After driving through the VERY small town of Harmony, CA, my mom and I decided to stay in Cambria for the evening....we had an impromtu wine tasting, an early dinner and hit the pillows hard....I wasn't feeling well and I knew I needed to save up energy to drive home early the next morning. Even though I was sick, it didn't stop my mom and I from having a wonderful and special time together...all while being surrounded again by the magical California Coast.
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Harmony is a blink of a town with a few, touristy shops, less than a handful of homes and the home of Harmony Wines....always worth stopping to sip, right?!
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Harmony Wines is perched overlooking the town of Harmony and has vistas that keep going and going....
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We pulled into Cambria and spent the evening strolling around the sleepy town....most places were already closed...
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Black Hand Cellars is in downtown Cambria and the winemaker, Tom, was super nice and poured a little late in the day for my mom and I. I highly recommend checking them out if you get the chance. Their labels are a nod to the Roaring 20's...named after the Black Hand Mafia a name pulled from the wine stained hands of workers....
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We woke up bright and early to say our goodbyes...one of us darting North, the other South.....I knew I wanted to stop by the elephant seals in San Simeon and took off enjoying the morning sunrise hitting everything with that perfect sparkle.
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just a pile of seals.
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they are EVERYWHERE....I always seem to go when the beaches are female occupied...which is fine by me since I have heard the males go at it and it can get pretty violent. no thanks, I like the sweeter females.
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So, yeah, not always "sweet"...
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a pleased little sunbather!
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Big Sur....
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I was the creep on the side of the road with a big lens zooming in on people's homes...
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This place looked amazing!
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see that house?!
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yes, please!
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I stopped at the Nepenthe Restaurant for a healthy breakfast in the sun and I can only imagine what it is like there at all other times of the day....
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view from my breakfast table
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one incredible view after the other
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My Big Sur inspired board:
1. Pendleton Glacier Park Throw
2. Gold Resin Stag Head
3. Arcoiris Cuckoo Clock by Raffaele Darra
4. Lincoln Logs - designed by Frank Lloyd Wright's son - John Lloyd Wright
5. The Birding Life
6. A cute scarf on hand to keep the chill at bay!
7. Stylish binoculars for watching all sorts of things...Brunton Icon binoculars.
8. S'mores - 'natch! This recipe makes me drool.
9. Vintage Brass Pinecone Candle Holders.
10. A Funky Driftwood Table Lamp.
all photos by janel holiday design - use with photo credit is appreciated
Another of my favorite road trip soundtracks is the soundtrack to Magnolia - perfect mellow music for all those twists and turns:
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Your snaps of Nepenthe made me think of Elizabeth Taylor in The Sandpiper. I looked it up and, sure enough, that's where some of the film was shot. Gorgeous! Thanks so much for sharing your vacation!
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