Oaxaca - craft villages

I recommended the craft tour that we had done in Oaxaca last time because I (and the kids!) enjoyed it so much.  We all piled into a small bus at 9 am and headed off to see the green potter, rug, black pottery, textile, and alebrije craft villages.  Since the kids were so cranky, it was very stressful for me (on mother's day of all days!), but I hope everyone else had fun.  There was enough bought at the end to suggest that was the case!

The turkey that kept making noises at us

Mya was giving it right back to him!

Preparing the wool for the rugs

Our private tour of the rug making

The kids even got a chance to try!

Showing how to make the dye from all natural things

Nolan, Ryan, and Lydia playing with the Star Wars sticker book

Mya preparing the wool

It's amazing how many colors they can create without anything synthetic!

A rug in progress...Each rug takes weeks or even months to complete depending on the size

If they mess up they have to take everything out to
that point, sometimes erasing a whole day's work!

All seven kids fit in the last row of the van...

Black pottery presentation





Mark with Lynda's "lady"





A toast at lunch





Nolan ate a chile at lunch and threw up all over himself.  I, of course, did not have an extra pair of shorts, so the poor kid had to go pantless the rest of the day.  He was fine in the restaurant, but wouldn't get out of the van when we arrived at the textile village.  I told him he could be Captain Underpants and Mark said he would walk with him.  So Nolan finally got out of the van, Mark bought him a belt, and he was as confident as ever!

Dancing at the restaurant after the puking incident

Mark and Nolan hitting the textile market together

The belt made all the difference...thanks Mark!

The men drinking mezcal and having a chat while the ladies shop

No I wasn't actually drinking the mezcal from the bottle, but I had my share.
That may be why I still have not been able to find the lost alebrije bag...

The kiddos playing at the alebrije (carved, wooden animals) shop

Ben wanted this guy so bad...

On the way home from the craft village tour, we had a wonderful sing along (not sure the driver though so) and went back to the house for a nice dinner and more fun.  I'm going to miss traveling with friends so frequently!!