Valentine's Day

Well, we got so busy on our trip that my plans for daily blog posts just went by the way-side. In fact, we've both been so busy since we got back that I'm just now getting around to documenting the rest of our trip...

So, I left off the morning of Day 3, when we woke up back in San Francisco.

It was Valentine's Day! I got Rick the card with the toothbrushes, since we are "mint" to be together. LOL. He decided we would get a two day pass for the City Sightseeing tour bus. It's really a great way to get around an unfamiliar town, and get an education in the process. Also, he really wasn't feeling well, so he could kick back and let someone else do the driving.

This is City Hall. Apparently there is a law that no other State Capitol can be taller than the
White House. Leave it to Californians to find a loophole and make a City Hall
building just a smidge taller. 

Of course, no trip to San Francisco is complete without a visit
to the Golden Gate Bridge. It was foggy. And colder than expected.

So not ALL of our "selfies" are awesome. Thank goodness Rick got us these
lovely tourist jackets before we left town for the bridge. It was colder than we expected,
he was getting sicker by the minute, and they really made the open air ride a bit more
tolerable. I was freezing and he felt like crud, and you can tell from this shot.

Someone volunteered to take our picture. This one isn't that much better :)
I did remember being in this vicinity as a young child.
My dad told me we stopped here on one of our motor home road trips.
I wonder if we have a picture of that hiding anywhere.

After a short stop in Sausalito, we got on a different bus that took
us into the Muir Woods. The trees were HUGE and smelled wonderful.

This was a tree that fell, and the branches are now growing up like mini-trees.

You could barely see the sky. Just little pockets here and there.

This should give you a good idea of the girth of these trees.

Catching up

So, we're sitting in the airport now, waiting to go home on Wednesday, February 19th. I had the BEST intentions of writing something each day, and it just didn't happen. I think we crammed a month's worth of activities into the last eight days...

So, I'll resume the commentary from the morning of Day 2 (Thursday, February 13th), where we woke up in Monterey. 

Rickey at the site of the historic Monterey Pop  Festival in 1967, also known as the Monterey County Fairgrounds.

And then we did a bit of sightseeing and shopping at Cannery Row.
I'd really like to go back and visit the aquarium next time.

Hope you can hear the sea lions in this video from 17 Mile Drive, also referred to as Pebble Beach.

One of my favorite pictures from the trip. 

These deer were on a private residence on Pebble Beach.

This is a shot of the infamous Lone Sycamore tree, with the addition of one Rickey Lee Lamb.

And we think this was the "Ghost Tree," also part of 17 Mile Drive.

You can see the views were just spectacular.

Another one of my favorite shots. I love the way the water is glistening here.

This was Rick's favorite coastal view on the drive. We were headed to Big Sur by this time.

And our view from lunch in Big Sur at Nepenthe. It was absolutely amazing. We could see the ocean,
but were tucked up inside the big redwoods. We both want to go back.

And after our late lunch at Big Sur, we were off to see my childhood BFF Gaby, and her husband Jim. They live in Boulder Creek, Ca, and we stopped at her "office" at Heartmath Institute. It was quite a drive, especially the last half-mile trek to the property. 

Rick and Gaby talking on the back deck.

There is just no way any picture can do justice to this moment. Or the moments just prior to our short walk out back. It took every bit of strength not to break out in an ugly cry when I saw her coming down the steps as we walked away from the car. We last saw each other in 1986, after my Grandpa died. Brandon was just over two years old. The way the sun lit up the side of the mountains behind us made me want to leave everything behind and move to the mountains.

What a familiar face and voice, still the same, just a few decades older. Since my move to Illinois, it's not often that I cross paths with someone that knew me in the sixth grade. We had such a great time catching up!

Can't thank this man enough for making this visit happen. XO

Jim and Rick hit it off very quickly. They share a love of music, and shortly after being introduced, Jim mentioned Neil Young and they were fast friends. Apparently Neil also lives in the woods.

