Early rising for the International Folk Art Market

Always a fun event!

I was up and dressed by 6:45 a.m. so I could go by Debbie's house and then drive to the folk art market. This is an annual outing for us (and thousands of others) that I really look forward to each year. Driving out to the market this morning I told myself that I wasn't going to spend as much as I normally do. Sure enough, I didn't spend the same as my record-high last year … I spent more.

More than 80 countries participate in the annual market, which is the largest in the world. Many artists come from developing third-world countries where the average income is less than $3 a day. It makes me happy when I give items I purchased at the market to friends and family because I know I'm supporting artists whose work is the voice of their culture's history and an expression of their community identity.

Today I'm creating a long walk to and from the market, as well as walking around for several hours. All this walking is good since I'm planning to cook myself a steak tonight and drink some bubbly. Hey, it's Saturday!