Category Archives: Community Events

Living the #Carmellifestyle . . . by the way, what does that mean anyway? I guess it’s different for everyone depending on “what floats your boat” but I’ll give you a taste of what I think is fun around Carmel, because that’s just what I did yesterday on a gorgeous Saturday morning. (Yes, realtors do take a day off once in a while!) I started off the day having a lovely breakfast with my hubby and then after a kiss good-bye, I took off on my adventure.

Mantra Salon, at Mission and 7th, in the Court of the Fountains

First stop was my appointment with Veronica, owner of Mantra Salon, for a cut and color. She is so amazing and I always feel beautiful when I walk out of there.! Since I’m preparing for a trip I had a long list of “to do’s” and having my hair done was #1.

Mantra Salon looks out onto this beautiful courtyard, Court of the Fountains – how Carmel is that! As I left sporting my new do, I noted the mark on my tires, and knew it was time to move my car before the meter maid came around again. I found a lucky spot right on Ocean Avenue right where The Art Festival was in full gear.

23rd Annual Art Festival & Plein Air Competition

Artists come from all over the country to participate in the Annual Art Festival & Plein Air Competition. They scatter themselves all over the Monterey Peninsula Wednesday – Friday painting all of our wonderful scenery.

Painting of the Carmel Mission by Julie Khyler

Then the paintings are hung in the outside gallery on Mission St. between Ocean and 6th for viewing, judging, and bidding on. The winning bidders will take home the paintings to hang in their homes.

Painting of the Pacific Grove ice plant in bloom by Monika Johnson

All of a sudden I spotted a very familiar scene. Stacy Barter had painted our charming Alain Pinel Realtors office in downtown Carmel and her painting had won first prize in the Plein Air Competition!

Painting of the Alain Pinel Realtors office in Carmel by Stacy Barter

First prize in the Plein Air Competition

Susan (moi) admiring Stacy's painting — Susan (moi) admiring Stacy’s painting

Well, that was certainly a wonderful discovery, but my stomach was growling so I headed to Carmel Plaza to the Carmel Coffee and Cocoa Bar

to grab a delicious Greek Salad before the fashion show which would begin at 1:00pm.

Greek salad with chicken at Carmel Coffee and Cocoa Bar

Mira Schumacher, the owner of the cafe, greets her customers by name and makes them feel very welcome . . . and has dynamite food! Since the cafe has both indoor and outdoor seating, I settled on a table in the sun to enjoy the lovely weather as well as the 60’s music that was already blaring throughout the plaza to put us in the 60’s mood.

Outdoor tables among the gardens in the plaza.

Fashion Show with a 60's theme in the Plaza — Fashion Show with a 60’s theme in the Plaza

After lunch I hurried to a seat in the area of the plaza where the Fashion Show was to take place. The master of ceremonies was just about to begin.

Master of Ceremonies introduces the fashion show.

I’ve always loved Fashion Shows so was really looking forward to it!

Here we go . . .

to be continued . . . .

Community Events

“Good Old Days” are back again ~ Pacific Grove, CA

April 9, 2016 Susan Clark

59th Annual Good Old Days Celebration featuring fantastic bands, crafts fair & parade! — Good Old Days Celebration featuring fantastic bands, crafts fair & parade!

April 9th and 10th 2016 Pacific Grove, CA

Don’t miss the 59th Annual Good Old Days Celebration taking place today and tomorrow. Every year residents and visitors look forward to this local event which begins with a parade Saturday morning down Pine Street and continues Saturday and Sunday with a wide array of fun events.

When I first moved to Pacific Grove 17 years ago I couldn’t believe what a big event this little seaside town puts together. I even have been in the parade a couple of times with my then 97 year old mother riding in the front seat of my convertible. What a thrill it was for both of us!

It’s the largest arts and crafts show in the county, and features over 225 art and food vendors in downtown Pacific Grove on Lighthouse Avenue. There will be live entertainment on five stages with old-fashioned games and contests, and lots of family fun.

The schedule of events can be found on the Pacific Grove Chamber website. To mention a few highlights you’ll be able to enjoy “Moonalice, Thom Cuneo Jazz Band, The Snarky Cats, Rayburn Brothers Band, Stu Heydon Blues Band, Samz School of Rock, Short Band, PG Pops Orchestra and more!”

New this year is the BookWorks Dance Stage! There will be eight dance groups performing back-to-back-to-back from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm. The dance groups include PGHS Breaker Girls Dance Team, Stevenson School Dance, Azahar Flamenco de Monterey, RockStar Dance Studio, DiFranco Dance Project, Park Avenue Belly Dance, Dance Center Carmel, and Groove Like BollyWorld.”

So come to downtown Pacific Grove and join the fun!

Community Events, Local Attractions, Monterey Bay Aquarium

#Monterey Bay Aquarium ~ New exhibit to entice us!

April 3, 2016 Susan Clark

“The slithery. The scaly. The spectacularly showy. Discover incredible animals from land and sea in this special exhibition featuring creatures from the coastal habitats of Baja California. Life here thrives on the edge of sand and surf, where rugged desert coastline meets the sapphire waters of the Pacific.”

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has opened an amazing new exhibit. You will not want to miss it! I first was introduced to Baja in the 1970’s when I flew down there in a small 4-seater aircraft. The airports were so rough that we had to fly over the runway first to scare the cows off so we could land and the gas had to be strained through netting before filling up the tank. Baja was dotted with many tiny fishing villages along the coast at that time and we snorkeled and saw many of the amazing fish and critters in this exhibit. Those were the days . . .

Luckily, I never ran into “these guys”! Although I have seen morays up close and personal scuba diving in other areas in the tropics, I never try to pet them!

“This 800-mile-long narrow peninsula in northwestern Mexico is separated from the mainland by the Gulf of California.

With almost 2,000 miles of coastline, sun-scorched desert, lush mangrove forests and colorful coral reefs, Baja is a land of contrasts, where unique plants and animals survive and thrive.”

I hope I have peaked your interest with these incredible photos from the Monterey Bay Aquarium web site. Go take a gander at these amazing creatures in person. You’ll be glad you did!

Community Events, Realtor training programs

Mastering my Business in Pebble Beach

March 20, 2016 Susan Clark

"The Business of You" — “The Business of You”

Yesterday in Pebble Beach, I joined a group of fantastic women representing a wide range of professions for a great seminar.

As a realtor with 29 years of real estate sales experience I never stop learning – in fact I was recently nicknamed the Education Advocate of my Alain Pinel Realtors-Carmel office. (I wonder why?) Well, here I go again, spreading the word about another great educational opportunity.

The seminar was called, “Mastering the Business of You” and was presented by two amazing women, Marion Gellatly and Mary Jeanne Vincent. Marion, a style and image expert, discussed the power of our brand, how we determine what our “brand” is, and how we are communicating visually with our clients. Mary Jeanne, a career coach and expert on Linkedin, taught us Negotiation skills and how to use LinkedIn to put our best online image forward. This was the first time they had teamed up to do a class together and it was a winner!

I highly recommend this seminar for any professional person who wants to update and upgrade their image online and person to person.

http://www.powerful-presence.com/biz

Susan Clark, Realtor

Category Archives: Community Events

Living the #Carmellifestyle ~ Bopping around Carmel on a sunny Saturday!

“Good Old Days” are back again ~ Pacific Grove, CA

#Monterey Bay Aquarium ~ New exhibit to entice us!

Mastering my Business in Pebble Beach

Susan's Musings by the Sea