Surprises

It was a day of breath-taking surprises! First of all, Rip had lost his hat and we had been back to several stops to check for it with no luck. Finally Rip checked the coffee shop at Madonna Inn (another blog) and there it was! Next we saw lots of cars parked along the road near Big Sur (the amazing coastline on Highway 1). We stopped and witnessed hundreds of elephant seals lying on the beach to shed their coats. They do this over a one month period each May-June. The adults weigh about 1500 pounds (I feel thinner already!).

They were mostly sunning on the beach with a few in the water, very sleepy and quiet - quite a sight to see - quite a smell to behold too!

Next I picked up my emails and got a wonderful surprise. I had written a note to a friend from years ago, Allison, who I met while working at Blue Spruce Inn on Oxtongue Lake a couple of summers (1970 and 1971 I think). Allison was a bridesmaid in my wedding in 1972. She was a wonderful friend and we shared many great times. We lost touch after she moved to the US to go to university. I sent the note in early March and had not heard back so I let the dream of reconnecting go.

Her email said that she has been living abroad for a few years, using the address and home in Colorado only periodically. Allison said she was glad to reconnect.
It made my day to get that response - those are the best surprises!