Bernadus and Big Sur

Leslie and I recently had a chance to have a little parents' getaway. Her firm had some unused rooms at the Bernadus Lodge in Carmel Valley, California, which it made available to associates. So with the help of Grammy and Pop Pop (babysitting), we snapped one up and were able to get away for some mommy and daddy time.

We made a point of visiting Big Sur, which continues to be one of the best places in California. We drank a few beers and ate lunch at Nepenthe, the Big Sur restaurant perched on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. By luck we wound up with the best seats in the house, right on the rail outside facing southwest into the Pacific coastline. Here are a couple pictures from our lunch.

The hotel was just what the doctor ordered. We kept it pretty simple: sitting in their warming pool, playing tennis, hanging out in our room by the fireplace, and reading and eating crackers in bed. The highlight was breakfast in our room the following morning (eggs benedict, but of course).

On the way back we made a pitstop at the Gilroy Outlets for a little early holiday power shopping unencumbered by squirmy family members. It was a great success.