Agapanthus

Agapanthus abounds in CA. I had never heard of it until our first trip out here about 10 yrs. ago & have been in love w/it ever since. It is quite happy in my Houston garden, too. Hopefully, there will BE a garden when we return. The temperatures are just awful at home. We play a final round of golf at Pacific Grove tomorrow afternoon. Sat. a walk at Garland Ranch & Mass at the Mission. Then, home on Sun. Always good to get home. This has been a lovely month. Mostly, I am grateful for our time together and Wil's restored health.

Par 3 - HA!

Every par 3 at Rancho Canada requires hitting over a ditch...a wide ditch. half the time I make it. The other half...not so successful...making par extremely difficult. I am always happy w/a 4 on these holes. Got over this one nicely today.

Last Round with Bob

Bob's son joined us for golf today. We had so much fun...in spite of vigorous wind & chilly temperature. We cross the Carmel River several times at Rancho Canada East. 

Bees Love It!

Look in the middle of the photo. Enlarge if you can.

Lavender Fields Forever

Took a walk around Carmel Valley Ranch...climbed seriously UP to the lavendar fields. Oh, my stars! Breathe...more...more (What my yoga teacher/friend always said). Can you smell the exquisite lavender fragrance? As you can tell, all senses are engaged on this wlak!

How I Spend Our Evenings

This is a work in progress...needlepoint. It will be turned in to a box to hold Christmas cards. So many people are still kind enough to send us Christmas cards, even though I no longer send them myself. Thank you if you are reading this & plan to send us a card. We do treasure them!

How We Spend Our Middays

Finding golf balls...my quota is 2 a day but I've exceeded that...4 doz. so far, which will see me through the entire year. It drives everyone crazy but I am saving tons of money on golf balls. Ha! Ha! Jeff is still ahead of me in the "finding golf balls" game though.

How We Spend Our Mornings

So much good reading! In addition, I finished The Paris Wife, which I mailed back to the library.

Potty Break

Isn't this a cute "facility." I can see it as an artist's studio, a cozy little hideaway. In reality, it is a restroom. Sun is shining but it was cold & windy. Played w/Ron & Hennie. Sure wish we could see them more than one month a year. It is such fun playing with a couple's friend. Got the good news on the course today that we have the house for Sept. next year. It will be such fun coming at a different month but to a familiar place. Dinner at Rio Grill celebrating Ron's birthday. We had pork shank, their specialty. So good. And a great CA cabernet. 

Perfect Weather

Played w/Bob today & could not have asked for a warmer, prettier day...maybe 75, sunny, breezy, & a hot dog for lunch. MMM!

Good

Another Relaxing Day

A morning walk at Garland Ranch after 3 cups of coffee & reading the paper. A visit to the driving range.

Dinner at Joe Rombi's (delicious red wine & spaghetti & meatballs).

Wil's Fargo

A perfect afternoon...massage from Jessica...Mass at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in the village...early dinner at Wil's Fargo. Never can pass up the flat iron steak they serve. Wil had prime rib. So good.

Wish Mike & Gretchen could have been here with us. They used to eat here when they lived in Carmel (1 blk from the Mission).

Garland Ranch

We took a walk at beautiful Garland Ranch...just far enough into the valley to have sunshine, breeze, & exquisite beauty.

Why I REALLY Like the Rodeo

The cotton candy man!!! I get CC once a year...in Salinas, CA. Scrumptious but super sweet.

A Cowboy's Secret

A cowboy must have to have a sip or fifty of CR to do some of the things they do...bull riding...bareback riding, etc. It hurts my back sometimes to watch them. The bullriding must be the hardest feat. A cowboy has to stay on for 8 seconds. Only 3 out of 12 could do that. Understandable.

CA Rodeo - Salinas

The 101st CA Rodeo, which I love! It was cold, of course. We usually go Sun. p.m. but came Fri. night this year. Driving home over the mountain was tricky, too, due to heavy fog & very twisty road. We both agreed we will not take that road again ever at night. Still, the rodeo is fabulous. I could go everyday...same in Houston, too, if it weren't so hard to get to.

