Pt. Reyes~ Travelin' Tuesday

Welcome to

the California Coast!

During a magnificent visit to San Francisco recently,

after a scrumptious breakfast at a new (to us) little French cafe

on the corner of Polk and Green~ La Boulange~

(just a block from my old house at Larkin and Green)

We took my favorite drive

over Mt. Tam, through fragrant Eucalyptus woods

all the way to Stinson Beach and up the coast

toward the Petaluma cut-off from Pt. Reyes Station.

Headed for Napa (the Lonnnnggg Way!)

to meet some friends who had just celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary

(their party was the reason for the trip),

we stopped at this gorgeous roadside viewpoint of the coast.

These colorful landscapes

always make me wish I had taken up painting.

But I would say that I hold my camera like a brush,

stroking and playing

and waving the camera around like a wand

until I find the right combination for my stage set

And sometimes I just point and shoot!

Had we not been in such a hurry to join dear friends

I would have loved to stay at this roadside Lodge in Olema

for a taste of Barbecued Oysters!

Maybe for our 50th Anniversary

that will be my request.

(Photos copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Pt. Reyes' Oysters

One of our stops, while visiting Marin these past ten days, was for some of Pt. Reyes' famous oysters. After our Drake's Estuary hike we stopped in at the Drake's Bay Oyster Company for a looksie.

Besides having a small shop where one can buy fresh, raw oysters and other seafood, the farm also has picnic tables just outside the shop where several families hauled coolers filled with picnic supplies and BBQ equipment for onsite Oysters-on-the-Half-Shell. We stepped around back to watch the possible pearls being brought in.

Go to Drakesbayfamilyfarms.com for more information about their oysters and other farming products.

Our hearts, however, were set on Tony's Seafood which came highly recommended!

(18663 Hwy 1, Marshall, 415.663.1107~about 10 minutes north of Pt. Reyes Station)

Family-owned and operated for 60 years, Tony's is famous along the coast. So after hiking one of the Five Brooks trails one gorgeous afternoon, we drove back up the coast and pulled in for a table looking right out over Tomales Bay.

I can remember sitting outside at a famous place along the water with my mother years ago during a drive up the coast and while I'm not sure if it was Tony's, I am fairly certain that I ordered a hamburger! Teenagers!

At this stage in life however, I've learned to love the little critters, doused that is. While Partner's favorite is the raw oyster (a wee bit slimy and tasteless for me)...

...the barbecued oysters with a little hot sauce and a dab of horseradish are My Thing!

I have to admit, we came to partake more than once during our stay! And while the fish tacos weren't the best I've ever tasted and a little skimpy on the fish...

...the oysters rocked!

If you plan on going, remember that Tony's is only open on weekends (Fri-Sun. Noon-8pm) and only accepts cash. No checks, credit cards or reservations.

This past week was spent doing all the things I love, including reminiscing about weekend car trips with my mother.

I promise, Mom, if we ever get another chance together, I will laugh with you more, try to understand you more, give you less grief, have more patience and be more accepting. Missing you...the Good, the Bad and the Snuggly!

Photographs copyright: Kirsten Steen

Personal Writing Retreat in Marin!

Just a brief note to say that I am on a personal writing retreat at Pt. Reyes this next week so while there will be upcoming photos in the near future, here are a couple just to show the view from my writing corner.

The weather has been perfect, with writing and meditation filling the mornings and sightseeing, picnics and postcard-perfect walks gracing the afternoons.

More to come!

Photographs copyright: Kirsten Steen