Another grey Sunday, will Summer ever come?

I can't believe that we have had five markets now, and not one of them has been a lovely sunny summer type day.  Today was another grey day, and we had rain as well.  There has been rain on three out of five markets.  Not a good average, let's hope it will improve.

But, like good wet west coasters, most people came prepared for the rain, and umbrella popped up like mushrooms.

Despite the weather, the sales were pretty brisk for us, and it's always nice when all the produce is gone by the end of the day. 

The entertainment was great, and lots of people stood around listening to them, despite the weather.

Here's the dogs of the week.  Not sure if they had been for a swim somewhere, as they were wetter than could be accounted for by the rain at that point.  I think they are Petit Basset Griffon Vendeens.  Not a breed of dog you see very often.

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Our dogs were pretty happy today, as they got a visit from their favourite customer.

Joy is a feisty English lady, and she loves animals.  So every time she comes to the market, she visits Zodies Barkery, and buys them each a good sized biscuit.  She also buys a bag of little ones for her neighbours dogs as well.

Joy was thrilled last Christmas when I send her a Merry Christmas wish, and included a picture of the dogs decked in Christmas stuff and laying under the Christmas tree.  She printed it out and stuck it on her fridge.  And then she did the same when I updated it with a more seasonal one in the spring. 

Anyway, this is the first time this year that Joy and the dogs have been at the same market.  I think she was a little disappointed that the dogs didn't recognize her voice as she was chatting to Duncan when she was buying the treats, but they came over pretty quick when they saw her and she started talking to Larry.

Here's one for you Jake

They all lined up so nicely in front of her that after she had given them the ones she had bought for them, she broke down and opened the bag of 'training treats' that she had bought for her neighbour's little dogs

What spoiled dogs! 

I think she fed them half the bag.

And once again, at the end of the day, we packed up a lot of wet stuff into the truck that will have to be brought out and opened up to dry tomorrow. 

Doggy Days

I've decided that I was overly ambitious when I first started this blog, thinking that I'd be a reporter type, and be chatting to people and getting their information to pass on to you here.  I've decided that I'm really not cut out for that sort of thing, and sometimes I don't have the time, or don't think about it in time, or just don't want to be bothered.

So you'll just have to settle for what you get:)

Last Sunday was Doggy Days at the market, so there was an even wider variety of dogs there than usual.  Last year the 'Dog Show' was held on the grass behind the vendors directly across the roadway from where we are set up, but this year it was held on Russell Street at the far end of the market, so by the time I got myself up there, I think I missed some of it.

Last year myself with Jake and Luna, and another vendor with her two little dogs, put on a small agility demo.  The crowd loved it, and I enjoyed doing it, but it was one heck of a lot of work along with trying to be a vendor there as well.  Just the whole logistics thing of getting some equipment there with the two small vehicles we have, one of which is already loaded to the roof on a Sunday morning.  So in the end I decided to give it a pass this year.

So here's a few of the pictures I took.  There are some better ones here

A Bouvier takes a break.  Ahhhhh....that cold pavement feels good on my belly

A Wire haired Daschund

A cute little Chihuahua.  Don't quote me on this, but I think it won the smallest dog class.

And this one looks like a Japanese Chin.

And here's Teddy!

I'm guessing a Poodle or mix or there could be some Bichon there too.

Don't you just love how he smiles:)  He looks so happeeeee

And this Poodle likes to blend into the background

The Sali group was there, doing a dog wash to raise funds.

This dog was rather reluctant to use the ramp to get into the bath.  I don't blame him...

So he got the ol' heave ho and in he went

Once he was in there though, he seemed to be almost enjoying it.

And this little guy gets towelled dry after his bath. I don't know if they were using warm water or not, but it wasn't a very warm day.

Dad and daughter discuss the strategy for the kids and dogs trick class

Both little girls did an awesome job

And Judge Julia Byrnes of Sound and Furry dog training decided they were both worthy of a prize, and I agree.

Julia judged one of Calli's first ever agility runs, back in 2002

And just behind our tent, two Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers, yeah that's a mouthful, so they are usually just called Tollers or Duck Tollers, got acquainted.  Well they did, although my photo doesn't exactly show that:)

And Jake, the fake Toller, reminded me that there were dog treats on the table, ya know, that should be handed out

Jake was happy how the day turned out though.  Maya and her owner decided that he could share their frisbee, so he got in a game of fetch.  And Jake looooves playing fetch.

Hey, what about me?  How come I'm stuck in this freaking jail?

Guest Blogger: A Day In The Life

Hello farmers' market shoppers! Your regularly scheduled market blogger was away this week, so I've been elected as her temporary stand in. (Although, 'elected' may be the wrong word....I am related to her after all!) :)

I'm heading into my fourth year as an employee of the White Rock Farmers' Market, and if you've stopped by the coffee/information tent during the day, you'll have seen me. I'm the one helping you out with your first dosing of caffeine for the day, and I thought I could give you a brief peek of what goes on behind the scenes of a Sunday market.

That all said, without further ado, I bring you:

A Day in the Life at the White Rock Farmers' Market

5:00 am

The alarm goes off.

