Yesterday was a drop dead beautiful Texas day.  It was a day filled with blue skies, sunshine and things that made me feel good inside and out.  It was sandwich for Soupmobile day, so I headed to the Deep Ellum area of Dallas to make sandwiches with friends.  There are a core group of us that seem to be there for the event twice a month.  It’s fun when new people come, and you can see in their eyes that they are enjoying themselves and will be back the next week.  I like the fact that I can sleep in on a Saturday morning, drive to downtown and be done making sandwiches in just a little over an hour.  Yesterday we made 1,030 sandwiches, that’s enough for two days worth of sandwiches for the homeless of Dallas.  It was a small group, so I was impressed by what we were able to accomplish.

There’s lots of laughter around the tables, and good natured teasing.  I think that’s why I enjoy the sandwich making.  The people who have been there before, take the newbies under their wing, and it doesn’t take that long to become an expert.  It’s just a bologna sandwich after all, not rocket science.    It’s bread, bologna, mustard, cheese, bread on top and into the ziplock bag.  You learn tricks the more often you go, like don’t buy bologna with a rind, we have to peel those off, and unwrapping single sliced cheese is a real challenge with plastic gloves.

After we finish making sandwiches, some of the sandwich makers will stay and have lunch at the restaurant that lets us use their dining area.  The food is always great, and Barbara the owner is very generous to let us use their facilities and provides us with free drinks.  The conversation around the table for lunch is just as engaging as it is during making sandwiches.  I love these Saturdays.

I had some time to kill afterward, so I decided to visit the Dallas Farmer’s Market.  It’s not far from the sandwich making venue.  It was a treat for the senses.  There were a variety of fresh produce, plants and flowers.  As you walk by each of the vendor stalls, they were passing out samples of all sorts of fresh fruits.  I nibbled on pineapple, strawberries and watermelon.  I found a vendor selling some frozen concoction labeled catnip for humans and had to have a sample.  It was a lemon variety and very tasty.  I don’t believe I experienced any cat like behavior afterward, but I did lazily sit on a bench doing some people watching while enjoying the treat.

There was a blind guy playing the harmonica and singing at the front of the Farmer’s Market.  I slipped some money into his container, and my favorite photo of the day is this one.  I had taken a photo earlier of the harmonica player, but this one with the artist is so much better.  It seemed to capture the essence of the moment for me.  I think the artist thought I was a little crazy when I asked to take her picture from behind.

I bought some pears and some golden delicious apples.  I ate an apple on the way home from the market it was sweet and wonderful.  I started my day off with one of the pears and it was the best pear I’ve had in awhile and for a few days I’ll have the fruit to enjoy and remind me of a bright sunny afternoon.

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