For the Love of Walking

Last fall, about this time, a strained Achilles tendon brought me tumbling down. It bordered on incapacitating on the severely painful "bad days." Physical therapy, twice daily icing, special shoe insoles, and anti-inflammatory medicine allowed me to limp through my days. The doctor wanted me to stay off my feet as much as possible, which was nearly impossible since I work, but I tried. It took months for it to improve to the point where I could resume a regular walking program. For the rest of my life I plan to do the stretching exercises and be cautious about over-doing it. I hope to never go through that again!

Now that I'm back in a daily walking routine, I am so grateful for this simple pleasure! Walking out the front door, admiring neighborhood gardens, sometimes with earbuds plugged into my iTunes, sometimes just enjoying the silence of nature, my mind is free to wander. Some days I count my blessings. Some days I mull over things that are bothering me, turning over possible solutions. Some days my mind is pretty blank and I don't even know what I'm thinking about! The birds and squirrels provide entertainment, flitting from tree to tree, and I watch the interplay of sun and lacy tree branch shadows.

Some weekend mornings I leave early and head for Carmel. There I can walk the path above the beach, listening to the rhythm of the waves, greeting other walkers and joggers, inhaling that familiar smell of salty ocean water. This is where I was a couple weeks ago when I took these pictures and where I'll be going tomorrow morning.

 

 

There was even an artist out, paintbrush in hand, capturing the beauty of the scene in the morning light.

I feel so fortunate to live in such a magical place!

"Smell the sea, and feel the sky,

Let your soul and spirit fly."

~ Van Morrison

Spring Slide Into Summer

Lest you think I dropped off the face of the earth, here in brief are some of the things that have been filling my days as spring slipped into summer.

My daughters' place in San Francisco is my home away from home and I've spent three weekends and various just-for-the-day visits there so far this year.  One weekend we walked out the front door and down a few blocks to a farmer's market to pick up delicious fruits and veggies.

We breakfasted at a cute little crepe cafe with such fabulous food there was a line to get in.  Decisions, decisions....

Another time we went to a One Republic Concert at Shoreline Amphitheater.  It was the perfect night!  Daylight surrounded us when we arrived, but turned to twilight and soon we were "Counting Stars" (One Republic fans will understand that one!).  Loved how the tent over the stage blended with the sky as dusk fell.

 

One Republic was great -- very talented musicians, and we noticed they seem to appeal to many age groups.

Then there was the Giants game at AT&T Park a couple of weeks ago!  

 We walked through the Willie Mays Gate

 

 and found our seats, up high but with a beautiful view of the bay...

 and the famous coke and glove made for a "giant."

We are enthusiastic Giants fans and were tickled to see 

legendary Stan Lee throw the first ball (below).  

We happened to be seated in a section across from a traveling group of 400 Mets fans who were soooo loud and quite honestly rather obnoxious throughout the game.  Could hardly hear ourselves think for the ruckus they raised.  The Giants trailed behind throughout the game and they were not going to let us forget it.  However, in the 9th inning, our boys passed up the Mets and won the game.  I confess, the victory was even sweeter given what we had to put up with throughout the game.

Besides the usual reading ,writing and speech "therapying," other things that have filled my time as spring slipped into summer included...

~Going hat shopping in Carmel with a friend at the Carmel Hat Shop (just click on the link and take a virtual visit), then wearing them to dine al fresco at Forge in the Forest 

~Speaking at a June Tea event and wearing my new hat!

~Spending time with friends and family

~Attending the photography club and becoming enthused about becoming a more skilled photographer!

~Enjoying fresh flowers that I've had the pleasure of receiving from various friends and occasions

~Savoring fresh fruits and salads, appreciating exercise routines, and lining up those tiresome but necessary dentist and doctor checkups

~Enjoying my doggies and my kitties.  Although unrelated, since Scarlet was a baby kitten when I brought her home she thought Violet was her mama. Violet rose to the occasion and has been very maternal toward her, snuggling and grooming her. You have to admit, they're adorable.

 

 Such are the days of our lives!

Carmel Beach and Mission

 

Carmel beckoned Lys and me to her beaches yesterday afternoon.  We took a nice walk along the path overlooking the ocean, where the smell of salt air and rhythm of the ocean waves greeted us in full spring glory.

The waters were filled with surfers, the sand dotted with kite flyers, dog walkers, and picnics.  Looking north, Pebble Beach jutted out into the bay....

 

 

We loved the cypress trees providing peek-a-boo views...

glimpses of wildflowers....

and were especially excited to spot a hummingbird enjoying these beautiful purple blossoms, just three feet away from us...

 Can you see the hummer right in the middle of the photo below?

Across the road were houses with magnificent ocean views.  This house caught our eye, capturing the fairy tale cottage feel, typical of Hugh Comstock's architecture from the 1920's.  You see these lovely storybook homes and shops sprinkled throughout Carmel.

