I loved heading to Monterey when I lived in the Bay Area of California. They had great ground squirrels by the ocean that would climb onto your hand to eat food. I also did my diver qualification off one of the beaches there. Hard to decide whether I preferred a day in Monterey or a day in Carmel. I miss those beach towns.
I adore your layout and the way you reduced opacity to lay words over them. The whole idea so works.