The beach on Barbados is full of folks who come by peddling everything from fresh coconut water to jetski rides. For some reason in the 25 years that I have been going there my absolute favorite has always been the hat vendors who walk with nothing but a pile of palm leaves and a sharp knife and offer to make you hats on the spot. Partly I think that it is because I've always loved the way the process feels like a race against time, with the vendor making the hat as quickly as possible to be able to continue moving on down the beach. And partly it's the fact that at the end of it, you get a good that was made "just for you" and that was nothing more than tree leaves just moments before.

This year I realized though that there was something else. The best of these guys have been practicing their craft for decades. It is always just awesome to see someone who is that good at something work with their hands to make something that while not that complex in principle, has a lot of detail work in it, to say nothing on the constraints imposed on the manufacture by the physical material itself. Each of the three hats below is composed of one palm leaf and one 2 inch wire (to hold the brim together).

And of course, the boys just went nuts for them. Money very well spent on Stephen and his 29 year craft.