The House on the Pebble Beach Knoll

 

Several years ago when I lived in Pebble Beach, my daily walks led me to this small cove. You've heard me talk about it in past posts. I called it "my beach" because it's where I went to reflect on life and death and everything in between. Overlooking the cove is a house on a small knoll. It stands alone and brave, quite close to the water,  and I always wondered about that house. Did someone still live there? Did they have ever water lapping at their back door in a bad storm? What was the history of that house on the sea?

Yesterday I was invited to a private lunch in Pebble Beach. My friend had told me the place can be hard to find so we met at one of the entrance gates to Pebble Beach and I followed her through winding roads to 17 Mile Drive. I was so excited when we drove past "my beach," but imagine my surprise when her car turned into the driveway for the house on the knoll! That is where our luncheon would be held. After all these years, the mystery was finally solved. It was raining when we arrived, and we hurried down the path to the front door, shook out our umbrellas, and stepped inside. The house had been turned into a private meeting place. No one currently lives there. Eventually I made my way to the back picture windows and snapped these pictures...

 The cove ("my beach") itself...

We enjoyed a delicious lunch of chicken, risotto, fresh vegetables, and martini glasses filled with chocolate mousse topped with raspberries and blueberries. Then we listened to an inspiring speaker. He is a prominent physician in the area and started out talking about the heart, but soon became philosophical and talked about how we can have fixed mindsets or growth mindsets. Fixed mindsets are held by those who say, "That's just the way I am," and think they can't or won't change.Growth mindsets are held by those who make mistakes but learn from them, who are willing to try new things, who say, "I can do this," when confronted with a challenge. He told the story about the British Tour de France team who, instead of saying "we're doing the best we can," tweaked everything they were doing just 1% more and went on to win the race. You can read more about that here. I hope I'm one of the people who are willing to learn things through my whole life!

By the time we all parted ways, the rain clouds had moved on and the sun was out. We walked past this fascinating sideways tree. The wind may blow, but the tree adapted.

 Even a little caterpillar came out to enjoy the sun.

Adjacent Pacific Grove is known as the Butterfly Town and I imagine this caterpillar will soon become a beautiful butterfly and join with others to add color and joy to the monarch habitat sanctuary. Enjoy reading about this special butterfly habitat and monarch migration here.

An Evening at Spanish Bay in Pebble Beach

 

Last month a friend and I attended a benefit for the Veterans Transition Center, and to our surprise we won some of the raffles we entered.  One of the items I won was a $100 gift certificate for dinner at Sticks restaurant at the Spanish Bay Inn in Pebble Beach.  Ash and Lys were home for the weekend so we decided to make it an evening and it was wonderful!  We arrived and walked down the flower bedecked entrance to the clubhouse.

Passing through the pro shop, we found seats around the firepits on the back deck -- just in time to watch the bagpiper make his nightly rounds.

 

The sun was shining, the ocean was glistening, the ocean breeeze brushed our skin, and the mesmerizing sound of the bagpipes mixed with waves crashing filled our ears.  After about 15 minutes, he walked away, over the hill, still playing a tune.  After the sound drifted away we found our way into the restaurant and were seated in the corner window with the view of the ocean.  I ordered the lemon chicken with potatoes and asparagus spears and was taken back when I realized the size of the portions!  But that did not deter us from ordering dessert!  Ash had the creme brulee which she said was delicious.  Lys and I had the skillet cooked chocolate chip cookie with ice cream and fruit on top.  Everything was melt in your mouth perfection!

After dinner, we took a walk to the beach, following partly paved, partly boardwalk paths.

 Spanish Bay Inn on the hill...

 

 Wildflowers bloomed along the way...

 

  

Pebbles at Pebble Beach...

 

When we lived in Pebble Beach several years ago, I walked down a golf course path every evening.  It came out at a small cove which I dubbed "my beach."  This place has tremendous meaning for me in my life.  This is where I went after my mom died, where I mourned, remembered, reflected, and fed my soul.  This is where I sat to figure out life, mediate, and center myself.  It will always hold a special place in my heart.

 Getting closer to "my beach"....

 The reflective waters of "my beach"...

We drove by the house where we used to live, not too far from Spanish Bay Inn, and I took these pictures of the path I walked.  This is directly behind the house where we lived -- where I walked out the door and started my daily walk to my beach....

 Often deer and fox are spotted in this area...

 Memories -- old and new -- made this a very special evening.

Life at the Sea - Part 2

Continuing our tour of the Monterey Bay area while our relatives visited last month, we spent a couple of days on the peninsula. We shopped in Carmel one day, finding all sorts of presents and keepsakes. The Tuck Box is one of our favorite examples of Carmel's quaint flavor, and you will find delicious preserves and scone mixes for sale there.

Then it was on to the 17 Mile Drive through Pebble Beach.

The Pebble Beach Lodge is elegant and relaxing.
Walking through the lounge and down the back steps of the Lodge you can step onto a grassy area where you can see golfers on the the Pebble Beach Golf Course. Very beautiful. Shelby has not yet learned golf etiquette, though, and ran down the slope to the fence you see below. Then she yelled up to my sister, "GRANDMA". Everyone was amused but the golfer trying to make his putt.
The Lone Cypress still stands tall.
I used to take contemplative walks to Bird Rock when we lived in Pebble Beach. A variety of birds and sea lions live there.