Arriving at the Festival. Photo by: Andrew |
Does anyone else flip through their local AAA magazine to
the back? I usually discover a ton of events there. I've found the Greek
Festival, the Highland Games at the Queen Mary, the Clam Chowder Festival, the
Garlic Festival, Boo at the Zoo in Santa Barbara, and most recently, the
Avocado Festival.
Who doesn't love a good guacamole? It was time for the boys
and I to head out to Carpinteria, CA (an hour's drive north) and bask in the
avocado glory.
Scoping out the food. Photo: Andrew |
The festival was held 5-7 OCT. We went on Sunday, arrived at
noon and discovered it was packed. They had an arts and crafts area and 3 or 4
stages were the local bands played.
Our first mission was to find the food area. My husband and
I had a fish taco. The boys ate hot dogs and fries.
Big Green Monster Avocado. Photo: Joe |
After we finished, we found the avocado stands. I learned
there was more to the green monster than just Hass avocadoes. There was a ton
of different kinds. Avocadoes are pretty recent to So Cal, introduced in the
early 1900's.
Interestingly, the green beast is considered a flowering
plant and in the same plant family as cinnamon and camphor.
Festival Guacamole. Photo: Joe |
Just in time, we found the guacamole truck. It was tasty,
but I assure you, Andrew and I can fix up some guacamole that will make you
drool.
We also found avocado smoothies and ice cream. We discovered
you could put avocado slices on anything from salad to fish. I wanted to buy an
avocado festival t-shirt, but the money ran out. Avocadoes ain't cheap.
Avocado stands. Photo: Andrew |
Avocados are art, too. The boys' local PTA was sponsoring
the yearly "Reflections" campaign and they decided to enter this
year. Joe, my 7 year old, discovered he likes art after an art class this
summer. They decided to enter the photography category. I gave them a couple of
lessons in how to take pictures and print from a digital camera and they were
off.
(We were supposed to go to Yosemite for our photo shoot but
the government shutdown.)
Andrew checking out avocadoes. Photo: Joe |
All in all, the boys and I had a nice day trip hanging with
the 'cadoes.
Hanging with the 'cadoes. Photo: Joe |
Guacamole, anyone?
What do you like to "fix" up with your avocadoes? I'd love to
hear it. If anyone wants my guacamole recipe, let me know, I'm willing to
share.
Smiles
Steph
PS – these pictures were taken by the boys and used for
their Reflections project.
Love all the festivals! I like them sliced in a sandwich. A lot healthier than mayo! I think some people think they don't like them until they try them because the color and texture doesn't always look so appealing.
ReplyDeleteAly, I would agree with that - generally, for me, the color and texture is unappealing, unless it's guacomole. lol!!
DeleteSmiles
Steph
Ha! I never would have thought of an Avocado Festival...who knew? Sounds very cool, except that Guacamole hurts my stomach, so I can't eat it. :-( But it looks like you had a blast. I'm going to have to start paying attention to the back of my AAA book. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for popping in Alicia. I'm sorry to hear it hurts the tummy. It's always nice to get out of the house. Let me know what you find in the back of the AAA book. hehe
DeleteSmiles
Steph
Andrew looks cute and happy. The guacamole looks yummy!
ReplyDeleteMorgan Mandel
http://www.morganmandel.com
Morgan, awww...thank you. Andrew is always ready for a new adventure.
DeleteSmiles
Steph
Hi Steph,
ReplyDeleteYour festival sounds like it was good wholesome fun. I've never been a 'cado fan, but I loved your slogan of "hanging with the 'cadoes." And how nice for your boys to make an art project out of their festival visit. The shots seem very nicely framed. They must have had an excellent teacher!
Best wishes, Maggie
Thanks for stopping by. I agree - their shots came out really well. Believe me, I spent several hours with Joe practicing on how to take photos at Castaic Lake and then on his field trip to the nature center. Andrew took a photography class in 3rd grade and a lot of it came back to him. So I didn't need to work with him as long.
DeleteSmiles
Steph