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