Bluemont Fair

My favorite thing about fall is the endless fairs and festivals in the area.  This weekend, I attended for the first time, the Bluemont Fair. 

Bluemont is located at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains within Northern Virginia. It features beautiful sights of the nearby mountains and the local historic homes.  It was pretty neat to see the fog in the nearby distance at 2 in the afternoon that I just had to take a photo.


 Jeff and I started our hike to the fair by parking on a grass field past the village.  Although, it was a bit rainy, we were able to snap some cool photos on the walk over.  The entrance fee was only $5 to attend the 44th annual Bluemont Fair.

The fair had plenty of activities and vendors for everyone.  There was an interactive children's area with pony rides.  There were also other activities like giant bubbles.  The fair also had local product vendors, miniature train displays, historic home tours, pie and pickle contests, animals, music, wine and more. 

Oh yes, I almost forgot about the food!  There were plenty of food vendors for affordable prices.  We ended up getting our food from a local church for $9.  This included 2 hot dogs, 1 chicken sandwich, 2 waters and some cookies.  Not bad, for $9!

Alpacas!

 

There was a big section of the fair devoted to local sheep and alpaca wool vendors.  There were even live sheep and alpacas!  I found the alpacas adorable.  They were recently sheared so they reminded me of poodles.  Don't their heads resemble a lollipop? 

 

I'm still a kid at heart, so naturally I was quite fascinated with the giant bubbles.  I would like to point out that I was also not the only one lured by the bubbles!  I saw plenty of teenager boys chasing and popping bubbles.   

 

We also explored the local shops.  I was impressed with the old fashioned general store.  As soon as I walked in, it felt like I stepped back in time.  Inside there were large wooden counters, an old cash register, things hanging from the ceiling, and lots of baked goods for sale.  It felt pretty authentic.  

 

 

Inside, the general store, they also had the winning contest pies for sale by the slice.  I'm not a fan of fruit pies, so I passed on this.

Jeff was really digging the pickle and pie contest sign...not sure why.

 

Overall, I enjoyed going to the fair.  It was neat and affordable.  The only thing I didn't enjoy was the rain we encountered.  The fair is a good weekend attraction for the nearby locals.  It has pretty sights, history and local vendors.  Go check it out next year!

Meet the Kittehs!

I realized the other day that I hardly post any kitty photos on my blog...much less mention the little terrors. That is truly odd because I must take at least one photo per day of their crazy cat shenanigans.

So, allow me to introduce the kitty party.

Cybele joined our home last December.  She was adopted from a local non-profit organization.  Cybele was born to a feral mom and lived her first few months as a feral baby.  She is a sweet girl but she is very skittish around strangers and my boyfriend.  I don't think she likes males very much...I don't know why. 

 

Her nicknames include: raccoon princess, Cyby, Linda (which mean pretty in Portuguese).

Cybele is a closet trouble maker.  She doesn't like to cause mischief when we are watching...but she is a little devil.  I'm on to you, Cybele.  I know about your ways!

 

Roo, is my boyfriend's 2 year old guinea pig.  She is loud, piggy, and full of attitude. 

Phoenix joined our home last July.  Jeff wanted a cat of his own so he adopted a cat that looked exactly and behaves like my little Spotty.  Phoenix is a social cat but he is a bully.  He loves terrorizing Cybele but he also loves to bathe her and cries if they are ever separated for a few minutes.  Phoenix also has a little fox toy that he drags and "loves" around the house.  He is a little cat exhibitionist with his fox.  It's weird and awkward. 

 

Seeing doubles?  Spotty and Phoenix look just a like. 

 

Phoenix's nicknames include: Phoene, Fifi, the rat, Lindo (Pretty in Portuguese :D)

One of the many bathing/fighting sessions between Phoenix and Cybele.

 

I hope you enjoyed meeting my furry companions. 

New Hair Cut

After nearly 3 years of having long hair off and on, I decided to do something drastic.  I chopped it off!

I have never been very committed to my hair length, so it was not a big deal to cut if off.  I was just tired of the upkeep of the length.  Long hair requires time, care and too many hair products for my taste.

I'm a fan of quick and easy hair care which for long hair does not always work! 

What are your favorite hair lengths?  I think mine is medium length since it still allows plenty of styling options without the maintenance of longer hair.

Until next time!

Atalaya

I recently drove down to South Carolina for some beach fun.  While enjoying the splendors of Myrtle Beach, I decided to explore a nearby historical home.

Atalaya is the former winter home of philanthropist Archer Huntington and sculptor, Anna Huntington.  The history of the house is fascinating but I found the empty property chilling.

The view of the entrance of Atalaya.

In Spanish, atalaya means watchtower.  I found it amusing because in Portugal, there is a coastal city named Atalaia (pronounced the same way).  Random fact, but I just had to share.

The house resembles a Moorish castle and houses a beautiful courtyard.  Above is half of the courtyard.  In the top right, you can see part of the tower that is connected to covered walk ways.

There was also another sign that indicated that Mrs. Huntington was fond of bats. The tower also sheltered quite a few bats.

Above is a clear shot of the tower and the covered walkways.

A goofy pose under the covered walkways.  They were quite lovely to walk under...until you got under the tower, then it was slightly creepy.

Speaking of creepy...I found the shedding of a snake in the inner courtyard of the home.  I guess I should've known based on the first snake I saw.  My little Northern Virginia butt is not familiar with seeing snakes in trees...especially if that tree is above my parking spot!

