Clam Digging In Washington!!

So yeah. I went a little overboard with the pictures on this one, but hey - it tells a story! haha We had such a great time on this day. Let me tell you what happened...

My mom told my dad to go this first location because her friend would go everyday before work, dig up her maximum allowed number of clams (40) and then go to work. It was going to be simple. There were eight of us including the kids and so we thought we'd go get our 320 clams and go home. haha. Well, we found plenty of cool stuff - but only 1 large clam and a few good sized cockels. Yeah... guess what? We were in the wrong place! I am glad that we made the mistake though because it was an amazing experience for the kids...well, for all of us really. The first picture is a Sunflower sea star.

Marco found this sea star that was re-growing one of it's missing limbs. You can see the little limb growing back in the picture below.

Here's my dad looking for some. You walk along the shore (when the tide is out) and you look for little holes in the ground and just start raking. It could be clams, but it could also be sea worms, gooey duks, etc. We were only interested in clams or cockels.

Here's Taryn with another sea star.

Little Marco found another sunflower seastar. Look at all the limbs on that one!

Okay - now this thing that Taryn is holding is called a moon snail. They were huge! They are also edible. We were going to keep some but then saw them on the "do not harvest" list so we put them back.

I could not believe how many different sea stars we found. There were also tiny crab and tons and tons of sand dollars.

The scenery was just so beautiful!!

This starfish was very active and nobody was going to pick him up. haha!

I could not believe how many sand dollars were around. Reminded me of Panama City Beach, Florida.

After having a good time of exploring the sea life, but a not-so goodtime of digging in vain, my mother called her friend to find out what was up and we realised we were in the wrong place. So we got back into the car. We get to the new location and it's all rocky on the shore. We go ahead and dig and BINGO! We were in business. =)

You barely had to scratch the surface and you could pull up several clams in one spot. There is a size minimum. I believe it had to be at least an inch and a half in diameter to keep. There were so many that it wasn't a problem at all. If they were questionable in size at all, we just moved on. There were plenty of larger ones.

My dad did so much digging at the last place that he was greatly relieved to finally find something. I'm not gonna lie - my arms were killing me the next day!!

So here is our bucket full of clams. Yes, there is over 300 in there. We soaked them overnight so that they would open up, move around and expel most (and hopefully all) of the sand in them.

The next day, my mom rinsed them several times and then finally put a third of them in the pot to cook. She seasoned it with garlic, green onions and a few other spices. They open up as they cook. If you get one that will not opened, you should cook it longer or discard it.

You can have them so many different ways, but we just ladeled it out into our own bowls and then had them with hot butter. SO good.

Little Marco wasn't so sure about eating "God's creation" as he called it. Hmmm...should I tell him where hamburgers come from?? haha

ATC cards that I made while in Washington...

I like to take some sort of art or journaling supplies with me whenever I go on a trip. You never know when you'll be inspired and want to do more than a pen/pencil sketch. I pack a little pencil pouch with some watercolor pencils, gel pens, ATC cards, cat's eye ink pads, etc. and go. I also have my SMASH book, but am still trying to figure out my groove with that one. My favorite time to journal and create is early morning or late at night while everyone is still asleep. I was inspired to create some ATC's that would remind me of my mom and dad when I returned back to my home in California. Here's what I came up with...

Some people may think they have a green thumb, but my mom has a green hand! Her house is filled with beautiful and exotic flowers. She has already started a vegetable garden in her new backyard too. Her favorite flowers are orchids and she has so many varieties. I was amazed at how full they all were with blooms. I will always think of her when I see a delicate orchid.

As long as I can remember, my dad has enjoyed eating Snyder's of Hanover Hard Sourdough pretzels. My grandpa loved to snack on them as well. With my dad though, it was almost like an art. haha. He'd get a chunk of sharp cheddar cheese and he'd grab the well-known brown box of pretzels and sit down to watch t.v. or whatever and start munching away. Makes me crave them just thinking about it. The way he'd take a bite of pretzel and then the cheese. Even my kids love them now. It's just a bit of comfort for him after a long day at work. Now the brown box and hard pretzels bring me comfort when I think of them. =)

Seattle Aquarium ~ Part 1 ~Psalm 8

So our original plan was to go to Seattle's Pikes Place Market and then hit the Point Defiance Zoo on the way home. It was already after 1 o'clock so we decided to go to the Seattle Aquarium which was just a few blocks walk down to the waterfront. It was a good choice. We had a blast. I'm not gonna lie...the little guy started to have a melt down towards the end, but it had been a very long day. We couldn't blame him - I felt like crying too. haha.

The first stop and one of the most popular was the touch pools. It was filled with all kinds of sea anemone, sunflower stars, small skate, crab, fish and sea stars. They could touch everything except the fish. They were a bit timid, at first, but they warmed up to it right away!

