i headed out from the farm last friday for a quick trip back to the bay, and the drive home from hoopa was incredible. highway 299 runs along the trinity river, and while driving, i decided that it's high time i get some rafting done in those waters. there are rental facilities all along the road, so there's no excuse not to head out there some upcoming weekends. i have little to no experience on rivers and in rafts...my last memory is from a family trip to glacier national park where we went whitewater rafting: the memory consists only of an image that someone snapped of me sitting next to my dad, i was about ten, grinning wildly, my paddle (or is it an oar?) dangerously swinging in the air as a torrent of water came towards us...hopefully i'll have a little more contol this time; but i imagine the wild grin will still reveal itself :) i cranked up 'old crow medicine show' and even threw in a little brooks and dunn and wynonna judd for the full effect and i followed the bends in the river all the way out to I-5. i hit a little rain, which emphasized the lush-green cloaked forests that i was speeding through...i see myself moving up to these parts someday...maybe a little more coastal and/or a little more northerly...but near these rivers and forests and mountains...it's so inspirational...so peaceful...so pure. quite a contrast to the city life.

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saturday morning, i made a quick visit to the ferry building farmer's market with new eyes...for the record, the prices on the produce there are darn similar to the prices i see at other markets in the state despite the prevailing rumor that it's a market specifically for the well-to-do. i will say, though, that green fire has the prettiest produce i've seen at any market recently :) go, team! whoa, bundy! whoo hoo! saturday evening i headed over to jupiter where the pacific manouche trio was playing some smokin' gypsy jazz. a couple of my friends, seth and louis, make up 66.667% of the trio, so it was great to see them play...i love their music! chelsea and ella were there, too, and we all sat around after their set eating pizza and spilling cider on our pants. good times :)

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the next day, my friends and i dipped into the ice chest full of produce that grady and linda had so graciously packed for me before i left the farm. there were cucumbers: lemon, suyo long, and armenian, peppers, eggplant, sweet onions, red torpedo onions, thai basil, parsley, genovese basil, squash: zucchini, zephyrs and pattypans, lettuces, garlic, shallots...mmm! i was so excited to share my bounty with these freinds since they are so into good and fresh food!

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for our feast, we made some roasted hoopan vegetable sandwiches - grilled eggplant and peppers and onions and zucchini nestled between ciabatta slices with grilled halloumi cheese, fresh pesto, garlic aioli and crisp lettuce. mmm! heck yes. they were delicious. thank you, grady and linda, for your generosity. the produce was much appreciated by our growing bellies!