totes MacGoats

The biggest drawback was that the house is on a well so the water smelled horrible! It's really hard to feel clean when you are washing in water that smells like a fart. We brushed our teeth with bottled water and I didn't shower all weekend. I could barely stand washing my hands! I dubbed the place "Fartwater Cottage" and included that on my private review to the owner. Luckily she had a sense of humor and thanked us for being good sports.

Jeff was the only one who did any actual clamming. The first day, Hannah and I accompanied him, along with Junie B the wonder pup, and we walked around for hours spotting exactly zero clam "shows". Jeff did manage to unearth one clam - ONE. So, basically clamming is dumb. The next day he went out alone and managed to get a limit - which is 15 clams. 15! So much work, digging in cold sand up to your armpits. Hannah and I stayed at the cabin, enjoying the sun, so we didn't have to walk around aimlessly on the beach hunting for the elusive clam. Plus, I think Jeff works better alone.

So much work........

But the beach is pretty cool. 

While enjoying the back yard and its giant brick fireplace, we decided to let Junie off the leash and just see how she would do. She was so good! She stuck close to the yard, while exploring, and came back when we called. Until she didn't. Distracted by Jeff's drone flying, we lost track of her. After a brief panic, we found her across the street, chasing a horse in his pasture. Bad dog! The poor horse was traumatized. We packed up and left shortly after that - didn't want to confront the horse owner!

The brick fireplace - so cool! 

Jeff was excited to make clam chowder so the following night, he started slicing up the bacon that went into the recipe. I spoke to him and he glanced up, effectively slicing off the end of his finger! He blames me for talking. After the fray of inspecting the wound, running it under cool water and watching it bleed profusely, while also hunting for first aid supplies, I thought to wonder where the tip of his finger went. I picked up the knife and, sure enough, the chunk of his finger was still neatly stuck to the blade! SO GROSS! I rinsed it down the drain - no sense saving it as it was too small to stitch back on (I think?). As a result of the bloodshed, I got the dubious honor of making dinner (until Jeff took over, bleeding finger be damned).

The thing is? The clam chowder was good, but none of us is even that excited about clam chowder. So, is clamming really worth it? I guess it was fun to get out of town and spend two days using water that smelled of flatulence. We watched two movies (Lady Bird and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, MO - both very good!). And we got to relax and nap, both things high on my favorites list. So, ten years later, I'd say Grayland beach is still one of my favorite spots in WA. Just be sure to book your campsite in January!

Look at this sunset! 

Look at all those clammers! 

Camping in November

We went camping/clamming this past weekend. The forecast called for snow, but did  that deter Jeff? It did not. He simply said "I like camping in inclement weather! It's like giving Mother Nature the finger!" Ok. Well said? Anyway, off we went, and surprisingly, although the weather was bone-chilling cold, we enjoyed some sunshine on  the beach, clammed our hearts out, gave the dogs some much-needed free reign, and had a great time visiting with friends from Spokane and sharing a new hobby with them. BUT.......

It was freakin' cold! So cold, in fact, that Rylie and Arlie chose sitting by the heater in the camper over s'mores and we used up every available extra blanket in the camper despite the heater (p.s. I was totally comfortable, seeing as I chose the prime sleeping spot right next to the heater - heh, heh!). Sunday morning we ventured out by the fire long enough for a s'more or two and our friends headed back to Spokane. The weather was cold, cloudy and dry. For a few minutes. Then, a sprinkle or two turned into a full-fledged snowstorm on the beach! Arlie and Rylie were thrilled beyond words, especially since I had told them it rarely snows on the beach. They bundled up and frolicked on the beach while Jeff and I (mostly Jeff) took down the camper.

 Our Spokane friends, the Kuntz family - Jeff, Shelly, Grant, Elizabeth, Braedyn

 Jeff and his old faithful dog, Shade!

 Clam digging - ewww!

 Arlie, Rylie and Elizabeth freezing on the beach!

 See? The sun really did shine!

 November in the Northwest!

 Moon over the beach....

 This is what it looked like on our car ride home!

 The dogs enjoyed their time!

 Arlie and Rylie elated to find snow on the beach (see sprinkling of snow on the sand)

 Snow on the beach!

Our camper - frozen!

Soaked to the bone, we finally headed back home - only to discover blizzard-like conditions on the roads. Ah yes, the joys of driving in the snow, compounded by pulling a trailer. Pure white knuckle joy! We saw a car spun off the road and resting in a ditch, but fearing for our own safety should we pull over, we simply called 911 and kept on our way. It snowed a good deal of the ride home until turning to rain. Once again, we arrived home with a soggy camper, only to have it covered by snow within hours. Good times, winter camping! Not.

Oysters and Clams and Sex, oh my!

