Half Moon Bay Archives - until suburbia!

Sign for Fresh Local Fish at Pillar Point Harbor, Half Moon Bay.

Buy Fresh Fish Straight from the Boat

September 25, 2020September 24, 2020Silvia

Some wise man once said: “When fish smells like fish it is old.“If you want to be sure you buy the freshest fish I highly recommend the Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay.

As you enter the Pier, you can read signs on what fish have been caught that day, the prices, and which boat is selling. You can also Call the Fish Phone at 650-726-8724 for information about which boats are selling and what is available.

This is a great way of buying local, fresh fish.

What an adventure even if you haven’t caught the beauty yourself!

Where do you buy your fish?

If you prefer fishing yourself you might want to check out my post about Fishing on a Public Pier.

Masked fisherman sculpture at Half Moon Bay.

Masks on Sculptures

August 21, 2020August 20, 2020Silvia

The unfortunate fashion accessory of 2020, a facial covering, can also be spotted on various sculptures throughout the Bay Area.

Right now the smoke from the Santa Cruz and San Mateo wildfires have reached our city and exploring is on hold. I hope everyone is safe out there, especially because the heat wave isn’t over yet either!

Anyway, along the way I have started to photograph some sculptures with masks on. Thank you whoever thought this would be an additional statement.

Surfer sculpture on Cliff Dr. in Santa Cruz.

The surfer on Santa Cruz cliff walk for example can be usually spotted wearing some protective gear – until the no-maskers demonstrated in front of the sculpture. I wonder if there is a correlation?

Gay Liberation a sculpture of four all white painted people from George Segal at Stanford.

The ‘Gay Liberation’ sculpture from George Segal at Stanford was responsible covering up, because they have a hard time social distancing.

Biker sculpture by James Moore, at the Bay Trail in Palo Alto.

Another masked artwork I found was the biker at the Bay Trail in Palo Alto. This work is called ‘Bliss in the Moment’ by James Moore. I love Moore’s statement about his art: “I want my artwork to add something positive to the world. By exploring themes of hope, strength, and playful possibility, my sculpture conveys a positive message of what I feel it means to be human.”

We are all in this together!

Have you taken photos of masked sculptures?

Do you want to explore more sculptures in Stanford? I recommend checking out my page on 50 things to do in Stanford.

Watch some whales

April 28, 2017Silvia

Whale watching is an activity you can do almost year round in the Bay Area. I have never been whale watching on a boat – that is still on my to-do list, but the gray whales migrate and swim quite close to shore, so sometimes you can get lucky and see the giants from land.

From December to May the gray whales migrate back from Mexico. First the males and the juveniles and later when the babies have some blubber the mothers with their babies. Orkas, not really whales but named killer whales, can be seen then too hunting the baby gray whales. Humpback whales and blue whales are in the Monterey Submarine Canyon from mid April to December.

If you want to get an idea of size of a whale I recommend stopping by the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. Outside is what might be the world’s longest blue whale skeleton, Ms. Blue is an impressive 87 feet long! They also have a grey whale skeleton. I took the tour – which comes with the $8 admission, the volunteer was very knowledgeable and they let you touch some baleen, the whales filter system for eating. Plus you can pet a shark and some other ocean creatures inside the center.

Where do you go whale watching?

Have a picnic weekend

July 1, 2016July 1, 2016Silvia

Oh it is the season! Close your eyes and smell the burn.

So yes, BBQ season is upon us with the major holiday of Independence Day taunting you to cook and eat the perfect hot dog.

In most parks around here, if you are a small group, it is first come first served for the tables and grills. With larger groups you have to plan way in advance and make reservations.

My favorite gathering spot here in Mountain View is Cuesta Park with huge grass fields to play in and picnic tables to hang. If you like a view with your hot dogs, I’ll recommend the Half Moon Bay State Beach. You can set-up right next to the ocean.

If you are looking for a cultural setting for your picnic, the City of Mountain View presents children’s theatre in the park every Friday at 6:30.

Cupertino offers, on selected dates, Shakespeare in the park.

And of course, there are free movies in the park. For a comprehensive list check out a fellow blogger of bayarekidfun:

http://www.bayareakidfun.com/outdoor-movie-nights-in-the-bay-area/

Whatever the setting, enjoy the summer!

What is your favorite picnic spot?

Tide Pool group looking for swimming creatures

Look who’s swimming

February 27, 2016Silvia

As a kid I once did a Wattwanderung (mud-flats walking) when we stayed on Sylt, a Northern Sea island. When I signed up for our tide pool walk with the Marine Science Institute I had the old images in my head of the creatures who appeared just as you pulled back the sand.

So, I was quite surprised to see the interesting rock formations that we walked on and explored. Not too rough a terrain, but you needed closed toe shoes, something that could get wet, and you needed to dress in layers.

Rules for tide pooling are: Always watch your kids, and NEVER turn your back on the waves! And of course: Take only memories, leave only footprints.

We saw sea stars (below), a little black crab, a shrimp, and of course hermit crabs.

Overall this was an exciting excursion. Our very knowledgeable tour guides from the Marine Science Institute brought buckets and nets and knew the names of the creatures and where to look. This made it a perfect day.

What was the coolest thing you’ve seen on the beach?

The Maverick is here!

February 11, 2016Silvia

The date for the Titans of Mavericks competition has been set for February 12th. This means 24 of the best high wave surfers are invited to compete off Pillar Point Harbor near Half Moon Bay. Due to restrictions you might not be able to watch them close up, but there will be viewing parties all around Half Moon Bay, since redbull TV is covering the event.

Thanks to El Nino waves up to 38 feet (11,5m) are expected. Best to watch early in the morning. But I heard the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company is ready to serve you at 8 am and will show the event on TV.