It is amazing how much more you see when you walk. Yesterday we had a late breakfast at Joe's Café in Santa Barbara. We had to pick up some fresh crab for our crab cakes dinner last night, which we had ordered the day before.
We decided to walk over there (12 blocks round trip) instead of drive. It was a beautiful day, and it had rained the night before, the air was fresh and intoxicating. On our way back we noticed this tree.
Those avocado shaped bulbs will open up as you can see on other branches into a form of natural stuffing known as Kapok. Kapok is also the name of the tree. At one time it was used for pillow stuffing, however with the introduction of polyester/polyurethane foams, its use has declined.
And for those of you who love crab cakes filled with crab and not breading, we recommend Pat Conroy's recipe. Pat Conroy was a great American writer and authored, The Great Santini, Prince of Tides, Beach Music, South of Broad and many others.
We have often recommend that our clients read South of Broad, just for the way he describes the city and the homes of Charleston, South Carolina. You feel like you are there with him and everything comes alive. Here are a couple of sentences that made us want to book the next flight there:
"You can be moved profoundly by other vistas, by other oceans, by soaring mountain ranges, but you can never be seduced. You can even forsake the low/country, renounce it for other climates, but you can never completely escape the sensuous, semitropical pull of Charleston and her marshes."
It is a great lesson for writing community and home descriptions! In one of his books, he describes San Francisco. Have been there many times before and after we lived in Napa, we were enchanted by his description of the city.
Wishing you a delightful Thursday!