California Fun

I flew into California on Thursday - arrived in San Jose and rented a car for the drive down to Monterey.

I was lucky enough to snag a convertible at the car rental office, and before you could say "FUN, FUN, FUN", I had that top down, radio blasting and I was headed south through Santa Cruz on my way to Monterey.  It was a beautiful afternoon - clear blue skies punctuated with the tall pines, and it smelled so good.  I suppose it's one of the tree varieties here, but to me it smells like fresh basil!  I arrived in Monterey while John was still in class, so I bought a coffee, and sat in the sun finishing up my re-reading of Cannery Row.  I had forgotten how much I loved this book when I read it right after college and reading it this time reminded me of the skill Steinbeck used in developing these characters.  He captured the feel of the Monterey Peninsula and wrote a love story to the quirky characters who inhabited Monterey during the height of the sardine canning industry. 

When John arrived, I found out that we were staying in what used to be the Del Monte Hotel - billed as the first luxury resort west of the Mississippi.

A beautiful example of early California spanish/mission architecture, it still retains a bit of its former glory.  Carvings on the outside of the building, meticulously maintained formal gardens and incredible wooden carved panels on the interior ceilings show the skill and attention to detail put into the construction of this fomer resort.  She's lost some of her former sparkle, and definitely shows her age - but she's still a elegant old building.

Yesterday while John was in class (poor guy), I explored downtown Monterey.  First stop was Fisherman's Wharf for some pictures:

In the middle of the pier on Fisherman's Wharf is this adorable coffee shop - small, cute and a source for bait and tackle (see the sign in the window?)

Then it was off to Cannery Road for some pictures.

Behind one of the hotels, stumbled upon these seals sunning themselves. That's actually a bit of a stretch - there was no sun to be seen, but these guys didn't care.  They'd stretch lazily, groan, and settle back down in new warm spot on a rock.  They looked like grumpy old men killing time in a downtown square.

Finally, a look at some of the amazing flowers that California produces:

More to come - including dinner with Clint... .

Comments

[Doojie]

That building where the Del Monte Hotel is where my husband, Paul, and I were married. It now houses the chapel for the NPGS and the chaplain at the time married us there almost 13 years ago. What beautiful pictures.