QUILEUTE RESERVATION AND BEACHES.

It was a cold morning and we waited until 10:30 to make our way to Rialto Beach. It knocks your eyes out to see the massive amount of trees dead on this beach. From the picture, in the background you can see a whole line of dead ones that haven't fallen yet.

The wood lying on this beach could build a city.

Stacks mark an ancient measure of the elevation of the land that once filled this beach area. It is a pretty beach about 3-4 miles long. Sunday, and people were out in force. The beach is part of the Olympic National Park.

I like to spend my time picking up pretty rocks. Each one you see is different from the one you just picked up. I won't keep them, I just like doing it. In the process I spotted this little dried up starfish.

And a type of jelly fish I'd never seen before. Double click the photo and you can see through its mass and see a little stones under it. When the waves woUld come in, it would fluff up as though it can survive this sunny inconvenience.

We drove to the Quileute Reservation for lunch. This totem sits in front of the River's Edge Restaurant where we had good chowder and salads at reasonable prices.

This was the view from the restaurant window.

We walked around the waterfront taking pictures.

Gulls feed in the shallows and habit the docks and harbor.

On the reservation, houses have personal totems.
This is a nice interpretation of eagle, dog and fish.

Businesses and houses commonly decorate with native art.

We moved on to La Poch, pronounced La Push which is a changeling French word for La Bouche, mouth, as in mouth of the river. Jim says he heard ferme la bouche a lot During his childhood, which means close your mouth. In other words,  shut-up! The path was very steep at times but not nearly as long as the trail to Cape Flattery.

La Poch has three beaches, Beach One, Two and Three. A woman at Rialto told me Beach Two required a three-quarter mile hike to get there, but she saw thousands of jelly fish sparkling on the beach like diamonds. I saw several small ones at Rialto,  dime, quarter and cup size. We hiked to Beach Two.

By the time we got there, the tide had come in. The jelly fish were gone, but the beach was pretty. Quite full of people, some swimming or sunbathing. People back-pack in and spend a couple of nights on the beach, then curse their way back, packing ice chests up the steep cliff, complaining of aching shoulders and why did we do this, jokingly offering money if we'll help them carry.

The light was right to photograph a stack up close.

And this one into the sun, shows two climbers testing their skills.

On the way back we happened upon a snake eating a frog. The frog didn't move. You could see it's heart beating. A woman theorized that once the snake bites the spine, it paralyzes the frog. It looked like a small snake compared to the frog.

But as we passed it, the snake is bigger than our first look.  I'm not familiar with this snake. It resembles  the garter snakes I played with as a kid.

LA CONNER STILL ON MY MIND.

While I sit in Monroe, I'm still playing tourist in La Conner from my picture file. I said it is a pretty town and it is. Some buildings have signs telling what it used to be in a distant past.


I can still remember meat markets where the butcher chopped out a hunk of meat from whatever part of the carcass you wanted or could afford. For us, it was never the real meaty cuts. And, at that time, ready ground meat was unheard of. Now, the ubiquitous hamburger is everywhere. Just seeing this building brings back memories I hadn't thought about in years.


Traveling as I do, I don't have pets anymore, so I manage to pet other people's. We meet dogs, mostly. This woman reminded me of my daughter with her pup in a stroller. The dog is 11 years old and needs a bit of help. All three were friendly and cute.


Jim warned the owner before I got to this little cutie. "She's gonna want to take her picture."  She was a real beggar, looking for a treat, all smiles and sweetness.


And, of course, we kept popping in and out of shops. I did most of the popping, Jim kind of hangs around the door and waits patiently for me. Three dimensional layers of cut and polished wood pieces make up this wall hanging at the Wood Merchants.



Nice work


At That's Knot All, an artists co-op, Sherry Shipley's colorful, firey horses galloped across a canvas.


This ceramic plate reminded me of a rug. All local artist here. Run by volunteers. Neat.


The owner of this gallery said I could take ONE picture. She had some beautiful stuff but I especially liked her blown glass light fixture.


My neighbor brought me part of a cow skull. The birds eat the connecting tissue like cuttle bone and they soon fall apart. So, to have a full skull is rare unless you live near a (ugh) slaughter house. I would never have thought to decorate it with hundreds of pieces of turquoise.


