Pebble Beach Resort - The golf @ Spyglass

Day 1:  We are playing at Spyglass Hill Golf Course today. I would have to say that this was probably the toughest out of the three - the other two being Pebble Beach and Spanish Bay.  All ready at the first tee!

The men carried their one bags while me and Mina had a caddie. Yay!

Pretty flowers:

Pretty terrain and some modest homes. Wait until we get to Pebble!

The men contemplating their shots:

The men getting their monies worth :-)

Yes, we have a tree hugger!  Bobby is just saying "thank you" because the tree took the brunt of his "ricochet" shot and his ball actually ended back up on the putting green! 

Look at the chunk of the tree he took out!

Bobby and I ended up shooting 81.  Should I mention that was with our "other" set of golf clubs. We didn't travel with our regular ones from Abu Dhabi. Hehe... excuses, excuses. Nonetheless, a well deserved beer for Bobby and a hot chocolate for me.

Yes, it is cool out here! Don't think it went above 18C/65F today and with the wind blowing from the Atlantic, it feels even colder:

Not stopping the men from going out for another 18 holes! This time at Spanish Bay Golf Club, but this time they are taking a cart and saving their legs for Pebble Beach tomorrow:

In the meantime, the ladies are going shopping!!!

I did end up buying a little charm for my bracelet -  a little golf cart. Love it! :-)

Almost thought I had lost the charm as I couldn't find the little bag that I had put the charm in. And was blaming the airline as I thought they had actually stolen the bag! Long story short, I eventually did find this little bag. I am getting so forgetful! (No, not old! :-P)

By the way, a little something about staying at The Inn. Every day around 5:45pm or so, the bagpiper starts to play his/her songs on the first tee box at Spanish Bay. Eventually they will come around the other side of the clubhouse by the fire pits. Quite a lovely vibe!

Here's the gal that was blowing the bagpipe on another day just outside our bedroom. I guess it is silly to assume that it would always be a guy!

End of Day 1!

Pebble Beach, California - The journey

This trip came about when a good friend of ours wanted to surprise his wife with a trip of a lifetime at Pebble Beach.  We met the couple - Tod and Mina while playing golf here at Abu Dhabi Golf Club a couple of years ago.  They had just moved away from Abu Dhabi this past summer and would be celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary. So sweet to let us in on the surprise and join them for the golf too!

It's a good thing we arrived into Phoenix when we did.  A big storm was brewing a few hours later once we checked into our "US" home:

And this was the view around Phoenix Sky Harbor airport.  The storm was so strong that no airplanes were allowed to take-off or land!

Although I have to say, it was a nice change from the heat and to also hear the pitter-patter of rain drops on the roof. Just glad it wasn't too bad on our side to take down any trees.

Always great to back in Arizona and to eat at all our favorite restaurants. Servings are massive!

Okay, we are off to The Inn at Spanish Bay. 733 miles!!!... which is equivalent to 11 hours. All alone in the car with just the hubby. Hope I survive :-P

Hmm... glad I didn't encounter any of these at the rest stop!

Crossing into California and the scenery changes:

And it wouldn't be California without the traffic!

We drove along so many vineyards. It's so neat driving through all the vineyards, especially the new/young ones.

Almost mesmerizing!

And sections of "nodding donkey" oil pumps along the way too:

Lovely views of the valleys and mountains. Yes, that's me with my camera :-)

We stop at Paso Robles for the night. We find a BBQ place for dinner and sit outside.

 Funny how no one is sitting outside but just us! The cooler weather is so refreshing!

The next morning, we drive through some more farmland.  It's amazing how much manual labor goes into farming here. Talk about back-breaking!

A few hours later... ocean!

We stopped by at Monterey Bay for the surprise at a Mexican restaurant.  I now know why this street is called "Cannery Row" - from this sardine canning company and perhaps a few more during the turn of the 20th century.  There was an increase on the demand for sardines during the war but unfortunately by the late 1940s, the sardines were virtually gone by Monterey Bay.

Surprise!!!  I think we definitely caught Mina off guard :-)

And for the last few weeks, I actually had to play dumb on the whole situation when we would text each other.  It's a good thing Mina is still talking to me! :-)
After lunch, we head out to The Inn towards the Pebble Beach 17 mile Drive.  We have a great view of Hole #1 (The Spanish Bay Golf Club) off our balcony:

The long stretch of ocean is lovely!

We take a walk along the boardwalk:

On the way back to the room - lots of deer on the golf course!

A great start to our vacation!

And I hope they like their anniversary gift - stitched by yours truly :-)

Summer fun in New Jersery

We are off to New Jersey to visit Grandma and Pop-pop!  Graham and Charlie are posing with their new backpacks at the airport. I figured it was time they were responsible for carrying their own toys.

It doesn't take long for the boys to be spoiled :-)

More toys! Although this one Bobby and I had bought and shipped via Amazon.  This way the boys would be pre-occupied while we have a little California getaway. We were invited to play some golf in California - Pebble Beach to be exact, to celebrate our friends' 20th wedding anniversary!

More fun things to do at Grandma and Pop-pop's:

So nice to be back outdoors again! Although gosh, those mosquitoes can be quite vicious!

Back at the Liberty Science Museum as well. The annual pass has basically paid for itself by now:

An interesting purchase from the science center gift shop:

Fun at a nearby park.  Love how there are so many toys left out for everyone in the sandpit:

And the park even has a climbing wall!

Graham loves to climb!  Just looking at this photo - how did his hat not fall off? Haha!

There were also lots of playtime at Uncle Doug's. It has been raining quite a bit but there were some sunny days for some swim time. I am so glad Graham and Charlie had those swimming lessons this past September.  Here's Charlie jumping off the diving board.  Probably a bit close to the board to my liking, but obviously he has no fears about it!

A few days after our arrival into New Jersey, Bobby and I fly out to Phoenix and then drive to California. I don't think Graham and Charlie are going to miss us much after having their new tablets.

Every time the boys download something new onto their tablets, I would get an email notification. Well, right after we left the house for the airport, I had received 6 new downloads within the span of 40 minutes! Little stinkers!  It's a good thing their tablets are not connected to a credit card.

While we were away in Phoenix and California, more fun time for the boys.  This time at a nearby zoo:

There were also deer sightings and feeding it in the backyard:

Bowling:

And more fun time at another park:

Graham and Charlie definitely kept Grandma and Pop-pop on their toes! I can't thank them enough for having the boys for those 10 days.  Bobby and I have not left them for that long before and they obviously did very well without us.  Thank you both again so very much!!! XOXO