Lunch

Big & yummy breakfast at Jeffrey's (poached egg...mmmm) so not even close to hungry until 2:00 p.m. Just strolling around Carmel & WHAT should come into our line of vision but this lovely creature at the local bakery. It was pretty tasty, alright. We knew we were headed to a pulled pork sandwich at the rodeo so had to leave space for that experience.

Mother & Mimi

A candle lit in memory of and in honor of two women in my life whom I loved very much...my mother and Wil's mother. I still miss them both.

The Mission Shop

This little vignette welcoms shoppers to the Mission Store. I love the old wall behind the flowers & barrel.

The Mission

We try to go to noon Mass at the Mission once a week. I love these parrot gladioli against the wall with the Mission peeking over the top. WHY did my parrot gladioli not bloom this year? barbara's did & they are from her. Grrr.

A Day in Paradise

This is out of order...it is Mon., July 25 & the most perfect day, perfect weather, & pretty darn good golf. Last year we played 22 rounds in 29 days...WAY too much. This year we'll play 15 rounds in 29 days...much more sensible.

Par 4...in Our Dreams

This IS a par 4 if you can stay out of the marsh right past this pretty scene. Or hit your drive more than 50 yards. Or not roll off the back of the green. Or...Or...Or...

Where Is the Old Ranch?

Actually, where is the wonderful, old, rickety cabin that used to live on this ranch bordering the golf course? Now, there is this fancy NEW log cabin. I miss the old one.

4 Days of Golf

We decided to push ourselves this week & play 4 days in a row. Actually, Wil's idea. He must be fully recovered now. We both agreed tho' that it's better playing 2 days & a day off. Anyway...

7/18 - Rancho Canada East

7/19 - Monterrey Pines followed by the Farmers' Mkt.

7/20 - RCE w/Bob

7/21 - RCE w/Bob

This is a pretty par 3 over a DITCH...sometimes we make it over & sometimes we don't. LESSON: use an old ball for this tee shot.

Hello, Bob!

Wonderful seeing our friend Bob again from MI! He is finally retiring this Sept. (so he says) at age 88. He really inspires me to be active as long as possible & keep a positive attitude even when arthritis becomes the enemy. We stop for a drink & a visit everyday after playing.

The British Open

We enjoyed watching the British Open & so glad Darren Clarke won. What a story his life is! And, of course, Phil Mickelson was as gracious as always in his tribute to him. A nice walk at Garland Ranch...perfect weather...warm & sunny all day with a breeze. Joe Rombi's for dinner tonight. Lots of golf planned for next week. Wil is feeling 95% he told me at dinner last night. Thank God! It's been a month since the hospital & I think he has bounced back more quickly than we expected. That anesthesia does a number on the body. These flowers are from the gardens here at the house. Aren't they pretty?!

Good Golf At Last!

Finally, it happened! A great round of golf for me. We played w/2 good golfers (Bob...career Navy & retired hospital administrator and Haider...moving to Bali next week). I knew from the start they were good golfers & was terribly nervous but somehow my mind got control of my game & nearly all shots were what I wanted...good fairway drives, good chips, good putts. YAY! In fact, the guys even said I was a good golfer. They would not have said that before today. Anyway, REMEMBER: 1.)Gilbert's original routine; 2.)keep knees tight so that I follow thru' w/the swing; 3.) keep head down thru' swing. It all worked today. PERFECT WEATHER, too...69 plus sun plus a breeze...exactly what we came for!

Mass at the Mission. Dinner at Bahama Billy's: meatloaf for Wil; chipotle pasta for me; shared sundae & WAY too big of a martini. Dogs are dearly loved out here & we had 4 HUGE ones at the table next to us. They were pretty good tho'. We sat by the firepit. Nice!

