A California Vacation: Part 1

A few months ago Jeff and I decided we needed a vacation, so we looked ahead on our calendars and saw that on the week of Veteran's Day I would have a 5 day weekend. Jeff had some vacation time that he needed to use, so we started planning. We considered quite a few desinations, most of them being sunny and warm, and we ended up settling on Monterey/Carmel, CA. Jeff had never been to those cities, and we knew we could get there in a short flight.

It was a wonderful vacation. Daniel was an excellent traveler. On Wednesday morning we left home around 8:00 AM and dropped Owen off at a doggie daycare place (which I think he LOVED). Then we made the 2 hour drive to the airport, dropped off the car and made our way to the very teeny, tiny Horizon Air terminal. I could tell some people were eyeing us suspiciously, thinking that they were doomed to a 2 hour flight with a crying infant, but to our great pleasure, Daniel didn't fuss at all. He cooed and smiled at everyone, made friends with every airport worker and stewardess he met, and then fell asleep for about the last half hour of the flight. When we arrived in San Jose, CA we rented a car (a very nice, 2010 Ford Focus with leather interior and sun-roof...probably the closest I'll every get to owning a new car) and started our drive down Hwy 101 to Carmel. Jeff and I kept commenting how very different our stretch of 101 is than this part in CA.

Unfortunately, it was getting dark by the time we got into Carmel, and the city of Carmel does not have street lights. The street signs are small white fence posts that are only abot 5 feet tall, and they do not illuminate very well, so needless to say, we got a bit turned around, but eventually found our inn. We stayed for two nights a wonderful little place called the Sandpiper Inn. I highly recommend it if you ever want to vacation in Carmel. It was very affordable (compared to other inns in the area), and we had a beautiful little room with a peek of the ocean and Pebble Beach golf course.

Carmel is a beautiful town. It was founded a haven for artists, writers and bohemians in the early 1900's, but has become a haven for the uber-wealthy business class now. It is still beautiful though, and retains the charm of a little, artsy village. It reminds me of Sisters, but about 10 times wealthier. On one of our morning strolls along the beach we saw a house for sale and decided to play "guess the price". Now this was a fairly large house, across the street from the beach. It has some mature trees and simple landscaping, but it was on a single lot. I guessed that it was about $700,000 and Jeff guessed $1,000,000. Well, we were both way off. They were asking $7,250,000!!! Seriously! Our dreams of someday living in Carmel ended right then and there, but at least we can always go back and visit...during the off-season...for two days...if we buy our own groceries. The one dinner we ate at a restaurant in Carmel cost $65.00, and that was without wine. Their cheapest bottle was $40.00.

Jeff loved the architecture of this house, with the curvy roof lines. It reminded me of a hobbit house.

And right next door to the hobbit house was this stark contrast. This definitely portrays the varied architecture of Carmel. We could have spent 5 more days just walking around the neighborhoods and looking at houses. It's facinating what a couple million dollars can get you!

Carmel beach and Pebble Beach Golf course.
Standing under one of the beautiful cypress tress of central California. It was a beautiful morning, but chilly with the wind coming off the ocean.