Summer’s not complete without the Farmer’s Market

Posted on August 30, 2022 by E.A. Wickham

One of our highlights of visiting the beach in the summer is the Farmer’s Market. I discovered this year there are two –Thursdays in Caprinteria and Saturdays in Santa Barbara. That makes buying fruit and veggies more manageable. I don’t have to stock up only to have fruit get over ripe. I can buy just enough.

There is one stand with all sorts of peppers and tomatoes that we stop at. Farmer Fred is the owner. He’s friends with several of our Santa Barbara friends who gather at his stand to chat each weekend. It’s fun to join in and feel like a local.

By our house in Arizona, we have a tiny Farmer’s market. I call it a Farmer market because there is one veggie stand. There is local honey, jewelry, baked goods, chips and dip and trinkets.

It’s a joy to have an abundance of fresh fruit and veggies. We’re especially enjoying Flavor King plums, sweet corn and shishito peppers.

Santa Barbara Farmer's Market Rocking Chair Farm Markets fruit stand. — I bought white peaches and yellow nectarines here. They are so delicious, they are beyond words.

Bright red tomatoes at the Santa Barbara Farmer's Market. — Gorgeous tomatoes.

rainbow of colors of eggplants and peppers — The colors of peppers and eggplants are worth painting.

Avocado stand in the Santa Barbara Farmer's Market. — An abundance of avocados. I took them for granted in California. They are not so available in Arizona.

bright orange dragonfruit — My dear friend from Singapore introduced me to dragonfruit. I’ve never seen it in a market before.

The didgeridoo is a sacred Australian Aborigine instrument. Our friends say this woman has been playing at the Santa Barbara Farmer’s Market for years.

Do you have a farmer’s market near you? What are your favorite things about Farmer’s Markets? What do you like to buy?

First two hours of vacation

Posted on August 19, 2022 by E.A. Wickham

We had only been in the Vrbo for two hours when we lost one key. Fortunately, we started with two keys in the lockbox.

The key got lost during unpacking. I had placed the key on top of the dresser. My husband complained about things I was stacking on the dresser while finding a home for them. I was sure he had knocked the key off onto the floor or behind the dresser while he moved some of my stuff.

I was so upset. We were supposed to go to our friends’ house for dinner and we were thirty minutes late — before we realized the key was missing.

We looked in the drawers, under the dresser, under the bed, in the kitchen and bathroom. I texted my son that we had lost one key already. There was one in the lockbox and to please keep the one remaining key there when he arrived later that night. I didn’t want to lose both.

After a delicious dinner of chicken mole with our friends in their backyard, I came home and continued the search.

I finally found the key! My husband had knocked the key off the dresser just as I suspected. He managed to land the key in my dresser drawer — into my white shorts back pocket! Husbands!

What has your wife, husband or friend done that truly amazed you — good or bad?

Driftwood condos at the beach

Posted on August 12, 2021 by E.A. Wickham

beach shelter made from driftwood — One of the structures I see during my beach walks.

Somebody is definitely having fun at the beach located down the street from our vacation VRBO. I’ve seen these structures made from driftwood for years, but this year they are more elaborate than ever. The largest oceanfront “condo” has many carved signs and figurines that weren’t there last summer.

figure made from seaweed and driftwood — One of the residents guarding the entrance to his beachfront condo.

This is the most elaborate of the beach condos complete with flags and signs.

Yesterday, my husband and I walked on Carpinteria State Beach for a morning walk. We noticed a for sale sign and open house at a condo complex on the sand. We went in and the place was gorgeous, but it faced the street. It had a peek-a-boo ocean view from the master bedroom. The price tag was $4 million with an HOA of $1,000 per month for the concrete sidewalks and steps.

I think I’ll take the views from the artistic, fun driftwood condos instead. How about you? Of course, there are lots more creature comfort amenities in the civilized condo. But still…

Still worrying about my friends and the Thomas fire

Posted on December 11, 2017 by E.A. Wickham

Update: I received a text this morning from my friends and the threat from the fire is finally over. She did say it smelled like a “giant wet campfire outside.” I’m relieved they are safe. Here’s the photo she sent me from last night from their neighborhood:

Photo I saw on Twitter from Sunday night.

The Thomas fire is now on record as the fifth largest fire in recent California history. It’s still raging on and I’m still worried about my friends.

I wish they would have left because they’re under voluntary evacuation notice. I wrote about the fire and our wonderful friends and memories on Dec. 7. Since then, our friends have been existing day to day, ready to leave in a moment’s notice—breathing fire, ash and smoke. You would think it would begin to wear on you.

Every morning and evening, I text to see if they’re okay and ask if they’re staying in their house.

They thought last night the threat had passed and they were over the worst of it. Then this morning the firemen made the local high school–which is literally a stone’s throw from their backyard–the fire staging area. She said maybe they were feeling relief too soon.

I’m praying for my friends and everyone affected by the fires in Southern California. It makes you appreciate a simple thing like fresh air, being outside, and our homes.

Here’s a view from our friends’ backyard this morning.

