October tradition

After my date with a couple of very nice X-ray tech types yesterday, we were off to the 47th Annual Catoctin Colorfest in Thurmont, MD. The day was absolutely perfect for the event with beautiful blue skies and temperatures ranging from cool in the morning to warmer and sunnier as the day wore on.

This two-day thing -- one of the largest Arts & Crafts Shows on the east coast -- is huuuuge, with hundreds of artists and vendors and so much to see. We were there about 5 hours and I know we missed a lot even though we walked all over what seemed like the whole town of Thurmont! We bought some seasonal decorative things, some Christmas gifts, and snacked on warm apple dumplings and crispy kettle-cooked chips, fresh and still warm right from the kettle, Delicious!

Local home decorated for the festive season

Entrance to one of the craft areas

Lots of people

One of many wood art stops

more wood art

I mean, lottts of people!

We saw (but didn't buy) more chainsaw art

This little giggly guy almost made it
home with me... but I refrained

It was a full day, and we were a good tired when we got home, but it was fun and we're looking forward to next year's gala.

Fall Festivities

Last week it was the Great Frederick Fair, and this weekend it's Oktoberfest! So, on another beautifully blue-skied and crisp, sunshiney day, we went back to the fairgrounds yesterday to take in the first of this 2-day annual event.

We looked forward to enjoying traditional German dishes and some of the same vendors we liked last year, as well as discovering new ones. As we wandered around, I was delighted to find wood carver Jake Albright of Hanover, PA. because I was hoping to obtain a friend for the goofy guy we bought from him last year (more in an upcoming post.)

the pumpkin, not the bearheads

In the kid's activities area, we
met this amusing young lady,

along with this most energetic older gent
leading the little ones in a romping
version of the chicken dance.

Of course, there was the inevitable lost balloon,

the traditionally-clad staff,

and a delicious slice of authentic apple streudel.

After a bit of roaming, we headed for the FestHall and enjoyed sauerbraten, hot potato salad, and bratwurst. I'm not a beer drinker, German or otherwise, and Lew didn't feel like imbibing, so we had freshly pressed cider instead as we ate, drank, and listened to the Die Immergrün Musikanten band's alpine music.

We had a good time, but all in all, this year's event just didn't seem as well assembled or as varied as last year's, and we came away somewhat disappointed. There was an awful lot of jewelry vendors, which didn't grab our interest, and a major lack of outdoor food booths, so next year I'll be double-checking the vendor/food list!

After a quick home pitstop, we decided to finish off the day with First Saturday "Into The Night" activities in downtown Frederick.

Local merchants floated Halloween-colored
balloons showing participation,

as well as displaying spooky decorations.

I especially liked the dismembered foot touch
in this usually flower-filled bicycle basket!

We wandered around awhile, admired the events and creativity,

listened to several street musicians,

and ended up with a light dinner at , a Sports Bar and Family Restaurant. It was a good day.

Since we seem to be into the local fall festivities this year (I opted out, but Lew also went to the Rose Hill Manor Fall Festival today,) next weekend we'll probably take in the annual Catoctin Colorfest in Thurmont, MD - a huuuge Arts and Crafts Show.

Fair weather...

When September rolls into town, so rolls The Great Frederick Fair. After our brutally hot summer, the temperatures have fallen to a more tolerable level, so under cool skies of blue, off we went yesterday to enjoy a day at the Fair.

There was antique farm equipment...


all kinds of animals...

mama and her future '"baa, baa black sheep"

one biiig piggy mama

and her ten little piggies

baby chicks

this little one was barely two hours old

bovine advertising

a very haughty alpaca pair

another mama and her kid

rides for the other kind of kids, young and old...



the usual oddity shows...


a mere two of the innumerable displays...

pretty fall florals

see that big guy on the left?
next to that puny 205 lb one?

it's a whopping 364 pounder!!!

entertainment...


and, of course, food, food, and more food...

the requisite funnel cake

okay, my curiosity finally got the best of me and
I had to try a deep-fried Twinkie (with raspberry
sauce) that I've been hearing about for years...

oh, gag me with a spoon - disgustingly sweet!!

I opted to pass on the deep-fried Snickers, Oreos, and strawberries, but next year I'm definitely going for a deep-fried pickle! ;-)

An annual fun experience!

Another year, another test...

Phew, glad that's over! Had to go for a routine breathing test yesterday and had not been looking forward to it at all.

I so dislike this thing! Not that it hurts or anything, it's just majorly uncomfortable. All that huffing and puffing and blowing out air makes me feel like I'm going to pass out, not a good feeling in itself. Not to mention that pinching contraption on my nose. Just unpleasant.

Anyway, it's done til the next time, I'm still breathing, and none the worse for wear except for a slight headache after the fact (which I remedied with a sugary cinnamon crueller when I got home!)

Ah, the perils of shopping at a different grocery store! ;)

A bench for all seasons...

Adding to my growing collection of bench photos, I snapped this one when we were out and about the other day. What caught my attention was the row of cute jack-o-lanterns sitting there as we drove past; Lew quick turned around so I could get a picture.


I didn't notice the bonus kitty in the window until I was focusing to take the shot. What an appropriate Halloween decoration the furry little beastie makes... too bad it's not black! I wonder if it sat there and watched the trick-or-treaters??

Out to lunch...

After an early afternoon doctor's appointment yesterday, we decided to try someplace new for a bite of lunch so we moseyed on over to Fredericktown's Creekside to see what we could find.



We discovered a neat Italian coffee cafe, La Dolce Vita, that offered not only coffee, latte, and cappuccino...


but an assortment of paninis, croissant sandwiches, and soups, along with an enticing array of cakes and pastries.

I was freezing my butt off, so we decided to forego the charm of eating outdoors and instead opted for the warmth and ambiance ... well, warmth anyway... of the indoors.


I decided on a cheddar turkey melt croissant, which was quite good, and a good-sized cup of homemade tomato basil bisque, which was also very good. Hearty, slightly smoky and a bit spicy. Since it's been eons since I've had a decent cup of it, I couldn't resist the lure of an autumn-themed cinnamon caramel cappuccino and oh, my goodness -- was it yummy! Not too sweet, no bitterness at all, just nice and creamy and frothy. (As you'll note, all of this deliciousness was served on the very finest of Italian china!) ;)


Okay, okay, so the place wasn't overflowing with rustic Tuscan atmosphere, but the food was good and we had a fun afternoon of it. We've added it to our list of return-tos.