It's currently late Thursday evening, and I am scratching my head wondering where the heck the week went. Um, wasn't it just Friday of last week?!
To say my last week as a California resident has been a busy one is downplaying it. Had I just done my regular routine with all the extras of leaving, it would have been busy, but I added in 3 evenings of babysitting on top of the rest. Because I do that sort of thing. And who turns down easy, paid work? Not this girl.
This kind of busy is the best though, full of day trips and quality time spent in the company of my wonderful friends, all of whom I will miss very much when I no longer live here.
Tuesday, Danielle and I made a trip down the coast to visit the famed stretch of hwy 1 called Big Sur. We ate lunch at the most calming, serene restaurant called Nepenthe, enjoying our food on the back deck, which looked out over the ocean. The day started out with a hazy layer of clouds blurring the horizon, but as we sat and ate, we watched the clouds dissipate and the most radiant day break through. Toward the end of the meal, a turkey vulture began a lazy swoop overhead, showing off his impressive wing span and enjoying the warm breeze keeping him aloft. I totally stole Danielle's DSLR photos from Facebook, but will add my own phone pics to supplement. I brought my camera, but had a dead battery whomp whomp.
After lunch, we drove further south to Julia Pfeiffer Burns state park. There we hiked through giant Redwoods, explored the coastal cliffs, and saw stunning panoramic ocean views that included waterfalls and some of the prettiest deep green water I've ever seen this far north. Danielle's family has a cabin in Big Sur, which makes her the best tour guide I ever roped into driving me around. She's also really fun to hang out with, and incredibly easy to talk to. It made our long day very relaxing and just plain wonderful.
On the way back, we stopped at this funky little art gallery, where we checked out some...very naughty, yet artistic sculptures, that are exactly what your dirty mind thinks they are. I took photos and laughed inappropriately, as is my nature. After that, we headed into Carmel, and walked through the downtown area for a few minutes to stretch our legs before heading back to San Jose.
Yup, we totally found a Tweedle Dee and Dumb cutout to stick our faces in. That's hands down the most attractive photo I've ever taken.
Seeing this little wonder that is only a few hours from where I have lived my whole life is already making me nostalgic, and I haven't even officially left yet. I will absolutely miss the stunning beauty of California. I know Texas is beautiful also, it's just in a different way. At least I have photos, memories, and many chances to return for visits!