California Vacation

This past Thursday, Pete and I had the unique pleasure of waking up in time to see the sunrise here in North Carolina, and then watching the sunset that evening over the Pacific Ocean.
And in between we had very fun, sight-full day! We arrived in San Francisco and spent several hours meandering around the city, seeing some of the touristy things. Then we drove down to Half Moon Bay, enjoying the coast, and the beautiful town there once we arrived. We stayed at a great Bed-and-Breakfast there (with some awesome ameneties!) and loved walking around and exploring.

For the rest of our stay in sometimes-sunny CA, we went to the best bed-and-breakfast we've ever been to: Chez Wray (aka John and Keiko's house). The Monterey/Pacific Grove area is beautiful this time of year (don't I sound like an expert from all of my many trips out there? No.... but all the locals were saying this was the best time to be there) and we saw plenty of sun and warm weather. But we also got a kick out of how fast the temperature can swing wildly -- just by driving 5 minutes in a particular direction! For instance, we drove down to Point Lobos State Park, and for the whole drive, and even as we went in through the entrance of the park, it was very warm and sunny. But then, suddenly, about 100 yards into the park, it got very foggy and chilly! (This happened BOTH times we went to this park) And by the time we were hiking out on the top of some of the cliffs by the water, it was downright freezing. As John says, you have to employ "modular dressing" out there - for the rest of us, this means "layering" your clothing.

John and Keiko graciously took us around to all their local sights: the Monterey aquarium, Cannery Row, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Pebble Beach, 17 Mile Drive, the Monarch Sanctuary, etc. And we ate quite well -- Keiko's homecooked meals, John's waffle specialty, and several yummy restaurants, including Dad's favorite place in the whole world: Stix, the bar/restaurant overlooking Pebble Beach golf course and the ocean. It was a delightful experience to have a whole weekend to be with just adults, having long conversations without interruptions, feeling free to make decisions without the pressure of a bedtime schedule, etc. I felt very free the whole time! Thanks to Mom and Dad, the kids at home were well cared-for and having a great time, so we just enjoyed ourselves -- and were very thankful.

Thanks, John and Keiko (and Mom and Dad), for a fantastic trip!