Excuse me Sur, you're beautiful...

Happy Birthday to me. I have managed to go the whole day without caring how old I am. That is a good day my friends.

Today's itinerary included Pebble Beach, Carmel, and Big Sur. I truly don't understand how each town I visit is more breathtaking than the last.

This morning Ashley, Wes and I took a leisurely drive further south on Route 1. We did the "17 Mile Drive" around The Inn at Spanish Bay and Pebble Beach ...

We stopped at Pebble Beach for a look around (and to buy $80 golf shirts) and spotted a chimney sweep in top hat and tails tending to the chimneys of the Inn at Pebble Beach. Its a tough job, but someone has to do it. In other "you don't see this everyday" news, there were fifteen guys doing maintenance on the putting green, all at once. That is hard core golf there...

From Pebble Beach we scooted a little further south to Carmel. What a fabulous town. Quaint, sleepy, story book. Until! We ran into Clint Eastwood. He invited us to join him for a cup of coffee and we talked and talked.

Ok, I'm kidding about the Clint part. I was the most famous person we saw.

Back in the car and along the winding "one". Waves crashing. Cows grazing. Pacific gleaming. Artists painting. I just took it all in.

Our destination was Big Sur and the Nepenthe restaurant on the recommendation of Coastal Living (the mag recently did a piece on the place). The food was great, the Bellini hit the spot, the company wonderful, but the views... let's just say I have spent a lot of time speechless on this trip.

I enjoyed a leisurely few hours at the hotel before dolling up to head out to the "Cooking for Solutions" Gala at the Monterey Bay Aquarium tonight. The $250 I "donated" to that fabulous shop in Healdsburg for the fabulous dress that I had to have was all for naught -- even though I packed 19 t-shirts, it seems that my undergarment choices were not as varied and unfortunately I did not have anything conducive to making the dress "work". Are you following me here?

This intimate affair of 2,200 people was not a bad way to spend my birthday. Food and wine samplings from one hundred plus chefs and wineries. I am full and happy. The piece d' resistance was the Eiffel Tower constructed of cream puffs. Just after I took this picture, the photographer from the local paper stopped and asked me if I would be in the shot of the Eiffel Tower Chef serving the crowd, ahem, me. See, now I am famous (see Clint reference above).

Side note -- so glad I didn't wear the dress because apparently "cocktail attire" in California can be cowboy hats, camouflage sweatshirts, flip flops with socks and of course there was the women in gold lame with her girls hanging out and my personal favorite the woman dressed as a mermaid. Ok, the soiree was at an aquarium but the goal was not to blend in with the decor lady.

And, as exhaustion sets in - again - I accidentally took this picture of myself (in the mirror, while at the computer typing this) when trying to email the cream puff Eiffel Tower picture to myself.

It is indeed time for bed.