Hello, my friends!
It’s a cold, rainy & blustery day here in the Monterey Bay area…they’re even predicting we could get SNOW at sea level this weekend…are you kidding me?!
No projects to share with you today, but I wanted to take you along with me on our family trip we took on Monday to beautiful Carmel-by-the-Sea…
Since the girls were out of school that day, we decided to take one of our favorite drives to the coast…just 30 minutes away from home…
We arrive at Ocean Avenue, right off the Pacific Coast Highway in Carmel--a beautiful avenue--often photographed…
…seen on vintage postcards…
…even the subject of a Thomas Kinkade painting…(Carmel has actually inspired at least four of his paintings!)
You can find the most charming shops and restaurants here…
The Tuck Box…a quaint English tearoom-type of restaurant…
…and The Hog’s Breath Inn…owned by Clint Eastwood. Did you know that Mr. Eastwood was the mayor of Carmel at one time?
This was one of my very favorite places to spend the day when my daughters were young…
…wandering the streets in this beautiful little village with our double stroller and older daughter in-hand…
…leisurely window-shopping with my little ones…
At the very end of the avenue, we find this…
It was gray and chilly that day…so not much color in either water or sky…but it was still sparkly and beautiful…
Sarah immediately climbed up on this semi-fallen cypress to survey the scene…
…such a beautiful, weather-beaten tree…
Sarah & Annie posing with their Daddy…
This is what happens when the girls are tired of their mother taking pictures of them!
And off to our right…the back view of the fabulous & famous Pebble Beach Golf Course…
Perspective is a fun thing, isn’t it?!
Time to leave the beach…how about a driving tour of the town and some of it’s lovely homes? (MY favorites, anyway!)
More photos, less words for a minute here…
I’ve always been in love with the Storybook or Fairytale style of houses popular in the 1920’s and ‘30’s…and there are so many beautiful examples to be seen in Carmel!
Around 1902, Carmel became a gathering place for artists and writers…so many things to inspire here…
Carmel-by-the-Sea is unique for another reason…here the houses have names, not numbers…
…a beautiful turn in the road…you can see why the name of the town is Carmel-by-the-Sea…
Carmel also has the distinction of being home to one of the most beautiful of the old Spanish Missions on the Mission Trail…
Built in 1770…such a lovely, peaceful spot…
Well, that’s it for today…Hope you enjoyed our daytrip to beautiful Carmel-by-the-Sea…thanks for coming along with us!
See you soon with something new.
Julie
(My personal photos are watermarked with my name. All others were found on the internet.)
Julie,
ReplyDeleteYou are so lucky to be able to just jump in the car and visit Carmel. We drove through it around 8 yrs ago. I so want to go back and visit!
Hi Julie... oooh, what a wonderful way to spend the day!... I love Carmel and have not been there in years... I still have a beautiful candle my mama bought me at one of the quaint little shops many, many years ago... Yes, I did know Clint Eastwood was once Mayor of Carmel (another reason I wanted to live there!)... the homes are so beautiful... I also still have one of the very early Country Living magazines that featured Carmel and it's gorgeous homes, shops and artists... thanks for taking me along today... but I want to linger just a bit longer...okay???... xoxo Julie Marie
ReplyDeleteJulie what a beautiful place and I look at this and say 'so expensive' but living in Alaska has taken on a whole new meaning of expensive lol!! I adore that copper hair of your daughter oh I would love to have that on me!!
ReplyDeleteoohhh - great pics Julie- been to Carmel a very long time ago visiting...drank too much wine at the Hog's Breath inn! lol well..I was quite a bit younger then... AHHH-HEMMMM.....
ReplyDeleteThanks for the stroll down memory lane. We spent time in Carmel with our girls in 1991 and have good memories. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHi Julie,
ReplyDeleteWow, what a blast from the past. During my senior year of high school, I lived in Visalia for about 1.5 years. My dad would always take us on the "17 mile drive" and I fell in love with Carmel & Monterrey. My mother, being an artist, even painted a watercolor of one of the old houses I loved along the drive. I think I'll send you an image through email. Thanks for the return trip.
Hugs,
Meri
Julie, what a beautiful place to visit. It is like they have tried to mimic a quaint little English storybook village but with a very elvish turn. I love it! so beautiful. Like something drom an old fairytale. Thanks so much for sharing. I hope you don't get snow! not fun this time of year. Our daff's in the back garden are coming up and a few are blooming! Yayy! Love and hugs from jolly old England! Have a wonderful weekend! xxoo
ReplyDeleteThis is where I've been wanting to go! It looks like a village from a fairytale!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing it's loveliness!
xo
Deborah in NC
BOY ... you have some nerve posting these beautiful scenic areas while I just finished clearing the drive way of ANOTHER 8" of snow! Yep .. . the white stuff is sure piling up around here ... but that's to be expected in N.E. OHio!! LOL!
