Don't Forget to Enjoy the Sunsets!

On Thanksgiving Day I captured this photo of the sun gloriously tucking itself into the ink-blue ocean for the night. As I stood on the rocky beach enjoying the scene, I noticed I was surrounded by other people who were doing the same. Everyone stood in silence, a sacred ritual of sorts; the flaming sun demanding attention as it made its final exit for the day.

This experience reminded me of a fond memory from a few summers past. We had just spent a fabulous day at the beach at Point Lobos with my brother-in-law, his wife, and five children. We were walking back from the beach to our car in the parking lot when we noticed three white haired elderly people getting out of an old model Jaguar. Their lively chatter and laughter portrayed that of younger years. Our attention was further drawn to them as we noticed the two gentlemen and one woman take out an elegant white table cloth, a chilled bottle of wine, and three Champaign glasses which they set up at a nearby picnic table overlooking the ocean. Seeing their joy and excitement, our curiosity got the best of us, and we asked, “Are you celebrating something special?” Their time-softened faces, filled with smiles, turned our direction. One of the men proudly said, "Yes, we ordered a beautiful sunset!"

The reply made us all smile. We couldn’t help but catch their contagious mood for the upcoming sunset. How poignant it was to see these young-hearted-golden-yeared individuals celebrating THIS sunset as if it were their first. We all watched as the sun bowed low, issuing in a blazing sky that brought the day to a close.

What a sweet memory this experience is to me, a reminder to enjoy the simple things in life and to surround yourself with those that do the same. It made me believe if you were to do these two things--growing old would seem irrelevant. Love for life and people are timeless.

Wishing you many beautiful sunsets!

Being a Child Again

One of the great joys of being a mother is being able to live another childhood along with each one of your children. This past Wednesday I was able to do that with my ten year old daughter. I was one of the chaperones for her 4th Grade Class as they went on a field trip to Monterey and Carmel. The field trip was to go visit three important historical landmarks in California’s history: Monterey Custom House, Colton Hall (in Monterey), and the Carmel Mission. This was a real treat for me, since I didn’t grow up in California. I didn't learn California history when I was in elementary school like my ten year old daughter is currently doing. So what better time to do it than now?

Our first stop of the day was at the Custom House (pictured above), right by the wharf in Monterey. At one time it was Mexico’s primary port of entry on the Alta California coast. This is one of the oldest government buildings in California. In July 1846 Commodore John Drake Sloat raised a flag here, claiming over 600,000 square miles of territory for the United States.

Next stop in Monterey was Colton Hall (pictured above and below). This building was originally built as a school house, but on
September 1, 1849, representatives met here to draft a constitution, in hopes California would be admitted into the United States.

Our last stop was my favorite; we ended our field trip at the Carmel Mission (above). This mission was dedicated in 1797. By 1836, two years after secularization, the destruction of mission life was complete. The church was basically in ruins until 1931 when Harry Downie was put in charge of restoring the mission. From that time until his death in 1980 he dedicated his life to restoring the mission. Here are some of my favorite photographs of the beautiful building and its grounds. Click on any photo to enlarge.

The next three photos are of the living quarters in the mission.

More photos of the grounds. The weather was nice that day--perfect for taking outside photos.

I hope you enjoyed the photos of these historical places. I also hope you, along with me, learned a little bit more about California history. It is fun having a chance to learn, explore,

and to be a child again!