Finding Joy, Anniversary fun and Halloween Smiles - a couple of day trips on the coast

Our roller coaster ride with cancer continues to have its ups and downs.  Phil's last MRI showed the cancer as stable and that there had been some shrinkage in the cyst.  We have been celebrating the news to the best of our ability.  Phil is still going through chemotherapy so there are times that he is tired, just doesn't feel good and suffers from a bit of confusion.  We are heading into another cycle of MRI and chemo....

But we have had a couple of days that we aren't working and Phil is feeling pretty good.  It's our anniversary month, celebrating 22 years together and 14 years married, seems like a good time for some day adventures.

The first day we headed up the coast on Highway 1, letting the wind blow us where it would.  

We started out with a walk at Waddle Beach. This wide sandy beach is part of Big Basin Redwoods State Park, the oldest and one of the largest state parks in California.   We enjoyed ourselves walking, watching the birds and the surfers.  We love the beaches as we drive up North!

Reminds us to meet our fears head on!

One of the things that we have learned is - it is the small pleasures in life that end up being the meaningful moments.  We sit and marvel at surfers and are in that very minute.  Planning ahead doesn't work as we don't know what is coming....None of us really do, but cancer has made us aware of that on a different level.

We then head to the Costanoa KOA, a favorite spot along the coast.  We started going there when we got our van in 2013.  We no longer have the van, but we carry the memories with us.  We giggle when we remember our first stay in Costanoa, we had packed too much, we were a very small van compared to all the large campers around us and we struggled through the first night.  After a few nights camping experience we ended up knowing just what to pack, loving to camp and had some of our best times camping.

  Days gone by.....Judy and Phil at Costanoa....  2013

When we arrived at Costanoa we were greeted by a property that was decorated for Halloween.  On the property they have a restaurant, gift shop and it is a beautiful property in a great location.  We took a walk and had a great time remembering past times there.

Always a stop at Pigeon Point Lighthouse.

(We took this selfie in 2016 at the lighthouse -  at the time of this photo we are clueless about what lies ahead of us)

Then we popped into Half Moon Bay.  We go every year to see what is going on around Halloween.  They have a fun Pumpkin Festival each year, worth checking out.  

On the way home we stopped at one of the Pumpkin Farms and just enjoyed the goings on.  

We headed home for the night, light of spirit, smiling and looking forward to the next day.  These small adventures are what make our hearts soar.  We were like a couple of kids!

The next morning we got up and decided we would head in the other direction toward Cayucos, we have a little place called Ruddell's that we have been thinking about.

We headed toward Big Sur on Highway 1, it has been a while since we have had the time and energy to take a road trip.  Sheer pleasure would be the emotion that we were sharing.

We got started and realized soon that there would be traffic challenges on the way down....

After a short stop for road work we were on our way!  Off to Big Sur for a short hike under the redwood trees and some time watching the river at Big Sur River Inn.

Before we arrived at Big Sur I made a wish to get some photographs of a Stellar Jay.  I love the color and personality of this bird, but they are quick and I have struggled to get a good image.

We sat down in the amphitheater and notice a Jay putting nuts on a pole.  When he saw us, he picked up his nuts and got the heck out of there.  Happy with the experience....just another blue bird of happiness.

We headed out and enjoyed our drive down the Highway.  We hit another couple of road work areas but they were in areas that the view was incredible, so we didn't mind.  We just enjoyed the views.   The Pacific Ocean, pelicans, San Simeon and Hearst Castle decorated the scenery along the way.

Then we enjoyed Cambria and the scarecrows that decorate the city for Halloween.

and then off to get our lunch which is the inspiration for all...Ruddell's.  Great food, wonderful staff and a weakness for sure.

We head back up the hill toward home and Monterey.   Off to start the cycle over again....MRI, chemo and then hopefully we will be able to take a couple more road trips when things level out again.  

Thank you to all our friends who continue to be a team of support for us and help us take these small but oh so important road trips.  These two days made our hearts sing and will help carry us through the tasks that aren't as fun.

What better way to end the day with a sunset over the Pacific Ocean on the way home. 

I'm sure we will continue celebrating our anniversary until the end of the month since our anniversary isn't until the 28th.   We have learned to take advantage of the moments that Phil is feeling good and celebrate at that moment.  We sure had some beautiful moments the last couple of days.

Phil I love you and would not trade a single sunset.

Happy Anniversary.