Summertime’s calling me…

 

A couple of weeks ago my family went and stayed  with my grandparents at their beach house in Monterey, California!  This is absolutely one of my favorite places ever, and a highlight to my year.  I love waking up in the morning and looking at the waves crashing on the shore and falling asleep to the sounds crashing waves.  Plus I get to spend time with my family and my Grandparents!!  This year was great because I got to bring my husband along!!  Vacations are always so much more fun when you get to bring your best friend along.

  (Here are some Pelicans at the wharf)

One morning Andrew, Chris, Brandon, and my dad went deep sea fishing for salmon.  They left super early in the morning, so all us girls slept in.  We did however, drive over the wharf to meet them as they pulled back in.  And this is the site we saw as their boat was coming in to dock.

(The birds were just surrounding their boat!!  They were everywhere!  They must have been cleaning the fish and throwing the guts over the side on their way in.)

Here they are coming back in…they look so happy for not catching any fish! haha

The proud fishermen!

Brandon is the only one who caught a fish out of the guys!  He was the first one to catch one on the entire boat!  I think he’s part fish…pretty sure. 

His fish was 32 inches long and about 17 pounds!!  It was huge!!  Way to go Brandon!  I’m surprised it didn’t pull him overboard reeling that thing in.

While they were cleaning Brandon’s fish I looked over the edge and saw this MONSTROSITY sitting there among all the normal sized seals!!  I can’t believe any of the seals would even dare be next to this bull!

haha and then Andrew just had to pet the Pelican! haha

One night Andrew, me, Chris, Alison, and Brandon went on the 17 mile drive.  It was gorgeous!  I could not believe we had never done this before!  But then we had a little run in at the Lone Cypress which made me second guess about coming on the drive ever again…

This is the Lone Cypress on the 17 Mile Drive. After we took some pictures we were walking back to our car, when all of a sudden this random old guy comes up to us with a guitar and said that he comes here to serenade couples.  He asked if he could sing us a song.  To be nice we said yes and he sang us some song about Love being like an Evergreen.  To be honest it wasn’t that bad, but when he was done we were trying to leave…ya know, saying “well thanks that was great.”  But this guy just kept talking to us telling us how he’s this painter and has traveled the world!  He finally asked us to come to his house so he could take our pictures and he’d give us a free paining…we were like WHAT?! Red flags. Then he proceeded to ask our names and tell us this story about how he invited this homeless lady to come to his house and he had to perform an exorcism on her..uh…by then we were freaking out (well at least I was).  So we got the heck out of there, but he gave us his card before we could get away. When we got home we told my parents and grandma that story.  My grandma asked his name and said it sounded familiar so we googled him, and come to find out HE REALLY IS A FAMOUS PAINTER!  He has a shop in Carmel and lives on pebble beach!  So we totally passed up the opportunity to get free paintings from a famous painter haha!  I’m still convinced we escaped with our lives though haha. 

Chris and Alison’s expressions after talking to the guy at the Lone Cypress haha

One morning we all headed to the aquarium!!  This is one of my favorite parts of the trip!  Everyone should go to this place at least one in their life.  We were really excited because they were supposed to have a great white shark in their open ocean exhibit, but they said they just recently released it.  Lame sauce.  Maybe next time!

Here are some Avocets sleeping, so adorable!

Pretty much the coolest sea horse ever!

Brandon and Andrew looking at baby sea horse eggs…I think they fake though haha

Sea Otter outside the Aquarium in the Bay

A Harbor Seal that was swimming around the boats in the Marina

Andrew and I outside the Aquarium. 

Alison, Chris, me, Andrew, and Brandon

All of us outside the Aquarium!  Minus Jared, Jessica and family!  We missed you guys! 

The aquarium brought out an Albatross they have been raising behind the scenes!  It is such a pretty bird!  Definitely my new favorite! 

After the aquarium we rented this beauty to ride around cannery row!  haha was a lot of fun!  It even had a bell. 

This was a pretty cool motorcycle!  It was completely made out of horse shoes! 

The fishermen fishing from the beach back at the beach house. haha They used sand grabs as bait

The boys boogie boarding!  The water was so cold and the day before a 15 foot great white shark attacked a Kayaker just fifteen miles up the coast, otherwise I may have been in the water too haha

Safe on shore!

Andrew was doing this with a broken rib, and one time he was running out to catch a wave and this huge wall of water just knocked him down!  He just disappeared haha I was worried it hurt his rib more, but he just got up and went on boarding, the crazy!

Brandon LOVES the water!

Priceless face.  I think Brandon spent the majority of the time in the water!  I seriously think this kid is a fish!

Chris and I pointing out the cool Harbor Seal that was swimming around the marina!

I love my crazy family!  It was a great vacation and so fun spending time with family!  Can’t wait until next year!!