abalone farm

Yesterday we went on a field trip to the abalone farm in Cayucos. What's that, you didn't know there was an abalone farm in Cayucos? It's no wonder, the farm is located down an unmarked dirt road, off the highway, past several No Trespassing signs... it's not exactly a place that wants a lot of attention. Abalone is pretty special stuff, and this farm has about 4 million creatures in various stages of life all with the goal of being sold for a handsome price. We met up with several other home schooling families for the tour which was led by a guy who had obviously handled school groups before. The kids got to see all the tanks, learn about the life cycle and even hold and feed an abalone. At the end of the tour they got to pick out shells to take home. We completed our escape to the coast with lunch and some time at the park before heading back over the hills to the heat of San Miguel. Our guide shows the kids the underside of the shell where on the females, a greenish sack lies, burdened by the million babies she is about to have.Jason holds a one and a half year old abalone... we forgot to wash his hands before lunch...eeeeeewwwwww!Jason and his lady friends feed kelp to the mature abalone... he really needs more boyfriends...er, BOY friends! Ha!
Where were the girls? Hayden was strapped to my chest, against her will and Cameron was clinging to my leg, against my will... she was not happy with the field trip, it was getting in the way of her time eating and playing, and this was not the trip to the beach that she had anticipated.