Summer Vacation, Part 1: When Harper Met the Ocean

We recently travelled around Northern California with Colt's family. We had a great time. Colt's family is super fun and Northern California is beautiful (it made me want to read Steinbeck so badly that I downloaded The Grapes of Wrath to my Kindle the first evening we were there), so it was basically the perfect end-of-summer-vacation.

We started out in Monterey, which was lovely. We stayed right on the beach, visited the aquarium, and explored/shopped/ate at the wharf. I loved every minute of our stay in Monterey, but none so much as the moment when Harper met the ocean.

When Harper met the ocean, magic happened (I've come to expect nothing less when Harper is involved). She loved it and she embraced it with a big smile and open arms, just like she embraces nearly everything in life. Her fearlessness and excitement never cease to inspire me. She has more enthusiasm in her adorable (and sometimes stinky) big toe than most people do in their entire being.

Also, hooray for crossing another item off of our 2013 Bucket List!

Here are a few more photos of our time in Monterey. I really did love it there and would like to go back. So would Colt. One drive past Pebble Beach and Spanish Bay and he was sold on the idea of a return trip.