Feb 26 2016

Farewell Monterey

Published by at 6:14 pm under San Francisco,Travel

beach1
The dreaming spires of Monterey

I’m coming to you from San Francisco, where the foghorns are singing their sad song and the wild parrots are crying out harshly as their green and red wings clatter overhead. And there will be Lemongrass (delivered) for dinner!

Before I left the balmy shores of Monterey, I stopped by Del Monte Beach. I was charmed by the dunes dotted with wildflowers:

dunes

and the fact that there was actual sand. I’m used to the rocky shores of Mendocino and San Francisco, so it was delightful to walk along the shore with my feet sinking deep into the soft sand:

shore

Murres and oystercatchers rode the waves, and they were joined by a fellow surfer:

surfer

As I drove away from the beach, I noticed several people either changing into or out of their wetsuits, so it must be a popular surfing location.

My route to San Francisco took me through farmland, dotted with what my friend Janice calls “contented California cows”, but also thick groves of spiky artichokes. I stopped at a farmstand, where they were working the fields right behind. I loved the cut outs by the highway:

farmstand

I came away with some early strawberries and of course artichokes.

Traffic was kinder to me leaving Monterey than it was getting there, and tomorrow I will head home after running some important culinary errands: Swan Oyster Depot, Bob’s Doughnuts, and Victor’s Pizza, not necessarily in that order.

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3 responses so far

3 Responses to “Farewell Monterey”

  1. Guyon 27 Feb 2016 at 10:09 am

    Glad you had a great time and who would not have a great time surrounded by that kind of weather and so many beautiful things to enjoy. Strawberries?…my favorite fruit to boot and you got some, shucks wish I was close.

  2. suzyon 27 Feb 2016 at 4:11 pm

    Me, too – you would have loved it!

  3. LisaBon 28 Feb 2016 at 3:59 pm

    So glad you had nice weather for this trip – makes all the difference, doesn’t it. Your post reminds me I need to visit the beach more often.