The last few weeks have been busy around here. In addition to the trip to New Orleans and High Point Market we also squeezed in a road trip to the Bay Area to visit family.
On our way to Carmel-By-The-Sea we stopped in Los Altos to pick-up our hosts and were treated to a wine tasting/dinner party. It was 4 couples and the table looked like this. Wine glasses as far as the eye could see. The tasting was fun and a little crazy toward the end when we had to rate each of the bottles we’d sipped on. My sister-in-law’s husband kindly provided us with index cards to keep track of our ratings, ’cause who can remember after tasting that many bottles. And, of course, dinner was delicious.
The next day we headed to Carmel for a few days. This quaint little village is a favorite of mine. I love strolling the streets, peeking down secluded walkways and discovering small courtyards, checking out the shops, stopping by one of the restaurants or bars for a quick bite to eat. And that it’s all housed in cute fairy-tale looking cottages
This buildings’ stone work with that little round window looks straight out of a small French village.
This is a cute little inn in the village. Love those blue shutters and pink flowers.
One of the little pathways that leads back to a small courtyard and more shops and restaurants.
And cute houses tucked back behind pretty gardens.
Just outside of Carmel is Clint Eastwood’s place Mission Ranch Hotel & Restaurant. The 1880’s ranch sits down in a pastoral valley that looks out to Point Lobos, Carmel River Beach and the Pacific Ocean. The hotel is made up of several buildings spread out across the property. There are buildings with multiple private rooms, a couple of cottages, one of them is the Honeymoon Cottage, the Barn, and the Hayloft. They’re all white clapboard with green trim. And the meadow is full of sheep. The whole place feels very farmhouse chic.
The restaurant has a huge outdoor seating area that looks out across a meadow to Point Lobos. It was so sunny and warm that we decided to grab a seat outside and toast the beautiful day.
There’s the meadow with sheep grazing. Pretty peaceful and bucolic.
And me, enjoying the sunshine and that view.
We also managed to get in a trip to the spa at Bernardus Lodge & Spa. The lodge has that rustic-modern feel that they do so well in California. The lobby had a great mix of materials, wood, leather, glass, stone, and that lavender lamp shade.
The reflection room with that oh so good copper hood over the fire pit.
A little area for tranquility.
Thanks for stopping by.
Wendy