Category Archives: Travel

Geothermal, Iceland, Renewable Energy Sources, Travel

Heading to Iceland

July 15, 2011 Richard Ha

This is Part Two of a series; see Part One here.

Along with Ro Marth, CEO of Kuokoa, I have been invited to go to Iceland.

We want to find out how Iceland went from being a developing country in the 1970s to one of the most productive countries in the world today. With fishing, geothermal and hydro, they have food and fuel in abundance.

From Wikipedia:

While Iceland is a highly developed country, until the 20th century it was among the poorest countries in Western Europe….

In 2007, Iceland was the seventh most productive country in the world per capita (US$54,858), and the fifth most productive by GDP at purchasing power parity ($40,112)….

Renewable sources—geothermal and hydropower—provide effectively all of Iceland’s electricity[83] and around 80% of the nation’s total energy,[83] with most of the remainder from imported oil used in transportation and in the fishing fleet.[84][85] Iceland expects to be energy-independent by 2050. Iceland’s largest geothermal power plants are Hellisheiði and Nesjavellir,[86][87] while Kárahnjúkavirkjun is the country’s largest hydroelectric power station.[88]

If it’s true that an increasing energy supply due to oil is mostly responsible for the work that goes into manufacturing things – in other words, the world economy – then declining oil supplies will result in less manufacturing of stuff.

For the last 20 to 30 years, the world has been using twice as much oil as it’s been finding, and this trend will likely continue. Since the world’s oil supply is declining, rather than increasing, we cannot expect to rely on government grants, because governments rely on growth to get their revenues. This raises the question of how Hawaii State and County governments will balance their budgets.

We will have to tax the people who cannot bear the taxes when the economy is not growing. Or we need to grow the economy. Growing the economy is clearly the best alternative. But how?

I’m very interested in seeing what they are doing in Iceland.

Hawaiian Role Models, Sustainability, Travel

Learning From The Past & Moving Forward

June 28, 2011 Richard Ha

My impressions regarding the arrival of the seven vaka:

The canoes: They looked like ancient canoes, but were equipped with the most modern equipment.

TJ Glauthier, me, Patrick Kahawaiola’a, Ramsay Taum and Rick Blangiardi. All are Ku‘oko‘a members, except for Patrick, who is President of the Keaukaha Community Association

The people: They have kept the old values, and we respect and admire that.

The future: It is uncertain, but our values must be clear: What’s important is taking care of the land, the people and future generations.

Talking story with Uncle Patrick Kahawaiola’a

The Royal Order of Kamehameha

Kalepa Baybayan, left, is Navigator-in-Residence at ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center

Me with Nainoa Thompson (right

The lesson: We were there to participate and to, ourselves, become grounded.

Pageantry!

Ka‘iu Kimura (at left) is executive director of ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center

Dieter Paulmann (left) poses with some members of the 1976 Hokule‘a crew

Canoe, Travel

What’s The Big Deal About Voyaging Canoes?

June 23, 2011 Leslie Lang

Richard and I were talking about why the proliferation of old-style canoes and traditional voyaging techniques in recent decades is so significant. Besides just being interesting and kind of neat, it’s significant.

Yes, the canoes are historical remnants of the past, but they are also of the present, and they are taking us voyaging into the future. These days they carry solar panels, and other modern gear. (You know the ancestors would have used those technologies in a second if they’d had them.) They are literally transporting us into the future, and what we learn from them will help our future generations.

It’s neat how this ancient way is viable again. More than viable – actually showing us the way. It’s all about taking the knowledge and wisdom of the past and using it in the present to make a stronger future. It’s exactly what the old Polynesians did when they sailed out into the Pacific to find new land.

The canoes, the navigational knowledge, the voyaging – it’s all a gift from our ancestors to our descendants.

Canoe, History, Sustainability, Travel, Where We Live

Sailing On The Haunui

June 20, 2011 Leslie Lang 3 Comments

After writing here about the voyaging canoes that just arrived in Hilo from Aotearoa (New Zealand), I really wanted to go down to the bayfront yesterday to help welcome them.

