April 16, 2005

We got married!

Not only that, but we finally have photos online (yes, yes, we're also still working on thank you notes!). . . .

We're getting married!

Past history. . .
February 15, 2004: Cameron asked me to marry him. It was the second day of our vacation in New Mexico; we were in Taos. We spent the next week wandering around the winter desert in a delirious fog of bliss. If you can't use phrases like 'delirious fog of bliss' on a wedding website, when can you?


We (okay, I) got stuck in a snowbank to take this shot. Some very nice people from Texas pulled us out, commenting that they'd never done this in snow before, just mud.

And yes, I have a ring - and yes, it was the right size, and yes, Cameron picked it. He has good taste. And no, I don't know if I'm changing my name. If you happen to think of a way to combine our last names into one word that doesn't sound like a sneeze or a drunken slur, let us know.


Note how smug Cameron looks.


Note how smug I look.

Further back. . .
We started going out during a trip to Oregon, a few days after our friends' Rhea and Steve's wedding in August '02. By the end of the year we'd taken three week-long vacations in six months (a record we're still trying to beat).


The Pacific Northwest, where we saw not one but two or three elk, including one we climbed through a ditch to get away from.


Small European street.


Grand Canyon and Cameron. 'Nuff said.

The following February, we moved to Cupertino together.


January 2003

Back before we started going out, we were friends: first in high school, then in college, and then after college.

And now we're getting married!

When?

April 16, 2005

Yes, we know the save-the-date cards say April 15-17. It's a plot to get you into town early so we can see more of you.

We're planning some sort of festivities for Friday night (or afternoon? not sure yet) and maybe Sunday morning. Or (and?) Saturday afternoon. We do not have this figured out yet. But we will. Really. Meanwhile, again, we want to see you. Come early!

Where?

Carmel and Monterey, California.

We're holding the ceremony on a beach just south of Carmel, and the reception in an adobe in Monterey that dates back to 1847. Map links for both coming real soon now.

Ribera beach is Cameron's favorite beach going back to very-small-childhood


Cameron at Ribera, age 7 (8?)

and one of my favorites since I found it in high school. The ceremony will be held in the early evening (before sunset). This is Carmel; it may be foggy. Bring a wrap.

Travel info

The most convenient airport to fly into is, not surprisingly, Monterey (MRY). It's tiny and friendly and the security lines are always really short. If you're not okay with turbo-prop planes (I personally love them), though, don't do it. The only airlines that fly into Monterey are American, United, and America West.

Flying directly into Monterey tends to be expensive, so unless you get lucky or are using frequent flyer miles, you'll more likely wind up at San Jose (SJC), San Francisco (SFO), or Oakland (OAK). Of these, the closest is San Jose. San Francisco and Oakland are pretty much a toss-up.

And we hate to say it, especially to anyone coming from a city that actually offers usable public transport, but you will probably want to rent a car.

Where to stay

Carmel, Monterey, Pacific Grove, and Pebble Beach are all close to each other; for convenience, it doesn’t matter which town you stay in. Carmel is cute and walkable and has art galleries; Monterey has more nightlife (okay, by ‘nightlife’ we mean coffee shops and places to get food ‘late’ at night); PG is quiet, pretty, Victorian, and a good place to walk around eating cookies; Pebble Beach is more resorty, residential, and a bit surreal. They all have beaches.

We both grew up around here and usually crash with Heather's parents when we visit, so we haven't tried any of these hotels out. Instead, we heard about them by osmosis, eating at their restaurants, etc., and they're where we’d stay if we visited. Carmel and PG especially are packed with really cool places to stay, so we’d generally advise skipping the chains (and whatever you do, avoid the Embassy Suites – Heather’s mad at it because it’s ugly and it blocks the view. If you want something tall, do the downtown Marriott in Monterey instead). This is a tourist area, take advantage!

And now the info:

Referral services that can find rooms at more than one hotel: http://www.monterey.com/mc4/mc4c.html, Resort 2 Me, and http://www.gomonterey.com/lodging/.

