Santa Barbara�

2004-04-18

The wonderful spouse and I went up to Santa Barbara on Saturday. I was iffy about going right up to the last minute.

When we left if was raining, not too hard and the drive up the coast was nice. We drove up out of the rain and into sunshine. When we got there, we saw a farmer�s market set up in a park, so we went through that. It was fun. We bought enormous artichokes. I got an orchid and some Spanish moss! Finding unusual plants is one of my greatest pleasures.

There was a wide variety of people there. Some more unusually dressed than others.

Then we walked over to State Street. It was busy. The first thing we saw was an anti-Bush protest parade.

It was about then that we decided that we wanted to live there. Definitely like the politics there better than Orange County, that bastion of republican ideas. There was a �Vote for Kerry� table set up, passing out stickers and buttons. A couple had put one of the stickers on their dog.

It also seems like a place where it is possible to make a living in some unusual ways.

This fellow was standing outside a fish and chips place. People were giving him money to take pictures with him. I did, too. His outfit was very authentic looking. Probably quite an investment.

Right after that the battery for the camera died. I was so mad. I missed the picture of the guy in the striped pants, top hat, tails and clogs pushing a piano up the street on a dolly.

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