Whenever I tell someone that my wife Elfa tolerated me for fifty-three years, some wonder how that is possible. Well, of course, I am joking. Though it probably was not easy. After all, we are together most of the time. Not too many couples can claim that not only they lived together for over half of the century, but they also worked together. In September, we are going to celebrate 35 years since we started our mortgage brokerage company – Pacific Bay Financial. This fact by itself is an incredible achievement in our long marriage. Our secret – we do everything together, which includes of course, taking vacations.

After not finding what we were looking for, we decided to change direction. I called a friend who lives in Carmel. Turns out that there were many good restaurants with outside seating. Elfa was able to find accommodations at a small Colonial Terrace Hotel located away from the tourist drag — Ocean Avenue. We stayed a block away from the ocean and fell asleep under the roaring sounds of the waves. No wonder I was able to catch up on my lack of sleep. It also helped that Max stayed in the city with his dog sitter. As my friend told me, the restaurants were open. Most of them built street sitting arrangements; some used the building roofs for a patio. Most stores and art galleries were open as well, and though the majority of the visitors wore face masks, our visit felt like a déjà vu, since we’ve visited this jewel by the sea many times. Can San Francisco and other cities follow the same protocol and enjoy a semi-normal protected life? Years ago, we celebrated our wedding anniversary as tourists in Downtown San Francisco. I hope it will not take long for our beautiful city to become tourist attraction again.