The whole street rumbles and groans and screams and rattles while the silver river of fish pour in, out of the boats … – John Steinbeck, Cannery Row

On Saturday Chris and I went to lunch at a P.F. Chang’s. Chris had never visited one, so we thought that we would try it. I was surprised to see the score on the TV for the Michigan/Illinois football game. More of a basketball game’s score than a football game’s score. Anyway Michigan won and Michigan State managed to beat up Minnesota too. Yeah!

After lunch we drove down to Cannery Row, the tourist section of town. Another friendly tourist snapped the picture of Chris and I featured with this post. Am I really that short? We stopped by Chris’ office at Pacific Metrics, which is just off Cannery Row and shares a building with Bay Bikes. When I rent bikes in Monterey, it is usually from Bay Bikes. Pacific Metrics is Chris’ new job, he just started their last month. The company was founded by former members of McGraw Hill. They all now create software applications for K-12 school’s standardized testing. A market created with the passage of the education bill, no child left behind or as Anne likes to say, “no child left untested.” Anyway Chris seems to like this new position and it is in an exciting part of town.

Sunday morning Chris and I went out to breakfast at Katy’s Place, a Carmel tradition. At least that is what Katy’s claims and they should know because they have copyrighted the phrase, “a Carmel tradition“. There was a lot of people waiting around outside the place when we pulled up to it. So, I was rather surprised when the hostess said that the wait would be only fifteen minutes. True to her word we were promptly seated at the counter. This gave Chris and I ringside seats at the machine that is at the heart of Katie’s, its kitchen. I was entertained throughout the meal with watching the kitchen’s choreography. This performance had everything, cooks, waitresses, busboys and dishwashers. All of whom were moving constantly, threading themselves among each other and through the most confined of all spaces. I had Katie’s eggs Benedict, which was the first choice from most of a page of their menu of different varieties of eggs Benedict’s, ah the Bennies. Chris had their ham and cheese omelet. Katie’s large portions ensured the fact that Chris and I both got more than our daily allotment of cholesterol clotting breakfast.

After breakfast, we drove to the Point Lobos nature preserve. Whenever I visit Monterey, I always try to visit Point Lobos. It best captures the rugged wildness of California’s central coast. Unfortunately for me, the rugged wildness started to roll in just after we entered the preserve, rain and wind. Bad luck for me, but rain in California is almost always welcomed. We walked around for a bit and I snapped a few pics, but an all day rain drove us home.