Did I tell you Scott just took me back to California for our anniversary weekend?  Probably not, because it was a surprise until the last minute!

We took a long weekend and had a great time visiting San Diego and Laguna Beach, where we were married 11 years ago overlooking the ocean from a terrace at the hotel below:

I don’t know how it was in your home town, but there was quite a bit of lottery fever on Friday afternoon in California and we got wrapped up in it.  We stayed on Coronado Island and saw the lines to buy lottery tickets.  Who wouldn’t wait a few minutes for the possibility of winning half a billion dollars?

Well, we bought a few tickets and meandered along Ocean Boulevard near the famous “Hotel Del” Coronado.

If we did win, we wondered, what would we do with all that money?  It didn’t take me long to decide.  I’ve always wanted to live at the beach and while I think the Florida gulf coast has the best sand and beaches, I prefer the climate in California.  So, a beach front home would be my first purchase.

I don’t personally need or want a mansion, just a little beach cottage.  And, walking along Ocean Boulevard, we came upon the perfect home for me.  A little Nantucket inspired beach home.  Doesn’t look too grandiose, don’t you think?

No one was living there, so we decided to walk up and take a peek in the windows. If I’d won the lottery, this would’ve been my front porch.

And the view to the right from my new front porch:

The inside looked just right to me.  A lot of millwork- look at the bead board ceilings with coffers- I just love that, not to mention the wall paneling.  The floors were a beautiful white oak, wide planks that would never show a spec of sand.

The kitchen did not have marble, but it was a sacrifice I could make for the location.

Through the front windows I could see 2 fireplaces on the main level, but neither of us thought this place had any ‘over the top’ features.

We looked it up online and the first photos show a classic beach cottage on the main level and in the master bedroom.

The master bath is fairly small, as you would expect, given the tight lots on Coronado.

I was ready to move in.  We made bets on the price.  We both thought close to $20 million given the location right on the ocean.  What a nice surprise that it was only $9.8 million, a bargain.  Apparently the monthly payment would be a mere $60,000, that is before taxes and insurance.  Well, if we won the lottery, maybe this little cottage would be ours….

Only it turns out it isn’t a little cottage.  The house has almost 5,000 square feet with 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms.

The laundry room has two sets of washers/dryers.

Here is the lovely, paneled hallway, only it comes with an elevator…

which could take you to a lower level…

complete with a panel glass window of a rock wall (?)

and a 2,200 bottle wine cellar.

Or you could take the elevator up to the roof top deck with fireplace, 7 person spa, outdoor kitchen and 360 degree views from Point Loma to the San Diego skyline.

As I mentioned, these are tight lots, but no worries.  You can still park all your cars with ease on the built in turn table.

So maybe this house was a little more than just the two of us needed.  Of course, I wouldn’t complain if someone gifted it to me, but since we didn’t win the lottery (I don’t think we even got one powerball number right), this home is definitely not in our future.  Or, should I have said “in our immediate future?”

So we said goodbye to our little home on Coronado.  Still, it was fun to imagine for a little while.  Have you ever found your dream home?  If so, tell me about it- I would love to know what made it your favorite place!