Saturday excitement at the mall.

Because I belong to Flickr and a group in which I take a photo a day and post it on the net, I am most often with my camera.

This morning, I went to do some shopping for cooking dinner tonight and did not have my camera with me. In the mall there was a great collection of local artists, crafts people, food makers, etc. and so I had to immediately head home and come back with my camera! The photo above is the ingredients of a wonderful tea I sampled, and then purchased a "starter" set to make at home. Now one might think that being a resident of the Sunshine Coast and a purchaser of beverages at Starbucks from time to time, I might have experienced Chai tea before. Well, never. And, enjoying the sample, I spoke with the creator of this recipe, Annie, and learned a lot about the history of Chai and how it came to be that she produces this recipe. I'm looking forward to trying it out at home.

I also visited the booth of a parent who I met while I was a school principal. I see her goodies at a number of markets and she makes wonderful dips and biscotti and jellies. Always a treat to try out her samples and enjoy her products.

As well, I ran across a teacher I have worked with these past couple of years from time to time at inservice sessions. While I knew she has an interest in photography and that she has also taken up painting, it was wonderful to see her there with some of her work on display and for sale. As she noted in her write up posted on the wall, as a primary teacher with an interest in Art, she has loved to do many projects with her students, and now is extending those experiences with children into a small business opportunity.