There are seven voyaging canoes at Hilo Bay right now. They left Aotearoa in April, led by traditional-style navigators from around the Pacific, on a journey called Te Mana O Te Moana (The Spirit of the Sea). Their voyages, which are being filmed for a documentary, are being made to raise awareness about our ocean environment and the need to care for it.

And of course, their journeys celebrate the revival of traditional navigation.

The official welcoming ceremonies started yesterday morning. There were hakas by some of the voyagers, and speeches of welcome, and more.

Chad “Kalepa” Baybayan, Navigator-in-Residence at Hilo’s ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center, told the crowd that Nainoa Thompson had called from Honolulu that morning, apologizing because he couldn’t be there. He’d been up all night with a sick child, and then just as day broke, his other child had woken up sick.

Nainoa Thompson, of course, is the master Hawaiian navigator who was at the very forefront of bringing back the long-lost art of traditional Polynesian navigation.

The seven vaka/wa‘a/canoes were lined up there in the bay, and seeing them there made me wonder how many times in the distant past there had been similar sights there. Many, I’m sure.

Lots and lots of people from the community came out to welcome the canoes, and all the local canoe clubs were there, and it was a neat place to be.

After awhile we left, but then a couple hours later we happened to drive past the bayfront again and I could see from Kamehameha Avenue that the wa‘a all had their sails unfurled. “Let’s go see what’s happening now!” I told my 7-year-old, and we turned in.

They were taking people out on the canoes, that’s what was happening. It was great!

We hopped in line and got to go for a sail around Hilo Bay on the Haunui, or “Big Wind,” as one of the crew members translated it. It’s the canoe that was crewed by people from several different island nations.

It turned out that Ka‘iu Kimura, executive director of the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center, happened to come along for a ride at the same time as us, and we chatted for a bit. She’s going to be on one of the canoes when it leaves Hilo Tuesday. They will stop at a couple other islands and then she will continue with it until O‘ahu.

“Are you a canoe person?” I asked her, and she said no, not really, and then told me that she’d sailed with the Hokule‘a back when it voyaged to Japan. That was a month’s journey, and included her getting to meet her Japanese relatives she’d never met before. Wow! What a way to arrive.

We got to go down below on the canoe and see where they sleep. It’s such a small space. One of the crew members said he thinks the bunks must be 6’4” long, because when he lies down he touches both ends. And they are narrow, as is the walkway between.

The narrow walkway between the bunks is filled with jugs of fresh water, which you have to walk atop.

It was so great to get to see the wa‘a. “A once in a lifetime experience!” I overheard a man say into his cell phone, as he told someone about what was going on there.

I totally understood his enthusiasm, but you know what? It really wasn’t something we’re only going to see once. It’s happening a lot now. These and other voyaging canoes are moving around the oceans, and we will keep seeing them.

Traditional Polynesian voyaging, this method of wayfinding and journeying that originated with wise ancestors who lived long, long ago, is back and it’s strong. The new generations are learning it, in different places and on many different islands, and it’s not likely to be lost again.

Along with these skills of being able to find one’s way across a vast ocean without GPS, and not having to depend on oil, comes a lot of other strengths. It is such a positive thing.

And getting a glimpse of that yesterday – learning a little bit about what it looks like, feels like and smells like to sail through the water – was a wonderful experience.

It’s great to see that this traditional knowledge is alive and well; and also that it’s such an integral part of the fabric of Hawai‘i (and other Pacific island groups) again.

Canoe, Hawaiian Role Models, History, Sustainability, Travel, Where We Live

They’re Here! Vaka Welcome Ceremonies Are Sunday

June 17, 2011 Leslie Lang 1 Comment

There’s something historic, and very interesting, going on in Hilo this weekend. Do you know about the vaka? The canoes?

They are seven Polynesian-style canoes, representing different Pacific Islands, and all built in the last two years for this particular mission. Their crews have spent the past two months voyaging from Aotearoa (New Zealand) to Hawai‘i, and Hilo is their first landfall. They arrived yesterday at Hilo Bay.

They are calling their journey Te Mana O Te Moana. “The Spirit Of The Sea.”

