Big fun in Big Sur (again!)

Had such a great weekend - whew!  Where do I start?

Ah, I know.  Let's start with Friday morning.  Paul and I took Matt out to brunch (it was his 36th birthday, after all).  Eggs, bacon and bloody marys were a great kick-off to the weekend (though I did hit the road a bit later than I had planned...).

Drove down to meet up with Tim at his house (aka the Ewok Village).  He lives in a wee cabin in the most beautiful forest of redwood trees.  Kind of like driving through Canyon (for those of you who grew up where I did) but without the creepy serial killer vibe.  Then we were off to meet friends at Ody's:  the "dive bar of Carmel".  I don't think I'd call it a dive bar but it's probably as low as Carmel goes.  Then to Mundaka for yummy tapas and wine.  Then to Brophy's for shots of Maker's Mark (what what?).  Then back to Mundaka and then Ody's again.  Until we got kicked out when they closed and went to a friend's house in Monterey.  Very late night...

The next morning got off to a slow start.  Breakfast at Belle before hitting the road to go wine tasting in Salinas.  The highlight of this wine tasting was a precious older man dressed up in his country wear best while wearing a belt buckle that said "dick".  I'm quite serious.  I suspect his name is Dick and it was just a personalized belt buckle but it made me laugh nonetheless.  I tried some Googlation to find something similar to show you and this is the best I can do.  Not even close but, well, it'll give you an idea.  

I need to do some more Googlation to find a place that will customize belt buckles.  I will make one for myself that reads:  'gina.

Saturday afternoon was about cheese and wine at Tim's while watching Trailer Park Boys (I must get this on Netflix!) and Aqua Teen Hunger Force.  Followed by a long (and well-deserved) nap.  We wrapped up the evening with drinks at Nepenthe and got to bed much earlier than the night before.  

Oh - and the "831.ASS.TAXI" photo above?  I spotted that gem at a gas station in Carmel Valley.  Imagine - an ass taxi!  I see a whole fleet of this type of transportation (e.g., rump rickshaw or breast bike).  It's the future of transportation, people!

That's mighty big, sir...

Gentle readers - I can't believe it's taken me a week to tell you about the trip to Big Sur last weekend.  Shame!

Well, come closer and I'll tell you all about it.  Closer....closer.  Yes.  That's good.  Now listen up.

On Friday morning The Tami, Loraine and I pile into the petite wagon.  The first glimpse of how fun the weekend would be was when we washed down our lunch (at some cute place in Carmel Valley) with chipotle bloody marys.  Oh, yes.  YES!

After lunch it was just a hop, skip and a jump (my mom says that all the time - drives me crazy!) to Big Sur.  We checked into our motel (I love that word - so many connotations).  Then we explored Big Sur for a minute (no, I'm not exaggerating - it's that wee).  When it was time for another adult beverage we stopped at a place called The Roadhouse (another of my favorite words).  Sadly they weren't open yet and suggested we go to the River Inn instead.

Pulling into a parking spot at the River Inn who should walk right in front of us (literally)?  Tim (a friend of mine from my younger days at Pomona College)!  I knew we'd meet up during the weekend but hadn't yet called to say we'd arrived (bad IAH).  He joined us for some beverages (sleazy wahines [pineapple infused vodka and other fruity goodness] for all my [female] friends!).

After spending some quality time bellied up to the bar at the River Inn I felt like we'd met half the town (because we had - Tim knows everybody).  Then it was off to The Roadhouse for dinner.  Hella good Mexican food.

After dinner we returned to the homestead.  The Tami and Loraine were tuckered but I soldiered on.  Hung out with Tim at the motel bar (there was a DJ - so cosmopolitan!).

The next morning we had breakfast at Nepenthe's Cafe Kevah.  Eggs, coffee and an amazing view - what more can you ask for?  Then we headed north to Carmel.  We wandered the streets a bit - doing some shopping (mainly mocking the touristy wares).  Then we met up with Tim and his pals at the Cheese Shop for a wine and cheese extravaganza.  I don't remember how much we drank (it got a bit fuzzy after the magnum of champagne) but do remember that it was a crazy fun time.  We headed back to Big Sur for dinner.  We had the most amazing and delicious dinner at Nepenthe - for reals.  I'll be forever grateful to Tim for that :)

After dinner it was back to the homestead to see the bands playing at the motel bar.  Then off to bed to sleep off the afternoon/ evening drunkfest.  

The next day we had breakfast at Ripplewood and then left Big Sur.  We left rested and a bit hungover.  Isn't that how you should feel after every vacation?