Oregon Coast trip - part 4.

Wednesday, we woke up bright and early and headed to Charleston to give clamming a try!  We had high hopes, very little experience, and shovels.  So we knew it could go one of two ways.

The morning started off with Tica, Brad and Angie's shorthair, bolting out of the vehicle and chasing a bird way out into the bay.  The current looked crazy and all of us feared the worst.  But she made it back to shore after maybe 10 agonizing minutes (it could have been less), and spent the rest of the day locked in the back of the truck.  Naughty dog!

After that drama, we headed out to the sand to start digging.  All we knew was to look for little holes in the sand and start digging.  We were digging for empire clams, but we didn't know any better and thought once we started digging, we better dig fast or else they'd get away.  Amateurs.  We made friends with a nice older couple, and they gave us all sorts of tips.  Tip number one: the clams don't move fast at all, so don't freak.  Just keep digging.  By the end of the morning, we learned to look for a little greenery growing on the sand.  Then, lop off that greenery with a shallow dig and look for water squirting out of a hole.  If water shoots out, dig 18 inches or so down, and then reach in that creepy looking hole and feel for the clam's neck.  Gross.  We all took on roles...some us us dug (me) and others of us felt in the holes for the clam necks.  We ended up with a few clams, and a few big ones.  But not enough for chowder.  So the boys and Angie decided that they'd go out the next morning too and dig for more clams so we could have chowder on Thursday night.

Here are some pics of clamming.  It was pretty cold.

Kurtis found a nice sized clam, and Brad and Angie had to come take a peek.

So this tool may not have been ideal for clamming.   Kurtis returned it to Clara just after I took this picture and found a more appropriate shovel, but I had to snap this pic!

Our little clammer!

Jeff and Janet

 Angie and I were twins with our rain jackets, so we had to get a shot!  Nice photo bomb Jeff!

 Later we headed to lunch at a little fish fry joint.  After that, we went down to some docks in Charleston to try our hand out crabbing.  Clara just loved the loaner life jacket...and the red vines!  In fact, when it was time to take the life jacket off, she pitched a royal fit!  Do you remember just a month or two ago when she refused to keep her life jacket on when we went fishing on the boat!  Geez!

 On the side of the docks you could see all sorts of cool sea life...coral, sea anemones, and other stuff!

 I snapped these pics of the Garnet for my mom...she loved her aunt Garnet!

 After we had no luck crabbing from the docks, we decided to drive to a little spot past Sunset beach to check out the sea lions and seals.

 They're out on the beach in front of that big rock.  They were fun to watch, and playful as ever!

 Of course, for the evening, we returned to Steve and Mary's for happy hour (margaritas) and dinner served by Brad and Angie.  We had delish fish tacos.  It was a great meal!  I even got a little time in the hammock to read my book.  I read Gone Girl on our vacation.  Whoa!  Good read!

After dinner, we had the nightly dance party.  And at the end of the evening, we weren't sure if our luck would continue in regards to critter watching.  But we flashed on the outside lights in the back and spotted two raccoons!  We couldn't believe it!  This was three night in a row!  It added an extra amount of fun to the trip!