I recall Steve Reinemund, former PepsiCo Chairman and CEO, telling a story about hiking through Yosemite National Park with his family, and in the middle of the wilderness, they stumbled upon a small snack stand selling Grandma's Cookies (a Frito-Lay product). His point in sharing the story was this: When you work for Frito-Lay, you notice that our products are always within an arm’s reach, no matter where you might travel.
Steve’s point proved true for me last weekend, when my wife, Janis, and I took a short vacation to Santa Fe, N.M. We did all of the proper planning and mapped-out our trip before we arrived in Santa Fe. We arranged to stay in a comfortable bed-and-breakfast, attend the Santa Fe Opera, visit the Georgia O'Keefe Museum and hike through Bandelier National Monument. But, as so often happens, the highlight of the trip was something totally unplanned -- visiting the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market. (Picture at left; Janis is in the dark blue shirt under the entrance arch).
This year was the sixth annual two-day event, and it continues to grow every year. Last weekend, 130 artists from around the world sold their folk art and handmade treasures. (90 percent of the art sale profits go to the artists, which we appreciated.) Word about the market has spread, and now, people from all over the United States visit annually.
The folk art was amazing, and as we looked at all of the items for sale, Janis and I quickly decided to buy art items from artists from outside the U.S., who were selling their crafts to help support various causes. We bought beautiful shawls from Kandahar Treasure, a women's art group from Afghanistan (their booth is pictured at right), as Christmas presents for some friends and family.
While we were buying the shawls, I noticed that the artists and volunteers were being served box lunches that included, what else, Lay's potato chips. This really shouldn’t surprise me, since Frito-Lay's snacks are sold throughout the U.S. and internationally. But, as Steve shared with us years ago, it’s when we’re away from work or home and when we’re least expecting it, that we most notice our snacks.
As often happens on a trip, it was the serendipity of discovering something unexpected -- the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market this time -- that made traveling such a pleasure. Tell me about something unexpected that happened on your vacation this summer.
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