Ren Fest, Halloween Party, and more
1. Maryland Renaissance Festival: we finally returned to the Ren Fest for the first time since 2018! We went on the final day of the season, which is apparently called the Day of Wrong, where folks dress up in costumes. I didn’t find out about the Day of Wrong until the next morning, and had wondered why so many more people were cosplaying than usual. I had just assumed all the costumes were because it was so close to Halloween. It began to rain an hour or so after our arrival, but we actually appreciated the rain because it cleared out some of the crowd. We grabbed dinner and drinks under our umbrellas and wandered around taking in the sights; we caught part of a glassblowing demo and the Danger Committee show, as well as the last joust of the season. Huzzah!
2. Witch Costume: our neighbors had an early Halloween party last weekend! I ordered this witch costume from Spirit Halloween, which came with the dress, hat, belt, and wand. The dress is actually so cute! I almost feel like I could wear it to a non-Halloween party. I’m kinda sad that we didn’t think to dress up for the Ren Fest, because my costume would have fit right in (I did see a woman there wearing this exact costume). I’ll be wearing this again on Halloween to hang out with neighbors and hand out candy, weather permitting.
3. Glass Octopus: the first shop we checked out at the Ren Fest was The Glass Dragon, and they had incredible small creature sculptures! We loved this octopus, so we bought it. Such a beautiful piece to display in our home. We bought a ceramic octopus bud vase from an art fair in St. Louis earlier this year, so I guess our new thing is buying octopi from artisans. 😛
4. Barbarian: I watched this new horror film as part of my 31 Days of Horror challenge and enjoyed it so much that it was worth a mention here. The movie just came out on HBO Max this week, so I watched it there, though afterward I wished I had seen it in the theater. It feels like the perfect horror movie to see in a crowded theater. Other than having heard that the movie was good, I knew nothing about it beforehand, which is absolutely the best way to see it. So I won’t say anything other than I heartily recommend Barbarian!
5. Dinner at St. Anselm: we enjoyed a very lovely belated birthday dinner for John at this Union Market restaurant this week. The original location is in Brooklyn, but I never ate there while we were living in NYC. I was happy that they offer outdoor reservations; we sat outside in one of their streetery pods. The menu is meat-heavy, but I was able to find enough to eat. The beet and whipped ricotta starter and the buttermilk biscuits with pimiento cheese were especially notable. Everything we ate was excellent, and the service was good too. I would like to go back sometime.
