Happy Halloween Weekend!

One of our QA neighbors has transformed his property into the Bates Motel and we just had to go take a look last weekend after the storms.  It's pretty spooky and incredibly detailed - if you're in the area be sure to stop by!  If not, I hope you have a fun, safe, and healthy Halloween weekend!  Trick-or-treat!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

California {Carmel}

After one last breakfast in Paso Robles {on the outdoor patio at Andrea's on Pine where I had the most delicious avocado and tomato bagel} we packed up the car and headed back north {with one last stop at our favorite convenience store to stock up on some of the best $19 cab we've ever tasted}.  We skipped Highway 1 this time, instead taking the inland route then out to the ocean through the winding mountain roads with breathtaking views {and very few people or cars}.  We dropped off our luggage at our hotel in Monterey then immediately headed down to Carmel to spend the rest of the day at the beach.  It's hard to describe just how magical Carmel is unless you've been there - it's full of cute little shops and restaurants, fairytale looking houses, and a whole lot of money, and is situated on one of the most beautiful beaches in California with white sand, cliffs, fog, and intense waves.  We spent the majority of our time sitting in the sand watching the waves, testing out the water up to our knees, running from waves, and walking along the beach, all the way up to Pebble Beach and back.  We started to get hungry for dinner so made our way into town and put our name in for an outdoor table at La Bicyclette, a cute little bistro with wonderful reviews that Christian had found online.  We were able to be seated within about 30 minutes and were served some of the most delicious food we had on the trip, including a Tuscan Panzanella Salad, Seafood Linguine, and a Salumi pizza.  Paired with a glass of wine, it was the most perfect last dinner of our trip.  We finished up about an hour before sunset so decided to grab some mini champagne bottles at a local grocery store and headed down to the beach to be super romantical and drink bubbles while watching the sun set over the ocean.  It was one of my most favorite days of the trip that I know I'll remember for years to come :)

xoxo,

stephanie marie

California {Cambria & The Beach}

Thursday morning we had our best breakfast burritos of the week at Sunrise Cafe, a local spot a few blocks off the main downtown square, then headed into town to do some souvenir shopping at the cutest Paso Robles General Store.  Next we were off to Cambria, a cute little coastal town that was ready for fall with their scarecrow competition {see some pics below}.  After strolling the streets, we headed out to the beach where we proceeded to stare at and play in the waves for a VERY long time - is there anything more peaceful than the sound of the waves crashing in the ocean?  I had C take a bunch of random pics of me playing in the water {below} until the waves got a little too big and almost took out my nearby purse and shoes - whoops!  Afterwards we drove through the beachside motels of Cambria, vowing to come back and stay by the water someday soon, then headed back to Paso, stopping at the top of the hills that look out over valley and Morro Rock beyond.  Back in Paso we stopped in at our motel then headed into town for a tasting at Hayseed and Housdon, a cute tasting room in town that other motel guests had told us about.  We had the place to ourselves so chatted with the server while drinking our wine outside and playing their tasting note Bingo {that I failed epically at}.  Our dinner that night was reservations at Il Cortile, a nice Italian restaurant that came highly recommended where we were able to sit outside and enjoy yummy cocktails alongside our fresh tomatoes with mozzarella and pastas {and of course a little tiramisu for dessert}.  We walked back to the motel through the park, stopping to take some blurry pics in the gazebo and trying to forget that it was our last full day in Paso.

xoxo,

stephanie marie