Vernon

We received the sad news this morning that Vernon, Brian's dad, had passed away. We had, of course, met him at Donna & Brian's wedding & been together on another occasion. Other than that we only knew him though Donna & Brian. Their family stories convey a good & kind man, extremely faithful & devoted to his dear wife of 70 years. We had exchanged several notes in recent years...a lovely gesture on his part, I thought. I will always remember his comment when both he & Emily were in the hospital & she was feeling a bit down. Vernon said to her, "Oh, Emily, this is just a blip in the road." Imagine such optimism. He truly touched my life from afar. Vernon, may you rest in peace.

Pebble Beach II

Yes, this is the 18th green at Pebble. Yes, this is the VIEW from our table. We had such a nice lunch: champagne; cream of artichoke soup; lobster salad for Wil & crab cakes for me. Then we continued on the 17 mi. drive home. We were SO FULL for lunch that all we had for dinner was a cup of crab chowder, which I had made from my new cookbook fortunately, & a peach from the Farmers' Mkt. YUM! Another lovely day together. Thank You, God.

Pebble Beach

We put on our best resale shop duds (Wil in his famous $5 Carmel pants & his very nice Carmel sweater - me in my newly purchased jacket/scarf) & headed to Pebble Beach! Lots of good sales (75% off!) so Wil got his 2nd sweat shirt (It is cold out here!) & 2 golf shirts. I got a golf shirt, too. The putting green is behind us.

The Dump

This is the dump at Rancho Canada West Golf Course! Even the dump here is beautiful & producing flowers. Still disappointed in the consistency of my game...cannot figure out what is wrong. At least, I am finding golf balls to last me all year! Finished my first book The Paris Wife (Hemingway & Hadley). It was good but not the best I've ever read in spite of waiting 6 mos. for it from the library. Will start Judy's Maeve Benchey tonight. She just writes about sweet lives in Ireland. Also, reading Maureen's Life after 60. It holds some good discussion points. Needlepoint is progressing nicely thanks to our nightly viewings of Raymond/PBS News Hour/Seinfeld. What a life!

A Browsing Day

A morning walk at Garland Ranch. How I wish Barbara & I could walk this together. She would love it. This is Cottonwood Trail. I love the color of the dried grasses...a golden tan. Then to Crosswoods for my annual 2 hr. shopping spree at the most wonderful stationary store ever. Mostly, it is all about the reading & the looking at all the things & a few note cards to last the year. Then an hour at the book store. Bought a book of sports writing from the New Yorker. It looks interesting (tho' long - 600 pages). Only have to read it one essay at a time. Then to the frozen yogurt shop for a pistachio yogurt...still a cool day but who can pass up frozen yogurt? I bought a pint for us to bring home. Final stop: the soap shop. I got my favorite: fig & zinfandel plus 2 new ones: basil spice & white jasmine, which reminds me a bit of the bubble bath we used to have as little girls. It was called honeysuckle, I think. This soap is from Napa Valley & the shop is Mimosa. Oh, forgot to mention the resale shop. Wil got some golf balls (I've found 3 doz. so far so feel very flush.) & I got a denim jacket & scarf...love both.

Friends!

So wonderful seeing Ron & Hennie again! Hennie always inspires me to plasy better golf. Ron is as good as always tho' feeling a bit under the weather. This coast Guard plane flew over us...no more that 30 ft. We could see the fillings in the pilot's teeth. Still, it was pretty exciting. We were at Monterey Pines, where I broke 100 last year. It's the Naval Base & lots of sky activity as we play golf. Had to settle for a straight 100 this round.

A Day of Diversity

It is cold & foggy where we live but another trip to Garland Ranch offers some yearned for sunshine. Finally had to turn on the HEAT this a.m. as we are so cold. It has been in the 40's at night & not even 60 by day...NOT what we came for. After the walk, shopping at Brinton's & Macy's...then a good movie "Larry Crowne." It did not get good reviews but it was just a happy movie & made us smile. (Tom Hanks/Julia Roberts whom my sisters all ADORE! HA!)

Back on the Links

We have both been disappointed so far in our golf but at least we have pretty spots to look at. This is from Rancho Canada East.

Days' End

...a massage from Jessica (lovely)...Mass at the Mission (lovely)...dinner at Wil's Fargo outside by the fire pit (delicious). We each had martinis (Wil is liking them.) & a flat iron steak.

