Monterey is an old city on Hwy. 1 near Sand City, Seaside, the old Ft. Ord (now California State University Monterey Bay), Pacific Grove and Carmel. More about these places later but the saying used to be "Carmel-by-the-Sea, Monterey by the smell and Pacific Grove by God." I'll explain that: Monterey was known as the sardine capital of the world (they were caught and packaged there in huge canneries...thus "the smell." Carmel-by-the-Sea (the official name) is a beautiful quaint seaside village that is my favorite place in the world. Will devote an entire post to Carmel at a later date. Pacific Grove is a darling town, also seaside, that was developed by the Methodists. No bars were allowed in the "old days" and shades had to be kept up by day and down by night. One bar has managed to creep into town now but one has to go to Monterey to find another.

After leaving Monterey, our next stop was Santa Cruz. It is still VERY hippie...the mascot of the University of California Santa Cruz is the Banana Tree Slug (does this give you an idea?) One can find old hippies, young hippies and hippie stores. We (my husband was on the trip with me) and I ate at a hippie restaurant called The Saturn Cafe. We were seated at the No on Prop 8 table (the same sex marriage proposition that was voted on in November). The prop passed so we have no same sex marriages in the Golden State. Anyway, the table was decorated with pictures of same sex couples, addresses where one could donate to have the law reversed, volunteer applications, etc. My husband, Bud, found two other people in the restaurant whom he described as "normal". It was a total vegetarian restaurant so I was a happy hippie! At least during our time in Santa Cruz. We ventured down to the boardwalk which was so crowded, it cost ten dollars to park and then walk almost a mile to the boardwalk. We declined and got back in the car. Our next destination...Half Moon Bay.

Just took a long and lazy drive from Monterey, CA to Eureka, CA on Hwy 1. Just some musings from the trip.

The California Convert

I was born, so they tell me, on a hot August 12, in Shreveport, LA. We spent a year in Douglas, AZ between the ages of three and four. Although there is not much that I remember of that year I do remember a bit about being kidnapped. An Hispanic woman took me from the front yard to a home where she worked. When I wanted a toy that a child there was playing with, I started making noise (as I am wont to do) and the woman was told that she had to get rid of me. She had taken me part way up a mountain...she took me to the middle of the road and left me. A sheriff found me and returned me to my parients. From that day forward, my parents became totally protective. We lived in Monroe, LA from ages four to nine and then in Victoria, TX until the middle of my sophmore year in high school. That is a TERRIBLE time to move but it didn't take me too long to make lots of friends at W.B. Ray High School in Corpus Christi, TX. In January, 1968 I got married and moved to ahhhh California! I will, in later posts, tell you all about beautiful California.