We’ve had a great week here in California. We heard some great chamber music, made a trip to the aquarium, took lots of walks, and spent time with some of our favorite people. Tomorrow we move on.

We continued our stay with Ron and Martha in Santa Cruz for most of the week. They took us to a great chamber music concert. We heard Brahms String Sextet no. 1 and Dvořák Piano Quintet in A. It was really fun. We walked all over Santa Cruz, enjoying the great weather, even when it was a bit rainy. We decided to take a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, a long-lived tradition when staying with Ron & Martha. It was fun to see the jellies, the otters, and the giant tank with the sharks and tunas. We also walked to Natural Bridges State Beach to visit the Monarch Butterfly grove. We did see a few, but not as many as we hoped. Still, the eucalyptus trees smelled good and the quiet grove was peaceful.

Then it was on down the coast to Morro Bay. We are here for a few days. We’re enjoying this cute seaside town and just relaxing. We hiked Hazard Canyon and took multiple walks on the waterfront. The Morro Rock out in the bay is impressive and we have a great view of it from our motel room. We drove down to San Luis Obispo for brunch and a walk. We’ve enjoyed walks along the water and watching the birds (pelicans and cranes are some favorites) and the sea mammals (sea otters, harbor seals, elephant seals, sea lions, and surfers!). We’ve eaten some delicious food and had time to work on practicing and projects. Tomorrow we make the long drive back to Utah for Thanksgiving fun and for prepping for the road ahead. Ciao!