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Published: October 25th 2008
Well first things first, Wayne has left ICU and has his own room so we will leave first thing in the morning, (Sat). Kathy wanted to make sure he was stable before leaving.
Carmel was just wonderful. You cannot believe all of the beautiful plantings, pots full of glorious colors, blooming vines, every little shop has multiple plantings, dutch doors, there don’t seem to be any insects out here. Every little back alley holds a treasure, restaurants tucked away, galleries, the finest stores, and the glorious ocean. It is wonderful what flowers add for such a little expense, we really really need to pay attention to this in our little downtown.The homes here look like they came out of a fairy tale. The people are so California…..everyone has a dog that is cuddled and, believe it or not, some are dressed as well as their owners in cute little outfits. Some of the smaller breeds are carried in purses or baskets. Can you picture this in Washington? I don’t think so! And don’t YOU even think about doing it. We like our “mutts”!
Everyone has been so nice and welcoming and when we say we’re from Georgia, everyone seems to have some sort of connection, though we haven’t found any one yet who knows of Washington. We should have brought some Home Tour brochures with us. We really think we should be amb(ass)adors for Washington and make traveling across country our profession. You know it’s funny that we say we’re from Georgia and no one asks Kathy why she doesn’t have a southern accent. But, then, she’s a great actress. She just bats her eyelashes and they’re all convinced.
Aren’t y’all tired of hearing about the election? We are! We can’t wait until it’s all over. The only thing we enjoy are the skits from “Saturday Night Live”. Aren’t they hilarious? Tina Fey has Gov. Palin nailed!
Last night we ate at Jose’s. No. Not his house! We ate at a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant. We ate on the back porch which only had three tables and the other two tables of diners were very friendly and interested in our trip. They thought we were “cool”, of course. One couple was from Connecticut and the other local. The local couple thought this was the best Mexican restaurant around and thank goodness it was and it was by far the least expensive place we’ve eaten. How many W.W. points are in a tamal and refried beans. No. Don’t tell me.
It’s so nice to be able to walk to the restaurants at night without pouring sweat. There is no humidity. The weather is cool at night. You need a sweater, and it’s so refreshing.
(No matter how much we swoon over the California weather, we still love home more than anywhere.)
Back to the sea lion mating drama, we want you to know that they are now lulling us to sleep as we now leave the balcony door open to get fresh air in the room. But, no, we don’t think we’ll bring one home with us or miss them that much.
Now, to Day 10….or whatever…..Pacific Grove is to Monterrey, what Tignall is to Washington. Tignall? Yeah. We shopped and had lunch in Pacific Grove. We visited antique stores and so many art galleries y’all would just love. Oh my gosh. The galleries are awesome! This was an artist colony back in Steinbeck’s day. He is revered as much to these people as Margaret Mitchell is to us. We have discovered that we love the early California painters. Visit Hauk Gallery if you have a chance. Also, Trotter Gallery! A lot of the houses are painted in California colors…yellow, purple, green, red…perfect for a beach community. Many of the houses, or as Kathy calls them “bungalows” have beautiful little gardens out front, and we try to identify the plants and wildflowers and wonder if we can grow them back home. We ate at the Red House, which is an old home converted into a restaurant where you eat in several different rooms. Busy. Busy. The food was excellent and our waitress convinced us to get the grilled cheese and the butternut squash soup with the portabella sandwich. Awesome. Too fantastic. Our restaurants in Washington need a signature sandwich that everyone comes in to order.
While Kathy was at the hospital, Debbie drove along the ocean highway in Pacific Grove. Debbie: Everytime I drive anywhere here, I see a turnoff to Pebble Beach and it just blows me away because I know how much my Tommy loves it. Very cool. Today, it was just mile after mile of breathtaking views of the ocean. We think about taking photos and don’t believe that they’ll do it justice. So we don’t take any. But, you know….as in a good book…your imagination is the best look at what we’re seeing…..we think.
Tonight we are going to go to the Charthouse and have appetizers and, of course an adult beverage and then we’ll come back to pack up our things for our trip down the coast tomorrow. At least, that’s our plan. We may have to get up extra early to pack if we don’t do it tonight. We’ll let you know.
We’re going to be heading down Rt. 1, which is the road going down the coast with a full ocean view. I can’t wait. There has been a fire at Lucia and Rt. 1 has been closed, but it reopened today. We’re sure they put out the fire just for us. We plan on visiting Hearst Castle at San Simeon. Kathy says the Biltmore pales in comparison. I’ll let you know.
We send our love to our friends and family. Thank you for sending your comments to our blog site. It means a lot to us that you are with us on this trip.
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colleen tucker
non-member comment
Carry On!
Just found your travel blog this morning. Good stuff! Great job! I feel like I've been along on your journey! May you have many more safe and memorable miles ahead! I haven't thought about the Half Moon Bay festival in years. That was one of my favorite and most successful faires. I anxiously awaited the next year as I packed up each year. Wonderful that Wayne's surgery was a success and he is well on the road to recovery. xox Colleen