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| Ms. Sparks and her kiln fired custom made glass jewelery |
I work in downtown Los Angeles. And every Thursday on the South lawn of City Hall is a great little Farmers Market. There are plenty of vendors selling a large variety of fresh fruits and vegetables from local growers. I'm personally waiting for the 'Heirloom Tomatos to come back into season. They are the BEST you will ever taste (NOTHING like a store bought) and I usually buy a half dozen every week when they are available. Also there are about a dozen food booths cooking up every kind of ethnic delight, from health conscience to kettle corn, baked goods, breads and home made cobblers. The smokey scent of BBQ food that floats through the air draws you right in...Uummm. And there are several booths of local artist selling their work, from silversmiths, clothing, jewelery, paintings, plants and way too many other things to list.
But...there is one booth that has really captured my interest lately; the Sea Sponge booth . The Sponge Lady's name is Kerry. Her husband and family are sponge divers and have been in the business for a couple of decades. What is really fascinating is the large variety of sizes and shapes of the sponge being offered. I watched an episode of 'Dirty Jobs a few weeks earlier that just happened to be on sponge divers and it gave me an immediate appreciation for what was being offered. The sponge is harvested in an Eco Friendly way. Its not removed, just trimmed. A renewable resource, sort of like a haircut or mowing the lawn. That way the sponge grow back, and can be harvested again the next season.
At first, I thought they were a little pricey, but after a convincing explanation, I bought a sponge for myself and really liked it. The next week, a different one for the dishes and the following week, one for my girlfriend, who Loves it! All I can say is: I like 'em. I like going natural when ever I can and the sponge is definitely a good idea.
I'm fascinated with all the sizes and shapes of the different sponge and I went out to the market early this week so I could get some uncrowded pics. Hope you like 'em. I look forward to Thursdays in downtown L.A. I always manage to pick up something tasty and good. And check out the short video on the Sponge Lady. It's just below the photos. Click on any photo to enlarge it for a better view.
Thanks for reading my blog and check back in a few weeks. I'll be writing about the Chino Air Show...That's my next planned outing and I'm looking forward to a great day of Vintage aircraft and acrobatics...and of course, some good eats!