Do you know anyone suffering from the fires in So Cal?

Worried about friends and the fire

Posted on December 7, 2017 by E.A. Wickham

Carpinteria beach walk Thanksgiving morning.

When I woke up this morning, I was shocked and scared to see Carpinteria trending on Twitter. If you’re watching the news anywhere, you probably have heard that Southern California is on fire. I read that parts of Carpinteria were being evacuated. I texted my friends in Carp to find out if they were evacuating or if they’re okay.

These are our dear friends we spent Thanksgiving with and our friendship dates back 30 years. I told them they can come here and stay with us if they have to evacuate or want to get out of the horrific air. They are prepared to leave at a moment’s notice and my friend said she took her valuables, passports etc. to a friend 30 miles to the north of her. At 8 a.m. she told me the fire was four miles from their home.

I’ve been checking the news reports all day and I haven’t heard anything more about Carpinteria, and I haven’t heard back from our friends, so I’m pretty sure they’re okay. I feel so badly for everyone affected by the fires. We have friends in Ventura, too and we’re thankful the fire didn’t reach their house, although so many people have lost everything they own.

I love Carpinteria and my husband and I have talked about moving there some day. But, boy our friends have had a tough time. Just three months ago, I wrote about how they got caught in a microburst on their sailboat. You can read that story here.

Please, everyone, heed the warnings to evacuate and stay safe!

Map from the LA TIMES.

Do you know anyone affected by the fires?

Some of my memories from Carpinteria and friends below.

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Carpinteria State Beach.

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Summer vacation in Carpinteria.

Rob and Deb, our Carpinteria friends of 30 years.

sailing with Rob

and Debbie in Santa Barbara

Waffles and Kat at Carpinteria State Beach, August 2017.

Prior to moving our son to UCSB, we went with our friends to Rincon Point.

Sunset, Thanksgiving 2017.

Sailing in Santa Barbara.

10 Things I Noticed About Summer Vacation

Posted on August 14, 2017 by E.A. Wickham

Waffles on our morning beach walk.

ONE
I was stressed the day we left for vacation. Had I packed everything we needed?

TWO
VRBO disappointed me. The condo was way smaller than it looked online. I didn’t realize there was only one window that looked out into a parking lot and no ocean breeze because it was on the wrong side of the building.

THREE
After three days, I relaxed. We aren’t moving into the condo for good. It’s only a week and we can make the best of it. With my glass half full, I can say it’s clean, comfortable and we love the location a block from the beach.

The marina in Santa Barbara.

FOUR
We are outside every day enjoying the fresh air. It’s such a big deal to be out of the AC of home where it’s 115 degrees and more.

FIVE
Sailing was exhilarating, breathtaking and yes—filled with fresh air.

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Sailing.

SIX
We love Carpinteria because of friends. Dinners al fresco, walks along the beach at sunset, and swimming are all better with friends. We’re fortunate to have best friends who love to entertain and cook for us. We’re even more fortunate they didn’t get tired of us after a week.

SEVEN
Morning beach walks are the best. They’re better than my walk around the neighborhood and park at home. Waffles the pug loved his beach time and playing with new friends.

EIGHT
I loved having my daughter join us for vacation. I hope it’s a tradition she continues for years to come.

NINE
Swimming helped me relax. After swimming masters with my friend and her daughter as a coach, I felt good for the rest of the day.

TEN
Why don’t we live in Carpinteria? Why was our vacation so short?

My daughter lap swimming.

“Be Good. Do Good. We’ll Be Doing Good.”

Posted on August 26, 2015 by E.A. Wickham

My son learning to dive with the swim team. He’s third from the right.

“Do Good. Be Good. We’ll Be Doing Good.”

These are the words my son recorded for our voice mail message when he was four years old. I saved that for years.

What a thoughtful thing for our young son to say! My husband and I adopted that saying as our family motto.

A walk on the UCSB campus during our vacation.

I try to do good. Be good. Some days it’s a bigger struggle than others. But, it’s something to think about, too. What are we doing with our lives? Are we making a difference? Is the world a better place because we are in it?

A lot has to do with our outlook. I’m definitely one of the “glass is half full” types. I try to look at the positive and stay away from those who are negative. Turning on the TV can put you into negativity land. I truly believe that we can stay positive by removing negative influences around us. Turn off the TV. Listen to music. Read interesting books and essays. Swim! Like Ray Bradbury said, “Garbage in, garbage out!”

My kids at the age when my son recorded the voice mail message. Vacation pic from years ago.

After spending a week in paradise—otherwise known as Carpinteria, CA—I look back on our vacation as perfect. We have great friends who live there who inspire me. I always come home with so much energy from being around positive, hard working entrepreneurs.

Also, my children spent a bit of the week with us. What a treat that was for me! With two college aged kids, having them together was priceless. We rode bikes, hiked, swam in the ocean, sailed, shared meals together. It’s hard to leave them, but I’m so thankful for the time we had together. That’s my glass half full talking as I sit in my lonely, quiet house once again.