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Dig, Dig, Dig

I’ve been in a bit of a writing rut since the first of the month. It seemed I was so excited when December arrived and things have just taken off from there, but I just haven’t been able to catch my breathe and capture my thoughts without sounding like I’m full of it or complaining. So I’ve just decided to let it go….

I really like having a blog and writing, but sometimes I find myself second guessing my words because they might give too much away or be over-sharing. But then I read stories written by other women that I admire and see images that inspire me to take more photos in my own life, and I let it go. Because when we started this blog (way back in 2005!) when Barry and I went to Australia for a number of months, I never thought that I’d still be using it as an outlet in 2011 and I certainly never thought that there were so many other women out there like me….telling stories of their own.

I’m gathering myself up and finding my words again, they seem to have escaped…perhaps with the golden glow of our Carmel trip? I’m thriving on the glow of our Christmas lights and all the preparations that come with the season. We wrapped gifts last night and Maggie hauled them from the den to the living room with her handy, dandy Radio Flyer cart. She hasn’t quite figured out that the presents are for opening and she’s content to haul them from here to there now.

Last weekend we escaped to Kirkland and only left our hotel to walk around town and meet up with Greg and Linda for Snowflake Lane.  We watched the boat parade on Lake Washington and listened to the booming Christmas music coming from the floating line.  We ordered hot chocolates and walked the streets, talking of our Christmas tree back home and shared interest in finding good sushi. We did indeed find sushi and Maggie slept through the whole lunch, it was scrumptious and being able to talk with Barry uninterrupted was an added bonus.

In the lobby of our hotel were piles of newspapers for the guests and you better believe that I scooped one of each up. We poured over the paper each day that we were there and traded tit for tat on different articles. I passed him the business section and he passed me the comics….not sure what that says about our relationship.

Saturday night we bundled up and hustled to meet up with Greg and Linda for dinner before heading to Snowflake Lane in Bellevue. Aside from getting lost, we had an enjoyable time. Since we were late and had already eaten plenty of Trader Joe’s dunkers, Barry and I decided to share a plate.  I ordered Camarones  Rancheros knowing that it typically is a delicious shrimp platter with tortillas and other tasty sides. Well. It was that and certainly more because I somehow missed the part of the description that mentioned that the shrimp would be wrapped in bacon.

It was delicious, but I wasn’t expecting to see bacon on my plate! Snowflake Lane did not disappoint and both Barry and I were glad for it because Maggie was a CRAB POT before and after the extravaganza. Thankfully the dancing penguin was fascinating enough to distract her along with the drumming and guy on stilts.

Anticipating the start felt a bit like waiting for a big parade, with people angling for the best spot but nobody really knows where the entertainment will come from. Greg and Linda scored a great spot and we ended up having tons of  characters stop by and high-five Mags or pass her candy. We also were in full view of a couple drummers; however, the BEST drummer was directly across the street from us. He was bustin’ a MOVE!

We were those people with a screaming child walking back to our car. We were also those people that thought we had a tired child, but really she just wanted to play a bit.  So we ran up and down the hall and organized the sugar packets and coasters before conking out.

There you have it. Last weekend….and me working myself out of a writers rut.

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Sometimes The Beach Just Didn’t Cut It

We had a few days while we were in Carmel that we were packed up and practically loaded into the car and we made a split-second decision to change plans and stay close to home and lounge on the beach. The days we did that were fruitful and we never once wished that we’d gotten into the car and gone elsewhere.

The days on the beach were the days that we’d make Mimosas and sip on them while reading our international bestsellers and scooping sand into our pail. The smell of sunscreen and PB & Js were mixed in with the smell of kelp. We got to watch divers enter and exit the water with great skill and took many strolls on the pebbly sand.

But sometimes the beach just didn’t feel like it was going to be enough for us and we’d head out the door with our bags packed. (Here I write this in November and now, one month later, I’m wondering what the heck was wrong with the beach that I needed to leave it???? Jeesh!)  We went to Monterey, Big Sur, and Santa Cruz on our adventure days…..avoiding long car rides unless a nap was involved.

We discovered that the Santa Cruz boardwalk really didn’t involve much fun, at least if you wanted to drink, walk your dog, ride your bike or skateboard. Instead of bemoaning all the wrongs of the ‘no fun’ sign, Barry bought Maggie some cotton candy and we were all happy.

When we origianlly decided that we were going to spend a few weeks in California, we set our sights on Santa Cruz becuase of everything that we’d read about it suggested that we’d like it. After spending the day there, which I am glad we did, we came to the conclusion that it wouldn’t have been as good of a fit for us. Our little Carmel beach cabin with all its funky charm was a perfect fit.

 

 

We’re not huge shoppers and our version of going out on the town is picking up a couple bagels and smoothies and finding a park to enjoy them in. Plus, we really like to have Sydney with us and it makes us sad to either leave her at home or keep her cooped up in the car.  Although I was somewhat jealous of all the beach volleyball courts set up  and I know we would have rented beach cruisers for the duration of our stay, I felt pretty good about our decision not to make our base camp in Santa Cruz.

We also spent plenty of time in Monterey….Barry rented a SUP and we took Maggie to the aquarium. We also rented bikes and rode them along the shore from Monterey practically through the Pebble Beach Golf Course. Neither Barry or I had done much research about the area of Carmel and so when we discovered that we were practically staying on the 18th hole of Pebble Beach, we both wished that we were fancy golfers for a day.

But even if we were super fancy-pants golfers, what would we have done with Maggie? Had her be our caddie? We would have been something else out there….probably would have been kicked off on the 1st hole.

We rented bikes and rode through a few holes and discovered a beautiful sandy beach loaded with tons of surfers. I’d take surfers any day over golfers, so it worked out for the best. Maggie hated her helmet and kept kicking Barry’s butt yelling for me. Meanwhile, I was trying to keep up with Barry’s massive triathlon legs and take pictures at the same time. Suffice to say, I only snapped a few images.

Nearly every single day of our trip involved water and us being in close proximity to it. I give Barry a hard time about how much enjoys all things water, but in reality, I feel the same way. Whether we were just out front of our cabin, on a hike or walking the boarwalk, we were always near the water.

Our days always ended with a s stroll down our favorite path. Tonight before it was night-night time for The Mags, we strapped on our head lamps, bundled up and headed out for a walk in the cold, stormy weather that November brings the PNW.  It was cold and wet and I wondered silently to myself if snowflakes weren’t too far off in the future. I also thought about how just a month ago we were strapping ourselves into our car because spending another day at the beach was just too much to handle. What the heck?

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Snoozing Pug

Most days I love being home with Maggie and Sydney, we easily keep ourselves busy and are often on the go. Even though I know that Sydney loves that she now has a nearly full time companion, I can’t help but feel sorry for her just a bit. Gone are the days that she had the whole house to herself. Gone are the 8 hour mega naps that she’d fit in while Barry and I were at work. Now she’s lucky if she can squeeze in an uninterrupted nap at all throughout the day and she rarely gets the house to herself because where we go, Sydney goes.

Before I get too far into how much of a lucky dog Syd is, I have to remind myself that her new life with me home also includes getting hit with puzzle pieces,  pinched and poked constantly by Maggie.  If it weren’t for the fact that Maggie is almost always sharing her snacks with Syd, I’d feel sorry for the poor pup.

 

** The above photos are from a recent day when was changing the sheets on our bed and Syd wouldn’t budge when I asked her to get off. Instead of waiting for her to eventually move, I just wrapped up the comforter and pulled the ball of bedding onto the floor. It wasn’t until I went to put her harness on that she finally woke up.