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.

Six Sisters Celebrate

I am so lucky. I have five sisters who are my best friends.

We all went to Monterey this past weekend to celebrate the two sisters who had birthdays in February, one on the 9th for her 59th and the other on the 19th for her 50th.

On our way down, we stopped at the Succulent Gardens . I've never seen so many succulents in one place...my heart skipped a beat the moment I entered the greenhouse. This is an amazing place and if you are ever in the area (near Moss Landing and Elkhorn Slough) I highly recommend you stop in for a visit.

Monterey is a quite the charming seaside town, I must say. We spent the night at The Clement on Cannery Row, the most exquisite hotel I've ever stayed in.
Doesn't it look magical? It is right on the water, clean, sleek, and staffed with friendly and helpful people...

We were greeted with a furry little otter and her pup and very luxurious shampoo/conditioner and soap on our beds.

We each had our very own big fluffy white robe, white puffy towels and a pair of pristine white terry slippers,

and had a bonsai and a mini Japanese garden to enjoy.

The granite/slate tiled bathrooms were exquisite.We had a 36" flat screen HD television, a cozy fireplace in the corner, our own deck, a fitness center that is to die for.. the most comfy bed with my favorite kind of white sheets....and a skinny lap pool to frolic in (and try and get skinny).



The city looked mighty fine with it's sparkly clean sidewalks and streets ( I swear little elves come out at night and scrub everything down!)...

...blooms were everywhere in "pocket gardens" throughout the town ...not a weed in sight.



At night, we ventured on down to the terrace and sat in front of a blazing fire under a gorgeous glowing full moon while the waves lapped the shore below ...


...and we toasted our sixty toes in twelve shoes by the flame.

Early Sunday morning, we all took a stroll along the shoreline trail .....

...and enjoyed the crystal, clear, salt air..

On our way home, we stopped in Castroville, the Artichoke Center of the World. It provides nearly 80% of the U.S. crop ( the other 20% of the US crop is grown elsewhere in California). We picked up the deal of the century...12 Green Globe's (the only kind grown commercially in the U.S) for one buck. So deelish.

Have you ever seen a choke as large as this?:

Oh, I am so lucky to live so close to such a beautiful place....


I am ready to return.

A Night in Madera

My sisters, Martha and Gayle, and I motored to Madera to visit our niece, Natalie and her little family. My other sister, Judy, came down from her mountain top home in Auberry and met us there.

Martha chauffeured, Gayle navigated and I kicked back in the rear seat. I enjoyed watching the green grassy hills, the goats, the cows and the sheep, float on by. February is a wonderful time of the year in California for EVERYTHING is so green.

On our way down, we made a little detour to Chowchilla (the town made famous 40 years ago for the goons who hijacked and buried a school bus with children and a driver inside). We found the last thrift store in town. We love thrifting....here are some of the treasures I bought:

An original oil painting of sunny flowers that I purchased for $2 --- I love finding original art for so cheap. All I have to do is find a cool frame for it. I have a box in the attic filled with old frames I 've collected over the years. Or I can hang it as is.... I just need to find the perfect spot on the wall to hang it.

A Japanese painting on wood, purchased for $1.00....
and a nick knack shelf to display miniatures:

I found a hand made cross-stitch with "Families Are Forever" stitched in the center surrounded by yellow and orange flowers. The minute I saw it, I thought, "What a perfect housewarming gift for Natalie's kitchen!" It now proudly hangs in her kitchen.

We came bearing gifts for Logan who turned three last week..

And then headed out in the rain to visit the town...Here are my three sisters at the fruit market ...housed in a purple building!

Wouldn't you want to enter a store with a sign like this:

Back to Natalie's cozy home...to devour stew, homemade bread and salad. Scrumptious.
We celebrated Gayle's birthday with songs, candles and flags.

And little boys who want to blow out candles again....
and again...
and again....
and again.

What adorable boys:

I couldn't stop clicking.

Natalie lives in farm country where you will find orange groves, and pistachio orchards down the street...
Where beehives are placed nearby....filled with thousands of bees who will kiss the blossoms the moment the buds pop....


What a lovely trip....


with so many memories to be placed in the bank.

Our Family Ski Weekend

Our family went up to the Tahoe area this weekend. It has been several years (at least five) since we've all gone to Eben's (DZ's cousin)cabin in the winter.

The ski equipment and food all loaded in and on top of the car. All ready to take off ...along with a zillion other bay area crazy skiers. With traffic, it took us about five hours to get to the cabin.

This is Eben's cabin...covered with tons of the white stuff. The front door is totally covered in snow.

The side door is actually 15 feet above ground--there is a flight of stairs under the snow.


Although skiing can be quite pricey, I feel it is so worth it. It is something our family can do and enjoy together . Well, we ski together, sort of...once we get to the top of the mountain, DZ and the kids usually take off like rockets and leave me in the dust. I used to ski fast, but my legs just don't cooperate as much anymore.

Sophie and David trying to get up after a fall.


Adeline and DZ at the top of Mt. Lincoln--we were in a cloud--and it was softly snowing all day, which made for the most DEEVINE powder snow skiing ever!

Does DZ look like he is having fun? Check out the poles, he has been using them for forty years.

Love the ice formation on the lift sign.

A very happy but very tired skier at the end of the day...

Kids having...

fun in the...

..... snow.



DZ playing cards with Adeline.

Relaxing and reading after a day on the slopes. Notice the flip flops on DZ's feet.
Adeline stuck in the snow.

The lovebirds, Sophie and David.


Peter with adorable Joann

The proud creators of Mr. Marshmellowman.
What wonderful memories to treasure.