Treasures Gothic Old World Style Mini Scrapbook

Season Confusion

As I'm trying my best to finish up with Halloween, others keep asking why I'm thinking Halloween at all.  Then I have to explain to them that in order to have products ready I need to be working months in advance toward that end.  I would have thought it would be obvious but I guess not.  OK enough of my whining!

I've been working all summer on Halloween and I'm now attempting to move on to Christmas.  Problem is I still have some ideas for things I want to do for Halloween.  So now I'm working on both.  Makes for a real mess in my craft room, let me tell you!

I have actually had some progress in finishing up a couple of things this week.  I completed my Gothic Romance and Treasures mini albums.  Both of these were custom made to fit into my boxes if desired.  I especially love how the Gothic Romance looks in the Deluxe Coffin Box.  The Treasures mini will fit in either the Old Wooden Casket or the Beast Within Box.  People say I have a slightly warped imagination.  I have no idea why.

Deluxe Coffin Box Scrapbook Set

Old Wooden Casket Scrapbook Set

Beast Within Scrapbook Set

It's Labor Day Weekend and I have all three days off!  Woot woot!  Should I work or play?  What a hard decision.  I think I'll do a bit of both.  And throw in a round or two of culinary indulgence!  What is a holiday without some not-in-my-diet food?  I hope you enjoy your holiday just as much!

Sharon

Filipino Fun

Filipino Festival 2014

I was listening to a radio station out of Richmond, Virginia when I heard a random announcement for a Filipino Festival this weekend.  Oh my!  How could I resist a trip to Richmond for some Filipino food and entertainment?

My small gang headed out with thoughts of pansit and adobo in mind.  We had great weather for the trip and only got lost once or twice!  We won't talk about how this happened (hubby).  After the minor setbacks we found the church and got great parking.  That's always nice.

We made our way through the kid area and vendors.  Lots of traditional Filipino clothing and accessories.  Not many crafts though so I didn't find anything to buy.

There was a covered area for eating and watching the performances.  So we made our way to the food line to check out the good eats.  I chose pansit to start.  Hubby got an empanada and lumpia.  The pansit was good but not as good as my own, naturally.  Hubby rated the lumpia as good and the empanada as "I could eat these all day" great.

The children's Filipino class was performing as we ate.  After that came the line dancing with many from the audience participating.  Although Hubby's feet were itching to head over there, he managed to restrain himself!  Too bad.  I probably would have gotten some prime photos!

Next came a dance troup Kultura Pilipino.  They had performed the night before and were back by request.  No wonder.  They were fabulous!  It was very difficult to get photos from my position under the tent.  Lots of photos with heads and poles in inconvenient places.  But I did manage to get some nice shots anyway.  Enjoy.

 #filipinodance, #Kulturapilipino, #pinoy, #filipinofestival, #filipinocostume,

Bacon's Castle

Country Drive and Historical Walk

Just around the corner from the Pork, Peanut and Pine Festival we ran across a site called Bacon's Castle.  I'll admit I had never heard of a castle in Virginia so the idea of touring one was hard to resist.  It was so easy to find I can't believe I never noticed it before.  I guess when I drove by on previous trips I had my mind on the pork chop sandwiches at the festival!

Country road through soybean and corn fields

At any rate, it was a lovely day for a ride through the Surry countryside.  It seemed like miles and miles of soybeans and corn fields.  Made me feel all "Scarletty" if you know what I mean.  As we left the Chippokes Plantation State Park it was just a hop, a skip and a jump (as they say) to the castle.  And we were just in time for the last tour.

Bacon's Castle

We paid the very inexpensive admission fee and waited in the parlor for the tour to begin.  So far we were the only ones there.  Our guide was a very charming and knowledgeable girl named Demi.  Thank goodness another couple joined us at the last moment  and then halfway through the tour a family joined us.  It made for a nice group.

I have to admit I didn't retain much of the information in my memory.  Truth be told I was too busy looking for nice shots and I've always had trouble remembering details about wars and such.  Hubby thoroughly enjoyed the historical information though.

Bacon's Rebellion painting

We started in the parlor and then made our way up the stairs.  I love exploring old houses.  This was a real treat for me. Here are a few of my favorite photos.  I especially love the rear stairwell.

We ended in the basement.  It was surprisingly cold down there.  A cold spot in Virginia is not easy to find in July!

Before we headed home, we walked around the grounds.  It just happened that a crew from Ghost Hunters was setting up to spend the night.   The story is there is a girl's ghost who pulls on  the back of your shirt.  No one pulled my shirt but if I had know about it ahead of time I would have had some fun with it!

 

Ghost Hunters

Slave Quarters

The tour took about 45 minutes and was well worth the admission price. I highly recommend it for history buffs.  For more information check the Bacon's Castle website.

Sharon