Great Christmas trip to Monterey

We had a great trip to Monterey. Of course, we forgot to take the camera (or the binaculars!!!), so there's no pix. Sorry. The weather was beautiful and sunny. Christmas day was really windy, but yesterday and today were perfect. We didn't leave the house til about 1:30 or 2 on christmas day, so we mostly just drove down there, but got to our hotel in the dunes before sunset so that was nice. We had packed a little dinner and ate it in our room with the wind howling outside and the fire sparkling in the room. The next morning we ordered the breakfast basket and sat in bed looking out at the ocean and eating fruit, muffins, youghurt, etc. (we passed on the sugar frosted flakes). we went out to the beach for a little while and then spent the day in the Monterey Aquarium. My favorites were the otters and the jelly fish and the wonderful little pink and orange corals and anemones that live in the deep ocean. We went on a "behind the scenes tour" that was interesting. Then we went out to dinner at the wharf (Dungeness crab cocktails, then we shared a platter with a baked crab, scallops, and shrimp) and found our cheaper hotel. This morning we got up and went to Point Lobos, down below Carmel. It was just gorgeous to hike along the bluffs, climb down on the rocks, watch the otters and seals in the aquamarine coves, etc. We had a great morning. Then we drove along the coast and had lunch in Capitola, a little town I had always been curious about. We bought a new silk hanging lantern to hang over our TV in the living room. And then we came home, took a short nap, and went to the store to buy the fixings for tomorrow. It's Betty (my mother in law)'s birthday, and when we were discussing which restaurant to take her to at Christmas, we ended up volunteering to host a simple family get together. We are having vegetarian chili and cold cuts.

Then on Tuesday I am going with Linda and Dan to a Grateful-Dead type concert in the city, and Wednesday we have our annual NYEve Day lunch with some old friends. Whish before we know it it will be Jan. 5.

Much love to you all, Sandra