Misty Central Coast Recharge

After thanksgiving's big hurrah, Nancy, Jessica, and I packed up our cars and drove down the coast for a Sunday-Wednesday escape. It was absolutely what I needed and I'd do this again in a heartbeat. 

We booked a small apartment at The Briarwood in Carmel. This is where I stayed with my Grannie and Mum in January 2010. Lots of special memories for me here. What people don't often realize about Carmel is, that despite it being full of high-end shops and fine dining, it's also full of much older Inns with rates that are a bit lost in time. They aren't flashy but not dives at all. It's usually much cheaper to stay in Carmel than in Monterey and quieter and more secure for night strolling and parking.

The other fantastic thing we booked was day passes at Refuge. This is an outdoor spa settled in the hills above Carmel. It's utterly beautiful there and really reasonably priced for lounging and rejuvenating. 

We had some wonderful brunches at Carmel Belle and a dinner at the legendary Dametra. We also had a lovely evening of tapas and a lot of champagne at Promesa. The rest of the time we hit up the quaint local delis and made charcuterie/cheese boards. 

It was very chilly and thick with fog but we did get out for beach strolling and we did a day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cannery Row. 

Hosting Again

To me, one of life's greatest pleasures in that moment of a house brimming with energy, laughter, clinking glasses. That moment when a party starts to run on its own energy and you get to enjoy it fully. Everything up to that point is a bit of a mad dash, little details, cooking and baking and decorating. Anticipating needs and crossing things off lists. There's a deep creative pleasure for me in creating tables for gathering. I think about it and collect pieces all year. My co-conspirator in these plans has always been Renee, who my kids call Gigi. She's an antique collector and creator of really creative and spectacular events in her home. She's always pushing the envelope with quirky fun ideas mixed with history and then above all... comfort. Nothing should be too austere. 

My other co-conspirator in great hosting escapade is often Nancy. My BFF of 34 years from Eastern Ontario homeschooling days. This year she flew down to visit just in time to help me pull off this event.

My client, Heirlooms Events, loaned us linens, tables, chairs, crystal (and those moss colored hobnail tumblers that were amazing) and Renee, who was in the middle of downsizing her home, sent up a collection of hotel silver to hold flowers. I scored a whole bucket of dahlias at Trader Joe's the day before. They turned out just the way I'd hoped. Those dewy peachy petals juxtaposing the tarnished silver. 

It was a lovely afternoon and night, with lots of hugs and catching up. I wish Renee had been able to come up and join us too. Jessica made it up from LA though and the following morning, after SO much cleaning, Nancy, Jess and I hatched a plan to decompress and do the opposite of hosting...