Back in Monterey II

Am I losing it?

I wrote this post several days ago...

but instead of clicking "PUBLISH POST"

I clicked "SAVE NOW"

Oh me oh my...

Let me finish telling you about the my visit in Monterey last weekend...

I woke up at the crack of dawn Saturday morning (around 6 am) and couldn't go back to sleep.. so, what is a better way to start my day

than by taking a walk along the coastline trail to Pacific Grove?

I love getting up early, especially on a weekend.
Most (normal) people are still asleep in their cozy beds..

Not I...and several other early birds...

some were.....
running and biking...

still others were preparing to go scuba diving

and some were just plain walking like me..(some with a leash in hand).

I love to watch the sun rise to greet another day

and to watch a sleepy town wake up...

I walked passed......

workers sweeping the sidewalk...
delivery trucks bringing the goods..

workers cleaning the windows...

I smelled wafts of ....

bacon scents and sea salt mist...

floating through the air..

I heard...

the seagulls cawing

the sea lions croaking

and the surf crashing.

I knew this was a start of a most beautiful day.

I walked passed this retaining wall depicting the history of Pacific Grove..

What a lovely way to "disguise" an unsightly wall?

After I got back from my walk (over 3 miles roundtrip),

I went to the aquarium as a guest with one of my friends

(her husband is attending the Adcom meetings with my dad)

Don't you love FREE?

We took a behind the scenes tour of the facility...
and fed the fish with handful of krill ....

(so thankful for rubber gloves!)


Loved the jelly fish exhibit...what incredible creatures!
the floating blobs are so mesmerizing....

I could stare at them for hours..

I didn't, for I wanted to see the...

sea dragons!

The sea dragons are something out of a science fiction film. So wild. So unreal.

and the sea horses (cousins to the sea dragon)..
which was my absolute favorite.

(Note: the battery to my camera died at this point.

Unfortunately, here on out, I have no pictures to share).

As I gazed upon the tank holding these most unique creatures,

something very surreal came over me.

I found myself with misty eyes,

as I watched the sea horses

gracefully move about the water

in tandem with each other

their tails wrapped and intertwined

dancing

together.

If DZ was with me..

I would have squeezed his hand

So amazing.

Have you ever seen an Albatross in real life? I have!

After spending close to six hours in the aquarium,

I dropped my friend off at the hotel and

I headed south to Point Lobos.

This was my first visit and I was filled with amazement.

The trail hugs the bluff 100 feet above the coast...

where the crystal clear opalescent aqua blue water

crashes over the jagged rocks below.

Why is the color of the water near shore iridescent blue?

Sea otters and sea lions splashed in the water ...

birds were everywhere ..

but a scarcity of people ...

I was in heaven!

(I do hope heaven includes a Point Lobos, because that is where I want to land)

At 6:02 pm, I witnessed

T H E M O S T I N C R E D I B L E S U N S E T, E V E R!!!!

so, so lovely.

Before I turned my back to the sea

(I had 1/2 hour to return to my car)

a most peaceful wonderment consumed me..

a smile filled my face...

my eyes glanced upward....

and I thanked God

for His amazing creations.

What a wonderful way...

to to start and end the day

with the rising and setting sun..

the bookends for a day

which is indelibly imprinted in my memory.