Marc-and-Carol-at-Carmel-by-the-Sea

Our latest hang-out is Carmel-by-the-Sea, just down the road from Pebble Beach, for all you golf enthusiasts. Carmel-by-the-Sea has a few-too-many-hyphens-for-Carol-and-Marc, but it's their town and I guess they can do what they want with it. Truth be told, however, we are really enjoying ourselves here amongst the millionaires. We splurged a bit and chose a really nice B&B, Edgemere Cottages, just one block from the beach.

The garden at Edgemere B&B, as seen from our apartment.

Marc and Carol living the good life in the garden.

We spent our first full day here hiking in Point Lobos State Reserve. We didn't hike every trail, but we gave it a good try. It was stunningly beautiful. Wait. Didn't I write that about Big Sur? That's our vacation - one stunningly beautiful vista after another.

On the North Shore Trail at Point Lobos.

Devil's Cauldron, Point Lobos (Not for the thoughtful canoist).

Monterey Cypress at Point Lobos

Carmel (I'll skip all the dashes; you know what I'm talking about) is a bit like Brigadoon. You step out of the real world when you turn off Route 1 to enter this idyllic community. There are more cutesy shops and restaurants per capita than anyplace I've ever been to. And the art galleries! How many art galleries should one village have? In my humble opinion, the answer is about one-fourth the number that clutter this town. I don't profess to know a lot about art; but I know what I like, as they say. Somehow, the zillion galleries in Carmel don't have anything that I like. Surprisingly, it's not off-putting, however. It's just so darned pleasant to stroll around town.

And actually I found a photography gallery that was full of exceptional works (even better than mine). I could have picked up a remarkable framed black and white or two for a thousand dollars, or magnificent color photo for only five thousand. But, you know, the shipping is just such a hassle.

We start our mornings with a walk along the shore before breakfast.

After our day at Point Lobos, we spent a day in Monterey, visiting the Monterey Aquarium and a small gallery featuring some wonderful mid-twentieth century California paintings and a small but impressive photography exhibit. After seeing the photos, I wanted to just go back to my computer and delete all of my pictures.

The Monterey Aquarium was very nice, but after all the hype, we were a little let down. Our hostess at the B&B, Gretchen, gave us free passes, saving us $60! That eased the disappointment for us.

The jellyfish exhibit was spectacular.

More amazing than the jellyfish, for me, was the dragon seahorse exhibit.

The dining is Carmel is very good. Gretchen serves a fine full breakfast, and the restaurants don't disappoint (if you spend a little time researching; there are as many restaurants as art galleries). Here's a big surprise: be prepared to spend a lot to eat out here.

Today was a kick-back-and-relax-in-Carmel-by-the-Sea-day. Rain moved in from the sea, so it's just as well. Tomorrow, Carol returns to the world of work, and I head south for Joshua Tree National Park. I hope to be able to blog, if my campsite has wi-fi. Stay tuned.