Since our first visit 6 years ago, we had wanted to return to Helen’s Hideaway – a waterfront property just steps away from Hog Island Oyster that transports you back in time. This Memorial Day weekend gave us the opportunity to go back; this time with my friend Ala and his family. Despite planning months in advance, our plans were thwarted by my friend’s back injury, requiring us to pivot from adventure to relaxation. After Westley placed third with his team at the Davis Math Tournament at DHS, we drove to Hot Stone Korean Kitchen for kalbi tang and spicy ramen on the way to Marshall. Together, our two families bought 7 dozens of Kumamoto, Olympia, and medium oysters, along with a pound of mussels, which we brought back to our private dock to shuck our way to oyster heaven. Melody’s parsley-garlic compound butter was a hit, but her new kimchi butter was the unexpected winner. Feeling stuffed, we warmed up with our fireplace and learned to play Empires before bedtime. On Sunday, we went to Point Reyes Station to line up for Bovine Bakery treats, a Brickmaiden sourdough loaf, and cheese from West Marin Culture Shop. The restaurants were packed for the long weekend, so we instead picked up lunch from Palace Market, as we lamented the end of water buffalo gelato, which was replaced by a respectable Jersey soft-serve from Valley Ford Creamery. We relaxed to views of the Tomales Bay in the afternoon as Ala rested on a recliner and I joined the kids for Azul and Pandemic. We dined on more oysters, leftovers, and Naseem’s loobia polo, before snuggling on the couch for movie night. On Monday, we shared popovers and brunch at Station House Café, then headed to explore the Duxbury Reef tide pools at Bolinas Beach and learn to fly a kite at Stinson Beach before parting our ways. Back home, my parents shared Tasty Pot with us and ordered a Unicorn Banshee RG Gundam for Westley before they returned home. It also happened to be opening weekend for the Phantom of the Opera tour in SF, and we were able to nab last minute orchestra tickets from StubHub just as we were planning our Paris trip and a tour of Opera Garnier. So after Chinese school, we drove into the city to share takeout from Dumpling Home on a park bench at the UN Skate Plaza, then made our way to relive our favorite and first musical together. In spite of the $15 bottled water and sour patch kids for Westley, the Orpheum Theater’s opulent decur provided the perfect backdrop as we watched the chandelier come crashing down.