My Mother's 85th Birthday

My Mother Celebrates Her 85th Birthday - July 2011

In July of 2011, the family gathered in Cambria to celebrate my mother's 85th birthday. My parents, Denise, and I drove down Highway 1 along the scenic Big Sur Coast, stopping at Nepenthe for lunch; my sister and her husband drove up from Pasadena to meet us in Cambria. We stayed at the Olallieberry Inn, a very nice B&B in Cambria - we have stayed here many times before and highly recommend it.

From Cambria we explored much of the surrounding area which means so much to my parents. It was their escape place when they needed a break from the kids. My father was born in nearby Paso Robles and spent the earliest years of his life in the small town of Templeton, just a couple of miles south, where grandfather was the high school principal and basketball coach. we also visited the beach cottage in Cayucos that grandfather built himself, located just 15 miles south of Cambria.

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As noted above, we drove south on Highway 1 along the rugged and scenic Big Sur Coast. The bridge in the background of the second and third photos above is the historic Bixby Creek Bridge that was completed in 1932 and was at the time the longest concrete arch span at 320 feet in the California Highway system. Point Sur lighthouse sits atop a dramatic volcanic rock in the fourth and fifth photos.
We stopped for lunch at Nepenthe. Outdoor seating in front of the main restaurant is shown in the first two photos above. Its location on top of a bluff overlooking the ocean affords many inspiring vistas. In the last image the fog can be seen rolling in over Highway 1.
All six of us stayed at the Olallieberry Inn. The first image shows the front of the main building of the inn. The second and third photos show the back gardens and the three-room Innkeeper's Cottage where we stayed. The family gathered for a glass of wine before walking downtown for dinner. The Olallieberry Inn is located in the old part of Cambria, within easy walking distance of many shops and restaurants. Denise and my sister Sara stand in front of a gourmet cooking ship at the intersection of Main Street and Burton Drive, and in the last photo Denise and my brother-in-law Jeff wander down Burton Drive to investigate the galleries.
Whenever we visit Cambria, we drive a couple of miles north to observe the Elephant Seals that have formed a colony there.
About 1922, grandfather acquired beachfront property in Cayucos and built a small cottage for family vacations. My father has fond memories of the cottage and playing on the beach. The large rock in a couple of the photos was often a prop for the children's play, sparking their imaginations and serving its role as a castle or ship, for example. The last image is of Morro Rock that can be seen across Morro Bay from the cottage.
The old family home, on Main Street in Templeton, is now boarded up and looking rather sad. We walked down Main Street to visit the Templeton Historical Museum in order to see the championship basketball from the 1924-25 season when grandfather, principal of the high school, served as its basketball coach as well. Though it resides at the museum, we consider the basketball a family heirloom.
Later, we gathered in my parents' room to celebrate my Mom's 85th birthday with some cake and champagne.