“…Several thousand years ago, the Polynesian ancestors traveled the Pacific on great voyaging canoes, called vaka moana, using only the stars, the ocean, and the surrounding wildlife to navigate, and lived closely connected to the sea. In crossing the Pacific from Aotearoa to Hawai’i, we aim to sail in the ancestors’ wake and learn from their wisdom. We want to teach young people about this old bond with the sea.”

Richard went by yesterday, and saw five of them already moored and latched together. “I watched the last two canoes, with their sails down, tie up,” he said. “They had someone blow the conch shell as they approached. People seemed very much aware of the historical nature of this event.

(Renowned hula master Pua Kanahele)

“The canoe folks stayed on board and some did special ceremonies, ending with each person hugging the rest individually. I left after they all arrived,” he said. “But more and more people were coming by to participate in history being made.”

(Sitting: Patrick Kahawaiola’a, President of the Keaukaha Community Association)

The public is invited to be a part of the official welcoming ceremony on Sunday at Hilo One (“Hilo O-nay.” “One” is the Hawaiian word for sand). Ceremonies at the bayfront beach start at 8 a.m. on the water. Then the vaka will sail to shore, anchor, and come ashore for on-shore activities at 10 a.m., which are scheduled to run through about 2 p.m.

(Palekai is the beach park near where the canoes moored yesterday.)

Kalepa Baybayan, Navigator-in-Residence at Hilo’s ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center, said that the welcome ceremony is both so the community has a chance to see the seven canoes on the water, and also as an official exhange between our community and the ones arriving. “To formally welcome them to Hawai‘i, and Hilo,” he said.

“It’s a rare event,” he said, “and will probably never happen again in our lifetime. Seven canoes from the south Pacific sailing to Hawai‘i. This is a first.”

From the website:

“We’re sailing across the Pacific to renew our ties to the sea and its life-sustaining strength. The ocean is the origin of life, and it continues to give us air to breathe, fish to eat, and nourishes our soul as well. As threatened as the ocean is now, however, it soon can no longer provide us with these essential life services. Sailing together, we seek the wisdom of our ancestors and the knowledge of scientists to keep the Pacific healthy and give our grandchildren a future.”

Sailing across the Pacific on seven vaka is to raise awareness about the state of the ocean developed gradually. Dieter Paulmann, the founder of Okeanos – Foundation for the Sea, has felt a strong connection to the sea for his whole life.

Richard met and had lunch with Dieter the other day, and said they have some things in common. “Mostly around how to deal with finite resources in a way that is beneficial for future generations,” he said.

“Dieter’s using the vaka voyage as a way to educate the people of the world about the urgency of changing our approach,” he said. “We are living in a world of limited resources. We need to utilize our resources in a wise way, in a way that benefits future generations. We all know this deep in our na‘au.”

“I told him that here in Hawai‘i we are trying to maximize the use of geothermal for the benefit of future generations,” he said. “We both agree that people are starting to look at things in a different way. No one feels comfortable about the prospects that one’s children and grandchildren will live a lesser life than we did.

“We need to do what we can to ensure their lives are fulfilling,” he said. “And we can do that, but we need to take action now. I thought to myself, That is why I am involved with Ku’oko‘a. It is a way for our children, grandchildren and future generations to have a better life.”

Before he knew anything about this voyage, Richard wrote these words on the Ku‘oko‘a website: “We are embarking on a great journey, much like the ancient people who sailed to Hawai‘i hundreds of years ago. Like them, we are searching for a better tomorrow for our children, grandchildren and generations to come. We will find the place where the Aloha Spirit can thrive because we go with open hearts and minds.” Kind of fitting and cool, huh?

The Voyage’s Goal:

The vaka will sail to raise attention for the bad state of the Pacific, the crew will transport a message to the world, saying that we have to act now to be able to preserve a healthy ocean for us and our children. Otherwise, if the ocean dies, we die. The crew will carry this message to our conference “Kava Bowl” Ocean Summit 2011 in Hawai’i about the consequences climate change on ocean will have if we go ahead with our business as usual. The crew will participate in the conference, contributing with their experience and their thoughts, learning from other people at the conference at the same time.

The Motto:

The motto for the whole project, which reflects the spiritual thinking in Polynesian culture about the sea, which has the same life-force running through its water as runs through our bodies, and how to treat this precious resource to not disturb Tangaroa, the God of the Sea. The following saying is a poetic way to say “be respectful and gentle:” “Move your paddle silently through the water.”