Nifty places to stay in the upwards of a hundred bucks range:

Pacific Grove (all Victorian all the time): Gosby House Inn, Green Gables Inn, Grand View Inn, and others. We’ve never heard of a bad PG B&B.

Carmel (all downtown so you can walk places): Cobblestone Inn, Best Western Carmel Mission Inn, Cypress Inn, Pine Inn (oldest hotel in Carmel), La Playa Hotel (Heather used to hostess in their restaurant; they have nice gardens and cool old photos).

Monterey (walking distance to the wedding reception): Hotel Pacific, the Marriott (a chain, of course, but very tall so good views).

Pebble Beach (not the bargain option, but you’re almost guaranteed to see deer. And golfers.): Inn at Spanish Bay, the Lodge at Pebble Beach.


Nifty places to stay in the slightly under a hundred bucks range (mostly in Monterey):

Days Inn Monterey Downtown, Mariposa Inn Hotel Monterey, Howard Johnson Pacific Grove, and almost any of the hotels on Munras Ave (all totally acceptable and pretty convenient but not ragingly fabulous). Slightly out of the way (but near Heather’s parents and right on the beach): Monterey Beach Hotel - Best Western.

Our favorite things to do in Monterey/Carmel/Pacific Grove

Go to Point Lobos either to hike or to admire the view. Most trails are relatively short and not too tough, and the scenery's some of the best around. It's only a couple of miles south of Carmel, so very easy to get to. It's also very windy; even if the weather's nice, bring an extra layer. Last time we were there it was nine bucks to park in the parking lot (but you can also park along the highway for free if you don't mind the walk). Favorite beach within Point Lobos: China Cove.

Note: the ones provided by Heather are all about food, somehow. . . .

Go to the Aquarium (possibly followed by brunch at First Awakenings).

Morgan's Coffee & Tea (Monterey) for lazy afternoon coffee.

Long walk (or bike) along the bike path - it goes from Pacific Grove to Monterey, which is about four miles, so you can take it in snippets as well if you'd rather.

The Memory Garden (Monterey, off the Custom House Plaza).

Buffalo Prawns (an appetizer, but do not share) at Peter B's, the pub attached to the Portola Plaza hotel (downtown Monterey).

Glass-bottom boats on Monterey Bay.

Kayaking on Monterey Bay. Get one of the open-deck ones so you can paddle your feet in the water when you get tired of paddling your boat. Wildlife will probably approach: sea otters may try to snitch your lunch, and seals may sneeze at you.

Books 'n' Things (Monterey): our mutual favorite used book store in the area.

Bay Books: one of our favorite non-used but very, very local new book stores in the area (also with good coffee and nice tables to sit at).

The Bagel Bakery - the reason Heather was never quite impressed by New York bagels.

The Wharf (offering free samples of very, very good clam chowder).

Bonfires on the beach.

Window shopping in Carmel (meaning Carmel-by-the-Sea). Also running down the big sand dune at Carmel beach, at the bottom of Ocean Street, which Cameron thinks has the best sand in the area (Heather might not entirely agree).

Driving down to Big Sur, either just for the sake of the drive, hiking when you get there, or for lunch at Nepenthe. Or all of the above.

17-mile drive through Pebble Beach. Stare at the deer lunching on the golf courses.

Biking around anywhere at all. You can rent bikes at Adventures by the Sea.
Scenic drive if you have four hours to spare and lots of gas, or want a prettier way to get back to 101 at the end of your trip: Carmel Valley. Go out Carmel Valley Road, heading east. You'll end up on 101 somewhere around Gonzales & Greenfield. We don't recommend doing it round-trip; it's better on your way in or out of the area.

We don't actually golf ourselves (those of you who have seen Cameron golfing can stop snickering now), but you can join the deer at Pebble Beach, Poppy Hills, Spanish Bay, or any of the several dozen other golf courses in the area (they spread like pampas grass).

As you probably figured out, we love this area, so not everything we love doing fits here. If you're curious, give us a call and we'll try to come up with some more lesser-known things to do around Monterey (a cave with abalone shells in Pebble Beach, more restaurants, more places to bike to, etc.) and nearby environs.