As some of you may remember, Animated Meat first came to life in 2008 as a way to document some sights that managed to slip through the cracks of most popular travel websites. You may also remember that the original website was built on Apple's now defunct iWeb. From there, it migrated over to WordPress where it met an untimely demise at the hands of Russian hackers. Many of those old, pre-2012 entries have found a new home here in the Before the Now section. I would consider these posts as my starting place as a writer, probably comparable to a musician's first demo tapes. They are very rough, but I took them all seriously and wrote each one with passion. While I would like to believe that I have matured in my abilities as a writer, it is my hope that I carry this same blind passion into all of my new efforts.

Waldport Seafood Company - Originally Published 2008

May 4, 2019

On one end of the spectrum there is the hyper-organized traveler that has an itinerary that breaks a trip down into fifteen-minute increments. Months have been spent laboring over a stack of travel books and magazines. No detail has been spared in the planning of the trip.

On the other end of the spectrum there is the vagabond approach to travel. The philosophy being if you wander around long enough, you’re bound to see something worthwhile.

I suppose that my wife and I lay somewhere in the middle. We plan out a few milestones and then leave the rest in chance’s hands. Thank the gods we do that, because it allowed us the opportunity to happen upon a place like the Waldport Seafood Company.

This place is not much more than a wide spot in the road. However, they serve some of the best clam chowder I have already tried. If that wasn’t perfection enough, there is a deserted beach right in front of the place where you can wander after eating. I hope that heaven is as good as this.