Here’s a video about how they set up the voyage. Richard commented, “It’s very technically proficient. Looks like the objective is to encourage sailing this way – without using oil.”

Baybayan says this event represents a transfer of knowledge from Hawai‘i, which was really the leader of the modern-day voyaging revival. “It’s a transfer to all these different offspring, these families that have sprung up,” he says. “The seven different canoes represent seven different island groups.”

Read more about some of these islands’ preparations, and their journeys, in these articles from around Polynesia:

Samoa News

Samoa Voyaging Society blog

Fiji Islands Voyaging Society

Cook Island News and also this

Tahiti Times

Waatea 603AM – Auckland’s Urban Māori Radio & News Station

Does anyone sketch? Check out this great sketch of one of the canoes, and see a challenge to sketch it here in Hawai‘i!

See you down at the Bayfront on Sunday morning? I’ll be there!

Canoe, How It All Started, Sustainability, Travel

The Canoes Are Coming: Te Mana o Te Moana

June 13, 2011 Richard Ha

A couple days ago I went to breakfast at ‘Imiloa with my friends Wallace Ishibashi, of the Big Island Labor Alliance and the Royal Order of Kamehameha, and Clyde Hayashi,of Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust.

Kalepa Baybayan, ‘Imiloa’s Navigator-In-Residence, stopped by to tell us about the progress of the canoes coming up from the South Pacific on the voyage called Te Mana o Te Moana (“The Spirit of the Sea”).

From the website:

The Goal

We’re sailing across the Pacific to renew our ties to the sea and its life-sustaining strength. The ocean is the origin of life, and it continues to give us air to breathe, fish to eat, and nourishes our soul as well. As threatened as the ocean is now, however, it soon can no longer provide us with these essential life services.

Sailing together, we seek the wisdom of our ancestors and the knowledge of scientists to keep the Pacific healthy and give our grandchildren a future.

We have chosen a motto for the whole project, which reflects the spiritual thinking in Polynesian culture about the sea, which has the same life-force running through its water as runs through our bodies, and how to treat this precious resource to not disturb Tangaroa, the God of the Sea. The following saying is a poetic way to say “be respectful and gentle”:

“Move your paddle silently through the water”

Later, I had a meeting with Patrick Kahawaiola’a and Mapuana Waipa, the president and vice president respectively of the Keaukaha Community Association, and our conversation went to the schedule for the arrival of the canoes. Patrick folks are going to arrange the ceremony.

As of Thursday, the canoes passed the equator and were in the doldrums. You can follow their progress. The first place they will arrive in Hawai‘i is Hilo harbor.

I was tickled that Mapuana was so pumped up about there being women in the crews. I thought to myself: I bet they sent equal amounts of men and woman when the first people came to Hawai‘i many years ago. How could it have worked any other way?

Here’s the most recent blog entry, straight from the vaka/va‘a/wa‘a (“canoe” in various Polynesian languages):

Day 55. This is our home. This va’a (canoe), simple with inspiration from our Polynesian ancestors, its smooth wooden platform connecting two sturdy hulls lying below- this is our island… this is our world. I heard someone say recently “our canoe is our island, and our island our canoe,” as such the lessons and practices inherent on one are reflective in the other. Gaualofa, this island which has sheltered us, transported us and looked after us all so soundly, has been able to do so only as a result of care and consideration from everyone involved. We are constantly reminded to look after her should we expect to be looked after in turn. On this va’a, all are aware of the finite nature of the resources w… READ THE REST

Learn more about the voyage here.

Peak Oil, Travel

Houston

November 2, 2007 Richard Ha 1 Comment

Every year we try to visit the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) tradeshow in Houston. This year I almost stayed home with June to help with Vovo, her mother, who is ill. But the Association for the Study of Peak Oil (ASPO) conference was taking place immediately after the PMA show, also in Houston, so I decided to go.

I didn’t expect it, but my son Brian told me that he, his wife Kris and their 15-month-old son Gunner would drive down from Fort Hood to hang out with me for a few days.

