Today I spent a day with one of my peers, Debbie Caffrey. It was a gem of a day.

We began with breakfast in a local Iconic restaurant  – Tecolote Cafe.

One of the cafe’s motto's is “Great Breakfast–No Toast.” That’s okay because you won’t miss toast in the least. Breakfast entrees are accompanied by your choice of a bakery basket or a tortilla.

But we had this delight…..The bread basket.

The famous bread basket.

My breakfast was Chicken Livers Tecolote.
Chicken livers sauteéd with  salsa fresca served with a poached egg and their famous potatoes.

I can't remember what Debbie had but it had chili.

It was a super day, we wandered the folk Art Market, tried on silly hats, ate lavender ice-cream, I can't tell you what I did to one of these urns !!!!! but what happens at the festival, stays at the festival.

glass pottery from Palestine

This is Hebron Glass   -   Hand-blown Glass

The tradition of Hebron glass dates back to the 13th century when camel caravans, guarded by both the official armies and private guards, carried the glass in special wooden boxes across regional borders. Tawfiq Alnatsha carries on this ancient tradition of hand-blown glass. Tawfiq learned from his father and grandfather, a family heritage dating back to the early 1800s.

Although Tawfiq and his family are familiar with the international art market through the sale of their glass worldwide, this was his first time boarding an airplane.

Hand knotted cotton makes wonderful Jewelery

Necklaces, Bracelets and Earrings made from Djellaba Buttons

Naema is the president of a cooperative of 100 women from low-income families.

Each member learned the craft of djellaba button making from

their mothers or grandmothers.

Traditionally, these buttons were made to sell to tailors who make djellabas, the traditional hooded and buttoned caftan worn by Moroccan and Berber women.Cooperative members make the buttons at home using a special “sabra” thread for use in clothing and jewelry.

After plying together two-to-three strands of more than one color and then placing them over a steel holder, the buttons are then hand sewn using needle and thread.

The women formed a cooperative so that they can become more self-sustaining and find markets for their work.

To be honest, I could on and on…. but I will add the photos to my web page for you to share.

I took a few hundred photos, we visited every booth, and then with streams of others we took our leave. We had lunch at  the Coyote Cafe. Once again another Santa Fe icon and it was delicious.