Carmel by the Sea

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Today Geri and Cindy had the good idea of going south on the peninsula to Carmel. We even gave Blake enough advance warning that he was able to clear his schedule and come with us. And it was lucky for all of us Blake came. Blake is the official San Francisco Bay Area tour guide. He loves it. If I would have been the one driving we would have went the fastest way on the busiest interestate, ended at our destination, executed the planned events, then turned around and headed home. Not Blake. He gave them their money's worth. A simple trip to Carmel started out with a stop at the Santa Cruz boardwalk. Unfortunately, the rides were closed for the winter so we made our way over to the arcade where Max played some Bust-a-Move (yes, family, when Tony comes home he will be a DDR and Bust CHAMP!), Blake had a chili-cheese dog, and we all had Estrella give us our fortunes. Crazy enough, Estrella predicted that Friday the 13th is a very bad day for me. Eeek. After Santa Cruz we continued south to Monterey's Cannery Row. We walked around and grabbed a bite to eat. When our stomachs were stuffed full we started the highlight of the trip, the 17-mile drive. Beautiful. The water was such a deep blue and the waves were crashing so high. And not only did we have the natural beauty to look at, but also the amazing houses. We had to stop multiple times to get the information sheets on the houses for sale. We ended up in Carmel where we walked around and looked at the shops. Everyone fell in love with Carmel as we drove through town looking at the shops, houses, and perfect views. Well, except me. Again, that's why I'm glad Blake came along. He took us on a real-estate tour of Carmel until we were so lost we finally asked two women walking along the side of the road how to get out of town. The weather was so nice the entire day, perfect for getting out of the city. Thanks Geri and Cindy for the good idea! We can't wait to rent our beach house (we found the perfect one by the way) and spend some more time exploring Carmel.