I didn't know Mom had such a love for taking photographs.

I think it's a relatively new thing for her.

I was so impressed with how good she is at it, and so excited to share this with her!

I knew this was going to be a great trip for photography when we were driving through a little town and I longingly looked out the window at a road-side park with a bunch of metal sculptures. I probably said something like, "Cool..." really quietly. Mom asked if I wanted to pull over and take some photos! Awesome Mom! We spent about 20 minutes, each in our own little world, seeing the sculptures in our own way. It was fun to share these pictures later that night.

This one I'm more happy with.

When we left Irvine, it had been 90 degrees for several days.

When we stopped for lunch it was closer to 50.

What a change.

As one would imagine, there was beautiful scenery all along the way.

This section of the coast was near Hearst Castle.

We didn't stop at the castle, but we did stop here.

Gorgeous!

When we stopped near Hearst castle we not only saw beautiful landscapes, but we also got to see a lot of elephant seals sunning themselves on the beach.

They were very cute.

They liked to throw sand on top of themselves.

I wonder if it was for warmth or coolness...

I just love that Mom was willing to "pose" for photos for me.

I hope that these are good reminders of the wonderful time we had!

To the point at which the continent falls into the sea.

It's remarkable to behold.

Once we got to Carmel by the Sea, we found our quaint bed and breakfast,

the Sea View Inn.

(Those top two windows are mine and Mom's rooms)

I realize that I didn't get many pictures of the town itself.

It's a great little town with art all around.

You can't walk down a single street with out seeing not only art galleries, but art on the street as well.

The town started as an enclave for artists and has now become a large tourist destination and vacation destination.

After dinner, as the sun was going down, Mom and I went out to the lagoon.

One of the things I wanted to try and get while in Carmel, was some practice taking long exposures near the water in low light.

I envisioned a rocky coast. Well, here's where I ended up the first night with not enough time to look for somewhere else.

So I figured I'd see what I could get here.

The next few pics are the results.

The next morning I got up early to go for a run and saw such beautiful clouds hugging the hills.

After my run I went back and met Mom after her walk and we drove along the coast on our way to Monterey to take these great pictures.

Obviously we weren't the only ones who found the scenery worth an early morning stroll.

Far from it, in fact.

We went on the 17 mile drive around Monterey and the forests were so interesting with their young trees.

After the large, old, stately trees in Big Sur, these were so small...

After driving half of the way around Monterey, we hit the aquarium.

I cannot explain it, but I find this fish to be one of the cutest things I have ever seen.

It's huge.

I mean, it's really really big!

But it is absolutely adorable!

The jellyfish were set in tanks that were flanked by Chihuly glass pieces.

Appropriate and beautiful.

250 years old!

In spite of the fact that we had chosen the bed and breakfast we did because there was sherry and cheese offered between 5 and 7, we still chose to spend another sunset away at the coast instead of in the house.

It was a good choice.

The next, and last, morning Mom and I went out for a walk around sunrise.

There's something amazing about being near the ocean and waking at sunrise so you know you'll see the first bit of light on the water.

It was really windy and cold, but absolutely stunningly beautiful!

...then we hit the road again.