Okey Dokey Artichokey

Well, it's finally happened... we're starting a blog! And we're doing it from Carmel, where it's been a two-artichoke day. This may be the last time we write together. (P is convinced that if we insist on writing everything together, we'll never post anything.) But we're both here right now. Because really, what is there to do in Carmel after 10pm apart from start a blog while watching old Will & Grace reruns? (P would want you all to know that it's really me watching the Will & Grace rerun.) Thanks to H for inspiring us to get going on this blog (and for restoring my sanity). -- D

Our first blog and we're already including shout-outs? Is that what the internet has come to? Remember when it was about "push technology" and ActiveX? Anyway, Carmel is great, and we've been here quite a few times in the past few years. Small, well-placed, relaxing, and beautiful. Generally good weather. But mainly relaxation is the reason for coming down here. Certainly not shopping, unless you like trendy art, in which case, this place is for you! There's about a 1:1 ratio of art galleries to actual citizens of Carmel. And in 3 years of visiting, it seems like a lot of the art hasn't been sold... well, tomorrow it's off to see the Carmel Mission. We've been there before; it's an interesting piece of California history, and the burial place of Father Serra (who is memorialized in various places around the state). He founded quite a few of the 20 missions that dot California's coast, and while neither D nor I are Catholic, we admire those folks who would willing spend their lives trekking 20 miles at a time to get from mission to mission for years and years on end... D thinks we should start a hostel-like network along El Camino Real, the 19th-century road that connects all of these missions, and convince modern adventure travelers to make the trek themselves. Or, religious fanatics. My guess is that the former won't need to see more than 3 missions before wanting to do something else (they all begin to look the same pretty quickly) and the latter would rather drive than walk. Perhaps they'd walk it in the Holy Land, but not when In-N-Out is only a few miles away.

I'm taking the whole week off -- my first entire week off in 2 years since moving to R. "You're not really taking it off," says D, which is probably accurate. Stay tuned. -- P