Spent the morning touring the Piedras Blanca (White Rock) Light Station. Established in the 19th Century, the lighthouse and foghorn aided navigation in the San Simeon area for many years. Today the area is used primarily for studies of native plants and animals. Later in the day we toured the Hearst Castle on the top of the hill looking down on San Simeon Bay. It was filled with an incredible collection of ancient art works and sounded like it would have been a fun place to have been a guest in the early 20th Century. After such a busy day we decided to spend a second night in the area but opted for a simple dinner and beer in our room.
Did you notice the very humble condiments on the grand dining room table? Always thought that was ironic in the midst of such opulence! Haven’t been there in years but loved it, especially Big Sur area. I stayed at the Big Sur Lodge which was just magical. And yes, the road is twisty and worth every “extra” photo along the way.
By deliberate choice we were in Medina for all the winter holiday festivities from Candlelight Walk in the days before Thanksgiving through A Christmas Carol and A Celtic Christmas as well as an Alex Bevan Concert and a historic house tour all the way through Medina’s 31st Ice Festival but perhaps the highlight was the town hosting hundreds of folks whose homes and lives were devasted by Hurricane Helene at the A Promise of Christmas Event the middle of January. It’s an honor to be a part of this amazing community!
The warmth we anticipated when we headed to the Caribbean in mid-January didn’t really materialize but the fun we had with our dancing friends and the great crew of the Margaritaville at Sea Islander more than made up for the not so favorable weather.
Aboard Jewel of the Seas, a favorite ship of ours, we enjoyed a foray into the history and geology of Canada’s Atlantic coast while enjoying the joys of friendships, longtime and new. Now we’re looking forward to returning to the same ship for further adventures!
Did you notice the very humble condiments on the grand dining room table? Always thought that was ironic in the midst of such opulence! Haven’t been there in years but loved it, especially Big Sur area. I stayed at the Big Sur Lodge which was just magical. And yes, the road is twisty and worth every “extra” photo along the way.
Did you put together jigsaw puzzles while lounging on the dining room floor of the Hearst estate?
Thursday, October 23, 2008 – 03:14 PM