A few Saturdays ago it was especially warm and sunny, in the 70's, so we went to Carmel which is about an hour and 1/2 south of us. If you haven't been to Carmel it is the most beautiful, quaint, artsy beach town. It is also where the famous "Pebble Beach Golf Course" is. You can see the golf course by looking up at the cliff from the beach. Carmel has several blocks of galleries, shops, garden nick-nack shops, and cafes right in the middle of town, all the way down to the ocean. John and I enjoyed walking on the beach, which is unusually white and soft. People were enjoying playing with their kids and their dogs, both in the water, and on the dunes. Carmel is nuts about dogs. Dogs can go into restaurants, cafes, stores and even banks. After walking on the beach we went up and down streets and alleyways full of adorable shops. One of the outdoor squares that is surrounded by shops and cafes at two levels also has a "fountain of woof" for dogs to get their drinks. Of course everyone with a dog is required to carry little black baggies for their dogs "you know...", so the streets are very clean. Before we left to go home to Fremont, we ate at "The Hogsbreath Inn." To get there, you go down a brick alley, go down more brick steps into an enclosed courtyard surrounded by trees and brick fireplaces. Each table has an umbrella, and we got a table with a fireplace. The fire felt great since it got cool as the sun went down. We got there between lunch and dinner so we were able to just walk in and sit down. It was a cool place! And yes, there were two dogs sitting at their masters' feet under their table. (Clint Eastwood owns the restaurant.) That was a fun day!
