Tuesday Travels: Monterey Peninsula

Tuesday Travel buttonAt this time of year, my husband and I used to head for the Monterey Peninsula to get out of the LA heat and watch the historic automobile nations. We haven’t gone for a while now, but it’s still one of my favorite places on earth.

Sailboat on Pacific Ocean

There are three cities on the peninsula: Monterey, Carmel and Pacific Grove. The area has a lot to offer visitors, including the wonderful Monterey Bay Aquarium, located on Cannery Row in a renovated sardine cannery.

Pacific Grove coastlinePacific Grove has some of the prettiest, whitest beaches in California. It’s a small, picturesque city, without as many motels or tourist traffic as the other, better known, cities. We find it peaceful, and apparently so do the deer who are frequently seen strolling through town, like this pair placidly dining on our motel lawn.

Deer

In October, the monarch butterflies stop in Pacific Grove, and you’ll see butterfly symbols all over town. We sometimes see them here in south Orange County, too. I took this picture of one who visited in early September of 2011.

Monarch butterfly

What is your favorite place to visit? Leave a comment to be entered in my monthly drawing for a $15 Starbucks gift card.

Linda

The Inheritance #RockingSummerRomance by Pamela S Thibodeaux @psthib

SummerToday’s guest, Pamela S Thibodeaux, shares four fun facts about The Inheritance, a Rocking Summer Romance…

* Pamela has visited Snoqualmie Falls, WA which is near North Bend, the area where the TV show, Northern Exposure, was filmed
* Pamela has two step children and a grandson that live in the Seattle, WA area
* Pamela has visited Paradise Point on Mt. Rainier
* Pamela has visited Hammondsport, NY

All scenes from these areas are as accurate as her memory will allow.

The Inheritance

The Inheritance is about the chance we all long for…the chance to start over. Widowed at age thirty-nine and suffering from empty nest syndrome, Rebecca Sinclair is overshadowed by grief and loneliness. Her husband has been deceased for a year, her oldest child has moved to New York in pursuit of an acting career and her youngest child is attending college in France. Having spent over half of her life as a wife and mother, she has no idea what God has in store for her now. Will an unexpected inheritance in the wine country of New York bring meaning and purpose to her life and give her the courage to love again?

US Postal worker Raymond Jacobey has been in love with the little widow since he first set eyes on her. A wanderer searching for the ever-illusive soul mate, Ray has never stayed in one place too long. Raised by self-centered, high-power executives, he’s longed for the idyllic life of residing in a cozy house in a small town with the love of his life. Will he gain the heart of the lovely widow or will he lose her to the wine country of New York?

Excerpt:

Rebecca’s heart fluttered at the charming, boyish grin he bestowed on her. She knew he’d spoken more than mere words; he’d spoken his heart. Tears filled her eyes and clogged her throat when she thought about what the future might hold. Standing on the threshold of that great unknown, she had never been more acutely aware of anything than she was of this moment, this man.

He was looking at her intently. His thumbs caressed the back of her hands, chasing the chill from her blood. Lethargic warmth stole over her. As though in a fog she watched him lift her hands to his mouth and press his lips to her palm in a caress so tender it sent shivers down her spine.

She lowered her gaze, and he lifted her chin with his finger and waited until she looked at him again. “I want to kiss you, Becca, here in the midst of Paradise,” he whispered, his lips covering hers with devastating tenderness.

Rebecca heard his primitive grunt of satisfaction when he let go of her hands and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. An answering purr escaped her as tiny pinpoints of pleasure bathed her senses with light and color. Never in her life had she felt so alive, so consumed with sensations.

Whether a moment or an eternity, she had no idea how long they stood there, his mouth in sweet possession of hers. All she knew was that when the kiss was over she was plastered against his hard body, her breathing was sharp almost painful and her fists were clenched in his thick, sandy-colored hair. Appalled at her wanton response and the needy way in which she clung, Rebecca flung away with a startled cry of distress, and began to run.

Purchase Links:
Kindle http://amzn.to/19J6Dxf
Ebook http://pelink.us/1cvBm29
Softcover http://bit.ly/1scLTVf

PamTAuthor bio:

Award-winning author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a lifetime member of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as “Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.”

Connect with her online:

Website address: http://www.pamelathibodeaux.com
Blog: http://pamswildroseblog.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/pamelasthibodeaux
Twitter: http://twitter.com/psthib @psthib

Leave a comment to be entered for my monthly drawing for a $15 Starbucks gift card.

Linda