28 October 2011

A weekend in Half Moon Bay

This past weekend Dave and I went to Half Moon Bay, camping out for the night and wandering around the city. The main reason for the trip was to go to Harley Farms, where they make goat cheese. We got to go into the field with the goats, see where they get milked, the cheese making room and finally eat some cheese at the most beautiful table I have ever seen. It was a long, large single piece of wood. The natural curve of the wood, the dark color, everything about it was amazing. Even while we are talking about something completely different, Dave will randomly say "That table was so awesome" and it is suddenly all we can talk about. It was at the top of an old barn so the light was beautiful was not enough for me to get a photo. 

We arrived to Pescadero, just south of Half Moon Bay, for the tour a bit early so we found this little garden and dry goods shop. 
 They had dozens of these bins of beans, nuts, etc. a lot of which I had no clue what it was. Everything looked amazing.
 They had chickens behind the shop.
 A pre-cheese binge snack.
 Off to Harley Farms.
 Their were a few Llamas on the farm. Or where they Alpacas? I don't know, I can never tell the difference.
 The goats were all very friendly and would just come up to you and start sniffing away at you.
 It was on a beautiful stretch of land. Hills behind, the tiny little Main street of the town just a few blocks up and the water only a bit down the road from that.
 Handcrafted goat cheese with edible flowers and herbes de Provence.
 Fall decor in the room with the magical table.
 Their shop, I wanted to buy everything. All was available to sample, so many good cheeses, honey, oils...
 The first of many pumpkin patches.
Like a swan.
 On to the second pumpkin patch.
 Brussel Sprouts from a little shop on the way to the camp site.
 Chevre with chives, chevre with sun-dried tomatoes, chevre and feta. The feta had a nice salty bite to it and was still creamy, not like most fetas I have come across which are too dry for me.
 Raccoons came in the night.
 The start of an ultimate breakfast sandwich for him.
 The little cooker we brought was a bit problematic, the pans kept burning and smelling horribly. Cheap little things. The wood fire was much better.
 French baguette with soft boiled eggs and bacon cooked over the campfire.
 At the last pumpkin patch, they had a small vegetable stand too.
 Still on the vine! This made me so happy, I have never been to a pumpkin patch before like this.
One giant pumpkin, so big Dave could barely hold it.

I'll do a recipe post next time. It was such a great weekend, had to share the photos. Then I'm off the Michigan on Tuesday for 10 days to visit my Great Great Grandpa. No internet at all, barely cell service. I'll try to schedule a post or two to go up when I'm gone. If I can't get around to it, I'll be back to posting after the 13th!


17 comments:

Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets said...

Lovely photos! I love the "swan" pumpkin =D.

GVP said...

Cool photos, especially the pumpskins :P

Y said...

The swan pumpkin is especially beautiful :)

Cindy said...

Love these! I've camped there before, but never in the fall...what a perfect weekend!

Unknown said...

These pictures made me drool with fall goodness. Love them.

Rikki said...

I love these! It looks like so much fun [:

Josephine said...

Lovely photos! I went to Harley Farms about 2 years ago and loved it too, though I was a little scared of the goats :P If I remember correctly, the llamas protect the goats by spitting in the face of any intruders. I adore Pesecadero and HMB and the coastal towns in general.

Sue/the view from great island said...

I especially love the pumpkin on the vine, what a beautiful plant. Fun photos, thanks!

Mo @ Howl Madly said...

Just started following your blog and your pictures are so beautiful! I love HMB :) I used to live in Santa Cruz and we would drive over every year for the Pumpkin Festival :) You brought back some good memories :)

Twinks said...

Loved all the beautiful pictures! Reminded me of when we used to go to Half Moon Bay each year to pick out a pumpkin, shop, and have a picnic on the beach. You two look so happy, fantastic pictures Julie Marie. Tell Dave hi from us too. love, Grandma Twinks

Pam said...

What a fabulous story and thanks for sharing it. The photos are wonderful and really make me feel like I was there with you.

Anonymous said...

I love how these pictures turned an ordinary weekend camping into a beautiful story. I agree with Pam, it was almost as if we were there with you. The photos are really wonderful, congratulations on your great eye, seriously =) I have never been to Half Moon Bay but now I'm DYING to go.

Caroline said...

Camped there in July ... such a great place. And, Harley Farms is one of my favorite farms ... their goat cheese is ahhmazing. Love your photos. xo.

Sally said...

Love these, they make me so nostalgic for apple and pumpkin picking in my VA hometown!

Anonymous said...

you are SO clever! Amazing photos :)

Eggton said...

I just stumbled here from movita beaucoup and this most just relaxed me to the core. Lovely! Love it!

Is that your bulldog in the picture? Yes? I have one as well-- a french mixed with english-- and she weasels her way into my photos as well.

Cheers- I am looking forward to following this.

casey said...

Oh I love Harley farms, and so many of the other farms up the coast!! My favorite is Swanton Berry Farm. If you ever take another trip, don't miss it!! That goat with herbs de provence looks scrumptious...