Made In Tucson

All the vendors were local.  Not all of the were as snazzy as she was.

There were blocks and blocks of them, on both sides of the street, in parking lots and enclosed spaces and undeveloped parcels.  There was lots of street parking within a block or two, and street parking is free on the weekends (and after 5pm every day.... another reason to love living here).  

Taos Bubbe and I had planned a lovely day of breakfast and shopping, but her tummy ache got in the way.  I found out about the change of plans as I was putting gas in my car, a block away from Not-Kathy and Dr. K.  A phone call and a quick change of sweatshirts and Not-Kathy was in The UV with me.

This was a fortuitous turn of events.  Grandma's Garden was right on the way.  I used my special key,  we examined the bench that needs shoring up, I locked up the gate and we continued downtown.  The GPS got us through the construction and luck gave us a parking space one long block from one end of the fair.

There were homemade knit ski caps and metal art.  There was a lot of jewelry.  Apparently, vinyl stickers are a very big deal; every 5th tent was selling some.  There were 3-D printed plant casitas and t-shirts reminding us that we were on Tohono O'odham ancestral lands.  Saguaros and sugar skulls were everywhere.

I was attracted to the fused glass, and found a menorah which was too thin to stand on its own but which I just had to have.  Luckily, I had Not-Kathy by my side.  

After visiting the rest of the vendors, we stopped by the Makers Space where my friend has learned welding and lusts to use the lathe and the turner and the tiny jewelry making tools.  It's a cooperative space filled with her people.  

We took that energy back to her house where Dr. K and I chatted while she rummaged in the garage for supplies, showed me various options, and created the perfect stand for my pretty menorah.  

It's nice when the solution to a problem creates an opportunity for a friend to find joy.  She was as happy to make it as I was to receive it.  She took unfinished scrap wood and made something useful.  She is the living, breathing incarnation of a frugal person. 

I'm so glad she is my friend.