I thought I would get a lot of writing done on our trip out to Carmel, CA this year. My expectations for the week were of quiet mornings watching the fog bank roll in from the ocean and blanket the beach and town while I clicked away on my keyboard. I tried to get up early to write, but every day I set my alarm for just a
liiiiittle bit later. And once I was up with my computer in front of me on a blue couch in the living room, coffee and conversation seemed to take precedence.
Carmel-by-the-Sea is a small beach town a few hours south of San Francisco tucked in the Monterey Bay next to famous golf courses like Pebble Beach and Cypress Point. Sunshine and heat are rare items here, which is a refreshing break from the constant beating known as 'Texas in the summer.' I'll take 65 over 100 degrees every single time, thank you very much.
I've been coming here since I was one year old, and I love it more each time. Carmel holds a special place in my heart. Maybe it's nostalgia -- memories of my grandfather on the beach or my grandmother baking pies in her rent house -- or perhaps it reminds me of a fairy tale land, where the temperature is entirely too cool for summer and the ocean can be seen, heard, and felt.
Last week was the only time this year when all the family was together. Having the five of us under one roof doesn't happen very often and I enjoyed every minute.
My week consisted of: three rounds of golf with the family (no, I did not play well, but I never lost my temper which is a feat in itself), a couple of beach fires, getting a drink at Pebble while watching my brother come in on the 18th, a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, some shopping in town, and lots of delicious food and wine.
As vacations tend to go, it was over before I knew it. Part of me wished I could stay there a bit longer, avoiding a job search and apartment hunt that will hopefully take me to Austin in the next few weeks. Sometimes it's easier to hide in a blissful beach town than to deal with my reality. But no, I must begin to face the music.
I left Carmel on Thursday bound for Santa Barbara for a friend's wedding (which I'll talk about in my next post!), and now I'm back in Dallas, sipping coffee in the lobby of a Holiday Inn Express because I missed my flight home last night. I'll board a plane for Abilene in a few hours, but all the while I'll be longing for overcast skies and cold sand between my toes.
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| Wine tasting on my last day with these two lovely people. |
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