The Written Word

Remember the excitement of finding a handwritten letter in the mailbox?

Perhaps written by a loved one far away or a pen pal from another country?

I'd like to think those days aren't over.

In fact I long for someone to send me a long letter, full of carefully chosen words and charged with emotion.

A handwritten letter is becoming a lost art because it's so much easier to send an email or text.

After all, writing a letter takes time and effort. To sit down with pen in hand and carefully select the words, write them in cursive, then to have the recipient read them, not just once but over and over.

And to think that the letter could be saved forever in a box, perhaps read by another generation....

Does that generation even know how to write in cursive anymore? Ah, but they don't have to know how to write!

I remember practicing my handwriting in school, trying to make it pretty.

Or writing a secret note to a friend and folding it just so, hoping the teacher didn't catch me. Kids today just text each other!

I had a friend years ago who wrote the most wonderful letters. She was away for three months and would send a five page letter describing her adventures. I hung on her every word as she had a way with words anyway. But it was her beautiful handwriting that I enjoyed as well.

I still have them in my secretary. I can't throw them away because they represent a time capsule of my life. Imagine if her correspondence was sent via email? It would be gone forever.

Last week, I visited our local stationery store, Paper Caper.

It has been on the "Avenue" forever and I'm like a kid in a candy store there.

Imagine, a whole store of cards and stationery all for the purpose of sending a message or invite.

Not an email, Facebook message, or a text, but a handwritten note!

I had a conversation with the owner about how a store like this is becoming outdated with the internet and e-vites. Kind of made me sad...

There is even an online site that allows you to download your own handwriting and send a letter via email. Not quite the same, but I tried it.

Here is what the note looked like that I sent to my daughter.

My 89 year old Mother-in-law doesn't own a computer or even know about email.

She still writes notes and letters to her family and friends, old school style.

When we get a letter in the mail, I immediately recognize her handwriting.

Sadly, I suspect she doesn't get many letters back since we all just want to send her an email.

In a way, she is missing out on a lot, but then, so are we....

When was the last time you wrote a letter?

Carmel-By-The-Sea

Carmel is just as charming and quaint as I remember.

It almost feels like we took a quick trip to Europe!

I even spied a Welsh flag outside of one gallery!

We spent all day Saturday exploring the nooks and crannies.

It takes all day just to see all the antique stores, art galleries and boutiques.

There are no bargains here for sure, but Carmel is so romantic that you don't mind.

One of our discoveries was "Forget Me Not," an antique and design store.

Shirley, the owner was a blast to talk to and we hit it off right away.

Her store is filled with unique treasures like this one-of-a-kind sea shell lamp.

I was crushing on this faux bamboo armoire. Isn't it amazing?

There was even an antique bee skep covered with mud.

I thought of my friend Lisa who is collecting them right now.

A lovely collection of tole and crystal chandeliers caught my eye.

And my favorite, Bella Notte linens too.

Carmel is so much fun to visit. I just hope we don't wait for another 5 years until we visit again.

Just north a few miles is Monterey.

We spent time on the wharf and Cannery Row.

Lots of history here, I'm always reminded of John Steinbeck and his novels about this area.

Of course you have to have oysters for lunch here...

...while watching the sea lions out the window.

They were quite a site, lounging in the sun...

...and frolicking in the water.

And so, we headed home feeling like we were gone for a week.

It was our first trip as official empty nesters. It seemed weird that Dexter wasn't with us.

I found myself looking in the back seat a few times to check on him. It's just habit I guess.

Antiquing In Santa Cruz

Last weekend, we left no stone unturned as we moseyed from Santa Cruz to Carmel-By-The-Sea hunting for treasures and sightseeing. We hit estate sales, yard sales, antique malls and design stores.

I'm pretty lucky Mr. A enjoys the thrill of the hunt too!

We started at Center Street Antiques in Soquel, a sleepy suburb of Santa Cruz because Atelier de Campagne has a booth there and I was anxious to see their display.

I've been following their blog and even met Trinidad and Johan at the flea market earlier this month. Their booth was one of my favorites, so beautifully staged with amazing antiques from Europe.

In fact, this collective had the best dealers. Every booth was a good one. Which is rare these days. With antique collectives going by the wayside, it was refreshing to see one still flourishing.

Not only is this one of the best malls I've ever been in, the prices are very reasonable too.

I bought this pillow for my BFF Maureen. It matches the drapes in her living room.

Great vintage leather suitcase. It had all original stickers including one from Havana!

A little glue on the handle is all it needed.

There were more than a few tole trays, but I left them behind.

A wonderful old wicker trunk. Would be great at the end of the bed.

Shopping at this collective brought back memories of the time when I had a booth in a local mall for about 7 years. It was so much fun and a lot of work.

Mr. A suggested that maybe I should think about getting back into the antique business again.

Are you kidding?

Perhaps an online store, he suggested.

He just wants to get rid of all the stuff in the garage!

It was only 11:00 am and the day was just getting started.

Stay tuned as we head south touring Monterey and Carmel.

Treating Ourselves at Bernardus Lodge

Sometimes you just have to treat yourself!

Bernardus Lodge in Carmel Valley was the perfect place to do so last weekend when Mr. A and I headed south on a spontaneous whim.

We had no idea where we would end up staying when we left Friday night at 7:00.

We ended up in Santa Cruz and got one of the last rooms in town at the Ramada Inn.

On Saturday morning, when Mr. A called Bernardus, I thought, "right, there won't be a room."

But there was! So, we headed south to Carmel.

Nestled in Carmel Valley, it is one of the loveliest inns I've ever stayed in.

The lobby is like one giant living room with sumptuous fabrics, a big fireplace on one side and a library on the other.

The rooms all feature down mattresses, duvets and pillows.

The beds are sinfully luxurious!

Complimentary wine and cheese on the deck!

The grounds are lovely too. At night, the big stone fireplace is ablaze for late night chats.

There is a grass area for croquet, bocce ball and other lawn games.

A pool, of course...

....as well as beautiful fountains.

The garden and grounds are all in bloom right now.

It was a serendipitous kind of weekend.

From not knowing where we were going to finding treasures to take home, it was a pleasant surprise.

Tomorrow I'll share some antique stores we discovered along the way.

For more information about Bernardus Lodge, visit their website here.

Happy Monday to you all!