I Guess the Honeymoon is Over Now

Roughly 42.5 years ago we set off on our honeymoon.  We were heading to Monterey, California, in my parent's station wagon, pulling their pop-up camper.  Yes, it was sooo romantic and the reason I do not like camping to this day!  On that road trip we made it as far as Denver, Colorado and were thrilled to be there.  We drank icy cold Coors beer, when it was only available in Colorado.  I read Franny and Zoe in the sunshine next to the lake at a beautiful campground.  Those were the days my friend!  Fast forward 42.5 years and we have finally made it to Monterey, California!  I guess the honeymoon is over.

Wedding flowers for our honeymoon!

We are in California, biding our time...alone...together, until we can safely unite with our daughter and her husband for Christmas and the birth of their first child.  As we drove down to the cute little town of Pacific Grove in Monterey County, we laughed at the fact that this was our end goal on our honeymoon all those years ago.  I had seen pictures and read about the Pacific Coast highway drive down to Big Sur all those years ago and thought it looked like a place I would love to see.  I was right!  As we passed the rocky coast it took my breath away... and it wasn't even a beautiful day.  I quickly checked the forecast for the next sunny day!

Someone left a poinsettia for a touch of Christmas.
Welcome to the Pacific Coast!

In our "quarantine" we scheduled a few rounds of golf.  A good socially distant activity to pass the time and one of the very few things open in California right now.  There are some amazing golf courses here!  I thought to myself that if we had indeed made it out here 42.5 years ago we would not have been able to afford even a sandwich, much less a round of golf, at the golf courses here and now we can, but they aren't selling food!  If we had made it here back then, we could have eaten out but couldn't have afforded more than a pizza and today we could afford almost any meal but no restaurants are open.  Funny how the world works isn't it?  Through it all one thing remains...the rocky coast, crashing waves and mountains are all breathtakingly beautiful!  You don't need money to see them and a pandemic doesn't close them.  

Point Lobos State Reserve

Today, TJ decided to take the ride of a lifetime.  He rode his bike down the Pacific Coast highway from Monterey to Big Sur.  Another acceptable activity.  He left at 8 a.m. in the chill of the coastal morning air.  Our plan was for me to drive down later and meet him in Big Sur.  I planned to take my time driving down...with my camera for company.  I went to Point Lobos State Reserve, and did a couple of short hikes along the coast.  Yes, my masked breath was taken away!  I knew I would love this place and I was right.  I was brought to tears by the magnificence of it all.

Heading out for the ride of his life!

Keeping a safe distance and enjoying the view!

I share this with you, not to boast, but with the ultimate gratitude, appreciation and hope that someday you will visit this place or another you find as beautiful.  My day was filled with prayers for my family, our world and thankfulness for the beauty of this earth.  It is hard to not feel guilty surrounded by such beauty when there is so much turmoil in our world, but it is also hard to have it outside your door and not go out and appreciate it.  Especially when it took 42.5 years to get here!  

In spite of the pandemic, I think the end of our honeymoon was worth waiting for!  

And because I only took a hundred...some more pictures....of the end of our honeymoon.

Sunset in Pacific Grove

Pinch me!  Golf at the Links at Spanish Bay

Socially distant selfie with my sister-in-law

When the sun direction is working against you...or was it?

  The Bixby Creek Bridge.  TJ said he owned the middle of his lane while crossing this one!
And the sun direction did not cooperate...again!

The view from the other side...much better!

Reminded me a bit of the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia!

Then I got crafty with barbed wire.

The big picture

It was not hard to stay distant here...
the streets and sidewalks officially rolled up at 5 pm

We Have Opened Pandora's Box

I have a new respect for bloggers who are able to write while on the road.  I have such good intentions but somehow never seem to get it done.  This was written a couple of weeks ago.  The fine tuning had not been done until tonight.  At this point it is old news, my apologies.  Still, I figure why not set it free into the blog sphere, it does have some exciting news if you give it some time! 

Because we all need a break in this pandemic to pretend that life is normal I bring you this post.  If you are like me, you will read this and wish you too lived in a house near the ocean with blue skies and peaceful waters.  Unless you already do and then lucky you.  Before we went to California a couple of weeks ago, I had the occasional pity party looking out the same windows at the same trees and the same sidewalks while I just knew there were people in the world who get to live in places that look like postcards.  I mean if you have to self isolate wouldn't it be nicer to do it in a house on a hill with a view of the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other?  Just saying.

If I lived here this would be the view from my closet window.

Enter youngest daughter and husband.  They moved back to the states from Berlin the day before the international border was closed in March.  It was good timing on their part.  They moved to his parents' house in California, quarantined for 2 weeks, and both started looking for new jobs....amidst a growing pandemic.  Not so perfect timing.  Fast  Slow forward to June, they needed a change of air.  I volunteered to rent a house, near the ocean, and give them some "space" for a week.  It was not a totally altruistic offer.  We also needed to change the air which meant they would be trading one set of parents for another.  Win some, lose some.

On June 20th we risked flying and headed to sunny California for a week.  It was surreal.  Aside from the whole flying thing, being in California felt indulgent....and so nice.  I cannot tell a lie, it was a real escape.  An escape from just making it from one day to the next.  It was an escape from the past 3 months.  It was and escape for my senses, visually, emotionally and physically.  To feel the dry, cool air and breathe it in was heavenly.  Unless you live in the south... you have no idea how oppressive the summer air can be, not just for a week here and there but for months and months with no respite.  I soaked up the California air for that week.

We hiked up to this lookout on our second day
and were treated to whale sightings and this view.

For a whole week, our days were spent exploring nature.  What else does one do when trying to distance from other people?  We hiked, we played golf, we took scenic drives to places we had only read about.  We did our best to stay to ourselves and we were perfectly happy.  One day we drove to Carmel by the Sea.  TJ and I left on our honeymoon 42 years ago in my parents station wagon pulling a pop up camper and were heading to California.  I wanted to see Carmel by the Sea.  We had high hopes....and a low sense of reality.  We made it to Colorado Springs and once we parked that camper next to the lake at the campground and I tasted the ice cold Coors beer, we decided to just "stay on".  We never made it to Carmel so I decided we really needed to check that box now.

Our expert tour guide aka our son-in-law, gave us a great tour, we saw Carmel (worthy) and then Pebble Beach golf course and drove the 17 mile drive.  All in a lovely day.  We also walked around Monterrey, which in non COVID times I would love to visit again!

The water in Monterrey

That is our table for lunch in Carmel.  Perfect!

Apparently the wind from the ocean does this to the trees.  Very cool!

After our trip I promptly went home and planted my own bougainvillea !
They are just beautiful!

along the 17 mile drive

We all really enjoyed our break from reality.  Sometimes in order to maintain sanity, you just have to shut off the news, grab your mask, go for a hike or a walk and try to put things in perspective.  We were so glad we had this opportunity.  One other driving motivation to make this trip was to see our daughter and son-in-law and congratulate them and celebrate the fact that they are expecting a baby in January!!!  I have waited several long months to be able to share this exciting news!  Everyone is so happy for them!  In the midst of Covid and the challenges facing our country, the promise of new life is a true blessing!

We flew back to Texas and stayed home for a couple of weeks just to be on the safe side.  After our trip to California though, our travel appetites have been stimulated.  Two weeks together at home can be dangerous.  Stay tuned for stories of life on the road in the times of Covid.