August 19, 2011

Here it is: Friday already.  Still haven't seen the sun in two days and it's probably not gotten out of the 50s. VERY nice.

So, we went into Monterey to find a book store so that Jay could get something to read.  Believe it or not, there just aren't too many book stores anymore.  But we found a Borders with a going out of business sale at Del Monte Center.  Jay bought two books and was happy.

Then we drove over to Pacific Grove and guess what!  The flags were flying - the hot dog stand is open!

We had an interloper or two PRAYING we'd drop something.

He had lots of friends scurrying about but this guy was very cool.
Jay ordered and delivered our lunch and was it ever good.

Jay's is on the upper left - we shared the fries and didn't finish them.  Jay was a very happy fella!

We did a little running around and stopping about but nothing photo-worthy.

We spend an hour or so back at The Tickle Pink before heading out to dinner.  No Wine Hour for us today.  We headed back to Mission Ranch for dinner.  It's kind of crowded on the Friday of Race Weekend but we were able to get in and had a lovely dinner - just the two of us.

Afterward, we walked down toward the meadow and tried to entice the sheep, but they were pretty much oblivious.  That's the restaurant in the background.

And here's Jay - very patiently waiting for me to stop fooling with my camera and the sheep.  He's pretty much of a saint!

The above photo is the lane back up to the restaurant and Mission Ranch proper.   The tennis courts are to the right and there are also several cottages over there.  We used to stay here back in the late 80s when it was $40 a night, but then Clint Eastwood bought it because he liked the tennis courts and they redid all the accommodations.  Believe me, it's not $40 a night anymore.  In the meantime, 18 years ago we found The Tickle Pink and love it and the friends we've made there.

So, we're back 'home' for the night and all scrubbed and ready for bed.  We don't know yet what we're going to do on Saturday but I know Domenico's will be at the end of the day.

Merry Christmas!

August 18, 2011

First of all, Happy Birthday, Matt!

After a late breakfast, Jay and I drove up PCH1 to Moss Landing to meet his sister, Diane.  She lives in Palo Alto, lucky gal!  We had a lovely time chatting and playing catch up.  Here are Jay and Diane after lunch.

Afterward, we walked over to a little pier where dozens of sea lions loll about.  I'm sure on some days, they bask in the sun, but we never saw the sun at all today.

After bidding Diane farewell and hugs [we missed you, Karen, and hope you feel better], we headed back to Carmel.  There had been a parade/rally of antique cars today but [in my humble opinion] if you've seen one old Packard, Bentley or the like, you've seen them all.  All the cars that were in the rally/parade today will be at Pebble Beach on Sunday and we'll get to see them and more.

A few other couples showed up at The Tickle Pink, Bob and Beth from San Diego; the Blindermans from Oklahoma; and Jerry Peterson and friend from Atlanta.  Pretty much the usual crowd.

After a quick glass of wine, Jay and I ran into town for a bite to eat after which we tried to find a book store to no avail.  Hopefully, we can find one tomorrow as Jay's finished his book and is in dire need of reading material.  He tried out my Kindle and is kind of leaning toward getting one.  Maybe Santa will bring him one.

We now were back at The Tickle Pink, all scrubbed and ready to climb into bed.

I posted a video of the sea lions on Facebook and tried to add it to this post, but it seemed to be taking forever so I bailed.

So, goodnight for now.  More tomorrow.

August 17, 2011 The Case of the Missing Fudge

As predicted, today was a very lazy day.  After a latish [for us] breakfast on the deck, we drove into Monterey where I bought a really cute pair of tennies and three pairs of socks at Del Monte Mall. Woo Hoo!  Then, we went over to Cannery Row and Jay bought a little something for a friend.  We were going to go to the Fudge Shop and get fudge for Jay and a caramel apple for me but we both were strong and walked right past the store. 

We drove by the hot dog stand and the flags were flying but since we'd eaten a late breakfast, neither of us had an appetite - we'll try again on Friday.

Jay's reading a book which he's really enjoying and I'm reading Save Me so we decided to laze out on the deck.  Well, that lasted about 10 minutes as the marine layer was in and the temperature was about 56, which with sun, would have been perfect.  So, we read indoors until it was time for the Wine Hour.

Here are two pots of flowers that are on the Wine / Breakfast Deck.  Everywhere you turn here, there are pots or boxes of bright flowers:

 Jan and Bob joined us on the deck and we had a glass of wine and shared our "day" with each other.  We were going to go our separate ways for dinner but decided at the last minute to walk down the hill to the Highlands Inn.  Nice food but great company.

And herein lies [da da da dum] The Case of the Missing Fudge.  Jan purchased fudge yesterday and after their long day, she retired early - well, earlier than Bob.  She woke this morning to [cue the violins] Missing Fudge!  Bob has no recollection of eating the fudge and Jan, of course, was asleep.  Scotland Yard might be called to investigate.  Today, Jan bought more fudge and has hidden it.  We'll see tomorrow if the new fudge goes missing.  Ah, where's Jessica Fletcher when you need her?