Finishing our walk, we started home and as we came upon the Carmel Mission, decided to stop for an impromptu walk through the mission.  The mission was built in the 1770's.  Gracing the grounds are pretty gardens and nooks and crannies with statues of Father Junipero Serra, the head of the mission in the 1770's.

 

Friends of our's were married in this old, historic church several years ago....

 I remembered the bride walking down this aisle....

Continuing the tour through the old mission rooms, we found the bedrooms and salon, 

with the Spanish architecture touches.

 

 Outside again, the courtyard provided a better view of the bell tower.

 

 

And then it was time to head home at last.  Have you re-discovered treasures in your own backyard lately?

A Little Carmel and San Francisco History

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, I'm participating in this year's NANOWRIMO contest and my novel is moving along. 50,000 words in 30 days requires consistency and the ability to scream down the "inner editor" who pops up to tell you that you're writing rubbish.  After all, the idea is to produce a very rough draft of a novel during the month of November.  I successfully passed the half way point, both calendar-wise and word count-wise.  Now I need to pour it on for the last half of the book.  My novel is historical fiction, set during the turn of the 20th century in San Francisco and Carmel.  This requires some research on my part -- how did they get around at that time? What forms of communication did they have?  How did they dress?  Carmel has always been rather Bohemian, a place for artists and writers to gather.  And of course, the great earthquake of San Francisco occurred in 1906, and it will have a role in my novel.

Ocean Avenue is the main drag leading from Highway 1, through downtown Carmel, and ending at the Pacific Ocean.  We lived in Carmel for a time, in a house tucked in the copse of trees near the top left of the photo below.  I have walked from our house there, down Ocean Avenue to the stores.  It's lovely, but a bit steep going home.  This photo is from 1905.  Note the horse and buggy. 

I took the photo below earlier this year.  It is the same section of Ocean Avenue, but looking from the opposite direction, in other words looking down the hill rather than up the hill.  What struck me were the trees they planted down the middle of Ocean Avenue!  They have grown majestically.  The first tree on the other side of the bell you see below is used as the town's Christmas tree each year.  It has been a tradition in our family to go to the town Christmas Tree Lighting, and we have attended Carmel's and Monterey's in years past. 

As any San Franciscan knows, while the quake created extensive damage, it was the fires that broke out afterwards that really caused major destruction.  In doing my research, I found a map that showed how far reaching the fire extended.  Can you find the Ferry Building toward the bottom of the map with the clock tower?  It is the same clock tower I took a picture of in my last post on November 12th.

Besides serving as a ferry station, the Ferry Building now houses an active marketplace, restaurants, and office spaces.  It survived the Great Earthquake of 1906.

It is always interesting to find familiar places on old maps, like where my daughters currently live and work in the city.  San Francisco. Monterey. and Carmel have such rich histories and writing about them reminds me of why I love living here, earthquakes and all.

Summer to Fall

Beautiful weekend here!  Sunny, clear and 79 degrees.  All the windows have been flung open and I'm enjoying a gentle breeze and the sound of birds in the trees.  We have many song birds in the trees around our house.  When my sister visited once, she even asked me if I had "one of those recordings of bird songs!"   Today I decided to dress up my front door a little so hung up this pretty autumn wreath.  Just the color it needed.

Ash and Lys were home last weekend and we had such a nice time together.  Saturday night we went to Carmel and took in "Peter Pan" at the outdoor Forest Theater.  This is a family tradition that we started when the girls were young, and though we laughed that they graduated from fruit punch to glasses of wine, we still enjoy being out in the forest by the bonfires, supporting our community thespians.

They didn't allow photography during the performance, but I snapped this photo of the pirates during the pre-show songs so you capture the flavor of the night a little.

 

 So far September has been a wonderful month!

Carmel's Casanova!

One of the greatest treats about living a half hour from Carmel-by-the-Sea is exploring all the nooks, crannies, shops and restaurants hidden in the side streets.  Wednesday I met my friend Jackie at Casanova's for lunch -- it was a glorious day and we had such a wonderful time!

We felt most welcome!

So many details to soak in!

I love the old European atmosphere!

We were seated in one of the inside patios...

...next to a fountain with the enchanting sound of trickling water.

Van Gogh's Table room is a small room for private dining, sequestered by old doors. This is the actual table Vincent van Gogh  ate at while residing at Auberge Ravoux in Auvers-Sur-Oise, an artist's village, near Paris.

Wine in an old tub

The Wine Cellar...

...and veggies by the bin.

An old stone sink ~ and interesting mosaic tile work above.

Some of the details... lace on the doors and windows, windows peering into other rooms, scarves over the lamps, and water brought to your table in glass carafes.

I imagine talented hands find that accordion to entertain guests with a song from time to time!

A nice walk through town on my way back to my car, took me past the Carmel Fire Station.

Leaving my beloved Carmel, via Ocean Avenue.  I used to live just four blocks from this arch.  I'll be back soon!

Enjoy my pictures, BUT to experience the real ambiance of Casanova's go on a TOUR with the video on their website:  Casanova's!  (Double click to see it on your full screen and really enjoy the details!)