Weekend in Monterey with Trish and Ginger (and Ginger's mom)

May 29-30, 2004

        Ginger's mom was going to a wedding in Carmel and wanted Ginger for a ride/company, and since Tricia was in town visiting us, we were invited to tag along for a girly trip into Monterey.  It was Trish's first time there, my second time, and Ginger's umpteenth.

        I met Gin, her mom, and Trish at Gin's place at 10AM Saturday and Gin drove us all down in her car.  Gin's mom brought huge bags of snacks into the car, two big bags of popcorn, two bags of her garlic roasted peanuts, muffins, and cherries.  Gin told her she better not mess up the car.  She often scolds her mom, like she's the one who's the mom.  It's quite amusing.

         We were supposed to drop her mom off at the 1PM wedding in Carmel, but got there an hour early so we looked around for eats first.  The weather was beautiful, a perfect sunny and high 70's, with a breeze that still made it necessary to have a sweatshirt.  Carmel is the sleepier, quainter, older town neighbor to Monterey.  We were apparently in the middle of town but there was nothing but clothing, gift and antique shops.  Finally we found a very "Californian", contemporary place that boasted "California wine country cuisine."  I asked, "What exactly is California contemporary cuisine?"  Gin said, "Just adding avocado."  I added, "And citrusy salad dressings."

        I got the crispy duck with mango citrus salad, Trish the smoked salmon and spinach salad, Gin's mom a vegetarian pizzette, and Gin the exotic club sandwich.  This was one of the best salads I've ever had, especially without cheese (or bacon).  Gin's mom ate one slice of her cheeseless pizza and was full.  Gin scolded.  When her mom asked to have it wrapped to go, Gin said, "You know you're not gonna eat it later!  Why wrap it?"  I said, "At least we'll feel better about wrapping it and carrying it around with the intent of eating it later, before we really throw it away."  Isn't that often what we do with leftovers?

       We dropped her mom off at the church and went to Monterey Bay Kayaks.  We rented a triple for two hours.  It was all of our first time kayaking.  We were clueless and didn't know we were going to change into their "wetsuits."  We looked at them blankly and each of us went into the changing booths and were there quite awhile.  They were skintight and I figured we were supposed to take off our pants to get them on.  But when I got out, Trish had put hers over her jeans, and Gin over her shorts.  I asked how they did it--these were so tight!  Trish said, "Yeah, I barely got them over my jeans."  Gin said, "I barely got them over my shorts."  I said, "Well I barely got them over my underpants."

        We had parked far at a meter which would be running out in less then 1 1/2 hours, so with a sigh the staff woman let us leave our stuff behind the desk.  I changed my mind twice about leaving my Gucci watch or wearing it--risk it getting wet and ruined, or getting stolen here?  I chose wet.  She gave us a breezy intro lesson outside, standing with the paddles.  "Line up the way you'll be sitting in the boat," she instructed.  I asked, "Um, should we do that based on weight or something?"  She said not weight but height--the middle person should be smallest, the back person should be tallest.  Well, then it was obvious how to line up because Trish is about 4 inches shorter than me, Gin about 4 inches taller than me.

        We practiced strokes in the air like morons for a little while, and then she gave us a wheeled device to help carry the kayak down to the water.  A staff guy tied it on and brought it down for us.  Starting out was the part I'd expected them to help with, but they weren't.  They just said, "Remember to launch when the wave is down--like now!  Or...like now!"  during the few seconds between waves. 

        We stood dumbly wondering how to start.  It was obvious we'd need to get our feet wet.  Gin and Trish said, "I didn't wear the right shoes!"  I started dragging it out to at least get it floating.  It was darn heavy.  After heaving awhile ankle-deep in water, I turned back panting.  "OK, ready?"  They were still on dry sand, watching me.  I slumped.  "You GUYS!  C'mon."  So they climbed in and abruptly it wasn't floating anymore.  Doh.  So we pushed into the sand with our paddles, not bothering to try and "launch between waves" because we were taking forever.  Slowly we moved forward but every time a wave came it'd crash into the boat and wash us back in, kind of sideways.  We were getting nowhere and our strength was made even weaker because we were cracking up at our incompetence.  I seriously thought we'd never leave, and have to go back for help.  I hoped no one was back there watching us. 

        But gradually we got further out, riding over the waves (thinking of that part in "Cast Away") and got out to 'sea' (really Bay).  We paddled amongst other boats, whooping at them (no one was home in any of them, it seemed) along the pier, and saw lots of sea lions (or were they seals?)  perched randomly on big round floating balls in the water.  We heard incessant barking coming from a line of rocks and headed over.  It was covered with sea lions/seals and black sea gulls.  We wondered which way to paddle next when suddenly we were caught in the rocks' downwind--whiff!  It was a RANCID poo stink and our direction was quickly decided:  "AWAY from the rocks!  PADDLE!!" 

          After awhile I was getting a little seasick especially when we got toward the sea and the water was choppier.  We drifted awhile without paddling until I asked, "Er...wanna head back?"  Trish relayed my question back to Gin, and we realized she was napping in the back.

        We headed back.  We are the most crooked paddlers ever--we kept zigzagging, so it took us forever to get from A to B.  On the way we saw a seal/sea lion stick its head out of the water and look at us.  Very cute.  We'd been strictly told not to "interfere with the marine wildlife in any manner" and keep at least 50' away from any of them.  Otherwise, trying to pet them or anything would cost us a $20,000 fine.  It swam under the surface and disappeared right under us.  I freaked out hoping it wouldn't try to surface and ram its head into our kayak and flip us over (my Gucci watch!).  But it didn't.

        Back on sand we tried to tie the boat onto the wheeled device but after many tries didn't get it right and Gin practically hauled the whole thing up by herself.  Roar.  She da woman!

        We went to pick up her mom.  Our crotches were all wet due to the very un-waterproof "wetsuits."  We were very uncomfortable.  I said, "We'd better shower and change quickly or we'll all get yeast infections."  Gin asked, 'What's that?  ...Does it rise?"

        The hotel her mom got, Portola Plaza Hotel, was quite nice and right in the middle of a plaza next to the visitors center.  When we arrived it was noisy and we realized there was a street fair, "Blues Street Festival."  Music was blaring and people were swing dancing in the street.  View from our balcony:

        We shot rock paper scissors for the shower, then napped a long time, about 2 hours.  Gin was the first to fall asleep and the last to get up.  Gin's mom is funny.  She was reading this book called "Why Men Don't Listen" and from time to time would look up and say, " 'How many men does it take to change a roll of toilet paper?  ...It's unknown, it's never happened."

        We walked about 1 mile to Cannery Row for dinner.  Gin's mom said she'd go wander by herself.  I'd told them about Blue Moon, the seafood restaurant Dave and I liked the last time we were here, and after checking out all the options we decided on that. 

        Gin's mom "ran into us" on the street, we suspected she'd been right behind us all along, so we made her join us for dinner.  After reading the menu I also wanted to get the same thing as last time (BBQ'ed 1 1/4 lb lobster).  Gin and her mom both don't like cheese and actively avoid it.  Every time they order any kind of food they say, "And no cheese."  However, they have very different walking speeds.  Walking back from the restaurant her mom would zip ahead and periodically look back to check on us, commenting that we walk so slow.

        The next morning (Gin was the first to fall asleep and the last to get up) we had breakfast at Old Monterey Cafe which was great.  Another 'vacation' of almost all eating.  Speed demon Ginger got us back home in good time.