Christmas, Monterey Style: Adobes and Angels

Swimming felt good today as the weather changed from balmy to cold and back again.  The two weeks I lost while on vacation set me back. It feels so great to be swimming again that even if I've lost some fitness, just being in the water is great.

After the swim, I was off on errands around downtown Monterey, where I saw the familiar angels of Christmas up in trees, on the sides of buildings and on lamp posts.  The ladies with wings were first painted by artists in the community back in the 60s or 70s if memory serves, and they've been displayed every year since then with a few re-dos of hair, costume and beaming smiles.  It's a quaint touch, especially because they are mostly seen along the Path of History in Old Monterey.

The Path includes the adobe buildings built in the 1700s and 1800s, including California's first theater, the first capitol building of California called Colton Hall, and the Customs House where ships had to declare their cargo before it was dispersed.

So, while taking in a bit of Monterey's history, I took a quick walk around a few blocks to see what was new and interesting.  The Stokes Adobe is being refurbished after a long stint as a fine restaurant.  A long line of cement pillars has been put in place across the street from that adobe to create what looks like might be a new footbridge along the creek running there.

Many of the adobes  will be open and candles lit tomorrow night and Saturday night for the annual Christmas In The Adobes Walking Tour.  If you're in town and have a couple of hours to spare, this is perhaps the very best and most unique look at Monterey and its history.  Docents will be dressed in costumes, the main buildings will offer refreshments and live acoustic music.  It's a big effort by the State Parks as well as Monterey Historical Society.  Tickets cost $20 for a self-paced tour.  Highly recommended.  

Monterey is bustling.  It's a fine little town, attractive, beautiful and very layered with human history dating back 400 years.  Fall colors are still clinging to some trees, especially maples, and they look especially dramatic when found near Carmel sandstone walls and buildings.  Seems like every corner offers a postcard view every day of the year.