It’s not jumping out of an airplane, nor flying in a seaplane, but September was exciting for me as it marked five years that I’ve been writing for the Lake County Record-Bee.
I interviewed with editor Ariel Carmona at the old Record-Bee building (2150 S Main) and he hired me on the spot. I estimate that I’ve written over 300 hundred articles (articles, not columns).
My first assignment was to cover the Tuesday farmers market, so in commemoration of that first assignment, I went the market in Lakeport at Library Park (so happens it was the last of the season). As usual, I bought fruit from Ponce Farms and said hi to Alex Vollelunga, aka the Bearded Nut. Apropos name for the bearded guy with bright blue eyes who usually sells Beard Oil (made from walnuts).
I also chatted with Cornelia Sieber Davis, who manages the Lakeport market and the one in Finley, at the Mercantile, across from Rainbow Ag. Davis is in the know about what farmers participate and what vendors sell non-produce goods.
I sent a portion of my article from five years ago to Davis to see which vendors are still with the Farmers Market. Sadly only three, Ponce Farms and Pendeza the people who sell woven hats and baskets (I’ve had my hat for four years and it’s still like new), and the Bearded Nut are the only surviving ones. Many others have passed away.
When I lived in Southern California, I’d go to the farmers market there each Friday. I became friends with many of the farmers. It was a weekly outing that I enjoyed more than going to the grocery store.
Same with our Lake County farmers Markets, I’d rather get my produce from them. I went to the Saturday farmers market to continue the celebration. The weather was super, with giant clouds in the blue sky. People milled about buying hummus, honey, fruit, peppers, peaches and plums. Davis seemed happy to see me. The Bearded Nut, Alex, told me how great I looked. I laughed and accepted his compliment rather than deflect it.
Juan, at Ponce Farms, graciously replaced some nectarines that had molded since I bought them at Tuesday’s market. He’s always had the best fruit in the area, yet I must have hastened the demise of the nectarines by leaving them on the counter, in the sun. It didn’t matter to Juan, he told me that if I ever had a problem, he’d always take measures to solve it.
The best part of the Saturday market was meeting the young woman, Nikki of Nikki’s Crochet Corner, who displayed her little crochet pumpkins, bats and other adorable items. I’ve lost the directions for a scarf I’ve been crocheting since this time last year – well, not crocheting as it’s been sitting on the floor at the end of my couch for almost a year. Simple fix needed and Nikki was very helpful.
What’s a girl to do?…now that I know what to do, perhaps I should actually finish the scarf and give it to my friend Mabel. Or not.
Lucy Llewellyn Byard is currently a columnist for the Record-Bee. To contact her, email lucywgtd@gmail.com
