The continuing pandemic necessitated a change in our summer vacation plans to some place closer. In lieu of zoos and theme parks, we searched for last minute Airbnb availabilities and landed a 3-night stay at a secluded waterfront property on Tomales Bay in Marshall. To prepare for our trip, I hit up my work colleague Ala for fishing advice and gear, purchased a 1-day sports fishing license, then scrutinized fishing tutorials and videos online in between adding finishing touches to my grant resubmission. We smartly avoided traffic by heading out late Monday morning, stopping briefly in Vacaville for Costco gas and RH outlet shopping, then masked up for AYCE BBQ at Hot Stone Korean Kitchen for lunch. We stopped by Petaluma for tackle advice, and left with sturgeon rigs, snap swivels, and frozen squid to prepare for shark fishing. After settling in, we opted for a 30-second drive over the 10-minute walk to Hog Island Oyster Co. for take-out Sweetwater and Kumamoto oysters, mussels, and a Dexter knife. Our cabin came with its own deck and dock, which provided the perfect waterfront setting for grilling seafood in our new portable grill before we drifted asleep to a view of the moonlit bay and the sound of gentle waves. We started Tuesday with a short hike through towering redwoods at the Samuel P Taylor State Park, clam linguine, fish & chips, and chowder for lunch at Station House Cafe, and H20-buffalo gelato from Palace Market. In the afternoon, I failed to catch any fish from our dock, but took advantage of low tide to collect crabs and snails with Westley from below deck. We lounged around Wednesday morning to views of jellyfish and bat rays swimming by the house, then returned to Point Reyes Station for wood-fired pizza and more gelato. We spent the afternoon at Shell Beach, where the cold water and lack of swim gear did not preclude sandcastle-building. On our last day, we collected Cowgirl Creamery cheese and baked goods from Brickmaiden and Bovine Bakery,  then headed to Tomales Point to hike the Tule Elk Reserve. Westley was able to spot a few elks with binoculars, but a missing cross piece shattered our kiting dreams for the strong winds.  We were more prepared for water play at the Heart’s Desire Beach, where water gun wielding and tube riding was enough to knock Westley out for the drive back home as we listened to our backlog of Wait Wait episodes. We spent our long weekend at home, watching the Disney fireworks via online streaming and listening to neighborhood firecrackers during another backyard camping adventure. By Monday, the rising COVID cases had forced dine-in venues in Marshall to re-close, and we were glad to have seized the short, yet refreshing summer retreat for our family.