My husband, George, and I live in the idyllic town of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Yep, that’s the actual name. It’s a European-style village perched on a hillside above Carmel Bay, filled with charming fairytale architecture, misty Pacific sea breeze, and about 3,000 residents.
In downtown Carmel, there are no street lamps, no traffic lights, and most important to maintaining our “village” feel—no street addresses. Meaning, we have to hike it to the post office to pick up our mail, guaranteeing daily run-ins with at least one or two neighbors (in Carmel, everyone is your neighbor).
