Dave and I had such a nice day today. We took a ride out to Monterey and to Carmel. It was overcast when we arrived, but cleared as the day progressed. The smell of the ocean always revitalizes me. There is something cleansing about the sea air. After we took a long walk in the sand, stopping to watch the surfers in the water trying to catch that perfect wave and the dogs running up and down the beach, it was time to get back into the car to continue our journey. There is a serenity in that area that I don't feel in San Jose. I can see why people are drawn there, especially to live. But alas, it's too rich for my pittance of an income. We drove into the neighborhood that wove around the coastline there and happened upon a couple of garage sales. I found a few little treasures that I'll be using in some of my craft/art projects. As we were trying to find our way back to the main road we took a side street that began to look familiar. We giggled when we realized that we had made a big circle and ended back in town. We decided to walk some more and try and to find our favorite shops. There was one that we had visited before that carries unusual, fun garden accessories. I discovered another shop today named Piccolo that reminded me of the boutique I used to work in several years ago. They carry an eclectic mix of candles, paper, lotions/perfumes, objects d'art, and of course jewelry. I could have spent hours in there just taking in every little detail of the store. I bought a couple of special things for my Eiffel Tower/Paris collection (to be used in my positive altar). With stomachs telling us we were getting hungry, we stopped at the local market and picked up lunch and drove back to a spot where we could sit in the car and still see the water and eat our lunch. By then it was time to make our way back home. I'll be back again soon!