Of oysters, banks and beaches, Part 2

I’ve slurped down my share of raw oysters, tasting that delicate brininess before the slimy mess slithers down my throat. Those experiences are usually followed by this thought: Why did I just do that?

They don’t have anything on the straight-from-the-sea monster oysters we had in Bodega Bay. Served on the half-shell, steamed and served with a light drizzle of garlic butter, these are as fresh as they get.

These don’t get to be slithered; these guys are cut through like butter and savored piece by piece.

I get it. Not everyone’s an oyster fan. These sea creatures have a lot of haters out there.

So on with the other monsters of Bodega Bay: the birds. Or, rather, the birds.

So much has been done already to Bodega’s image by the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Birds. It’s funny that the killer black birds shown in the movie are found everywhere. Seeing one of these land nearby still brings up a movie image of the birds attacking the woman in the phone booth (what’s a phone booth?).

Their beady yellow eyes aren’t too friendly these days either.

Years ago, the movie was Bodega Bay’s claim to fame and the bird-kitsch here went crazy. Like phone booths, the movie is fading from memory. This cute seashore town has moved away from the kitsch and remade itself into a place to escape from the big city. It’s a pricey, resort-y and reasonably quiet spot to watch the waves, sip a little wine and if, so inclined, tip back a few oysters.

The monster-hunting weekend wasn’t complete until I saw one of the monsters of the deep. And so we journeyed on through the town, around the Bay and up to the headlands. Above the cliffs, we faced the Pacific and it wasn’t moments before one and then several whales spouted. It’s prime whale watching time on the north coast as these giants head back to the cooler Alaskan waters for the summer. We walked and pointed as spout after spout went up that day.

The headlands were also a great spot to witness a little comic relief. Seals leaped out of the water as they headed to and from a large rock island just off shore. The rocks were coated with seals and their barking could be heard all over the Bay.

Does that barking come from joy or jealousy? Are they calling to a mate? Whatever was going on, it was happening with enthusiasm.