Time to head to bed.  Did I mention the bed has NINE pillows?  Cozy!

Ciao!

August 16, 2011 Carmel

What a night!  We slept under blankets and comforters with the balcony door wide open and it was FABulous!  We were lucky enough to awake to a lovely marine layer this morning so after a hearty breakfast, jackets were required.  Mid-August and jackets!  Sounds great!

Today was the Carmel Concours on the Avenue - Ocean Avenue for those who know Carmel.  This is a fairly new event so it's not overly crowded as the other events are.  We ran into some friends from years past and saw some lovely vintage cars:

We arrived around 9:30 a.m., grabbed coffee and toured Ocean Avenue for a couple of hours. The most amazing thing about Carmel is the plant life that is so abundant.  There are flowering plants everywhere but the succulents just thrive here.  Here are just a few examples:

After the Concours, we went over to Seaside just up the coast a few miles, so that Jay could shop an Automobilia Show.  I read a couple chapters of Save Me and was quite happy doing so.  He bought a couple of old California racing posters for the garage.

Again we tried the hot dog stand at Lover's Point in Pacific Grove and again the flag did not fly.  We're not giving up and will try again.

We drove out to Carmel Valley and thought about stopping for a bite to eat but by this time it was nearly 2:30 and we had dinner plans and didn't want to spoil our appetites.  So, we headed back to The Tickle Pink where we'd been moved to our home - Room 10.  Oh so good to be home.  I unpacked and put all things in their proper places while Jay read on the edge of the deck.

We joined Bob and Jan again on the deck for Wine Hour but left rather early to go to the Mission Ranch for dinner.  This place used to be a working creamery and now there are sheep in the meadow but no cows anywhere.

On the other side of this meadow is Carmel Bay.  And they say California cows are happy.  Don't try and tell me these sheep aren't ecstatic!

I ordered my favorite - filet with fresh shredded horseradish on top.

Sweet mother of pearl, this was good.  My plate was nearly clean, leaving most of the potatoes.  We tried to stay until the sheep were herded but it got too dark and they were gone by the time we got outside.

So after a wonderful meal with wonderful people . . .

we headed back to The Tickle Pink to rest up for another day in paradise.

We've not got much planned for tomorrow [Wednesday], so I might not post an entry.  However, if anything exciting happens, I'll let you know.  I forgot to bring my tennies so may run over to Macy's in Monterey to get a pair.  Sandals are NOT recommended on Sunday as we must trek through the pine forest to get the Pebble Beach for the Concours d'Elegance.  I've experienced pine needles in the toe and it's not fun.  Shoes are recommended.

So, until I post again . . . in a day or two.

Hugs!

August 15, 2011 - Carmel

Ah, a good night's sleep in a quiet hotel with TERRIFIC Wi-Fi and a wonderful breakfast!  Thank you Hampton Inn Bakersfield AGAIN.  After our lovely breakfast, we headed west at about 8:10 a.m.  We drove up CA 5 through the San Joaquin Valley which is cram packed with lovely fruits, vegetables and nuts growing all over the place.  We saw cauliflowers being picked and packed right there in the field.  I wish I could have gotten a photo, but traffic was moving at a quick pace.

One of the things that caught my eye was the fact that there are dozens of double bin trucks carrying nothing but plum tomatoes.  I tried to catch a shot:

Please ignore the splatter of bug juices on the windshield.  It just couldn't be helped.  I'll bet we passed over 20 of these types of trucks.  There was one double bin truck full of garlic and the aroma was wonderful.  Also, just one double bin truck of onions.  The makings of a terrific marinara sauce, if you ask me.

The California Aqueduct is a system of streams, rivers and canals that runs from the Sierra Nevada Mountains down to Southern California delivering much-needed irrigation in this dry land.  It's quite amazing as you can see it from time to time from The Five.  This is one of the many pumping stations along the way:

Once we got onto the Monterey Peninsula, the temperatures plummeted to the low 60s.  We drove over to Lover's Point in Pacific Grove to our favorite little dive but the flag wasn't up [the only indication this surfer/hot dog griller is working] so we'll have to try again to get our hot dog fix. 

We drove along the coast and stopped a few times just to drink in the beauty and coolness.  This is a shot from Lover's Point toward Monterey:

We walked around Carmel a little so Jay could get his coffee and cinnamon crispies at the Carmel Coffee Company.  Stopped at the local grocery store for a few items and then off to The Tickle Pink.  We checked in but not into our usual Room 10.  We're a day early so we're in Room 11 tonight and then back home to Room 10 tomorrow.  That's been our room for 18 years.