As it turned out, that was the highlight of the trip. I got to hang out with my only son, my favorite daughter-in-law Kris and my buddy Gunner. We went to visit the Central Market, a Whole Foods-like store, a children’s museum and the Houston Aquarium.

Outside of the Aquarium, a lady gave a little talk about a giant owl. This owl was huge and bad and he did not say “HOO.” When he said something, he said, “MAAAK!”

I told Gunner, “Gunner, owl! Maaak!!” One day, some teacher is going to have to undo that and teach him that an “owl goes hooo!” But Gunner will know that Papa calls it like it is.

Funny thing—I was walking toward the Galleria in Houston when a car drove by and a guy yelled and gave me the shaka sign. “Eh, howzit,” I yelled back. It was Young Tarring, who lives and grows apple bananas in Kea‘au. His dad Mike and I have been friends for more than 20 years. What’s the chance of running into someone from Hilo in Houston?

He is promoting Hawaiian-grown apple bananas on the mainland and has a really attractive product. He was at the Hawai‘i Dept of Ag booth.

The first time Clay visited Hawai‘i he was anxious to learn about the culture and pronounce words right, so I gave him a test. I said, “I’ll spell it and you say it.” I spelled “Komohana” and he pronounced it, “koh moh ha nah.” I spelled “Kalakaua,” and he said, “kah lah ka oo ah.” I was impressed. I spelled Pi-pe-li-ne and he said “pee pay lee nay.” I told him, “My friends pronounce it ‘pipeline.’” We both laughed out loud and we’ve been buddies ever since.

Clay, Steve West, (not pictured) who owns an agricultural consultant firm in Yuma, and me are friends from way back. Steve and I went to San Jose, Costa Rica for a world banana conference many years ago when we were both starting out in our businesses. Steve has since consulted extensively throughout Central and South America.

Every year at the PMA show I get to say hello to Cris West, former Director of Grower Development with Friedas and now with Euro Fresh, coordinating and sourcing from Mexico. She is the sister of my good friend Steve West.

The PMA show is always special because I get to visit friends. It was nice to see Clay and Cris. Maybe next year I’ll see Steve and Lee as well.

The ASPO conference was really intense; it ran from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday though Friday, and until noon on Saturday. There were a lot of rich investors in attendance. I thought to myself, “No wonder they are rich.” They are rich because they are on the cutting edge.

I met Gail Tverberg there, who is a very thoughtful commentator on the subject of world oil supplies. She posts at The Oil Drum under the name “gailtheactuary.” Her business assesses insurance risks.

The Houston Ship Channel is five or six times the width of the Wailoa River, and maybe 20 times as long. Add in all the industrial buildings and fuel tanks of HELCO, plus all the fuel tanks and industrial buildings of the Hilo wharf area, then multiply that times one or two thousand and you get the Houston Ship Channel. It’s the oil capital of the U.S.

I sat in on every conference session and by the end it felt like I had taken a graduate course in oil and gas. It was one of the most important conferences of my life. The subject matter is very grim, but you cannot grit your teeth all day long. No matter how grim things get, we need to find any excuse to laugh. That’s why it was so great to see my kids and grandson and friends, old and new, during this conference.

The Good Life, Tomatoes, Travel

Tomato Fest

September 19, 2007 Richard Ha 1 Comment

Here it is, Tomato Fest time again in Carmel.

We stayed in Monterey. That’s where, as a second lieutenant stationed at Ft. Ord, I spent some time bottom-fishing with fellow rookie officers for ling cod and yellow tail from charters on the Fisherman’s Wharf.

This is our second time at the Tomato Fest, and we’re veterans now. Take Highway One south from Monterey. Turn into Carmel Valley Road and turn right past the Quail Lodge, down to the golf course to park. We catch the shuttle and we’re there in a few minutes.

We go to the special section where we get a head start on tasting more than 200 varieties of tomatoes. This time we recognize a lot of the varieties. And we do find some very special ones. One grape variety, in particular, we found because a little girl maybe eight years old kept coming back to eat more of them. I counted nine tomatoes that she ate. So we made sure to find out why. Sure enough, it was spectacularly good tasting. We’re going to grow that variety for sure.

