2025 Thursday — Mike & Debi

California's Central Coast is recognized as one of the five Mediterranean climates in the world. This region is known for award winning wines, not to mention historical buildings, botanical gardens, hiking and bicycling trails, olive oil tasting, internationally known cookies, missions, and lighthouses; much can be said and has been said about all of these.

The secret ingredient stitched through much of the advertising rhetoric is the people who reside here. Some were born and nurtured on this soil. Many, though, are transplants; like us, they have spent their working lives in the fast-paced macho, condo, disco world on either side of this region -- SoCal or NoCal.

Even though we bought our place in 2012, we've only been living here fulltime since 2020. We left all of our friends in the previous place, because something here was attracting us. Mr. Fun & I have spent many hours discovering lots of nooks and crannies and places to wander, and more often than is believable we have just stared at the mesmerizing waves rolling into foam.

The past several years we've been recipients of the friendships this place births. This evening was one more piece of factual evidence regarding the quality people who live here. We had the pleasure of dining at Debi & Mike's place. Seven people gathered along with three very friendly four-legged furry friends.

The food was prepared in Debi's kitchen -- fresh salad, delicious pasta, and melt in our mouth dessert. It was as good, no, it was better than a fine restaurant.

But the people (Mike & Debi; Bob & Elaine; Suzanne; and us) around the table — the conversation about purchasing our houses, the tidbits of history we pasted together, and the spontaneous and contagious laughter — these were the elements that melded the evening into one unforgettable final Thursday evening in April.

We arrived back home with our bellies satisfied and our souls full. The region's visitor magazines do not specialize in telling about the people who call this region home. They are the secret ingredient that make this a wonderful place to retire. God has blessed us again and again and again with this geographical location. One amazing P.S.-- finding a local church has added immeasurably to the blessing of living here.

From Cayucos on
California’s Central Coast,
Rosie (& Mr. Fun), aka Carol
and Chloe & Mitzi too!