Food for Thought

Lots of interesting bumper stickers in CA. My all time favorite from several years ago: "My religion is simple. My religion is kindness. " The Dali Lama. Seen this year at the Farmers' Mkt. - "War: The rich start it. The poor fight in it. The young die in it." HMMMM..."food for thought."

Fun in the Sun?

My favorite place to walk...sunny & cool today...Wil & I enjoyed the time here.

By the Sea, By the Sea

After antiquing for a few hrs., we walked about 4 blocks to the ocean. Just to clarify, Wil had found a coffee shop to read the newspaper. He did not do any antiquing. Back to the beach...add all 5 of your senses & soak it in...remembering that it was about 65 degrees. So fine. We just sat there about 30 min. recalling the last time we sat here (2 yrs. ago when Laurie & Jeff came back from Africa w/o A,J,D). That was such a difficult time. Thank You, God, for walking with our family through that heartache.

From the ocean, we went to the Lighthouse Cafe for clam chowder & a sandwich. The chowder last night was so incredibly good that this was a disappointment. We've always like it before but not so much today. Home by 2:00 for a serious nap. Then...blogging for 4 hrs. (Yikes!), martinis outside, dinner, TV. AAHHH! Another sweet day.

Treasures from St. Mary's

Oh, what FUN shopping at this show. Pictured are a few of my treasures of the day: a cream pitcher to add to that collection; 2 frogs to add to that collection. These are not the croaking frogs but the flower frogs (FYI). And, a cute rooster tray (for that collection) for the patio at Seguin...just the size for a cocktail for each of us. Also, some antique linens. The show is famous for their linens. There were more purchased but, just in case you are on my Christmas gift list, I cannot show all I got.

St. Mary's Antique show

A spinner and a blacksmith welcome the antiquers to the show.

7/8/11

This is a beautiful church in Pacific Grove. Cyrus & Harriet McCormick married here in the late 1800's & later gave this Tiffany window in gratitude for their happy marriage. The church was started by 6 ladies who got tired of WALKING to Monterrey for church. It reminds me a bit of how Charity Guild started...just a handful of women trying to make life better for those less fortunate.

7/7/11

We've had a delightful first week, which we were not sure would happen. After Wil's "holiday" in Methodist in June, we were not sure at all we'd be able to come to CA or that we might have to delay a week. We've done a LOT this week but Wil is feeling good...rested & enjoying the cool
weather. My sisters welcomed him home last month with a balloon bouquet. We are so grateful for his restored health & for this wonderful week together. Thank You, God!

7/7/11

Today we played Monterrey Pines (after our 3rd trip to the Apple Store & 2nd to the camera shop trying to get the supplies working for my blog). This is the old Naval course, where Hennie made her first hole-in-one 2 yrs. ago. she has since made TWO MORE. On Thurs. they start on the back 9 so the front 9 can be watered, mowed, etc. Anyway, a terrible back 9 for me (59!) & then the front 9 was awesome (44!!!). this game is just too strange for words.

After golf we drove up hwy 101 to Moss Landing. This is a quintessential "sleepy" fishing village...population less than 200...always encased in fog...mostly dirt, no grass. BUT look at those beautiful nasturtiums...just growing w/no care & not a care. Of course, the color is extremely attractive to me.

Moss Landing also has a very famous restaurant: Phil's Fish Mkt. I intended to get fish & chips but there was broiled halibut on the menu. Delicious & such generous servings. I brought home enough vegetables for us for 2 nights. Wil had clam chowder, fried scallops, & cole slaw. It is quite a journey to ML but really, really good seafood.

7/6/11

Wil & I are not shoppers, as a rule. But when we come out here, we tend to splurge a bit. Plus, the whole city goes on sale after 7/4. He got some slacks, 2 shirts, 2 socks, 2 belts (Ferragamo, if you please). I got jeans, black pants, & a top. Then to the Cheese Shop for some cheeses for the patio in the evenings before dinner. A nice day!