Watsonville has been a great place to base from as it turns out, so much to do and see within 30 minutes from here. In the past six days since the last blog we've done so much it seems but have yet done a lot of relaxing too. Santa Cruz, the board walk along the beach, the pier (longest in California), the quaint little town with all the neat shops but also what seemed to be a haven for what would have been called hippies back in the day. Young people being young people, some needing a bath and definitely a good washing of the hair, but seeming to enjoy the life of doing nothing but hanging out on the streets...........hell this is California they probably make more than most unemployed and on state assistance! Even though a lot of them have the cardboard signs wanting this or that they all seem to have $200 skate boards in hand and 100's upon 100's of dollars in tattoo's. To each his priorities I guess, they do look like they enjoy their lives right now. The famed "Board Walk" on Santa Cruz beach is a great place for the kids, Jack and Dalila would just love it.....rides, games, carnival type games of chance and big stuffed things to win. We couldn't help but wish they were there with us!
Then there's Monterey, Cannery Row and dunes, and all the picturesque views of the ocean from the bay. Sea food, chocolate and fudge shops, shirts and sweat shirts because most tourist don't realize how cool the temps are off Monterey Bay, normal highs upper 60's and most are looking to buy something warm to wear. After being here last year, Bev wore her jacket but somehow and somewhere I lost my nice light weight yellow jacket (I think in Iowa somewhere or at someones home) so I made due. We really like Monterey and the area, but I like a bit of warmth also, and actually miss the heat a bit of Phoenix at times.
Another day trip from Watsonville is beyond Monterey and down highway 1 (pacific coast highway) to Pebble Beach area and Carmel, down where half the money in California resides! We didn't spend much time in the tight narrow community of Carmel and all the resident and tourist shops, I didn't need anything Gucci or Tiffany, or Coach or you name the high end shops along Rodeo drive, yes that about sums up Carmel down town! The have what they call 17 mile drive which takes you all around the Pebble Beach peninsula, they actually charge $10 a vehicle to take this 17 mile journey which goes by each of the six Pebble Beach golf courses and all of the multimillion dollar homes that line this 17 mile stretch. Would love to have played all these golf courses with the boys and then again with Bev but I would need to hit at least two lotteries in order to accomplish that goal or bucket list of items! Green fee's ranged from the cheapest at Poppy Hill of $235 to the most expensive at Pebble Beach Links of $495 plus a $125 caddies fee and one's required. Took a lot of pictures and stood on parts of the course where the big boys play but maybe someday we'll get to spray some balls around the joint. We shall return!
Today it's the annual Strawberry Festival here in Watsonville, there are literally miles and miles of strawberry fields and the smell is wonderful. They grow all year around, picking and replanting over and over and over again. The field next to where we're parked here was being picked when we arrived last week for a few days and yesterday they plowed it under and are preparing it for another seeding. Berries of all kinds, vegetables of all kinds, fruit of all kinds, sweet corn daily at 6 ears for a dollar..............and I must admit we've tasted sweet corn as good if not better than Grimes Iowa sweet corn and our nieces and nephews from Des Moines area swear by Grimes Corn and we've had it too.
You literally drive down the highways smelling as you go by areas the different crops, from berries, to garlic, to the sea and that seafood aroma (that is sometimes good and sometimes not so good) but I must say the smelling of strawberries in the air is by far the best.............time to get ready to head down town to the Festival.
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