Now back to the house.  The house itself is empty.  No furniture.  Nothing, just rooms which can feel a little creepy.  It is a very interesting home not only because of its unique architecture but the history behind it.  At one point, the Huntingtons vacated the home and turned it over to the government during WWII.  The house also features animals pens (nothing major...just BEARS...wtf!) for live models that Mrs. Huntington used as reference for her art.

Another goofy pose.

Did I mention the Atalaya is right by the beach?  After the tour, I headed to the beach for some fun.

I recommend if you are in Myrtle Beach, go checkout Huntington State Park for a tour of Atalaya castle.

'

My Visit to Monticello

I have been very bad at updating my blog with my adventures, but I heard it's better late than never.

A few weeks back, Jeff and I visited Monticello.  If that is not ringing a bell then allow me to enlighten you with the proper name of Thomas Jefferson's home.  I had previously visited Monticello about 8 years ago and although much had not changed, there were a few new things I learned.

Monticello lies on the top of a hill in Charlottesville, Virginia...so it is quite chilly and windy to visit in early Spring!  During our visit, we noticed that the back of the home was undergoing some restoration efforts.  They were actually removing the paint off the columns.

 

Who knew that the columns were not originally white?  I found the below sign really informational!  It states that at one point, the southwest portico was unfinished and it was held by tree trunks.  Can you imagine that?  Nuts!

 

 It was later learned that when the house was sold by the Jeffersons, the columns were painted white.

 The view from the South is quite beautiful. There are plenty of flowers and there is a large fish pond. 

 Sadly this pond is now fish-less.  However, during Jefferson's time they would actually keep a large stash of fish for easy access.  Smart!  However, quite unfortunate for the fish :(

The view from Monticello is beautiful.  On one side you can see trees, farms and the mountains in the distance.  The other side views UVA.  I learned during my visit, that Jefferson was a bit of a micro manager and enjoyed peering down on campus. 

This photo is taken past Mulberry row.

In case you didn't know, Monticello was a plantation.  It was the home of many workers enslaved and free.  Most of which lived and worked off Mulberry Row.  Unfortunately, most of the buildings are no longer in tact.  Although some of the buildings are no longer present, stories of those that lived and worked on Mulberry row are still being retold today.  During our visit, we learned a lot about the enslaved families that lived at Monticello.  Although it was very sad and tough to hear, it was, very informative.  The tour guide that did the slavery tour was excellent.  She almost teared up retelling one of the stories about a family that was separated after Jefferson's death. 


This photo is taken from Mulberry row facing the side of the home.  The way Jefferson designed the home, created cellars under the home.  Since water was scarce on the hill top, the terrace roofs were also designed in such a way that would drain water into large rain barrels.

The little building to the left side of the above image is the original building that Jefferson lived during the construction of the Monticello we see today.  Believe it or not Jefferson, his wife and baby, all lived there during the years the main building was being constructed.  Talk about tight quarters!

As you walk up to the house for the tour, you are asked to take note of the weather bane on top of the house.  Under the portico, we notice there is a compass that is directly tied to the weather bane.  Smart.  Jefferson only had to take one step outside the house and look up to see what direction the wind was blowing. 

 

Next, as a visitor you are asked to take note of the clock.  As you can see in my photo, the clock only has the "hour hand."  When you step inside, on the other side is the same clock but it has the "minute hand." It's weird, but interesting.

 

The house itself is pretty interesting to see. Sadly, photos are not permitted inside. The lobby of the house is nothing like you will see in any other historical home. There are dinosaur bones, buffalo hides, dead animal heads mounted on the wall, and a mini Native American exhibit. I am linking a photo to demonstrate what I am talking about.

 

 My favorite thing about the house is probably the little mechanisms Jefferson added. If he were around today, he would be a huge techy with all the coolest new apps, and gadgets. He has a mechanism that will open one side of french doors by merely touching the other door. It's pretty cool and advanced for the time. Not to mention there is a giant calendar that tells which day of the week it is. 

 

 Overall, I recommend a visit to Monticello.  Make sure you have plenty of time to explore the grounds, house, and learn about the history of the families that lived there. 

Bye, Monticello - until next time!

'

Japanese Street Festival

One of the highlights of Spring in the surrounding DC area is the Cherry Blossoms and the Japanese street festival (a.k.a. Sakura Matsuri Festival).  This year was the first year that the festival had a $5 dollar entry fee.  Trust me, it was worth it! There was a lot of culture, music, food and fun to be had at the Japanese Street Festival.

I was fascinated with the wishing cherry blossom trees which were located near the entrance of the festival. They were quite curious looking.  For pink blossoms, they had marshmallows and as leaves they had hand written wishes on green paper.

In case you couldn't tell, I got a hooked on the wishing trees. I spent a few minutes reading a bunch of these. I felt like a voyeur reading into people's wishes.  I found some silly ones but I also found some pretty serious ones too. 

One of my favorite thing about the festival is seeing the folks in traditional Japanese clothing, cosplayers and the weirdos.

 

A fine example of a weirdo.  There's no rave here and it's 45 degrees, put a jacket on!

Now the best thing about any festival is fresh cotton candy. I <3 cotton candy.  This sign just about made me squeal.

  SWEET!

Excitement!!

Satisfaction

My cotton candy came out odd (it looks like an upside down, sideways L), so I had to keep it in a bag

Overall, the festival was good.  There was delicious food, and I bought a cute bunny doll, which I will recreate in a blog post.  My sweet boyfriend also bought me my very own Yukata.  It's pink and full of girly flowery designs.  It came with a simple knot belt, but I may create a sash for it because it looks so...pink and plain.

Now you know my secret...