The Jolly Oyster

The Jolly Oyster sells oysters and clams at Ventura State Beach.  They just opened a few weeks ago and John, Peter, Dad and I decided to check them out:

I met Mark, the owner, at the Farmer's Market a couple of weeks ago and he greeted me with a warm hug like we had been friends for years.  Like John and Peter, he also grew up in Africa - how strange is that?

The oysters and clams are farmed in Baja - see their website http://www.thejollyoyster.com/ for more info and a video of the farming.  Mark sells a couple sizes of Pacific Oysters, Kumamotos and Manila Clams.

Mark giving us a lesson in oysters and shucking:

John was a pro and we kept him busy, slurping the delicious oysters as fast as he could shuck them:

Peter giving John a break:

Trying to light the BBQ for steamed clams:

I didn't come prepared to cook clams but Mark was kind enough to give us some red onion and garlic that we sauteed before adding some Sauvignon Blanc and tossing in the clams:

They were absolutely the most delicious clams I have ever eaten:

We topped some of the oysters with a bit of  mango margarita and some with a bloody mary mix & vodka, but our favorites were slurped straight from the shell with nothing added to interfere with the natural briny taste- incredibly good:

We were at the park for hours, eating oyster after oyster, after clam after clam, soaking up the clam juice with french bread and washing it all down with a beautiful Sauvignon Blanc. What a fun afternoon.  We can't wait to go back.

Labor Day Vacation 2011

We had a particularly foggy & dreary summer in Ventura, so we were looking forward to our annual vacation at Catalina with Sarah, Jeff & Marco.  We left the harbor early Thursday morning (9/1) in search of sunshine:

And we found it!!

Bobby & Cynthia followed us down aboard Amore Mio. When we arrived at White's Anchorage we were happy to see Bonnie & Curtis aboard Once Upon A Tide and Linda & Mike aboard their new boat Cazadora already at anchor.

Early Saturday morning John took the dinghy to Avalon to pick up Sarah, Jeff & Marco who had come across on the early ferry.  I had fresh baked biscotti waiting for them.  Later in the day Jeff's brother Mike and his friend Lindsay also came across for a few days:

We were hoping for fresh-caught sushi for lunch, but the only fish pulled in were undersized Calico that were thrown back into the ocean to grow bigger for next year:

Luckily I had stopped at the fish market before we left Ventura and had some beautiful ahi tuna in the freezer.  Jeff made steamed dumplings and I made spicy tuna rolls.  Marco loved the sushi!

We had a few raindrops and this beautiful double rainbow one afternoon:

But for the most part the weather cooperated and we were able to enjoy being out in the cockpit in the evenings:

Jeff & I made homemade croissants for lunch one afternoon - added ham and cheese to some - delicious!!

We cruised up to Avalon and stayed on a mooring for a couple of days so we could spend a little time in town:

We had a great time with the kids. Marco is now 3 1/2 and so much fun.  He kept very busy this vacation -

Fishing:

Check out his casting:

Kayaking:

Kite flying (gift from Bonnie & Curtis):

Dinghy Rides:

Helping out at our cocktail party:

Spotting sea creatures:

Soaking anyone who got withing range:

Sunbathing:

Sharing Scooby Doo videos with Papa:

Getting ice cream at Big Olaf's:

And just being so adorable that he kept smiles on our faces the entire week:

We're already looking forward to next year's trip.