Tried a new "sport" this weekend. Clamming and....oystering? What do you call it when you collect oysters off the beach? Well, for now I will call it oystering and if anyone comes up with a better word, feel free to comment. Now, clamming is not for the weak of heart (or back, or knees). This involves raking and digging at the ground, which is tarry black, thick sand and silt. You turn this mulch over and in between all the lumps that come up, you must decide which of these are clams. But not just any clams! Oh no! They must be of a certain size (and handy, carry-along tools exist to help you measure these seafaring creatures). You will be sporting a "clam net" or carrying a bucket in which to collect these delights. Oystering is much easier. You simply walk around the beach looking for oysters, which you find in this ratio: one whole oyster for every one million half oyster shells you kick over with your foot, hoping it's a "live one". Oysters must be shucked on the beach. Shucking means prying the shells open with a very sharp knife or tool which will invariably slip and puncture your thigh or perhaps fillet your hand open (if the oyster shell itself has not already done its job). Inside the oyster is this grayish lump of "meat" and some mysterious white liquid. All of that is scraped into a bag. When you have "limited" which means you've found 18 oysters after nine hours in the hot sun, you will have a smallish bag full of what looks, for all intents and purposes, like fleshy testicles floating in semen. Ever wonder why oysters are an aphrodisiac? It's not the flavor!

Clams, on the other hand, are hard-won after hours of digging and bending over so that one cannot fully straighten up for several days afterward. Clams are neat little packages - tightly closed, often pretty shells. To get the meat out of these little buggers, one must plunge their live little beings into boiling water and wait till they pop open. Once opened, the clams reveal a slotted, fleshy mass not unlike a vagina. In the middle of this is the "meat" and attached to that is a "neck". Which is just another word for "looks exactly like a penis". One must grasp this penis-like appendage and pull it out of the meaty part (scrotum?). The scrotum is saved for delights such as clam chowder or "steamers" in broth.

Did I mention I don't like oysters or clams? Perhaps in a few weeks, when we go crabbing, I'll enjoy the fruits of my labor. Perhaps.

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!).

Crappy Easter!

No, I did not mean to say "Happy Easter" (although I do hope all of you had a wonderful one!). I said "Crappy Easter" because that's kind of what we had! And it was all because of this uber-crappy Northwest weather we've been having. We booked a couple of camping trips this month at Grayland, one of our favorite camping spots (and clamming spots) and so our first trip was this weekend. Everyone was excited - Grayland, yay! We left to cloudy gray weather on Saturday morning and by the time we arrived at Grayland it was a constant "mist" and windy. Well, that mist turned into torrential downpour, and the wind turned into something akin to a small tornado! I was fully expecting to start shouting "Auntie Em, Auntie Em" and see a wicked witch fly by the camper window. The camper rocked and swayed and flapped and shuddered all night long (read: no sleep). And the rain was amazing. Just a TON OF RAIN! I am so sick of it. We had a 3 gallon bucket outside the camper (for collecting clams) and it filled up overnight, Jeff dumped it and it filled again halfway before we left. Regardless, Jeff still felt compelled to go clamming. He spent a few hours in the horrible weather (the wind and rain was even worse on the beach) and came away with 24 clams (and possibly hypothermia?). It was just a lot of work for just over 24 hours of being away from home (and felt a LOT longer). The only cool thing was right after we arrived, I saw an eagle flying just above the treetops with an animal in it's talons (a rabbit? Or perhaps someone's pet chihuahua??). Of course, I wasn't able to get my camera out in time. But it was pretty amazing! Anyway, we came home and had nachos, grapes and chocolate chip cookies for Easter dinner (so traditional, huh?). Tomorrow we plan to "do Easter" with baskets and an egg hunt, plus freshly made clam chowder, after Arlie arrives home from Spokane. So, hopefully our crappy Easter will turn in to a happy Easter after all!

Grayland State Park

We took a quick overnight trip to Grayland State Park and stayed in a yurt this weekend. The yurts are a far cry from "camping" - not quite a tent, not quite a cabin. They are round "huts" with canvas sides and a wood frame. The inside has wood floors, bunk beds, a futon, heat and electricity. Very comfortable in the winter, thus allowing us hard-core Seattleites the chance to go camping in the worst of weather! It was a nice change from the camper, although we had to remember to bring so many items that are conveniently stashed in the camper, thus I was rationing bowls and cups! We spent a nice time on the beach and watched the sunset, then went back for a dinner of hot dogs and beans. Jeff, Arlie and Harrison headed out around 7:30 to go clamming (the girls and I declined, having already gotten toasty warm and having brought the TV with us, decided to stay and watch a movie!). In about an hour, Jeff and the kids had dug their limit of 45 clams (about four pounds) and came back to get dry and warm. We watched home movies from the camcorder and went to bed. In the morning, we had oatmeal and pop-tarts for breakfast, cleaned up and headed home. It was a quick trip, but a great photo opportunity and another successful clamming! Check out the girls' blogs (on my "blogs I'm following" links) for more photos!

Clammer Time!

Jeff, Harrison and Arlie spent most of the weekend clamming and camping at Grayland State Park. Jeff had a BIG test on Saturday morning, which culminated two years of studying. After four stressful hours, he knew he'd need a break, so decided to take advantage of clamming "season" and go overnight. So, they headed off yesterday afternoon and had a blast digging at night with thousands of other clammers. They got their limit (45 clams) and Jeff is now steaming them open in preparation for clam chowder later. Yum! Harrison and Arlie were delighted to find part of their fort from spring break still on the beach and made a new fort in a big hole they found nearby. The evening awarded a beautiful sunset and the weather was perfect. Not a bad way to spend an October evening on the Washington Coast!