By the Sea, an Anniversary Trip

Where does the time go? Another year, another anniversary. But not just any anniversary for me and the Mr. We have hit a milestone - 30 years! We had great plans to go on an Alaskan cruise to mark this momentous occasion. Due to the twist and turns of this life it was not meant to be. One of the secrets to staying married 30 years is you learn to accept life's circumstances as they come, roll with it, pray, and come up with another plan. Not necessarily in that order, but you move forward.   

As always, the ocean beckons us. Both my husband and I are products of a Southern California upbringing which meant lots of trips to the beach, great memories and fun times. Just hearing the sound of the ocean soothes our soul so we packed our bags, grabbed the GPS and headed toward that piney paradise known as Pacific Grove, Ca.

Pacific Grove sits at the tip of the Monterey Peninsula. It was a quiet and unpopulated area until 1874 when a road was built to access the Point Pinos Lighthouse.

The lighthouse was a short walk from our inn so we decided to go check it out. Built in 1855, it is the oldest, continuously operating lighthouse on the West Coast. This is what we found as we approached the gates.

Oh well, so we didn't get to see the inside. Of course that didn't stop me from snapping a few pics as we navigated our way around the block. The lighthouse sits alongside Pacific Grove Municipal golf course. We don't golf but here is a pic for those of you who enjoy the green.

I don't know why, but I was surprised at how many deer we saw. It was around dusk when we took our walk so I suspect it was feeding time. Even with golfers nearby it didn't stop this little family from grazing.

Or this one...

...or this one. This home was on the corner of a busy highway. There were several more deer not pictured. You should've seen the homeowner try to get into his drive way a few minutes later. Oh deer!

One of the highlights of this trip was taking a nice long walk along the beach on the recreation trail. My legs are still sore but it was worth it to take in these views.

Is it just me or does this rock formation look like a seal?

Not quite sunset, we decided to call it a day and get something to eat. It was also getting a bit brisk even with my jacket on. The "real" walk or hike was the next day.

I was glad the marine layer didn't stick around. It was nice and sunny with great gentle breezes to make our walk pleasant. We found unusual ways to get down to the shore, like these steps.

How about a stair maze?

I can't say enough about the view and will let these pics do the talking.

A great place to live if it fits your budget.

My husband kindly let me indulge in a little shopping time. I love plants and flowers so once I saw this quaint garden shop I had to stop. A little peace and tranquility here at Miss Trawick's Home and Garden Shop. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Miss-Trawicks-Home-Garden-Shop/132510563586035

 I would love to do this with a fountain. I love succulents and did walk out with a bagful. 

This quaint Victorian house was right across the street from where we had breakfast. I know nothing about it other than it tickled my fancy.

Since it was our anniversary we had to stop at Lover's Point. Makes sense right?

Another view-

Somehow the mood of romance is quashed when you see a sign like this or maybe it's allegorical.

One last pic of the Pacific Grove shoreline, then on to Monterey.

We made a quick stop at Fisherman's Wharf. We have visited Monterey in the past but didn't remember ever being here, hence the stop.

We enjoyed seeing the fishing boats off the wharf and could hear the bark of the sea lions nearby.

A seaside adventure just waiting to happen.

Somewhat unrelated, but on the way home we stopped at this mega fruit stand. I noticed it on the way to Pacific Grove so we made a point to stop on the way back. It sits in the town of Hollister, an agricultural town. There is not much to see before or after this stop. A great place to take kids as there is a mini amusement area in addition to the fruit stand, bakery shop, restaurant and there is also an RV park. https://www.casadefruta.com/ As you can see, they also sold plants.

 In addition to the carousel, there was a choo-choo train for the kids.

I loved these signs that were reminiscent of old crate labels.

This was our last stop worth mentioning. As always, these getaways just fly by but we will appreciate the memories for years to come.

  "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Col. 3:14

On the Road Again

A few weeks ago my husband and I celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary. To mark the occasion we took a quick trip to the coastal town of Davenport. Davenport lies about 9 miles north of the town of Santa Cruz and is about 2 hours and 40 minutes from Sacramento. We both love the beach and were looking forward to hearing the crash of the waves.