We walk over to chat with Dagma and Gary Ibsen, founders of the Tomato Fest. I introduce myself and Dagma says, Of course I remember you, Richard and June. Thanks for coming all the way over from Hawai‘i. We tell them to please come to visit us when they are on the Big Island. Very nice folks.

We walk past a television crew filming and a lady comes over and says, You’re Richard and June, I recognize you from your blog.

You must be Mary-Anne, I say. Back home Sonia Martinez had introduced us (online) to her friend Mary-Anne Durkee who was going to film the event for iFood TV online.

She says, Let me interview you. Tell me a bit of your history, what you do, what products you grow, the chefs you work with. O.K. ready? You’re on!

One take and it’s over and then she has to rush over to interview a famous chef before the music started. Boy, she is efficient, I think to myself. Very impressive. Maybe we’ll be on TV. Sonia says she’ll let us know if and when it airs.

We head for the chefs’ tent and try the different sample dishes. And again, we are amazed with the imagination the chefs exhibit. We try a micro-sample. Instead of a cracker, the chef cuts out tiny rounds from a flat sheet that looks like a crepe. On top of that he places goat cheese and places the tiniest tomato with a leaf of basil. Something about this tiny taste made it stand out. And there are various shooters, tomato soups, won ton for crackers and all kinds of tomato with cheese and basil or other herbs. All very beautiful to look at, and very tasty.

Toward the end of the event, June found herself holding a Bloody Mary and sampling a tomato sorbet while the band plays the song Johnny B. Goode.

Lots of fun and very contagious. Last year we decided this is an annual trek for us. It was a good decision.

Melons, R&D, Travel

Stonehenge

February 28, 2007 Richard Ha 1 Comment

Richard Ha writes:

A couple years ago June and I wanted to learn more about hydroponic vegetable production methods in a place similar to drizzly, rainy Hilo, so—logically, right?—we went to England.

We bought that French melon, which had been grown in Israel, when we saw it at a local market. Back home we were really determined to grow French melons.

And Stonehenge had really captured my imagination since the time I was a young boy, so I couldn’t have just an ordinary photo taken of us at Stonehenge.

I had to take that melon with us to Stonehenge and have this photo taken as proof that we were in England doing R&D because of its similarity to Hilo.

I just love having taken that melon with us to Stonehenge and getting that photo. It makes me chuckle every time I see it.

And now we are growing the French Charentais melon, which is considered the premium French melon. It’s so sweet it cannot travel far. It’s the only type of melon we grow, and we chose this particular variety because it’s the very best tasting.

Travel

Farm Friends

October 20, 2006 Richard Ha 1 Comment

We visited our friend Judy Lundberg, President and CEO of Babe’ Farms, while we were in Carmel last month attending the Tomato Fest.

We first met Judy during a trade show at the Blaisdell Center in Honolulu where we were doing side-by-side product demos in the Armstrong Produce booth. We were offering cocktail tomato samples and they were handing out baby lettuce salad with her special dressing. They had the most beautiful selection of specialty vegetables, such as multi-colored real baby carrots, radishes, multi-colored cauliflower and baby lettuces.

judy-and-june

Judy, who is of Portuguese descent, was very interested in the history of the Portuguese in Hawai‘i, which she hadn’t known about. She and June, also Portuguese, were like long-lost sisters, and we’ve since kept in touch. (That’s Judy on the left and June on the right.)

So after the Tomato Fest last month, we drove south from Carmel along the coast highway. This is one of the most scenic drives you can imagine. It’s like the stretch of road on O‘ahu between Hanauma Bay and Makapu‘u beach—single lane in either direction and winding along the edge of sea cliffs.

In my rear view mirror I noticed a brand new Porsche 911 Cabriolet rapidly catching up to us. It reminded me of when I was a U.S. Army 2d lieutenant stationed at Fort Ord, a few miles south of Monterey. I loved to go through the gears driving that stretch of road in my 62 ‘Vette with the top off. I pulled over and waved the Porsche by so he didn’t have to slow down. It made me smile.

The road runs under tall pine trees and passes through small towns and then winds again along the sea coast. One can occasionally see islands of rock peaking through the fog pressing in from the ocean. On those rocks, one can imagine seals and sea lions stretched out among the colonies of sea gulls. Was that a pirate ship receding into the mist? Couldn’t really tell.

