Whatever happened to those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, those days of soda, and pretzels and beer? Too much going on out there to indulge oneself in a cool lemonade on the porch, or a day reading in a hammock — as least from this perspective. My summer reading is still stacked next to the bed.
At the beginning of summer I was hooked on an old Netflix series called White Collar about an art thief turned FBI investigator. But got distracted trying to squeeze in as much Olympics as I could — Vive la France — while following the current presidential race. You can’t beat the campaign for all around entertainment — horror, mystery, suspense, angst, treachery, pathos, humor, outrage, and even joy. A few summer rituals remain, however.
St. Paul’s Peddler’s Faire
Awoke earlier than usual Saturday to be one of the first to hit the Peddler’s Fair before all of the good stuff was gone. There were two vendors who I waited all year to visit again — the kantha lady from Sacramento who sells handmade Indian cotton quilts made from old saris — for only $32! The word “kantha” means “old clothes” in Bengali. I scored one in mostly blues — difficult to find as they favor golds and reds.
My second stop was to acquire another one of the exotic wall hangings from Rajasthan. An effervescent Tibetan woman whose main shop is in San Francisco had piles of these precious works of art skillfully crafted using silver and gold threads, metallic cording, beads, fine quilting, silks and velvets, appliqué and tiny sparkling jewels, and pearls. It was an adventure sorting through her stacks imaging I was in a Far Eastern bazaar. Equally elaborate door hangings and heavy silver, turquoise, and coral ethnic rings and bracelets from Nepal and Afghanistan were part of the mix. I bought a small hanging for only $25, incredibly inexpensive when you consider all of the hours of work involved requiring fine eyesight and steady hands.
Feeling happy and grateful, I slowed my pace to take a closer look at the other booths. By then the Street was shoulder to shoulder with shoppers of all ages and parents pulling tired kids in wagons.
A shop I hadn’t seen in the past was The Weekend Store, owned by feminist Adjowah featuring artfully made “radical women” tee towels, totes, hot pads, oven mitts, bandanas, coin purses, and other finely crafted merch. Images of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Michelle Obama, Elisabeth Warren, and other powerful women adorned these smartly designed items.
The latest line featuring an image of Kamala Harris was selling like hotcakes. As I was trying to figure out which tote to buy, a new friend and Dharma buddy happened by. “I’m getting you a Kamala bag,” she said. Happily surprised, I selected a bright pink number with artist Maria Faith Garcia’s portrait of Kamala and “HOPE” written beneath it. I was touched by this kind gesture. “It reminds me of the Obama poster,” I said. “The first time I voted was for Obama,” Adjowah shared. “I cast my ballot for my grandparents who wouldn’t have believed that a Black man could run and win the presidency.” theweekendstore.com
Dropped by John’s Sigler’s elaborate home on West K St.—the Riddell-Fish House — a Queen Anne style showstopper. John, who formerly ran Charlie’s Attic on First Street, was hosting a number of other vendors who had set up tables in his front yard. Among the goodies, I spied a ceramic fish which reminded me of the outsider art I used to collect. Turns out the artist, Monique Rutherford, is a fine art clay master and founded the successful “After School Program That Brings Clay to Kids.” moniquerutherford.com
Benicia Farmers Market
Russell Blackwell, creator of The Kindness Mobile Thrift Shoppe, has created a vintage clothing boutique out of an old emergency vehicle that he drives from market to market. The huge, white van is packed from steering wheel to exhaust pipe with vintage wear and accessories. Once he has parked the vehicle, Russell and his volunteers roll out yet more racks of gently worn leather jackets, belts, hats, costume jewelry, sunglasses, and Levis — all donated. I scored a snazzy brass-studded leather belt with turquoise-like stones for only $15.
Charismatic and compassionate, Russell models kindness — the mission of the enterprise. One hundred percent of proceeds go to the Russcheer Foundation and programs for single mothers, suicide prevention, animal welfare, and under-sourced communities. therusscheerfoundation.org
Another booth that literally stopped me in my tracks was Mikuyta Mushrooms, the “Family-Run Gourmet Mushroom Farm.” These are the most unusual fungi you will ever see. Owners are Jimmy Mestas and Holly Martin. Mikuyta means “consume” or “eat” in Quechua, the indigenous language of Jimmy’s home country of Peru.
A basket of whitish mushrooms called Blue Oysters reminded me of the melting clocks that Dali painted; the Chestnut variety resembles a Hobbit forest of tiny brown umbrellas. A neon pink oyster reportedly tastes like bacon sans the cholesterol. But the coup de fungi is the exotic Lion’s Mane sporting snow-white hair that looks a pumpkin covered in rabbit fur. https://www.mikuytamushrooms.com
Do stop by the library’s art gallery to view painter and sculptor Pam Dixon’s “I Ching Cha Cha” exhibit. It will make you smile. The reception is August 17, from 12-5 pm. Pam will give a talk on working with clay at 1 pm. Runs through September 14.
Inquiry of the day: What made the mushroom forager such a good person? Answer: He had good morels. www.parade.com
Enjoy!
Letters From Benicia 