I absolutely love Farmer's Market in downtown Santa Barbara. Farmers from the surrounding area come selling a delightful array of produce...lemons, apples, tomatoes, chumatras, avocados, flowers, honey, jams, asparagus, just to name a few. The taste in the air is fresh--warm, friendly, and eclectic. People browsing, sampling produce, buying delicious bread paired with freshly pressed olive oil. There is a cheery comradery among the crowd, as if we are all united by our mutual quest for home grown fruits and veggies. Performers setup on street corners--musicians, contortionists, balloon artists, protestors. I love to breathe it all in. 'Tis magical, I say.
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Meet Dave and Taylor, two Westmont students. I was completely mesmerized by the melodic tones proceeding from their instruments and lips. Dave can play violin AND sing harmony at the same time--now that's talent. Definitely my favorite performers of the day.
I also ran into my friend Tamon, whom I met in a rather unconventional way during my first days here. While enjoying the surf along the coast one fine day, I watched, quite amused, as he vigorously warded off seagulls from ravaging his friend's picnic. Then I observed in awe as he proceeded to make his own chocolate--from scratch. Yes, ladies, that's what I said. I was so intrigued that I had to approach him to discover his recipe. Apparently his friends have a raw foods company, Bliss Merchants, which produces a cocao bean powder that can be mixed with a few other ingredients to make the deliciousness we savor as chocolate. Sweet, huh? (No pun intended....Dad....) Having bonded over cocao and seagulls, it was a special treat to meet him again among the crowd in the bustling lanes of the market.
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