The birthday girls!
Here are some fun facts about Val's and my friendship:
Valarie was the first friend I made after I moved to DC! She and I met at a volunteer dinner before the Cherry Blossom Festival in March 2008. We found out our birthdays were just one day apart, and we've been friends ever since!
We both married older men... and they're both named Steve!
The picture that pops up on Val's phone when I text or call her makes me look like I'm picking her nose.
And lastly, if you didn't figure it out yet, we're goofy together!
Val and I have been planning this trip since May, so we had been excited for a while, and the day had finally come! My Steve and I rose early on Friday (yeah, just 6 days after the Volcano of Doom Debacle) and headed back to our home airport, Washington-Dulles! Whoever Steve calls to pick us up and take us to the airport, they're pretty great. They're always early, so we are never waiting for them--which is good, since we like to cut it close!
I desperately needed some coffee, and luck for us... a new Starbucks opened across from our gate! Woohoo! And we were off. The good thing about flights from the east coast to the west coast is that you really only lose a couple of hours, even though you're flying for about 5! We landed around 9:00 am and hit the road! Our rental car even had our name on it!
See that handsome man sitting in the driver's seat? =)
The drive from San Francisco to Monterey was a nice one, and surprisingly swift. I guess we beat the morning rush! We stopped for lunch downtown on Cannery Row, right on the water. It was a little chilly, but the food was good, and the views were beautiful, even on an overcast day!
We took a romantic stroll along the trail that goes through town, and eventually, the sun came out!
And we made some dolphin friends!
Time to check in! Val and her Steve were still on their way up from Camarillo, so my Steve and I made a stop at Trader Joe's for some weekend food essentials and found our Air BnB (like a house-sharing thing). We would have the two bed, one bath house to ourselves for the weekend! After putting away the groceries and settling in to rest for a while, Val and Steve arrived about 3:00 or so. It was a happy reunion! Steve and I had only seen them once since their wedding last year, so it was great to catch up!
The four of us drove to town to check it out (just a couple of miles away), and them made our way to Val's friend's house, just a couple of communities over. They have a beautiful farm! Their house is from the 1800s (I think she said maybe 1880s?), and though they've added on over the years, they've made a real effort to keep it antiquated and charming! If I'd had my wits about me, I would have taken a picture of their awesome kitchen! They even have an authentic stove that's over 100 years old!
Oh, and they have a dog friend!
So sweet! Dogs love my Steve, and my Steve loves all dogs!
And they have a swing!
Yes, Val had too much fun with that.
And so did we!
So fun. Her friends are originally from Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside of DC--what are the odds? Anyway, Val knows her from working at National Geographic. Maybe they were friends of friends, something like that. But they welcomed us like we were all old friends! So sweet.
After dinner, we pretty much headed right to bed. We're not really nightlife people. =)
Saturday! Time to run! There is a really nice running and biking trail through Monterey, called the Monterey Peninsula Recreational Trail. It goes through town and extends I don't know how far. But it was really nice to run by the shoreline! People were out there swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, and SCUBA diving. The water would definitely be too cold for me, but to each his own! It was so nice to run in a cool place with low humidity, though. I felt like I could go forever! But I stopped at 3.5 miles. =)
Back at the house, Val and her Steve had already showered and were ready and raring to go! Another of Val's friends was driving down from San Jose to meet us for brunch around 10, but he hit traffic (of course!), so we went ahead and ate while we waited for him.
There are a couple of things you need to know about Val and her Steve. Val likes to try her hand at EVERYTHING! She has crops in their backyard--avocados, oranges, blood oranges, lemons, key limes, sapotes, onions, tomatoes, and more! And they have chickens--hooray farm fresh eggs! The other thing is that her Steve is an amazing cook! We ate very well both mornings!
Val's friend, Brett, got there eventually, so Steve dutifully made him an omelette and we all got to know him! He has been living in Israel making olive oil-based soap using Old Testament ingredients. Val has the most interesting friends! He joined us for an afternoon at the world-renown Monterey Bay Aquarium and lunch at the famous Cindy's Waterfront Restaurant as well.
Something else you should know about Val is that she has a degree in marine biology, and she loves the cephalopods--those are the octopuses and such. We got an education going through an aquarium with her!
Don't forget: don't flash the octopus! Can you see his tentacles?
My favorite part of the aquarium was the "Open Sea" exhibit. There were all sorts of fish, but also hammerhead sharks and sea turtles! It was too dark for my pictures to come out well, though. You'll just have to go see them for yourself!
