Revisiting Los Laureles Lodge in Carmel Valley, California

los lauralesLos Laureles

My husband, Martin and I celebrated our wedding anniversary while away on vacation. It wasn’t planned that way, but it so happened we were in Carmel, California on August 1st. We thought it would be fun to drive to the Carmel Valley and look for Los Laureles Lodge where we’d spent part of our honeymoon 44 years ago. We didn’t know if it still existed. Well, it does and it’s thriving. It has several more buildings now, including a restaurant and wedding chapel. We met a couple who were newly married and holding their reception at the lodge. It was a wonderful day and although Los Laureles Lodge has changed, it brought back many happy memories of a wonderful honeymoon spent in Carmel Valley 44 years ago.

More of Santa Maria

fess parker pink flower I had to share another photo with you from the beautiful grounds of the Fess Parker Winery. Even if you are not into wine tasting, it is well worth a visit. We saw families eating at picnic tables set under shady trees. Dogs are also welcome when on leash.Annika at Fess Parker

You can see in this photo Annika resting on the cool outdoor tile. This is our last day in Santa Maria and tomorrow we will be on the road again.

Camping in Santa Maria, California

Grounds of Fess Parker Winery

 

 

It has been a great day filled with gorgeous views of mountains and ocean. We left early this morning and arrived in Santa Maria just before noon. Even the Los Angeles traffic co-operated with our plans and was fairly light.
We had an enjoyable drive north and are now set up in a beautiful camp site. But even when everything goes smoothly, the  first day of camping can be tiring.  I could not resist taking this photo of my husband, Martin and Annika relaxing after dinner.

It is lovely and cool in Santa Maria, but I hear it was very hot at home today. I hope our house sitter remembers to water my outdoor plants before going to bed. As you can tell, my thoughts are never very far from home.martin and Annika resting