Anne's And My Visit To Pebble Beach

As we have on so many occasions since 1991, Anne and I are having a wonderful stay at The Inn at Spanish Bay, in Pebble Beach on the central California coast.

The service in the hotel is superb, which is reflective of the general manager Rod Shinnerer, who treats the hotel employees so well, that they in turn treat the guests well. He is one of the few executives i've ever met who knows the names of most of his employees.

The facility itself is Spanish architecture and very attractive, nestled in among the Monterey pines on the ocean front.

The Inn abuts a world class golf course which attracts many of its guests, but not Anne and me. We come for the incredible beauty of Pebble Beach. I wish people every where could experience this beauty for it would capture their hearts as it has ours.

Forests of Monterey pines, junipers and wild flowers in reds, purples, yellows, golds and seemingly every other color under the rainbow lead to white sand beaches or rocky shorelines and the crash of the light green waves exploding 50 yards out in 2 to 4 foot swells as they wash ashore as white water all the way to the beach's edge.

The scent of the salt spray is magnificent as is the roar of the waves. And sometimes as the surf rolls out, a variety of birds that wait on rocks or along the sand feed on what nature has delivered to them as fresh sea food, while on occasion little crabs join the fray.

Seagulls ride the air currents and as the waves grow large, surfers somehow quickly become aware and they skillfully ride the powerful force, wave after wave.

Nearby are the charming shops of Carmel, including an old fashioned mom and pop bookstore and an equally old fashioned mom and pop office supply and card shop across from it, the latter two shops in a New England style shopping plaza.

Also nearby is Pacific Grove with its 19th and early 20th century housing, stores and offices, and its parks and seafront.

These are all places Anne and I come to visit, as we relax, absorbed in all of its beauty. And for me it is an inspiring place from which to be involved in writing and publishing stories. Given Mark Twain's remarkable talent, I can just imagine what he would write in such a marvelous setting.

Dick