glass making

getting crafty

date: December 30, 2023
location: Pacific Coast
camera: Leica Q2

A harmonious blend of natural wonders & artistic inspiration.

What better way to end the year than with a gorgeous drive down the California coast. They day began in Pescadero where we stopped at Arcangeli Grocery Co. the grab some of their famous artichoke & cheese bread —amongst many other goodies. Located just behind the market are many other sweet structures featuring local pottery, perfume and other artisanal products. Just down the street, down an unassuming driveway is a lovely apothecary store called, Gaia Essentials. Before you leave, do not miss grabbing a coffee at Downtown Local and walking through the connected store, The Sunshine — such a cool vibe.

From there we journeyed Southward to Davenport. Just off the main road is a local artist studio, Chris Johnson Glass. I had surprised Kalob and signed us up to make our own glass paperweight. To our delight, the owner and his apprentice took us through the entire process from choosing colors to the actual making of the pieces. What an incredible experience. We look forward to going back in a few weeks to pick up our final pieces and relish in our accomplishment.

There was some downtime before our dinner reservation so we hopped on to Apple Maps and found a natural wine bar called, Apéro Club in Santa Cruz, located in this really cool collective of locally run small businesses. We will definitely go back and explore — coffee shop, a brewery, small boutique, bakery, and some small winers.

From there we ventured on to our final destination, Mentone, for an amazing pizza dinner. The casual and welcoming environment was a delight. We enjoyed the warmed, marinated olives, seasonal salad and the Soppressata pizza — delish. The night culminated in a decadant ice cream from The Penny Ice Creamery. The highlight is the bruléed marshmallow fluff!