OPA!

This weekend is the annual Greek Festival at the desert's Greek Orthodox Church. There is no parking available to accommodate the thousands and thousands of people who attend the festival (estimates this year 10K over the two-day event), and the event has pretty much outgrown the church parking lot where it's set up. Thus, for several blocks surrounding the church cars are parked wherever they want, including bumper to bumper, which means no one can leave until everyone leaves.

There we were, belly to buttocks in a line down the sidewalk, weaving our way past the $2 admittance chute and into the food line -- because that's why the people are there: the food. Around the perimeter are booths featuring far too many "made in China" pieces of jewelry that no one buys because it has nothing to do with Greece. One booth has OPA aprons, but at $15 each, a canvas apron from the local crafts shop stamped with the word "opa" seems a bit pricey, even if it does come in Mediterranean blue with white stamping. There are lots of tables and chairs, some of which have shade umbrellas, and with today's event sweltering under temps in the low 90's, if you weren't in shade, you were burning your winter-white skin.

I had a dessert, something custardy in philo pastry drizzled with honey, and a gyro, both of which were delicious. My friend and I walked the booth-lined perimeter, but saw nothing we could not live without. Ralph Waite, a local resident, was there and boy, does he look O-L-D! He wasn't doing anything: he was just there. A band played Greek music and some guests did the Greek line dances, and then we finished our food and left.

That's it: dessert in the desert, Greek style.