Indian Summer Days

  There is absolutely nothing like a beautiful autumn day on the Central Coast of California… Sunny and warm during the day, with just enough crisp coolness in the evening to let you know the season has changed.

  And the light…sigh… The light is perfection. 

  What we enjoy is taking the bikes out for a spin. 

  Yes, bikes. They live most of the year in the potting shed, collecting dust. Then, once the weather gets warm….say September or October, we remember that we have them. 

  It's always a struggle untangling the handlebars away from the tools and sacks of manure and alfalfa pellets, but we are actually able to drag them out into the fresh air. Ta-Da! 

  Now…tires? Flat? No? Great! Where is the lock and chain thingy? Do they need to be cleaned? How about the lights? Need batteries….? 

  You get the picture. I must say, though, when we do get them out, we keep them out. They will live in the van for the few moments of really warm weather we get this time of year.

  Johnny and I are fair-weather bike riders, only. We don't go into the hardcore riding…we ride purely for F.U.N. Usually with wine involved at some point. Our serious exercising happens before dawn, out on the walking trail.

  The past couple of weeks we've been hitting the local bike path and ringing our bells:

Meet our bikes,  Roll-o and Roll-a.
These beauties are not made for speed, but they are a blast.

  My favorite thing about hopping on the bike is this:

  I feel like I'm twelve years old again. We hoot, we holler, we ring the bells non-stop. We are very dangerous because we are having too much fun. 

  We like to park somewhere flat, somewhere near the bike trail, then just go for it. Everywhere is pretty, this time of year.

Yes,  Mr. J rides the "girl" bike.
Don't ask, just accept it.

  Lately, we've been heading out with our bikes and dominoes. We'll find a spot to park, then ride to Cannery Row. We like this place that has killer views, a nice happy hour, and outdoor seating. It's called "The C", and it's connected to a big hotel. 

  I'd say it's geared mostly to tourists and conventions, but locals should check out the happy hour, if you have friends in town, or it's nice out. It's great…. and we always go into our "way-back machine" to reminisce about Cannery Row "before the aquarium". Yes, those were the good old days…..

  Hey, these days ain't that bad...

Where's Doc Ricketts?"

Where's my wine?

  The tables are big enough for a good game of dominoes, and the happy hour menu is great. What's not to love? 

  They added these glass " half-walls" around the outdoor patio, so even when it's windy, we can still enjoy being outside. These days, it's just perfect….no wind, no fog, lots of whales, seals and dolphins.

  Life is good!

  Another destination for our bike-to-wine ride is Municipal Wharf #2, just a little further down the bike trail, near the better known Fisherman's Wharf.. On the way, I like to see all the boats, and the colors of the area.

The many small boats that live here, with Mt. Toro in the distance.
On the right, you see the very end of Wharf #2. 

The light gets nice near the end of the day…
The "window" side of Fisherman's Wharf.

Late afternoon light on Del Monte Beach.
These are visiting sailboats that are allowed to
anchor overnight here in the bay.

  The Sandbar and Grill is so classic…I think it might be one of the last true "local bars" in Monterey. It's the real deal, as far as old school goes. They don't even have to try, they just haven't changed in years. We go for happy hour, to sit at the bar and just soak it in. You never know who you'll meet here.

  Plus….they have the best onion rings ever. Cut and made to order. Nothing fancy here, just a local hangout with awesome views. 

  And scrumptiously good onion rings. 

  Wow, I'm really exposing myself. Oh, come on…who doesn't love really good onion rings once in a while? For god's sake, man! Hey, we rode our bikes here, remember? All two miles!

Wine, onion rings and views. I'll take it!

Just outside the windows….

  Just so you don't think that all we do is drink and eat onion rings…and ride bikes… We also love Indian Summer for the chance to BBQ in the back garden. We could do this anytime of the year, yes, but these days the warm evenings we've recently had are perfect for bringing out the grill. 

  We share the duties…I prep the veggies, Johnny cranks up the Weber. We both have a good time.

  This meal was inspired by the bag of Romaine lettuce hearts that we needed to use or lose….

  I love grilled greens...

Eggplant, romaine, onions….Mmmmm!
And I must say…I like the char, baby.

Off the grill, ready for the plate.

Waiting their turn, red peppers and crookneck squash…
Johnny reads in between flipping the veg.

Colorful, too.

Artist, Chef, Biker, Domino King….
I'll take him!

  All in all, we have ourselves one heck of a grand time. It's all good. 

  We love these Indian Summer weeks, when we can stretch it out a little. The days are getting shorter, but they make for the best sunrises and sunsets, too. 

  Just since I took these pictures a week or so ago…things have changed. It's cooler at night, and the really hot weather only lasted a minute.

  Maybe that's why we love it so much. This doesn't last long…we don't get a chance to take it for granted.

  Now, let's eat, before winter gets here!