We met Bob and Jan at the Wine Hour on the Deck as we've done for years.  The interesting thing this year was that one table away from us was a couple from McKinney - Rick and Dina, and another table away was a couple from Fort Worth.  First timers and lovely folks.  After a couple of hours of chatting and sharing tips about the area, we parted ways.  Bob and Jan and Jay and I went into town to Sea Harvest and had some tremendous fresh seafood.  Bob's been coming here for over 30 years; Jan for over 20; and Jay and I for 18 to the Tickle Pink, but 23 to Carmel.  Bob and Jan live in Austin and we're bound and determined to get together between our visits to Carmel.  Here are Bob and Jan:

They're good folks and great fun to be with.

Plans for Tuesday include the Concours on the Avenue in Carmel and other car-related fun stuff [for Jay]. 

So that's it for today.  It's always great to be here.

August 14, 2011 - Bakersfield

Great Googily Moogily, today was a very long day.  After a dismal experience in ABQ, we left town at 6:50 local time.  Breakfast at the hotel was NOT as expected, but after making Jay his waffle, I had a banana with cream cheese.  I'm so used to more protein but did what I could.

Jay let. me drive from Flagstaff to the California border.  WOW, what a car!  Very nice and very powerful.  So after gassing up the car at the last Arizona gas station, we headed across the Mojave Desert.  Jay wanted to go to Bakersfield, but that was way too far so we compromised [I thought] on Barstow.  About 50 miles east of Barstow both lanes of westward traffic came to a complete halt.  It's the Mojave Desert!  It's barren!  It's freaking HOT!  And the line of cars and trucks as far as the eye could see at a complete standstill.  The view out my passenger window:

The view directly in front of our car:

After about 20 minutes, I ventured out of the car to see what I could see:

Not a whole heck of a lot.  Jay spoke with another motorist who recommended getting off I-40 and taking old 66 but when we inched our way to the exit, the jam appeared to be clearing up.  We stayed on I-40 and after another 30 minutes or so [total of about an hour], we were out of the mess. 

So I thought Jay would be about ready to pull into a hotel in Barstow but NO, he had his heart set on Bakersfield so on we went.  We got to Bakersfield at a little after 6:00 local time, checked in, stowed our gear, and walked two blocks to a Roadhouse where we each had a lovely adult beverage and a protein filled meal.

Believe me, Jay's proud and happy to be sipping his scotch and he absolutely deserved it.  I, on the other hand, enjoyed my Cosmo completely.

We're now in our jammies - Jay's eating the brownie Malu, the Concierge, gave him.  The internet is fine and dandy and I'm happy with that.

Tomorrow, we'll be in Carmel in time for lunch.  We can't wait for the cooler weather.  Bakersfield is HOT but dry.  ;0)

'Night all.

August 13, 2011 - Albuquerque

We drove out the driveway at 5:15 a.m. just as it started to rain.  Sure, we leave town and it rains!  Jay was Champ of the World as he drove for two hours in a downpour.  Finally the sun came up and it just sprinkled for another hour.  Props to Jay!


We stopped in Amarillo for a quick bite to eat and then continued westward.


We arrived in ABQ at 2:30 local time, checked into out hotel and rested for a while.  Yes, I watch a lot of Food Network and Cooking Channel and a few months ago, the United States of Taste [I think] did a show on fries.  One of the segments was at Lumpy's Burgers in ABQ.  Since it was filmed in the kitchen, I had no idea what to expect.  Here it is:

You walk up to this window, pick up a brown paper bag with the menu printed on it, make your selections with a crayon, choose your potato [either Idaho or sweet], put the potato in the bag, hand it to the cashier with the money and wait ten minutes for your name to be called.  Seating is outside, thankfully under a "shelter" of some sort.  Our name is called - well, Jay's name is called.  He retrieves the bags.  Here is mine:

Yes, that's grease on the white bag from the fries.  This is what's inside my bag:

No, it's not paleo/primal; yes, it was HUGE; and yes, DE LISH!!!  Neither one of us could finish our meal.  But it sure was a fun experience and I even bought a T-shirt!


So, then we came back to our hotel where they offer FREE WI-FI.  Okay, not so much.  I called the desk and asked if the internet was working - he said "it's working perfectly."  I told him it wasn't working in our room and he said he'd check it out.  I called back after 10 or 15 minutes since it still wasn't working.  He said he'd check.  I threw up my hands and went to Plan B.  I'd bought an AT&T Air Card JUST IN CASE and I'm so glad I did.  It works like a champ.  I'll probably use it again tomorrow and perhaps even at The Tickle Pink as sometimes their access isn't speedy.


So, there's our first day.  Jan emailed me - she and Bob are from Austin - letting us know that they're there on the deck of The Tickle Pink and it's 61 degrees!  Ah, hopefully, we'll be there Monday afternoon.


Ciao for now!