Jenni decided to surprise me for my birthday with a trip to Carmel. We left town on Friday and headed north. When we arrived in Carmel we checked into the Tradewinds hotel and caught a late dinner at Casanova (The mushrooms in garlic and wine sauce were amazing). On Saturday, our friends Rich and Cristina came down from San Francisco and brought their daughter Rachael. As you can see below, she entertained us the entire day. She makes us look really forward to having our own daughter. On Saturday night, we went out to dinner at Mission Ranch with Cristina's parents, Don and Wendy. Mission Ranch is owned by Clint Eastwood and is also where Rich and Cristina got married. It was nice to be with great company in such a beautiful place.
On Sunday, we drove up to Monterey and went to the Aquarium. I had never been to Monterey or the aquarium before and found both to be impressive. After the aquarium, we drove back to Carmel via 17 mile drive. We took our time pulling over to take in the sites of the rugged California coastline. We stopped for lunch at the lodge at Pebble Beach (definitely need to play golf there one day). We capped off the trip by catching a November sunset over Carmel beach. Everyone in the town had the same idea. Kids and dogs ran up and down the beach while the parents took in the sights. It was nice to feel the crisp fall air of Northern California and a great way to end the weekend.
Rachael shows us her best "fish face"

The Leafy Sea Dragon-Monterey Aquarium
Jenni enjoying some rays : )
Me doing the same....
Carmel, California - November 15, 2009