I’ve been fortunate to attend back-to-back work conferences in San Diego and Pacific Grove a few times, but several things made this year special. In San Diego, in addition to geeking out and learning new skills, I represented my organization on a panel as part of the conference’s science summit. My initial concern was what to wear as a female scientist (too cute= not credible), followed by what to say to a crowd like that. In the end, it was all fine. I also enjoyed going on my first dates through Mutual, an LDS dating app—who knew San Diego had the reverse gender ratio of everywhere else in the Church?
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| One of the signs I'm with my people |
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| Our panel discussion; my follow-up question: "What gives you hope?" |
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| The conference party was held at the Prado |
After a weekend with my family, I drove up to Pacific Grove in a cute rental car. The drive was only slightly longer than flying (with drives times to/from airport), and it made it easier for me to visit our family graves in the Pacific Grove city cemetery to pay my respect. That conference was also great, and it was a highlight to interact with my fellow board members in person after all the conference calls, email chains, etc. through the year.
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| Flower arranging on the trunk of the rental car. |
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| My grandparents' graves |
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| The beach at Asilomar |
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| SCGIS Board |
On the last day, I learned my cousin Jenn was in town with her family on vacation, and we had a delightful afternoon exploring Carmel-by-the-Sea together that included a short walking tour of its cottages. They all seemed so modest, but the price tags tell a different story.
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| One of my favorite cottages |
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| Cousins! |
My other stroke of luck was the early re-opening of PCH, allowing for a direct and scenic drive to my next stop. It was the usual cloudy/foggy mix, but when the clouds broke the views were stunning. I can also see how easily I’d get carsick under other circumstances.
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| One of the gorgeous stops along Route 1 |
It was well after dark when I arrived in San Simeon, and I had no problem getting an early bedtime for an early start the next day. The idea of Hearst Castle had always intrigued me but seeing it in person I was hooked! The architecture was amazing, and it was cool to think the same woman (Julia Morgan) had designed both this place and Asilomar where I had just stayed. It was easy to picture all the celebrities that had stayed there over the years, and I began to wish they still offered the opportunity. The attention to detail was incredible, the gardens were stunning, as were the artifacts.
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| View from the entrance to the grounds |
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| In front of Casa Grande |
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| Side view of Casa Grande |
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| One of the guest cottages |
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| Side porch of the one of the cottages |
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| View from one of the cottages |
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| View of another cottage |
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| The Celestial Bedroom in one of Casa Grande's towers |
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| A split-level guest suite |
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| Library |
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| View from one of the bedrooms |
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| Detail of one of the ceilings Mr. Hearst collected (who collects ceilings?!) |
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| Another ceiling he collected and Persian mosaics in the Billiard Room |
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| Their attention to detail extended to designing the tile for these stairs in the courtyard. |
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| The Roman Pool's exquisite mosaics |
Soon enough it was time to continue the drive home. I’d intended another stop along the coast at a beach near Point Conception, but timing and my fuel tank were not in my favor. Still, the drive was lovely and I was grateful for audiobooks for company. These conferences are never a guarantee but I hope to attend them again.
