On this Weekend Meanderings..some fun ideas for Carmel day trips, an easy ladies’ lunch you can pull together for friends, Sienna Miller’s English cottage, a great white shirt and more…
It’s that time again for all the good things that popped up on our radars this week with Elizabeth and Juliet.
How has your week been? Ours has been busy helping Griffin to move back to University of Utah for his junior year..and we squeezed in a mini trip to Carmel for our anniversary, though it’s not until the 31st. We just love going in August for a few days and this weekend seemed to have a few rooms available, so we went for it.
Carmel
If you haven’t been in a while, it’s always a nice escape. You can’t help take in the natural stunning beauty and the charm of the town! This summer they’ve been having some wonderful weather, not the usual cold and fog. It’s been in the 70’s and low 80’s and so lovely.





We have been going to Bernardus Lodge for our anniversary for so many years, I can still remember Max complaining when the prices went over $200 a night.. HA! Those were the days. Now it’s a splurge and we try to go in the off season, but for our anniversary we try and make it happen. It’s one of my favorite spots and a great couples’ getaway in the sunnier part of Carmel, Carmel Valley.
We love doodling around Carmel for the day having lunch out and exploring the beaches and then heading back to Carmel Valley to sit and read by the pool and have dinner.
Two day visit ideas for Carmel..
One of the best things to do in Carmel, is take a beach walk at the main beach, which is gorgeous and very long and and then walk up the hill to town and have lunch and do a bit of shopping or poking about the shops..This time we found a new lunch spot in downtown Carmel I highly recommend, La Bicyclette. This charming bistro run by a Belgian family with the best food and darling atmosphere.. It is Michelin rated..so a reservation for lunch can help. We got lucky someone did not show for their reservation so we got in. You can also get on the waitlist and shop around.

I loved the pizza and their home made Calabrian chili oil ( it did that heart by itself!), which is not hot. They also have many amazing specials and sell their own bread and are lovely people. It’s in an old 1920’s Spanish building that was built for a doctor that is so cool. This whole spot is the very essence of Carmel..



Afterwards, you can explore the shops and grab a cappuccino or a treat at one of the bakeries. At the Carmel Plaza, a small outdoor mall, there are many new shops and one that Max made a beeline for like a zombie (seriously), was Dutch Door Donuts, where they cook to order and serve them hot. He was in heaven and the pink cactus pear one was our favorite..

Also in the Plaza is one of the best curated home stores, Beachwood Home. This store has beautiful items of all prices. I never go home without something and this time I bought a pretty bracelet for $20..


Another great day in Carmel area is to stop at The Earthbound Farm Stand to pick up some sandwiches to go.. This is the cutest farm stand ever with a flower shed to buy the fixings for your own creation, fire pits and fresh produce and artisan goods. I also love the home area and the cool books and textiles..


After you have sandwiches, head down the highway and go to Asilomar Beach..We love this beach that is in front of The Inn at Spanish Bay and in the smaller less crowded town of Pacific Grove. The beach here has wonderful tide pools and you can take a long walk along the road to all the little inlets or along the shore. Many people surfing here or boogie boarding.




If you wander along the long beach you can also trot along the long wooden walk they have built in front of the links golf course and see flowers and hiding deer. We love having a picnic here and exploring..It’s rarely crowded and so lovely.
An easy ladies’ lunch


I’m sure you are all familiar with my friend Elizabeth, aka Contessa, if you have followed the blog for a while. If not read this post all about her and her home. It was her birthday in July and we finally got around to having a celebration lunch here.
It was easy for me to host thanks to my friends Juliet and Heidi. Juliet brought the gorgeous mini appetizer boards… She did fig jam, two kinds of cheese, nuts, crackers and a little fig with cheese and prosciutto on each pretty board..


Heidi made a delicious cobbler with fresh fruit..and fresh whipped cream for dessert.


All I had to do was make two salads !
I made a green salad with toasted walnuts, shredded chicken (bought a roasted one that morning at Whole Foods) and pears. Salad dressing was olive oil, this vinegar, fresh juice from half an orange, a bit of mustard and a bit of maple syrup and Maldon Sea Salt.