We ate lunch here at tables in the back, open to the fresh air and a view of the harbor. Great clam chowder and steamed clams.


It surprises me what people do to guitars. This one is a wine rack.


I kind of like the idea of spray painting some old shoes and using them to plant in.


In the middle of town, on this main street, is a waterfall. A huge staircase leads to the top where the Quilt Museum is located. It has been a long time since I've been able to climb a huge staircase that goes up a steep hill.  I'm sorry I didn't take a picture of the stairway because it was a small triumph for me.  I'll post the quilt show tomorrow.

HOW NOT TO COOK RAZOR CLAMS

Pacific Razor Clam (Siliqua patula)

I was reminded yesterday of the irascible razor clam when I took leftover oyster/clam chowder out of the freezer for a quick meal. It was very tasty, but let me tell you, the chowder was a "rescue" dish.
Back in Long Beach, I went on a search for a local specialty, razor clams. I ended up getting them at a restaurant deli where the restaurant's chef told me there were only two ways to cook them, deep fried or pan fried. Since I don't have a deep fryer in the motorhome, nor like deep fried foods over much, she gave me precise instructions on how to pan fry them. Flour the clams, heat your oil very hot, and fry them for under a minute, don't overcook or scorch the flour. Easy!
These clams seem to be a local rage. Type Razor Clam into a search engine and you get lessons on how to dig them with a shovel or tube. You get pictures of what looks like a hundred people crowding a beach digging razor clams. They are popular; they have to be tasty. They can grow as large as 6 inches and live for 9 years. They influence the health of the ocean and are productive and charismatic citizens of the deep. Yup! Gotta have 'em.
That's it, folks. If you like greasy, tough, inedible rubber that is how you do it. We ended up chopping them fine, and putting them in the chowder with more edible companions. Rescue!
I love to cook. I like a challenge. My friends tell me I'm a good cook, but I'd never try them again. Well, maybe never!
I'm intrigued. Any success stories out there?

SEARCH FOR RAZOR CLAMS

We were encouraged by a waiter in Long Beach to be sure and try a local specialty, razor clams in a buttermilk type of sauce. We had our mouths watering for fish and chips that included salmon, halibut, cod and pollock so we declined. Maybe later.
Later came and everywhere we asked, after that, the razor clams were deep fried. "Try the Crab Pot, or 42nd St."... etc. We found them fresh at the Crab Pot's attached deli. The cook there told me how to cook them, but instead of heading home we stopped at a place called The Depot Restaurant in the small town of Seaview.
People were parked outside waiting for the place to open, (in 15 minutes.) We walked up to the door, checked the menu and the pony tailed owner came and explained to us, "this is build your own burger night, we open at 5:00 p.m." Hmm! The restaurant is in a 120 year old Train Station with a covered heated deck out back. They advertise casual fine dining.
We were intrigued and waited.. People gathered until a mob was outside the door impatient for it to open and they talked about build your own hamburger. Rolled eyes, licked lips and "wonderful!"
Precisely at 5:00, the doors opened, all the tables and all but three seats at the bar were reserved and the phone was ringing for reservations while we stood. We hastily talked Michael into giving us two of the seats at the bar ahead of anyone on the phone since we had waited out front. He did.
Everyone gets a small menu of choices to fill out: With your grilled beef, or grilled portobello, or grilled buffalo, you have a choice of 14 different items you can have on your burger with a choice of sweet potato or regular fries with it. Avocado, fried egg, pineapple, bacon, sauteed mushrooms, jalapeno peppers were offered along with the usual lettuce and stuff. Its a giant burner. Good beer and wine choices, and a wonderful clam chowder made with steamers, chopped razor clams, in a creamy broth with garlic, potato and leek was exquisite.
Burger night is one of several specialty nights the Depot advertises during the winter, only. Summer is devoted to his regular menu only, which, doesn't include a hamburger. (This was the last night for build your own burger.)
This is fine dining with great prices. The Mediterranean Lamb with shitake mushrooms, & curried couscous, (29), Organic Prime filet mignon, (28) hormone free rib eye platter, (33). Small plates around $10 with crab cakes, wild boar, fried Risoto balls with smoked Mozzarella some of the offerings. And, a delightful desert menu.
Hey, gotta hit this place every time we drive the coast. 1208 38th & L Place, Seaview, WA.
depotrestaurantdining.com