Carmel, California

Last week we visited our friends, Bob and Diane Reid, in Carmel. This is a photo of the beach at sunset.

Carmel has grown from a small artist's community of humble cottages in the early 1900s to a major destination for the well-to-do. It has many things in common with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Over-building has created a severe water shortage. The downtown area is being taken over by art galleries, restaurants, and motels - driving food markets, drug stores, book stores, etc. to the outskirts. Traffic is often gridlocked.

Despite it all, like Santa Fe, Carmel retains a unique charm.