Cutting Day in Monterey

Monterey's Cutting Day and Horticultural Faire, held on a rainy Saturday this year, is mostly a swap-meet for gardeners. Now in its 49th year, the event began as part of a city beautification month, backed by city officials and volunteers. It has expanded to include exhibits and displays such as Bonsai in the tent opposite the exchange table, along with expert advice from Monterey Bay Master Gardeners, and drip irrigation and composting information in the tent beyond.

Although the city parks department gave away tree seedlings at the side tables this year, the event is primarily dependent on the home gardeners who bring cuttings, potted plants, bulbs, and plant material of all sorts. There is no structure to the swapping – first come, first served, and may the most insistent waver win.

This year's event was staffed by Parks Department employees and volunteers, Monterey Kiwanis, and volunteers from the Defense Language Institute.

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USA-Canada / USA-California

Lat: 36° 35' 52" N
Long: 122° 54' 50" W

→ maps.google.com [EXT]

Precision is: Unknown / Undeclared.

This image and those linked on The Other Choice page were each made from four horizontal exposures taken by a Nikon 8700 with FC-E9 fisheye adaptor on a home-made pano head and cheap tripod. Software included PTMac, Photoshop CS with Noise Ninja plug-in, and CubicConverter.

I shot two panoramas over the Equinox, and had difficulty deciding which to submit. Carmel-by-the-Sea is a mecca for artists and patrons, and it seemed wrong to pass that Marketplace by, so I have added links below so you can view that too.

The pioneer gallery of the ten dozen in town is the <a href="http://www.carmelart.org/" target="_blank">Carmel Art Association</a> on Dolores Street. The building sits above the throng surrounded by coast live oak trees, and in six rooms inside, the wares of 120 member artists are displayed and offered for sale. There is so much stuff there isn't room to hang it all.

I've included a view of <a href="http://www.brooxes.com/CAA-outside.mov" target="_blank">the outside of the gallery</a> with at least seven other galleries across the street. The day was overcast and the tourists absent, so the street was quiet. <a href="http://www.brooxes.com/CAA-inside.mov" target="_blank">Inside the gallery, </a>the same was true, with just one couple looking at paintings when I took the picture.

I chose Cutting Day as the more appropriate submission because in contrast to the lovely but deserted gallery, Cutting Day had lots of people braving the elements to get a new prize for their gardens.

THE AFTERTHOUGHT

After the time limit for this project passed, it occurred to me that another significant local Marketplace was the <a href="http://www.brooxes.com/LastChance.mov" target="_blank">Last Chance Mercantile.</a> This is a retail store run by (and located at) the Monterey County Waste Management Facility – the county dump. Anything that may be saleable is given one more shot at a useful life before cremation and burial in the landfill: books, clothing, medical and household equipment, broken bikes, and so on.

I photographed this Marketplace on March 28, but thought it was better to offer it here late than not at all.