Carmel

Earlier in the week I posted about a wedding of friends that we attended in Pebble Beach. Black tie dress on the lawn of the 18th hole--perfect setting for a couple who love golf.

One of the bonuses of going to Pebble Beach was a chance to stay with friends from London who now live part time in Carmel-by-the-Sea. I fell in love with their home seen here.

A

Walking the streets of Carmel-by-the-Sea, you find "cottages" of all styles,

B

including several that look like they could be straight out of the Cotswolds in the English countryside.

C

Fascinating to me was the regulation that the trees can not be cut down when there is any home construction. Isn't this tree amazing?

D

This house is called The Bark Tree by the locals.

E

This was one of the favorites from the outside, beautifully landscaped and actually for sale now, and we lucked into a Sunday afternoon open house.

F

For $2,395,000 million dollars, it can be yours. Three bedroom, 2 bath, 1600 square feet. Take a peek here.

The gardens of many of the homes were spectacular.

G

Love this one,

H

especially the front gate.

Trimmed in blue, this house stood out.

I

And this is the house that faces our friends' house. If you could pick one for yourself, which one would it be? I've labeled them with letters.

J

Clint Eastwood, former mayor of Carmel, has opened this restaurant and inn, Mission Ranch,

with a beautiful vista out the back patio. Formerly an 1800's ranch and dairy, it was rescued from being developed into condos by the former mayor.

Shops in the area ooze with charm,

and tempt visitors and locals alike.

And did I mention, they LOVE their dogs there?  The famous Cypress Inn, partly owned by Doris Day, is probably the most pet friendly hotel in town, as well as the beaches where dogs run free, and many restaurants which are happy to have your furry friends as guests along with you.

We fell in love with the casual, welcoming spirit of this city of artisans and Pacific breezes. Did you spot a place where you might want to live?

Destination weddings

Have you ever been to a destination wedding?   A couple of weeks ago, hubby and I jetted west to Pebble Beach for the wedding of some good friends.

It was only the second destination wedding we had ever been to, unless you count that time we went to Enid, Oklahoma for a big wedding.

This time, we were ecstatic at the chance of spending some time in Pebble Beach

and Carmel, while joining our friends for their nuptials.

Mike was thrilled that the morning activities included golf  at Pebble Beach

where we were staying. Here's a view of the 18th hole.

I wouldn't be completely honest if I led you to believe if was beautiful and sunny while we were there, like the first pictures indicate. We saw the sun for a total of about two hours during our stay there in Pebble.

It seems that when inland California is extremely hot, the chances are higher for fog in Pebble Beach along the coast.

 

So even though it was foggy and cool at wedding time on the lawn of the 18th hole,

all it took was the arrival of the bride to completely brighten up the day.

Next stop--charming Carmel, just a stone's throw away.

Stay tuned.