Another present for Ogii.
This time it's little Yosemite items.
Including gold bear earrings.
The next present is a hummingbird t-shirt.
Then a small blue rose in a bottle necklace.
Two different types of flowers.
Big cloud on the left; clear skies on the right.
All done with Four Tankmen and a Dog. There are a few more we didn't get through, but they're not as good and they don't have English subtitles.
Next present.
A sea turtle necklace with a glowing ball inside.
Time for a big one.
A jigsaw puzzle of Yosemite.
A box.
With butterflies that fly out when you open it.
And a little cake inside.
One of the butterflies. We tried to put them back in the box and have them fly out again, but we couldn't really get it to work, so they must back them in a certain way.
Next present.
A Black Hills Gold amethyst ring.
Up close.
Ogii had mentioned a few months ago that she thought the Polaris Slingshot was cool, so I found one on Turo in San Jose. I drove up there and parked the Prius on a side street.
It was quite cold in the morning, so I brought a winter coat to wear as I can't really close it up.
Two wheels in the front, one in the back.
The instrument panel.
There is a small storage space behind each seat.
Ogii enjoying being chauffeured around.
Don't expect your hair to stay nicely groomed.
A video of us driving it. The older models are only stick shifts, although the new ones come in automatic.
We drove to Bernadus Spa in Carmel Valley. It's still a little weird to drive the Slingshot and I don't quite know where the edges are, so I'm not going to park near this Ferrari.
They have a herb garden.
Entrance.
Eating lunch at Lucia.
Cookie plate.
The deck.
Our view.
The lavendar flowers smelled good, but wasps seemed to like them, too. A few flew over to us, and this guy wanted some of my chicken. He slicked a little piece off with his mandibles and flew away with it.
A space for wedding ceremonies.
Beautiful covered area.
Chairs cut from tree stumps.
Lawn bowling.
The spa.
Waiting area.
Peaceful paintings.
Massages generally aren't allowed due to COVID, but since they could make these outdoors, they could have them. This was the only place around Monterey I could find that had massages.
A quick stop by the nursery. They had this family of metal goats.
Then onto Carmel. There is a line for the Coach store.
We stayed at the Hofsas House.
Mural with traditional clothing.
Dutch doors for the rooms.
Ogii in the Slingshot.
It's very wide at the front.
The Shell station had a wooden shell for its sign.
Metal male and female sculptures.
Many of the restaurants had built outdoor seating areas that extended out into the street, so at least they could somewhat adapt to COVID.
Although many small businesses couldn't handle being closed for so long.
A large art gallery.
More outdoor eating.
This place had been vacant a few months ago. The new business doesn't have a real sign yet, just a printed piece of paper.
Another vacant location, with multiple open areas which connect to each other.
A second room.
And a third.
Plus it's on a corner. Except it's quite far south, which means much less foot traffic, and the space is so large it's likely very expensive.
It's being rented by the same company that rented some others we looked at.
They have a few other listings in the Monterey area, too, including many at the Crossroads in Carmel.
It's sad to see the Wharf Theater went out of business.
Very colorful flower.
A Bently with a funky wrap.
More outdoor eating. They still look kinda close to each other, though.
Limited entrance to the candy shop.
Decisions, decisions.
Another vacant retail space.
Although anything not on Ocean itself sees such a huge drop in foot traffic. And I never considered that some places don't have a private bathroom.
Beautiful flower.
Dinner at Hog's Breath Inn.
A little underpass.
To get back to the outdoor seating area.
Although we took it back to the hotel.
Ogii ready to eat.
The candy store had Super Ropes.
History of the Hofsas House, which started as a few rented cottages in the 1940s and was turned into an actual hotel in 1957. The original cottages are still available to guests. The founder's granddaughter is now the general manager.
Another present.
Black Hills Gold amethyst earrings.
Close up.
A small line for breakfast in the morning.
Very good pastries from a local bakery.
The "no parking" sign is just a plastic bag; we should take it with us and use it wherever we want to park.
Tiny flowers.
Ogii doing a bit of pruning.
Adding some plant food.
And watering.
Some presents from Dad and Mom.
A face mask.
One last present: Black Hills gold amethyst necklace.
To complete the set.