Jim lived down the street from Gaby after both of our families moved from Camarillo, Ca to Newbury Park. We were 13, he was older. Had a fast car and lived down the street. I was at their wedding, some 28 years ago, and it was so wonderful to see them together now. I just love that they gave up the LA lifestyle and found heaven on earth in the mountains. And they do great work as well, with HearthMath Institute. Can't wait to start using my EmWave!

It grew dark, Gaby had a video conference and it was time to go. No way no how will I let another 28 years go by...

We drove back to San Francisco, and after our day spent in some of God's most glorious country, the hub of the city was almost too much...

Day 2 - Monterey

We're getting ready to head out for Day 2 of our west coast adventure. Actually, Rickey is loading the car and giving me a few minutes to complete my post for the morning.

Yesterday was glorious. We did a little maneuvering in the morning with regard to our rental car. We had one scheduled with Dollar, but for a variety of reasons too numerous ton post, Rick cancelled that and we grabbed a car from Budget. The woman that helped us was very accommodating and we're very pleased with our ride for the week.

The drive south on Highway 1 from San Francisco to Monterey was beautiful. So full of trees and different kinds of terrain. And the ocean. Oh how I love the ocean. I never realized growing up what a blessing it was to just be here. My soul immediately feels at peace when I get near the ocean, particularly on the west coast. Tears found their way to my eyes many times yesterday...


What I love about traveling with Rickey Lee is his sense of adventure. We saw a lighthouse on the coast, and without blinking an eye, in he pulls. Not a single complaint.

He's always making up goofy stories about things we see, so when he pointed out this whale's skull i said "yeah, right." Well, it WAS a whale's skull.

And when I realized my earliest childhood friend Gaby lives nearby, he encouraged men to call her and we've adjusted our plans for today so we can meet up! It's been almost 28 years since we've seen each other. Can't wait.

Embassy Suites, Monterey, Ca. Beautiful ocean views.

We did a little touring before dinner, and found a quaint music shop. The guy there was a total rocker, and grew up in Downey, Ca (we lived there a few years when I was young). Small world.

Lisa and Rickey at Lover's Point.

Me, trying not to have a heart attack because someone took off climbing.

Both sets of feet, firmly on the ground. Whew!

This morning I was wide awake before the sun rose, so I let Rick sleep and completed my bible study for the day and got in a much needed 30 minute yoga session. Im feeling great and looking forward to another amazing day with my love.

View from our room was spectacular.

I've been reading in my bible every morning for almost four years now. I can't even explain the difference it makes. And I'm about a year into my yoga practice. These two things don't even take an hour of my day and are so valuable to my internal peace and joy.

I'm looking forward to another great day.

God is good.

Day One - San Francisco

February 12, 2014:

Rickey Lee turned 60 last week, so we're celebrating with a trip to Northern California. We left St. Louis last night on Southwest Airlines, and arrived in San Francisco, Ca about 10:30pm Pacific time.

We just finished breakfast here at the Embassy Suites, Airport Waterfront. We have a great view of the bay from our room, although it's still pretty foggy and we can't see much. Here's a picture from their website.

Normally, we have done all kinds of research and would know our exact next steps, but this trip came together at the last minute. Today we're driving down the coast to Monterey. Neither of us have been there before. I got to thinking about my dear childhood friend, Gaby, and her husband Jim, while we were at breakfast. I did a little googling when we got back in the room, and realized she lives between where we are now and where we are going today. I just sent her a Facebook message and am so excited at the thought of actually being able to see her after 28 years or so.... 

On the plane last night I was thinking about how lucky I am. I met Rick later in life, and both of us have seen our share of trouble. But I just love this man, and he loves me. We drive each other crazy, and don't always look at things the same way, but I wouldn't want to spend my time with anyone else.

On our to-do list for the immediate future: showers, pack and grab our rental car from the airport. Then we're off to explore!