We first met Carl at the Roswell Farmer's Market. He sold us one of the best watermelons we've had, and we were surprised to learn that it came from his backyard garden, just a few miles down the street from our house.
Carl is old school. He says that the Farmer's Market is hardly worth his time, and he'd much rather people just stop by his house and take whatever they'd like from his garden. He'll happily take some cash for whatever you happen to pick, and if he's not there, he asks that you leave money under a bowl or just pay him later. So, now when we need fresh, local produce we just stop by Carl's house. Madelyn loves exploring the garden and playing with June and Judy, and we love catching up with Carl.
Carl has been on the same piece of property in Roswell, GA since the 60's. Needless to say, he has seen the area change A LOT, but his little slice of Roswell really hasn't changed all that much. Visiting with Carl is like going back to a time when Roswell was a country town and the city of Atlanta was a world away. He still has tractors and cars from the 60's, and his house has probably never been renovated.
We most recently visited Carl on Black Friday, the celebrated shopping day that falls the day after Thanksgiving. While the stores and restaurants around Carl's house were busy with metro-atlanta consumers, we found Carl in his garden raking leaves into the soil with June and Judy by his side. In the midst of Black Friday shopping, it was a refreshing reminder to realize that people like Carl still exist. Sometimes right in our own backyard.
- Another post written by Eric
