I'm the Worst Clammer in the World

Last weekend we had big plans to head to Long Beach, Washington to get our clam on.  But as Friday dawned with drowning, pouring rain and wild winds, and the weather forecast put a "HIGH SURF ADVISORY" into effect we were kind of questioning the idea. 

My favorite part is where it says: "This is not the time to be on the beach or rocks anywhere near the surf zone.  Doing so will be TAKING YOUR LIFE INTO YOUR OWN HANDS."  Can we say over-dramatic???

But we headed there anyway, managed to NOT get a speeding ticket on the way there this time (those little beach towns with deceivingly huge roads, 25 mph speed limits, and major speed traps are a menace to society) and it did NOT disappoint. 

Seriously, what's not to like?  Good food, good friends, and 27 pound gummy bears.  It doesn't get much better than this people.

I even got in not one but TWO runs, including the longest run (5.3 miles) I've done in a loooonnngggg time.  We're talking since either Christmas or New Year's Day, I don't remember which but one of those days I ran a 10k.  Like I mentioned before, running hasn't been going that well for me.

But the beautiful views, Cooper having the time of his life, and Rachael entertaining me and teaching me everything I need to know about being pregnant / having an infant made the miles fly by.  

Seriously - Long Beach not only has the actual beach but they also have miles of this lovely path that runs along the beach through wetland grasses and is just gorgeous.

It turns out the surf advisories WERE over-dramatic, but were still a bit legitimate.  While we were FAR from "taking our lives into our own hands" (clearly - we had a baby on the beach!) - the waves would sneak up on you super quickly and were quite powerful.

This made getting the clams really difficult, especially if you didn't have waders on, which of course I didn't.  The first big wave that I didn't notice in time got over my rain boots and... well, have you ever hung out with inches of freezing cold water surrounding your feet for hours?  Yeeaaahhhh, I was wondering if my toes might have to be amputated at some point.

Although the group as a whole got a whopping 75 clams (because other people are awesome), I am ashamed and embarrassed to report that I did not get ONE SINGLE CLAM.  Not ONE.  Not one little baby clam.  It was so ridiculously depressing.  In conclusion, I am definitely the worst clammer in the world. 

But the views made up for the lack of clamming dominance!

Who's a master clammer?  I need to learn your secrets.