Hugging Trees?

Last weekend, Jed and I had our first vendor experience at the annual Tree Huggr's Ball in Silverado Canyon! The festival is a local fundraiser which actually has more to do with preserving the wilderness around the foothills of Saddleback Mountain than getting up close and personal with trees. We had so much fun getting to know everyone, chatting with fair-goers, and selling our wares: furniture, linocut prints, and fresh flower crowns. We grabbed some delicious dinner from Seabirds Food Truck, OC's original veggie truck. I especially recommend their gluten-free cupcakes! The evening finished with a performance by Cubensis, the phenomenally talented Grateful Dead cover band that Jerry Garcia himself blessed to play the Dead's songs. Exhausted, we finally made it back to our tent and camped under the stars. What a night! Sadly these are the only snapshots we managed to capture during all the hustle and bustle:

Assembling flower crowns the night before!

Getting our booth set up before the festivities

Jed and I relaxing after the day is done

Jammin' to Cubensis!

We will definitely go to the Tree Huggr's Ball again next year... and make a point take some more photos! 

Local Food for Foodies

I love the idea of bringing the art of preparing food back to its roots-- creating authentic dishes that represent the terroir from which they come. It's an exciting concept I've noticed popping up here and there (Slow Food and Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution are two on my radar), and now blogger/chef Ryan Velilla fuses his passion for gourmet ingredients and epicurian plate presentations with a commitment to Southern California's unique edible offerings. Not only do I adore local, seasonal, sustainably-produced food and beverage, I'm also a closet Lord of the Rings lover. So any one thing that incorporates both of these elements is a winner in my eyes. Velilla's "The Hobbit" cocktail manages to do just that. Can't wait to give this one a try!

Photo via caterroirproject.com