Hither & Yon

Winchester Mansion

This afternoon we enjoyed an eye-opening, mind-boggling tour of the 160-room Winchester Mystery House in San Jose.

Constantly constructed and remodeled from 1884-1922 according to the instructions of Sarah Winchester, heir to the Winchester Firearms fortune, it is a dizzying warren of halls and rooms.

Though we weren't allowed to take photos inside the mansion, we took plenty from our self-guided tour of the grounds after the informative 65-minute guided tour inside.

More information about this unique landmark is available at www.winchestermysteryhouse.com.

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He Can Be Such a Problem

From the Recycled Books store in Campbell, California.

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Monterey Bay Aquarium

Saturday with our California family (Aaron, Nina, Miles, and Mia) the lovely Robin and I visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

What a glorious collection of displays and amenities! We oohed and aahed our way through, but only managed to visit a few of the exhibits.

We were all entertained--mesmerized, even--from youngest to oldest.

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Yesterday our California kids and grandkids treated us to a day trip to Cannery Row, a beautiful and historic part of the seaside town of Monterey.

Cannery Row was made famous by John Steinbeck's novel of the same name, and there are many tributes to him there.

We loved the shops and scenery, the ambiance and activity, but most of all the company.

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Book Buyers Monterey

I take it as a sign of God's approval that our first stop Saturday (and an unplanned stop at that) on our day trip to Cannery Row in Monterey, California, was Book Buyers, a used and new bookstore.

I love stores like this, with books in every nook and cranny, forming a warren of words for young and old.

As you might expect, the store had a shelf devoted to the Nobel-winning local hero, John Steinbeck, whose novel Cannery Row was set in this location. Astoundingly, however, that volume was not to be found in the store! I would have bought it if I could have located a copy.

Still, I loved our visit and recommend Book Buyers Monterey to anyone visiting Cannery Row. It's a pleasure and a prize, located at 600 Lighthouse Street in Monterey. Their website is www.bookbuyers.com.

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