chirp: Anniversary

Our anniversary, 36 years this time (!), is the culmination of a season of celebration every year. Mother's Day, Father's Day, my birthday, Ralph's birthday, and our anniversary are all in a 5 weeks window. Throw in a wedding and a graduation, and there's a lot going on!

Going out to a restaurant for dinner, or to a resort? Too much pressure (in my own mind, of course) to make it significant. So I suggested we do something significant, so we'd enjoy dinner and being away from home. We went for a hike in Pinnacles National Monument! Check out that link to a USAToday article with much better photographs than mine of this beautiful place.

Ralph and I enjoyed our 5-mile, fairly strenuous hike too much to stop often for photos.

The scenic vistas, climbs up rock faces, and occasional caves added to the glory of this trail through rock monoliths and steep hillsides.

We stopped to visit with a ranger who was monitoring the condors.
We didn't see a condor, but we enjoyed learning about them!

We'd hoped to add a second hike to our day, to some caves, but these fogies enjoyed our leisurely morning hike to the point of not leaving enough time for another, which means we want to go back another time.

Onward we drove, to Monterey, and the charming Jabberwock Inn. I loved the Craftsman design and William Morris style wallpapers, and our stay there was great.

Charming wallpaper with rabbits and foxes.

Yummy treats in our room!
Good planning ahead, Ralph!

Highway 1, through Big Sur, was our route home.

Ralph says it's the last time he's ever going to drive that way again, at least with me in the car! It's true, I ask for conservative driving around the sharp turns and cliffs of the coastline, and I made Ralph stop so I could admire the elephant seals north of Cambria, when he just wanted to get home.

Me, admiring.

Ralph, ready to go.

It's a beautiful drive, and I think I will never make it again!

As for the busy celebration season, we happily witnessed the wedding of Erin and George in Redding. We've known Erin all her life, and we're proud to be included in her special day!