I also threw together a caprese with my dad’s heirloom tomatoes.
I served my house drink, an Audrey Palmer- my twist on an Arnold Palmer, just with equal parts tea ( I used Teajava) and fizzy lemonade from a bottle and a slice of citrus, sprig of mint for fun if you have it.
We wanted to eat outdoors and I had a piece of fabric that was really cute. I cut it to fit the table (umbrella issue), and layered the pieces over each other…I used my glass plates and pink napkins. Little favors were watermelon lip balm from San Francisco’s Elizabeth W. wrapped in extra fabric and on the plates..


I also grabbed two pink vases at Safeway, (which is getting the best floral area now),and did a mix of green hydrangeas and pink flowers.

It was casual, but it was fun and that’s what matters, being with pals and celebrating our dear Contessa… Don’t you love Elizabeth’s caftan with her pig Banksy embroidered on it? She sells these caftans on her blog and you can read more here.


Sienna Miller’s English cottage in the new AD

Sienna Miller has great style and her English country cottage is just as chic with a thatched roof, cozy rooms and lovely gardens.. It’s a wonderful escape and you can read and enjoy ten pages of it in the September AD.
I have to admit I often dream of an English cottage. This is a great issue with loads of good spreads and pretty homes..Photos by Simon Upton and decor by Gaby Dellal.





You can watch a little video that has a tour of her fantastic property that dates from the 1500s. Love this and after watching I an sure you will be wanting oversized white jeans and a black sweater for fall…
A great Anthro white blouse..and ring
While I was in Carmel, I made a quick dash into the Anthropologie there and came home with this fun Henley Popover Shirt.. Love the button neckline and also the button cuffs that give it more style than your usual white blouse. I already love wearing it with my cord shorts and I think it’ll be great for fall. I also bought one of these new chunky silver rings there..


Other Cool Things..
The Anthro Sweater I shared last week appears to have promo markdown right now for the weekend..If you haven’t grabbed this cute Chanel inspired zip hoodie, check it out here. Anthropologie is also having an extra 30% off all sale items this weekend only.
At our ladies’ lunch, Juliet gave us the cutest little gifts, mini stoneware colanders with her home grown tomatoes…I love the idea of this and wrapping them as she did to give away..Similar ones here.


Since we’ve been chatting about Carmel, did you hear Brad Pitt bought a home there last week? According to Architectural Digest article about it, the home was designed by famous architects, Greene & Greene in 1918 and uses locally found stone. More about the home in WSJ which is in the Carmel Highlands, near the Highlands Inn. Apparently at 40 million it is one of the most expensive homes ever sold in Carmel. Photo below from Hello Magazine..

Speaking of celeb homes, have you read Joni at Cote de Texas’s post this week about all Johnny Depp’s properties? I’m not a fan of him, but her deep dive and details with photos of his boats, island and amazing art deco apartments in Los Angeles was interesting.
And for a great perspective on this, Back Row writer Amy Odell, this week published a post on how Dior, with their ‘We should all be feminist’ t-shirts, has signed Depp to a new contract as their fragrance spokesperson, despite some pretty awful things the man has said about women. Apparently there is no backlash for Depp from that?
On the streaming subject…Has anyone else started Severance on Apple TV? Max and I heard great things about it, but it’s pretty dark so far. It has a huge raves and it’s directed by Ben Stiller and stars Adam Scott, who I love..and Patricia Arquette.
Well that is my weekend meanderings for this week.. Please check out Elizabeth and Juliet’s blogs to see what good things they are sharing…
PINECONES AND ACORNS
MAKE MINE A SPRITZER
Thank you for being here! Hope your weekend is wonderful.
Kim
If you missed my last Weekend Meanderings, I shared some outdoor updates with a solar sail on the patio, the perfect outdoor throws from Portugal at a great price, a beautiful book for entertaining inspo, my favorite Instagram account for makeup tips, and a Channel inspired hoodie for transition to fall.
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