March 3

We are spending five nights in Mesa, Arizona so that we can visit with Kit and Howard, who spend three and a half months there each year in their beautiful fifth wheel. We are looking forward to having several good visits with them.

We got very lucky with our Mesa hotel – the Days Inn Hotel on Country Club. They gave us the best room in the house, I think, possibly because we were there for 5 nights, but we felt very lucky. An award winning hotel, for about $100 a night, great breakfasts and a large room with a sitting area. But the best part for us was that there was a sliding door to a courtyard between the rooms and the fence around the pool. It was only about 4 feet wide in front of most rooms, but we were at the end where  about 25 feet deep with a big palm tree and shrubs - a great place to take the dogs out safely. We would certainly recommend the hotel and the helpful staff.

We were looking forward to attending the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market and were not disappointed. The Indian Fair features more than 700 top American Indian artists. Visitors get firsthand access to artists and can view and purchase handmade, authentic work by the best jewelers, sculptors, painters, potters, weavers, bead workers, katsina/katchina doll carvers and basket makers.

This year's theme was: "Weaving Worlds with Wool," a celebration of the weaver's art.

This was part of a weaving demonstration - incredible detail



This was an amazing day. Hundreds of stalls. I think the jewellery was so impressive that I forgot to take photos! We had a chance to chat with many of the artists, which made their handiwork even more interesting.

I asked to see this artist's bracelet, and he shared a wonderful story about finding it in a pawn shop and its probable use by medicine men. It was grey from the accumulated smoke when he found it.

Of course, much too expensive to buy . . . sigh. . . .

A unique example of beadwork

A few of the stunning baskets

Okay - these were different!

Navajo dancers

Their regalia was remarkable. Note the silver belt.

Kit, admiring some pretty glass beads.

 

Sand painting. He actually applied the sand by dropping grains from his finger tips!

An award-winning drum

Now this is a quilt with a difference!

The white "stripes" are actually beaded, all along the edges. Amazing.

An award-winning bandolier bag with some beads that were the size of a pinhead.