Whew! Weekend overload.

That was such a crazy weekend I needed a few days to recover from it. Seriously.

First up was the crazy overwhelming and much-anticipated Stitches East show in Hartford. 

 

(Picture from last year because I wasn't brave enough to thwart security this year and try and sneak a pic. They are CRAZY SERIOUS about no picture taking inside the venue.)

God, this show is exhausting. I mean that in a good way - but it's so big and there is sooooooooooooooooooo much stuff. *fans self* A huge convention center full of knitterly goodness every which way you look starts shutting my brain down after 4-5 aisles, you know? DON'T WORRY THOUGH: I pushed through it and made it to the end *and* even managed to be coherent enough to buy something from all corners of the room. I take my responsibilities for propping up the US economy with my purchasing power VERY seriously. *cough*

I did collapse here in the hall for a bit though to get my sea legs before taking off though.

After a quick jaunt to West Hartford for an outdoor lunch (to enjoy the perfect fall weather) and a little shopping at stores that aren't around here (Penzey's) we made the long haul back to our part of state and had just a wee bit of time to freshen up and haul off to Foxwoods Casino to catch a Kathy Griffin show. A love her/hate her comedian to be sure...........but I'm partial to foul-mouthed broads. Not gonna lie. : )

I'd never been to the MGM Grand theater here before and it was quite nice.......inside anyway. I haven't been to Foxwoods Casino in a long time (I only manage a trip every 5-8 years, even though it's only 30 minutes away) and, yep, I still HATE the place with the burning passion of ten thousand white hot suns. Choking with cigarette smoke, drunk hootchie-mama women traveling in ho herds everywhere you look and the place is just waaaaaaaaay too big for me to the point of utter ridiculousness. And this is coming from someone who LIKES Vegas, mind you. (A Vegas joint is a 500 sq. foot NYC hole in the wall compared to the size of this place.) Anyhoo. I was so annoyed with the casino areas and the awful smell, per usual, that I forgot to play a few quarters in a slot machine 'just in case' I had some lucky ju-ju hanging around me at the moment. *snort* 

Oh well. I'm sure they won't miss my dollar. :)

 

Such a picturesque setting for a fall festival. Perfect!

We got home late late late but didn't let that stop us from heading out to the Johnny Cake Festival at the Kenyon Grist Mill the next morning. Johnny Cakes are, I BELIEVE, a distinctly Rhode Island thing? (Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.) They're basically little fried up corn pancakes dating back to the Civil War era. Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside, with or without maple sugar and that sort of thing. The Kenyon mill has been grinding corn the same way since 1696. I kid you not. That's crazy, right? 

 Though the building they still grind in *only* dates back to 1886. ONLY. *snort*

 

Round and round the stones go, grinding corn and other things all day.

This was a great festival because EVERYONE had free samples to try and TRY I DID. We noshed on locally made chocolate milk, pumpkin seeds, chai tea, hot apple cider, bbq sauce, freshly made bread and, of course, those johnny cakes. There were lots of other vendors demoing their wares like potters, chair caning,  and broom makers, etc. Very fun to watch! Will definitely have to hit this festival up again next year.

Of course we had to take home some purchased goodies from here too. Tea, pumpkin seeds, two jars of honey (as if we need MORE honey in this house!), johnny cake mix (OF COURSE) and I liked this piece of pottery that looked like a beehive to me.

It was nice to get out and enjoy the weather before it turns nasty for good, that's for sure. They are predicting a nor'easter for this area this weekend so that might be that as far as 'enjoying' the fall goes. *sad*

(Don't worry - I'll do a post about my Stitches East purchases. I think I need a whole separate post for that. lol)