Larry Cavaletto sets up his booth in downtown Santa Barbara a couple of times a week, standing by to chat with whoever comes along.
“Do you know what this is?” he asked a nosy reporter gently, gesturing to his wooden structure and sign. Of course. It’s Lucy Van Pelt’s “The Doctor Is In” booth from Peanuts. When Cavaletto held forth at UC Santa Barbara, which he started doing about 14 years ago, he’d sometimes have to explain who Lucy was, and what Peanuts was. (It’s a comic strip that Charles Schulz wrote and drew for a half century, said by some to be the longest story ever told.)
That and other questions are readily answered by Cavaletto, who said people sometimes stayed awhile just for the experience of having an interesting conversation. “Especially after COVID among the students,” Cavaletto said. “They really hadn’t talked much with someone in a while.”
He most enjoys talking about “life’s journey,” which he’s experienced for many decades as a farmer in Goleta. Where are we; where are we going. Stuff like that.
A couple came up to ask if there was a candy store nearby. “Do you have a phone?” Cavaletto asked. At their nod, he suggested, “You could search ‘candy store.’”
“Oh, you are so wise!” one of them said, laughing, as they strolled off.
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