So here I am sitting at the Starbucks on First Street in downtown San Jose. It's a nice morning, a little overcast but warm enough for shorts. I took the VTA for the first time this morning - that's the light rail that goes through the city here. It was just a few minutes from the Hyatt where Candace is doing the Blogher thing. Every time I come to San Jose I feel inspired to code or write or construct, so I figured that while she's doing the conference I'd spend a little time catching up on some projects I'm in the middle of. That and maybe just a little bit of WoW. Yesterday we went down to Santa Cruz. We saw the boardwalk and some beaches there then had lunch and got on Highway 1 down to Carmel-by-the-Sea. The drive looks like it might be really scenic from the map. The highway follows the bay around with Santa Cruz near one end and Carmel at the other. It didn't stay close enough to the water for the scenery I was hoping for, but there were some surprises near the city of Seaside. The dunes there were like huge mountains of sand. A couple people were out there parasailing. I tried to snap a picture - if I was quick enough I'll include it with some others at the end of this post later on. In Carmel we went for a walk and took in the sits. Carmel is a real tourist town. It seems to exist for the sole purpose of outfitting your home and wardrobe with upscale accoutrements. There are numerous galleries and studios with artists working in photography, paint, metal and everything else. Last time I was in Carmel, Jeff and I went for dinner at the Hog's Breath Inn. It was pretty good, but just across the street Candace and I found a place called Club Jalepeno. They had a delicious tofu taco and some chips and salsa for an appetizer. While we were in town we took a walk down to the beach. There was a mist covering the bay. It was the same mist we'd seen rolling over the trees as we approached the town on Highway 17. Although the sky looked grey, the air was surprisingly warm. It felt kind of cozy. Plenty of other people out on the beach seemed to be enjoying the waves - many with their designer dogs in tow. I saw a well-groomed shitzu, a beagle, a bulldog and only the second blond Bouvier I've ever seen in my life. The whole place was pet-friendly. Many of the stores, restaurants and coffee shops had signs posted that welcomed dogs and I saw one with a jar of complementary dog treats on the shelf. Carmel's a clean, cute little town but pricey. If you like there are some beautiful cottages in walking distance to the beach. Find yourself a nice one for the summer and you'll be well cared-for, welcome and well-fed.