ReplyDeleteIn all seriousness ... I am SO GREEN WITH ENVY ... Mark & I went to Carmel and Peeble Beech when we did our cross-country trip back in 1997. WOW where does the time go!! I just LOVED the ENTIRE coast line ... from Washington State down to San Francisco ... you are one lucky gal to have such beauty around you ... AND ... to have such a beautiful family to share it with!
Shall I send you some snow??? I have plenty! It's so nice to see someone who truly ENJOYS LIFE ... IN ALL ASPECTS! YOU GO GIRL!!
I love Carmel-by-the Sea soooooo much. The last time we were there, the girls were saying that they wanted to live there when they are older since all of the house look like storybook houses. Then I filled them in on the prices of those gorgeous but tiny houses. They couldn't believe it.
ReplyDeleteA most fabulous place to visit though!!
xo
Ashlyn
Thanks for sharing this Julie! Looks like a beautiful town:)
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful weekend!
Hugs Hanne
My second favourite place in the world, behind only Big Sur..I like it wild..
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos-thanks for the nostalgic little trip down memory lane..been many, many years (decades!) since i 've seen Carmel..glad it still looks pretty much the same.♥
Hi Julie,
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, this is all so gorgeous...and I can't believe there might be snow!!! That would be amazing...wow! I hope you have a great weekend, my friend....Go buy a sled! lol
XO
Cindy
Its been years since I've been to Carmel, still a quaint little town full of beautiful buildings and scenery. Thanks for the memories....
ReplyDeleteWe got snow today, hope you don't there!
Oh Julie, thanks so much for the tour, I really enjoyed it, your so lucky to live so close to such a beautiful place as Carmel... and all of it's great shops and beautiful homes! My husband loves golf, and was talking the other day about how wonderful it would be to go to Pebble Beach to play golf there! We may have to make a trip there one of these days! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!!
ReplyDeleteHugs~~~ Daphne
Ohhhhhh I just love Carmel!!
ReplyDeleteIt is so very beautiful!
Thank you for sharing photos
with us ~
xoxo
Lori
Thank you for sharing the beauty on your side of the world! Carmel is heavenly. I had to laugh as my children give me the same reaction when their through with posing for the camera.
ReplyDeleteDear Julie, this must be a fantastic place to actually be walking throug, how wonderfull the little houses are- just love them.
ReplyDeleteHugs,Dorthe
Oh Julie, this is one of our favorite spots for a quick weekend away. We always stayed at the Cobblestone Inn and ate at L'Escargot. Such wonderful memories. Visiting Carmel inspired me to name our house - Sweet Bee Cottage! What a lovely way to spend a day - and with such a beautiful family!
ReplyDeleteJulie,
ReplyDeleteThat is one of my favorite places! Your daughters are just precious, as is your husband. I love the picture of the three of them!
Xo,
Suz
Oh I love that area...wish I could just jump in the car and go there...lucky you.
ReplyDeleteWeekend hugs my sweet friend.
Oh, thank you for such a wonderful stroll down memory lane! We lived in Carmel for about 4 years -- but that was about 25 years ago! We've been back for several trips, and miss it.
ReplyDeleteI used to live in Pacific Grove, and so it was such a thrill to see Carmel again! I've been missing my old blog buddies, so I'm stopping by to say hello!
ReplyDeleteJULIE DEAREST!!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR VISIT! Oh, Carmel! That is where I went on my honeymoon, 29 years ago! We patterned our house here in Minneapolis after some of those darling cottages. And even though we have added on to this little gem, it is still a quaint place with much charm and wonder. NOW, THEY ARE TALKING SNOW OUT THERE FOR YOU? This has been a very moist winter. We had a great thaw and then two days later, another dumping. My husband fell yesterday on the slick snow. Oh dear, spring has to be coming!!!
ReplyDeleteENJOY ALL THE BEAUTY of the quiet....Anita
I saw on Paula Clare's blog that you were posting about Carmel! It is one of my favorite places to visit. My brother was married at Clint Eastwood's ranch. Can't remember the name but it is down the street from that beautiful mission. I keep telling my hubby that we need to go and take a walking tour of the neighborhoods. I love, love 17 miles drive too. Monterey is one of my favorite places too! We're just three hours away. We didn't get that snow either. Silly weathermen!
ReplyDeleteJulie, Carmel is one of my favorite places in the entire world! The seventeen mile drive is stunning!
ReplyDeleteCome and enter my Artful Offering and read a great Interview!
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
What lovely photo.. They are bringing back some great memories.. We love to pull our trailer up to Big Sur.. And then take some day trips up to Carmel and Monterey.. It is so beautiful up there.. Thanks so much for sharing them with us.. Looks like you had a blast...
ReplyDeleteHugs, Linda
Looks like you had a lovely trip! Thank you for sharing the pictures. I have always wanted to visit Carmel- those houses are my very favorite style- like being in a fairytale : )
ReplyDelete