The Last Civil War

Well.....it is a sad day folks. The civil war reenacting season has officially ended for me this year. But, boy, did it go out with a bang!!!

This past Saturday, Stephen and I went down to the Angelica reenactment. It was my first time going to this one, and it has definitely already become one of my favorites! It was such a different atmosphere, having the reenactment right in town instead of spread out over a park or field.

After the slightly long drive there, we spent the morning roaming around antique shops. There are at least ten antique shops right on Main Street, and they all have an awesome variety of things.

Then we had lunch:

And let me tell you, that hot dog was incredible!!! Maybe it was just because I was so hungry, maybe it was because it was the first time I had ever put relish and onions on it, but gosh..........it was GOOD!

Then we went to a lovely little place called The Sweet Shop and got ice cream:

Next came the battle. It was so awesome to have the battle right on the streets! We were literally only a few feet from the battle instead of all the way on the other side of the field. The rebels were taking over the town that day.

After that we did some people watching, which turned into a mini photo-shoot:

Then it was more antiquing, and then off to dinner at an awesome little cafe called Black Eyed Susan. I would definitely have to recommend this place to anyone who might happen to be in that area. Great food, decent prices, great service, and lovely atmosphere.

For dinnr, we had baby back ribs, horseradish mashed potatoes, rolls, and salad:

And peanut butter cheesecake for dessert:

And then, it was time for the dance! I loved the fact that the dance was held inside and on a nice wood floor instead of on grass, but it was rather crowded. However, we had the perfect combination of band (City Fiddle) and caller (Bob Nicholson) which meant great music, great calling, and LONG waltzes!!

And so ended the day, and the reentacting season!

Photoshoots

I don't know about you, but I always used to hate having my picture taken. I mean, if someone REALLY wanted to take my picture, I'd let them....but I always felt awkward and silly, and even kind of ugly.

However, my wonderful Stephen is a photographer at heart, and he LOVES taking pictures.......especially of me! And that doesn't match well with being camera-shy. So, I've gotten used to having my picture taken, and thanks to him, I even have started to feel decently good about them!

But, with that in mind, when my brother-in-law Tim decided that he might want to get into the photography business and needed some people to practice on, I readily volunteered my services. So we set a date, and decided that first we would take pictures of Tim and Cati by the Grape St. sign, and then let Tim take pictures of me. Stephen was a trooper and graciously agreed to come along and take pictures for Tim and Cati, and be part of my pictures!

So, all that to say, here are some of the favorites!

NY State Fair

So, I realize that I am have been terribly remiss about posting on my blog lately; I just haven't been in a blogging mood at all. But, I figure it's better late than never, so here we go.

On Tuesday, August 30th, I went to the great New York State Fair for the first time. It was CRAZY! So much to hear, see, smell, taste.........it was overwhelming. But it was tons of fun! I went with Stephen and his parents, who have gone every year for a long time, so I had good guides!

We first headed to the dairy bulding, where we got some yummy chocolate milk and saw the butter statue:

After some random wandering, we headed over to the State Trooper area to watch their dog show:

And there's Roseanne, State Trooper style:

 A handsome man enjoying the day:

 We indulged in some deep fried ice cream, which was very delicious, but not quite as epic as I was expecting it to be:

My favorite building, of course, was the arts building; quilts, artwork, photography, music.......does it get any better?

Some of my favorite quilts:

Maple Leaves

Storm At Sea

Sunbursts

Log Cabin - Barn Raising

Baltimore Album

Roosters!!!

The making of a quilt:

Underground Railroad

A beautiful pump organ:

Stephen serenading his eager audience:

For anybody who has never seen a player piano in action:

The model train and circus room:

 Some favorite artwork and photographs:

Very unique perspective:

Yes....that's a painting.........so realistic that we just wanted to take a big bite out of it!

Those hills look like a blanket!

This can't be good for the guitar....

 Dinner was Dinosaur BBQ:

And to end the day, deep fried pineapple...........so AMAZING!

I definitely had a ton of fun, and I'm looking forward to next year!