I’ve spent these last few days enjoying hot showers; enjoying long walks around downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea; enjoying great company; enjoying the sound of the ocean & the nearly perfect weather. Basically, I’ve just been enjoying. 🙂 Rather than sharing an all-encompassing, detail-laden post, I’ll share the highlight reel…

• “Chef” Peter prepared an omelette for us using the eggs from Sandee’s chickens. Imagine my surprise when I opened the carton to share the farm-fresh goodness and found an egg inscribed with “I’m proud of u.” 🙂 Oh, that sure made my heart swell with happiness & love!!
• Wine-tasting in Carmel-by-the-Sea with Nina & Peter…and Charlie! Carmel-by-the-Sea is probably the most dog-friendly place on earth. Seriously. Every other shop has a big bowl of water for passing dogs. There is an upscale boutique doggie shop and even a dog therapist. Best of all, most places allow dogs to join you! When living in Pebble Beach, I definitely did not take full advantage of this perk…but traveling through town this time, it has been absolutely amazing!
• Charlie loves long walks. And, beaches. We’ve enjoyed both!
• He also loves playing ‘wall-ball’ with Peter. Talk about a spoiled pup! Peter has taken hours out of his day to play with Charlie. As a result, Charlie has seen an improvement in his speed, agility, and appreciation of tennis balls. 😉
• Visiting my little buddy, Ian. This kid holds a very special place in my heart, as do his parents. Every time I get to see Ian, I am impressed. I’m pretty sure he is smarter than I am…by leaps and bounds. And, oh, his personality! What an amazing kid! His parents – they sure do make cute baby, singular*. (I’m going to wait until Lil Bit, Ian’s future sibling, arrives next year to return to Monterey. Then I can confirm that they make cute babies. Plural. 😉 )
• Brunch. With Charlie. And a mimosa. These few days in Carmel have been less about camping and more about eating…for sure! Each morning, we’ve gotten up and walked all over town, averaging 6 miles a day. On one of these days, we went out for brunch. Sitting at an outdoor patio area, Charlie and I received excellent service, eggs benedict so good it was worth calling home about, and a handful of little doggie biscuits! We could definitely get used to this lifestyle!
• Visiting with Maria and Alessandra. Almost the same age as Ian, Alessandra is another beautiful child, full of smiles and an enjoyment for life. I was able to catch up with her mom, Maria, while we all played on a local playground. I thought I was in good shape til I had to race up and down the ladders to keep up with Alessandra! Those little legs can move!
• I’m now an expert wielder of dice and a professional 1-4-24 player. If you don’t believe me, just ask Peter. 😉
• And this happened. The time Ian wanted me to be a turtle, too, but I couldn’t fit in the basket. You’re welcome. 

There are a lot of little 😀 in this post, but not nearly as many as I’ve worn on my face the past few days. I’m going to miss my Monterey friends family.

~malama pono~