Coming around a downhill curve, there is a nice view of rugged coastline. Floating on top of the water’s slowly rising and falling surface are long ribbons of flat seaweed. The air smells like salt and seaweed. And the fog constantly presses toward the shore.

purple

Babe’ Farms is one of the nation’s premier specialty produce farms. It’s located in Santa Maria, in the northern part of Santa Barbara County, which is a very special place.

Unlike at most places along the coast, the mountain range in Santa Maria runs east and west. This allows the fog to roll in and moderate that valley’s mini-climate, which allows Babe’ Farms to grow crops year-round.

We drove to the Babe’ Farms office where we chatted with Judy for a bit. Then her son Jeff, who is the farm’s vice president and operations manager, took us on a tour. Jeff told us they grow a wide variety of specialty crops and take great care to provide the freshest product possible. They take orders in the morning and by the afternoon the product is harvested, packed and shipped. It is truly a finely-tuned operation.

with-boxes

Compared to our farm, this is a large operation. And it’s a very well-run one. The supervisors are very professional, knowledgeable and obviously took great pride in their work. And they should be proud of the product they sell. They take great pains to ensure that their product is the freshest and safest it can possibly be. It was very impressive to see their operation.

The cleanliness and attention to food safety struck me everywhere we went. Their water comes from underground wells, and their packing operation is spotless. Everyone wears hair nets and gloves. It’s so clean inside the packing house it’s like a hospital operating room. cookout

That evening we went to Judy’s home for an authentic Santa Maria-style cookout. We went out back and Jeff did the barbeque. They had specially-cut steaks that looked three inches thick. I had never seen steaks so thick. Judy bought linguica, Portuguese sausage, which impressed June and me.

Jeff grilled halved jalapeno peppers stuffed with blue cheese and black pepper, and some garlic bread. He said you have to be sure to scrape the seeds out before stuffing the Jalapenos, unless you prefer them hot. We relaxed and chatted on the patio while picking on the linguica and the stuffed jalapenos.

Even their grill was very impressive. It is made of heavy-duty steel and obviously made for serious grilling. It has a crank to raise and lower the grill, which stays right where you put it. It lets you either cook or keep the food warm as you chat and sip wine. Very nice.

Farm Friends

We went inside for dinner and ate the thickest and best steaks I’ve ever eaten. June and I really enjoyed the visit and so appreciated the time that Judy and her staff spent with us. We’re farmers too, and know how hectic the farming business can be.

Our hotel, the Radisson, was near the Santa Maria airport and so near the runway we could look down on the planes taking off. The morning after the barbecue dinner we even saw the Goodyear blimp taking off.

Eleven people, each holding a rope, guided the blimp onto the runway. We thought a blimp takes off by going straight up like a hot air balloon. It doesn’t. It actually takes off heading down a runway with a lawn mower-sounding engine and a small propeller pushing it along. After a hundred feet or so, the nose starts to rise and it takes off—actually, it kind of floats off.

That morning we drove down to Santa Barbara. Jeff had told us that strawberry growers moving up from Los Angeles had cause farmland rents there to double. He also said that vineyards were coming in and replacing cattle land along the slopes. We saw lots and lots of new vineyards on the hillsides as we made our way south.

Mark Shishido, wine director for Alan Wong’s restaurant, had told me that the cooling fog creates a micro-climate that makes the Santa Maria region well known for its good wines. He also said that its high pH soils give the wines a sense of place.

From a farmer’s point of view, I know that the mild climate would also give consistency. I look forward to trying Santa Maria’s red wines. Due to the mild climate there, I feel that when I find one I like, it more than likely will be consistent from year to year.

Santa Barbara itself is like a resort town. We had to drive out on the famous pier and walk around. Driving back, we noticed two Hawaiian outrigger canoes pulled up on the sandy beach.

Then we walked around at the town’s outdoor shopping mall. It’s how Ala Moana shopping center would look if it was spread around Ala Moana Park so it was all outdoors. Very nice and relaxing. No wonder Frank Sinatra used to live there.

It was a very nice trip.