The Madrid Gypsy Festival

On Sunday, we attended the 8th annual Madrid Gypsy Festival. The nearby town of Madrid (accent on the first syllable with the "a" pronounced like the "a" in "apple", strangely enough) was described by one local as the place where "misfits, hippies, alternative people, dropouts and itinerants" hang out, but it's also a town where tourists flock in modest numbers for a plethora of art galleries, gift stores, and a taste of small-town New Mexico. Madrid has a history as a mining town and ghost town, and is indeed quite charming.

The Madrid Gypsy Festival has nothing to do with actual gypsies (much to Keith's dismay), and Keith actually questions the use of the term for a festival that doesn't truly honor the Roma culture from which it takes its name. Still, we understand the sentiment, but having a "gypsy festival" without Romani people is like holding a pow-wow without Native Americans. Be that as it may, a fun time was had by all, and there were so many friendly local people to talk to who invited us to a private after-party and welcomed us to the area.

Can you find Mary in one of the following photographs?