Carmel Trip | Pt. 2

Day Two we went to the "real" beach! Carmel-by-the-Sea is a gorgeous seaside town on the California coast, about two hours south of San Francisco and three hours north of Los Angeles. While the Monterey area was home to many Native Americans and Spanish missionaries for centuries (the first recording landing was a Spanish explorer in 1602) Carmel as its own city was founded in 1902 with a strong artistic influence.

After the 1906 earthquake destroyed much of San Francisco, Carmel because home to an influx of writers, musicians, and painters, all turning to artist colony for a new home.

Plus, Clint Eastwood is a former mayor (from 1986-1988)!

One of my favorite photographers, in fact, moved to the Carmel Highlands in 1962 - and his friend Edward Weston took his last photograph ever of Point Lobos. You can see the beauty of Carmel and the Monterey Bay in both of their work.

The downtown area, while only a few square blocks, is home to many small boutiques and great restaurants for visitors who want a break from the Point Lobos State Reserve, Carmel Beach, or the San Carlos Borroméo de Carmelo Mission.

Also, it should be noted, Carmel technically has a law against heels over 2" tall and with a smaller base than 1 square inch, without first receiving a permit. This apparently was created in the 1920s to defend the city from lawsuits of people tripping over tree roots. So, Carmel can be an especially litigious town when it wants to be! Har har. Lawyer joke.

Alright, enough book learnin. Time for some funny pictures!

Izzy had the most fun of anyone, I think. She played in the water, sniffed other dogs, and ran around in wide, loping circles for the better part of fifteen minutes without pause, at breakneck speed. She could have a real shot at this show pony stuff.

Remember that synchronized dance I mentioned in yesterday's post? I found some evidence of its existence that won't mortify most of my friends (I think.) When we were creating this dance the night before, everyone had to go around in a circle and add a part - it was the best throwback to middle school gym activities that I've had in a while! I think my part was something like "up up down down," so you know I have a career as a choreographer ahead of me...

Meredith was pensive in the ocean, and I took photos of slimy things while the other girls goofed around.

Izzy found a friend and we all marveled at how cute and similar they were (I think they were possibly even the same breed?) until another dog came up, sniffed Jade's shoe and bag, and promptly peed on them. We decided it was time for lunch.

We found a restaurant just up the block from the beautiful white sand beach called Basil and settled in for some respite from the constant action.

I had iced tea with - you guessed it - a Basil leaf garnish, and a fantastic arugula, mozzarella, and prosciutto salad. It didn't look like much after a whole day traipsing around, and I scarfed it down pretty quickly, but it was just right, and the mozzarella was deeeeeeeevvviiiiiiinnnneeeee (I feel it necessary to point out I know that's not how you spell divine.)

After that, we piled back into our caravan of cars and drove our sleepy selves home. It wasn't even my birthday but I think it was a pretty fab birthday weekend!

Hey, which picture is your favorite? I'm always curious, so leave me a comment!