5:20 am

I actually listen to the alarm, and get up to start the day.

6:15 am

Leave Abbotsford about now for the drive to White Rock. The sun is shining!

7:00 am  Arrival. Work begins! Tents, tables, coffee making apparatus, and all other sorts of supplies are hauled out of storage from where we left them the week before. Most of our things are stored in Rubbermaid bins for easy hauling. Milk, cream, bottled water, and juice are stored in the cooler. Vendors start arriving at this point to set up their spaces.

7:15 am

Market staff start asking me if coffee is ready yet. I tell them: Yes it is, if they want it in the form of dried grounds. Someone rushes off to arrange for the water.

7:30 am  Still busy setting up the coffee tent. We get power to the machines and the water jugs filled. See photographic evidence that tired people get a little bit silly when a camera is involved. Clouds roll in.

7:45 am   Coffee machines are heated up. I start the first batches of coffee. 

8:00 am  The first coffee is ready to go by this point, and has been drunk. I start making more to fill up the carafes.

8:30 am  Find out that our coffee shipment for this week has been sent to Calgary instead of White Rock. Will not have bags of coffee to be sold today....and may not even have enough coffee ground to make it to 1:00 pm.

9:00 am   Official opening time for the market. Vendors are set up, vehicles moved out, customers start to arrive to find their purchases. Today, we have some lovely jazz music provided by Duolocity.

10:00 am  The market is in full swing by this point, and our two coffee makers are pumping out coffee as fast as we can make it.

10:20 am  It rains. Since we live in BC, customers come prepared. Umbrellas magically appear. The market goes on whether its rain or shine, and luckily for us today, the rain only lasts for an hour or so.

11:30 am  Realize we are running out of water. Can't have coffee without it! Run off to fill up the jugs.

11:30 am to 1:00 pm  Another Sunday passes by in a blur of customers old and new, sales and purchases, and many many pots of coffee. Cream and milk are refilled, spills are wiped up, more sugar put out, cups and lids restocked, questions answered, spills are wiped up, explain that our coffee shipment is in Calgary so we unfortunately don't have bags to sell this week, spend some talking with customers, more cream is purchased, more spills are wiped up.

1:00 pm  Closing time for us, although the few customers who are still shopping are more than welcome! We begin to take down everything and pack it back into bins and take it off to storage. Vendors begin to pack up. The once lively market space becomes a slightly uncoordinated attempt at everyone getting vehicles and products in and out of a space too small to contain them all at the same time. 

  

2:00 pm  All finished. It takes a lot of work from market staff and vendors to make the day run smoothly! And now its time for me to head home and rest after a long day. And time to look ahead to doing it all again next week. And....the sun has reappeared to make for a lovely drive home!

See you all again next weekend!

Your Coffee Captain & Girl Behind the Camera,

Meredith

Salish by the Sea

Unfortunately this past Sunday's market started out kind of wet, which was quite a change to what had been predicted earlier in the week.  It was a different day for me, as I was on my own.  Larry had stayed home as he is recovering from the 'flu, or something like that.  We don't often get colds even, but this, whatever it was, hit him pretty hard.

I had wanted to get to the market quite early, since obviously it was going to take me longer to get setup, being on my own.  Although (no offense Larry!), it didn't take me twice as long.  You know, sometimes it is just easier with one, as then you are never at cross-purposes with anyone.  I did have a few offers of help, but I always say that it would take me longer to explain how to do it than it would to take to do it myself.  And...I have had years of practice setting up by myself at other markets, although we have always both gone to the White Rock one.

This time though, I took the bold? step of stretching a couple of bungee cords between the two front legs of the tent, to keep those early bird shoppers out.  Sometimes you get people wanting to buy things from 8:30 on, and if you keep getting interrupted, it takes forever to set up.  Meredith came and helped me a little bit.  I did have to ask one customer to come back a bit later, but since the weather was not so great, there weren't as many early shoppers.

Yesterday was a First Nations Celebration.

This group marched through the market a couple of times, chanting and keeping time with their drums

After you admire the beautiful button blankets, check out the chivalrous fellow at the back right, holding the umbrella over his lady!

By this time the weather had dried up and the sky had brightened, and people gathered round to watch the entertainment.

There was an intricate model of a Salish fishing settlement on display

Fish drying racks

Say hello to mother, daughter and grandaughter, Gail, Katherine and Luka.  They come to the market almost every week, and like to buy eggs and jam from us (Wyndson Farm), tomatoes from Celyddon Farms, and baked goods from Fieldstone Bakery, European Bakery, and Bread Affair.  They also like to buy jewellry from the vendors at the market.  Their chocolate Labrador Retriever loves the dog cookies they bring home from Zodie's Barkery.

And Happy early Birthday to Luca, who turns 5 later in June!

 Speaking of Zodies Barkery, they  provided me with with a bit more entertainment when they folded up their tent wall.  That thing looks huge!

Unfortunately just before the market ended, the rain started again.  Us vendors were NOT PLEASED to have to pack up in the rain, and load up our wet tents.

But to end on a cute note, get a look at this little golden retriever puppy.

Awwwwww!