We stayed at the one and only inn available. I won't be unkind in my assessment but I wouldn't choose to stay there again. I can say we did enjoy sitting out on the porch one evening and enjoyed some quiet contemplation and the sounds of the sea.

You know what they say, location, location, location. The inn was right across the highway from the beach. You do take your life in your hands a bit crossing, what at times, is a busy thoroughfare.

                              We took a small path to the beach that you can miss if you are whizzing by in a car.

      I loved the nasturtiums growing merrily along the path. I wish I had better luck growing these at home.

The first evening there was nice and sunny and I was glad I had my camera to snap some pics. It stayed overcast our next full day there. Northern California beaches are known to have steep cliffs and rockier shores than Southern California beaches and tend to have cold waters and rip tides. Beautiful nonetheless.

I knew I would want to investigate how to get to this ridge and we did so the next day.

Walking along the cliffs is both fascinating and scary. You would do well to heed signs like this.

We enjoyed seeing the view and fishing boats from this vantage point.

Very cool sea caves. We were saddened to see some were vandalized with spray paint.

I could post a ton of wonderful pics of the beach and shore but then that would make this a very long blog post. I had heard there was a jail in this very small town. We had to walk around a bit and then discovered it was right next to where we were staying. It was not open when we stopped by but I could peek in the window. It was built in 1914 and boasts two cells. It was decommissioned in 1936 and only used twice. That tells you a lot about the crime rate in this area at the time. I do know if I ever had to get thrown in the clink I would like it to be like this one. It's the prettiest jail I have ever seen.

Up the street from the inn was St. Vincent DePaul church. It was also built in 1914 using cement from the local cement factory at the time. It is also the subject of a famous Ansel Adams photograph. You will have to settle for my take on it. Does anyone know what the DOM stands for?

Walking around the neighborhood we came across these beautiful flowers growing along a hill. I don't know the name of them but I couldn't help snapping a pic.

As always our trip ended far too soon. I love that our getaways don't have entail days or hours of travel to feel like we "went somewhere". It's always good to spend some quiet time together to reflect on common goals, dreams and hopes. While neither one of us can boast perfection in ourselves, love has a way of binding us in perfect unity. I know we are looking forward to continuing to walk this path of life for another 29 years together.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails ... (NIV)
 1 Cor. 13:4 - 8a.

Just a One Night's Stay

One of the many things I like about living in Northern California is that you can actually drive a short distance and feel like you've "gone away". For this little jaunt we headed to Volcano Ca. which is just over an hour from Sacramento, my kind of driving. Thanks to our paper, The Sacramento Bee and the write up they did a few weeks ago, we decided to stay at the Volcano Union Inn http://www.volcanounion.com/pages/home.cgi.

Of course my dear husband was with me to experience it all. We enjoyed an evenings meal on their delightful patio and I ordered the Duck Wings with an Orange Glaze which were a recommendation. The waitress told me it was a 48 hours process to prepare, one I would never duplicate at home. Upon registering I enjoyed a nice glass of Chardonnay and some red bell pepper spread on a crostini. A great way to start the weekend.

Our room was small but functional.  

You can enjoy some refreshments here in this common area and there was a lending library with books, magazines and DVD's.

Enjoy your glass of wine or read a book out on the balcony. It was too hot for me on the day we were there.

This cracked me up but it did tell me where to find the emergency ladder.

                                           
I love history and we enjoyed walking down the main part of town and reading the various plaques with some interesting information. This building sign said it was a museum but it was closed when we stopped by. Another stop we would like to make is Daffodil Hill which features many varieties of daffodils. I hope to go back another time in April to see that.

This is a little bakery created out of one of the many historical landmarks there.

This is the St. George Hotel which was built in 1862. They hold weddings and receptions there and, of course, they offer dining.

You don't see these often anymore so I  had to take a pic. The signs says, "Please do not vandalize this phone booth. I have no place else to change clothes." - Superman

On the way out of town we made a stop at this tourist attraction. If stalactites, stalagmites, flow-stones and rare helictite crystals are your thing, make this stop.http://www.caverntours.com/BlackRt.htm

My camera had a hard time with the exposure in the cavern. Hopefully, you get the idea of what you can experience here.

They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty— and I will meditate on your wonderful works. Psalm 145:5