Thanksgiving Respite

My husband and I are just back from a four-day retreat in Moss Landing, CA, located on the beautiful Northern California coast halfway between Santa Cruz and Monterey. We wanted a vacation of rest and respite; and an opportunity to live in the moment, follow our whims, and live without schedule. This is unusual for us, with our Bay Area life styles and busy career schedules.

Comfortable accommodations in Moss Landing

This does not mean we lounged around the Bed & Breakfast all day, although we could have – with its front row proximity to the Elkhorn Slough and wealth of birds, beautiful vistas, and comfortable appointments. We did lounge, and we were intentional about how we spent our time (if by intentional you mean sleeping, reading, exploring, and eating fabulous local cuisine, which uses local produce and seafood).

Moss Landing Energy Facility, with its two signature stacks

I finally got a chance to taste huitlacoche, or black corn truffles (known as “corn smut” by American farmers, but considered a delicacy in Aztec, Mexican, and South American cuisine). I learned about huitlacoche while studying fungi a few years ago. The pathogen Ustilago maydis, in the phylum Basidiomycota, grows as a smut on corn, and makes a tasty, black sauce.

Moss Landing lending library in front of The Haute Enchilada

We visited some fun local boutiques (including one that imports soft goods from Guatemala and Nicaragua), and the Shakespeare Society of America headquarters (seriously). We also checked out a paperback book from the lending library.

Photo opportunity in the coastal scrub

Salinas River State Beach

 

The weather was unseasonably warm during the day – a lovely high 60s with cooling breezes. We explored the dunes, beach, and slough of Salinas River State Beach, and enjoyed the coastal scrub vegetation. Nearby are the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, the Moss Landing Energy Facility, the Elkhorn Slough, a bustling marina, and fields of artichokes.

The slough at low tide, with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute on the bluff

Whale watching in Monterey Bay

 

We also took a Blue Ocean Whale Watch tour on a warm, sunny Sunday. Our skillful captain and knowledgeable naturalist knew how to find action. We saw whales hunting in threesomes, breaching, water slapping, and sounding. At one point, our little ship was in the midst of a sardine feast, surrounded with several groups of humpback whales; water churning with porpoise and dolphins; and sea birds in the mix grabbing whatever bubbled up in the turmoil. Later we saw a mother humpback whale feeding calmly with her calf, and quite a few sea lions. It was glorious – one of those shows of a lifetime.

Feeding frenzy	Water slapping
Ice plant invasion on the dunes	Foggy morning on the dunes

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You have a lot of time to think while you are on retreat. Time to count your blessings; to be grateful for family, friends, and the beauty of nature; and to celebrate the joys, and hardships, of life.

Happy Thanksgiving!