After a fun afternoon of sea creature time, we decided to get back to the car and head to the house to refresh ourselves. But it took long enough to get there taking the free trolley that we decided to go back to downtown instead because as soon as we got to the house, we'd have to turn around and come back anyway! So we headed to the Sardine Factory (Monterey got its start in the sardine business) to fill the gap until ghost tour time.
Sardines, anyone?
Mr. Peabody Pembroke had to get in on the sardine action.
Talk about some fine dining! I literally felt like I was on the Titanic, it was so over-the-top grandiose. I loved it! Do I wish we'd been in fancy clothes because I like to play dress-up? Sure. But we were treated with kindness and were well attended-to even in our touristy street clothes! I highly recommend it, even f you just get some appetizers and soup like we did.
And now... on to the ghost tour! After yet another negative experience with the complimentary trolley (they drove past us and announced over the PA, "Sorry, full!" Oh, and their 10-12 minutes between trolleys advertisement is totally false), we summoned Uber and got where we needed to go in about 6 minutes. Bam.
Being a ghost tour guide myself, I'm always interested to see how other cities and companies do their thing! Our guide was great. He was funny, and we drove from place to place instead of walking because sites are more spread out there than they tend to be on the East Coast. But the best part was his dog, Nugget! He looked like a dachshund mix to me, but I don't know dog varieties that well. However, I do know he was cute! And very well-behaved!
We saw some of the oldest sites in town, heard some tantalizing tales, and had great fun, but the story that stuck out to me most was the one about a "doctor" who actually poisoned people! The population of Monterey went down 40% each year he was in practice there! And as it turned out later, he actually wasn't a doctor at all, he just told people he was! There's a restaurant now in the house he used to live in called 1833 (the year this doctor showed up in town). Eat there if you dare!
Bedtime.
Good morning! Time for a run. I usually don't run two days in a row, but it was just so pleasant, and I felt really great, so I did it. And it was great! My Steve ran that morning, too, and on my way back to the house, Steve and I met in the middle, gave each other a mid-stride smooch, and continued on our respective runs! I thought it was cute. ;)
We met back up at the house with Val and her Steve, and he outdid himself with breakfast again! We had marinated steak breakfast tacos with ingredients from their urban farm again. Amazing! We readied our selves and checked out of the house, then set out to explore the famous 17-mile Drive on the coast!
These are just some of the beautiful seaside views!
We took our time and enjoyed it. There were seals and birds and cypress trees, the kind that only grow near seawater here in California! They're even called a California cypress.
We stopped briefly at Pebble Beach, but there was a bit of excitement upon our arrival... one of those famous California fires! Not to make light of it at all--it seems no one was actually hurt--but it seems an A/C unit caught fire on the roof. Several fire engines came out, guests were evacuated (and given perrier instead of water, of course), and the firemen took care of the problem.
We browsed around at the expensive shops and enjoyed the flowers and greenery (hotels and resorts can water more than most others in the state), then hopped back into Val's car and headed to beautiful, adorable Carmel-by-the-Sea! (AKA: Carmel)
It was getting on into the afternoon, so we needed to find some place for lunch. We found a cute little cafe on the most adorable little street you every did see! Clint Eastwood was the mayor for a few years, but it looks nothing like a Western town! There are trendy little shops and restaurants, a wonderful little lavender and scent shop called AJNE (we talked to the owner and her husband--so nice!), and there's even a Dr. Seuss art gallery! Made me think of my mama. She loves the Cat in the Hat! They had prints of the originals for sale!
After a delightful lunch and window shopping excursion, it was unfortunately time to head back to the house and pick up our rental car. For a long weekend trip, it sure was short! But then, time is always too short with good friends!
Val and her Steve headed on their way, and my Steve and I headed ours--back up to San Francisco! We had plenty of time to get there, and it's a good thing! We hit traffic on the way up. We planned to go to church that evening in San Jose, but those plans were thwarted with the hour-long traffic jam. :(
We made it to the San Francisco airport, wandered around until we figured out where to go (even seasoned travelers get lost and confused in the airport, especially when many would-be security lines are closed!), grabbed a couple of wraps for supper (because sometimes you just have to buy airport food), and waited for our flight to board.
So there we were, all settled in for the cross-country redeye flight:
He looks bright-eyed, but he was sleepy!
The flight back was uneventful (well, except for the screaming child in front of us who was, by the way, old enough to have his own seat). I didn't get any sleep on the plane but hey, what else is new? We both made it through Monday, and that was the goal!
Fore more pictures, click HERE!
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