My mom and I are trying to convince Marco that nothing would bite us or sting us. =)

We moved on to some of the other exhibits and this one really amazed the kids. They thought all of these flat flounder type fish were dead or sleeping. haha

You can't tell in this picture, but this guy was pretty big.

Puffin are always fun to watch.

Hello Mr. Eel. In the words of little Marco, "He looks creepy." haha

Taking a break...

There were two buildings full of exhibits and tanks so we had to go outside to enter the other one. This was our view of one of the piers and one of the cruise ships getting ready to head out.

The otters were so much fun to watch. My mom was amazed at how easily they moved through the water as they played.

This isn't a great shot, but it was a really cool arch that was clear and FILLED with jellyfish. They are the most relaxing things to watch - very, very cool.

Okay...well, I don't know if I'm losing you yet or not, hehe, so I'm going to share the rest in a "part 2".

One thing I want to add is my mom's reaction to all of the fish and creatures we saw. She was amazed by all of the colors, sizes and unique shapes. We both decided (agreed) that God is an amazing artist. His creativity is genius and beyond our wildest imaginations. And to think that He loves us best out of all of His creations. =)

Psalm 8:3 "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;"

Psalm 8:8 "The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas."

Psalm 8:9 "O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!"

Seattle Aquarium ~ Part 2~Loved and Cherished

Marco really didn't want to have anything to do with these photo op boards. He was too busy running from one tank to the other to slow down and pose, but not Naomi. This girl LOVES to stop for a photo. haha

However, he didn't mind this one. He thought the tentacles were the best.

We stopped at a couple tables where they were teaching the kids about conservation or sea life and they got to do a little activity to take home. Here they are making some special sea anenomes.

Naomi loves doing crafts just as much as getting her picture taken. =)

Who doesn't love a seahorse?

These were anemone were really cool.

Look! There's Nemo!

There are some really neat puffer fish in this tank...the one Naomi is posing in front of...again. haha!

The green anemone were some of my favorites.

Such beauty!

The sea mammal exhibit was really fun to watch. We were all amazed at how fast these seals could move through the water. This guy came up for some sunshine.

At the end of the day, we were all tired, but happy. I am so thankful that we could take time to enjoy each others company while experiencing something educational and spiritual all at the same time. Our family walked away knowing that we were not created by accident. We are not here by chance. We learned that there was a purpose for every single animal that we saw today. The way they were camouflaged or designed was all a part of His handiwork. I was thankful for a chance to really appreciate something we take for granted and that is that we are all unique. Different in our own ways, but loved and cherished.

Pho for the first time!

It seemed like every time I turned around, someone was meeting up with their friends for Pho or having Pho on their lunch break or posting on their status that they were really craving some Pho. It was driving me nuts. It was worse when they'd post a picture because it always looked so good - or at least like they were having fun eating it. hehe
My husband had Pho once when a friend of his invited him out for lunch. He's not sure what he had, but he didn't care for it. I wasn't convinced. It's got to be good if this many people are talking about it around here, right?
Well, one of those people that are always taking pictures of it and posting about it is my youngest sister Deborah. So, when I knew that we were going to Washington, I told her she better take me and show me how it's done.
She whole-heartedly agreed. Let me take you through my lunch with the pictures. By the way - it's pronounced FU - short u. =)

We started out with a shrimp spring roll. I liked it. It was light and went well with the peanut sauce.

My sister's friend KP came along. I guess they are professionals when it comes to Pho. lol

I ordered the beef brisket Pho. It came in a very hot broth with TONS of rice noodles and chopped green onions. Then there is a whole selection of things that you can add to it. There's the mung bean sprouts, cilantro, jalapenos, mint, Vietnamese basil and lime. There are different sauces that you add to make it sweet, spicy, etc. I steered clear of the sweet. I did add a splash of Hoisin sauce, but that was it. I also only added the sprouts, cilantro, lime and a bit of basil.

I loved it. It took me forever to get to the bottom of the bowl, but it was delicious. Now that I know how it works, I will probably start looking for a good Pho place around here. =)

My mom and Marco ordered the one that not only had beef brisket, but it also had beef tripe. Ick. Not for me thankyouverymuch. My mom also loaded up the hot sauce in hers. She knows what she's doing. haha. Marco liked his as well.

Naomi is not an adventurous girl. She opted out and asked for fried dumplings. My oldest daughters Tary and Hannah thought that it was just "okay". They let Deborah prepare theirs (it was chicken) and she totally doused it with the Hoisin sauce giving it a very sweet taste.

Glad that my first (not my last) Pho experience was a good one. Oh, and I must add that my little sister paid for the whole meal. That was over $70!! She's a hard-working 23 year old, but I certainly didn't expect it. Thanks sis!!

Have you had Pho? What's your favorite kind and how do you like to eat it? Any tips for this newbie?