This morning I had to drop my father off at work downtown on my way to Forest Grove, so I got to stop off at Spella Caffe for a cappuccino. Any day that begins with Spella is a good day indeed. But I digress.

I met Anne at the Forest Grove library this morning, where I would spend the next few hours working. Adelante Agricultura's office in Saint Bede's Episcopal Church is rather cramped and lacks wireless internet access, so Anne suggested I go to the library, where I would have ample resources and space to sprawl. We went over the plan for the day, which was brief and simple: Map, then market. 

I spent my morning hours in the library poring over some gardening how-to books for advice on how to lay out a garden, then spent a while sketching and doodling on some of my dad's Lane Powell law firm letterhead. I came up with two potential garden designs, both including a climbing bean trellis or two. I am tasked with having a final design for Anne by Tuesday. I think I mentioned that already.

Then, at around two o' clock, I sauntered a few blocks up the street from the library to the location of the Forest Grove Farmers Market, which occupies a few blocks of Main Street from 4 to 8 pm every Wednesday afternoon starting today. When I first arrived, the block looked pretty sparse, with two or three of the more organized vendors just beginning to unload their trucks. I connected with Gina, the market coordinator, whom I had met in the office the previous day, and was quickly put to work.

My tasks included putting out welcoming signboards, unloading tables from trucks, setting out garbage and compost bins, dismantling unwieldy no-parking signs, and writing the board. I received the tremendous honor of being asked to write on the big welcome whiteboard, which showcases such information and good cheer as "WELCOME TO THE FIRST 2010 FOREST GROVE FARMERS MARKET" and "We accept Oregon Trail Cards" and "Today's Entertainment: Raging Choir Boys" and "Vendor of the Week: What'z Poppin." The fact that I remember all these details shows how flattered I felt to be entrusted with this task. I taxed my handwriting and aesthetic-layout skills to their fullest capacity. 

At 4:00, setup was complete, all the vendors were more or less ready, and Gina walked through the market clanging a bell to signify the Grand Opening. I hung out at the info booth for and commiserated in puzzling over the malfunctioning credit-card-reading machine for a little while before Anne told me I was free to go. Before I left, I had to wander the farmers market and do some shopping (and, more importantly, some eating). After sniffing out a few promising food vendors, I settled on "Kenny's Cousin's BBQ," whose aroma had been wafting about the market since they rolled in at 2 in the afternoon. I chose a pulled-pork slider, potato salad, and baked beans, and sat down under an old-growth tree to enjoy a transcendent meal. (You have never had baked beans like this and your life is duller because of it.) Then I bought some fat purple radishes from a cheerful man, and a tomato seedling and some lettuce starts from an upbeat young woman who told me the Sungold tomato I was buying tasted like candy, and then a slice of cherry pie from a stand named "Pies for Peace."

I love farmers markets. 

When I got home this evening, I planted my lettuce and my tomato plant in my own little garden. I am getting so excited for summer.

Also, I couldn't find my camera this morning, but Gina took a bunch of pictures of the market and said she would send them to me. I hope she got my whiteboard artwork.