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.