California Coastal Trip - More Carmel

The Tuck Box - such a quaint little restaurant.

Gardens in front of a shop

What has always called to me the most in downtown Carmel are the wonderful little cottages, with their shingled roofs and wonderful gardens. The sweetest shops and restaurants can be found in the cottages close to the main street, Ocean Avenue. Above is the Tuck Box, one of my mother's favorite places to go. And below are photos one of the newest shops that Mary and I fell in love with. French themed of course, because anyone who know me knows what a Francofile I am! (Mary too!) The name of the store is Souvenir.

California Coastal Trip - Carmel

 Sunset over Carmel Beach

My heart will always be in the Monterey Bay area of California. This is where I grew up, and I still feel it is one of the most beautiful places on earth. A few weeks back I was lucky enough to visit this gorgeous area once again, this time with my girlfriend Mary. I drove up from San Diego, and Mary flew down from Portland, and we met up in Carmel - the beginning destination for our driving trip down the coast of California. We were fortunate, the weather was great - a rarity for Carmel in May! Today I will share with you this first stop, and I hope to add photos of the additional stops we made throughout this week. Carmel is such a quaint and beautiful place. The little shops beckon, they are filled with unique treasures. And the choices in dining are abundant. Carmel beach is truly one of the loveliest beaches I have ever visited, the sand is so white and the water is so blue, and the cypress trees add drama to the spectacular sunsets.

 Point Lobos State Park

 Our wonderful room at The Vagabond House Inn

The Carmel Mission

A Fabulous Day at Summers Past Farms

My friend Patti and I embarked on a "girls day out" field trip today to Summers Past Farms in the east part of San Diego County.  Patti and I used to take our kids here when they were little, and it has been a number of years since we have been there.  Well, boy were we in for a treat today!  The weather was beautiful and the gardens were absolutely stunning.  Unfortunately I didn't take my camera so all of these photos were taken on my phone, but I still think you will be able to see what an amazing place this is.

They have a wonderful selection of items in their shops to create Fairy Gardens, and Patti and I discovered a number of these little creations on their grounds:

There are two shops and a nursery on the property.  One shop is filled with handmade soaps, and you catch a wonderful whiff of lavender and other flowers as you walk by the door.  The nursery sells many of the species of flowers that you find in their gardens.  They also have a sweat pea maze and you can cut a bunch of sweat peas for $3.  The barn shop houses many fabulous specialty garden and home decor items.  And an espresso bar beckons with specialty coffee drinks and ice tea.  Patti and I took a small picnic and enjoyed it at a table in the gardens.  This really is one of the most pleaceful and beautiful places in San Diego County.

I had to bring something home with me so I chose a lovely basket of flowers and a bouquet of status that they pick from their gardens and sell in the shop.  It was such a lovely day, and so much fun to share it with my friend Patti. Welcome White Wednesday visitors - my first time linking with you! I hope you enjoy this little trip with me.