Another idyllic trip to Carmel this year. Thanks to Papa we were able to enjoy another week at the beach house on the California coast. Once we arrived Saturday evening we couldn't wait to hit the beach. It was beautiful and empty as usual. The waves were bigger than we were used to so of course Erik and I hopped in. The kids were all very excited to be back and dipped their toes in as well. Svea is definitely the water baby of the family and played in the waves while Soren and Liv excavated rocks embedded in the dunes.
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| Happy to be back in Carmel |
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| Future Geologist? |
On Sunday we were able to attend church in Monterey. It is an interesting ward; since it feeds into the Naval Postgraduate School there seems to be a lot of turnover. After church we headed over to Garrapata Beach which is located about 10 miles south of Carmel. It was gorgeous. The sun was shining and the waves were big. Erik got in some bodyboarding and bodysurfing and Svea played in the waves while the rest of us relaxed on the beach. Svea is like her dad and loves the ocean. The 56 water didn't slow her down at all.
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| Svea and Erik enjoying the waves |
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| The fortress at Garrapata |
On Monday we headed north to Santa Cruz to spend the day at the Beach Boardwalk. We always have a great time and conditions were perfect: no crowds and perfect weather. The kids reached height milestones this year that allowed all of them to try new rides.
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| Liv getting a rush on Bulgy |
The kids also played carnival games this year and came home with all kinds of deluxe prizes. Soren won an emoji poo but he insists that it is an "illuminati". Soren gained a little more courage this year and rode the sea swings and the tornado. He seems happy to spin but not to drop.
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| Soren's Illuminati and Liv's cupcake named Sprinkles |
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| The Beach Swing |
Before leaving we caught the magic show. For those of you who follow us closely you may remember that last year Svea starred in the Surfing Magician's show. Well, she must have one of those faces because he chose her as his volunteer again, doing the same trick as last year.
On Tuesday morning we went on a walk from our house to Monastery Beach. It is a beautiful hike with lots of tide pools and wildlife.
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| Periwinkles |
Tuesday afternoon was beach time at Asilomar beach. This beach is gorgeous with baby powder sand and usual has great waves. Although we had fun playing in the water and on the sand the waves were just ok.
Wednesday was supposed to be our whale watching day but the trip was canceled due to wind. We decided to head down the 1 to check out Big Sur. It is gorgeous. We stopped at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to check out the McWay falls. Breathtaking!
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| Liv drinking in the view |
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| Papa, Fuzz and Erik |
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| Check out the waterfall in the background |
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| If only that water was as warm as it looked! |
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| The girls in their cute matching dresses |
Thursday was a beach day. We headed over to Carmel Beach and spent the day in the waves. It was so much fun! I wimped out after a few hours because I was cold but Erik caught wave after wave for hours. The kids had fun playing in the soft sand on this beautiful beach. A sea lion played in the waves near us for most of the day. There was a pod of dolphins fishing offshore and one even came by to swim with Erik.
Curious about what Erik is doing? Our newest toy is a handplane. It makes bodysurfing a little more interesting.
Friday for the finale we went whale watching. It was a great experience. Liv was a little nervous once we left the breakwater and hit the bigger waves but she soon calmed down. Svea stood at the very front of the boat and jumped with each wave. She had a blast. Liv joined her and eventually Soren got up the courage to head up front too.
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| Cool group - Love the bimini Papa |
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| Fuzz scoping out the sea lions |
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| Svea rocking the bow |
We saw several humpback whales. It's hard to wrap your head around how big they are even when they are close. We had the really cool experience of having a whale breach right in front of us. We had been following her for awhile and Liv named her Rose ("Wose"). She leaped entirely out of the water with her white belly towards us. She was beautiful and covered in barnacles and dripping baleen. It was a breath taking moment that I will remember for a long time.
Saturday it was time to head home. It was sad to say goodbye to this place that we have grown to love. Thanks Papa for a great trip and wonderful memories!
As we entered the Sierras the smell of the pines filled the car and I felt so grateful that we can visit the beautiful coast and live in this beautiful place. We are truly blessed.
We leave you with a moment from the drive home. A haunting melody from yesteryear that Papa used to sing to Chris to lift his spirits when he was melting down:
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