Back from HorrorFind
Wow - busy weekend! Sold the most books I've ever sold at a con. Lots of people wanted their picture taken with me - which is always a little weird, as I'm really not that kind of "celebrity." Had a great time visiting with Bryon Morrigan and his lovely wife, and also with Greg Hall of the Funky Werepig (he always goes out of his way to talk with me - the poor, misguided man!), Gary Frank and his charming wife Nancy (and their new and cool kid), Sue Dent, Nick Grabowsky, and Lincoln Crisler. Even got to see a friend from elementary school, Tony Tribby. How odd, unexpected and fun is that?
Then, for sightseeing, also hit some big spots. I woke up really early Saturday morning (not by design, it just happened) and with nothing going on at the con for 3 hours or so, I went over to the Gettysburg battlefield. With no one around at that time of the morning, I was able to do the auto tour easily, with no trouble with traffic or parking. ( I remembered enough from previous visits years ago to know that I should go to the Virginia monument and then over to Little Round Top, to see the battlefield from both sides.) Deserted, that early in the morning, it was a very eerie and moving time to visit.
Then on the way home, stopped and got some peaches, corn, and tomatoes at a roadside market for our Labor day dinner. (I was a little miffed with the nasty, rotted pear from the bottom of the basket that I discovered when unloading - you wouldn't get that if you handpicked the stuff from the supermarket bin, but it was a tasty piece and if the rest of the bag lives up even to the inferior piece, I'll be pretty happy.) And then, the big moment - Roadside America! I was crazy for this place when I was little, and wow is it a dinosaur from a past age. I can't say I approve of the final, climactic pageant at the end: they (I kid you not) have a mural of the Statue of Liberty and an Amercian flag on one wall, and for the climax, they dim the lights and project a giant picture of Jesus, bracketed by the two patriotic symbols, while "God Bless America" plays on the loudspeakers. Wow. Part of me is appalled, but part of me is in awe of it as the living relic of the 1950s that it is. Maybe that's the best way to describe it: as a relic of something that some older people have fond memories of, it's fine, but I'd rather Tea Party people didn't try to recreate their airbrushed, sepia-toned memories of the 50s now in the 21st century. But again - my main reaction is to just be glad the place is still in business, years after the demises of the Gingerbread Castle (of Hamburg, NJ) and the Fairy Tale Forest (of Oak Ridge, NJ) and the Enchanted Forest (of Ellicott City, MD).
Then, for sightseeing, also hit some big spots. I woke up really early Saturday morning (not by design, it just happened) and with nothing going on at the con for 3 hours or so, I went over to the Gettysburg battlefield. With no one around at that time of the morning, I was able to do the auto tour easily, with no trouble with traffic or parking. ( I remembered enough from previous visits years ago to know that I should go to the Virginia monument and then over to Little Round Top, to see the battlefield from both sides.) Deserted, that early in the morning, it was a very eerie and moving time to visit.
Then on the way home, stopped and got some peaches, corn, and tomatoes at a roadside market for our Labor day dinner. (I was a little miffed with the nasty, rotted pear from the bottom of the basket that I discovered when unloading - you wouldn't get that if you handpicked the stuff from the supermarket bin, but it was a tasty piece and if the rest of the bag lives up even to the inferior piece, I'll be pretty happy.) And then, the big moment - Roadside America! I was crazy for this place when I was little, and wow is it a dinosaur from a past age. I can't say I approve of the final, climactic pageant at the end: they (I kid you not) have a mural of the Statue of Liberty and an Amercian flag on one wall, and for the climax, they dim the lights and project a giant picture of Jesus, bracketed by the two patriotic symbols, while "God Bless America" plays on the loudspeakers. Wow. Part of me is appalled, but part of me is in awe of it as the living relic of the 1950s that it is. Maybe that's the best way to describe it: as a relic of something that some older people have fond memories of, it's fine, but I'd rather Tea Party people didn't try to recreate their airbrushed, sepia-toned memories of the 50s now in the 21st century. But again - my main reaction is to just be glad the place is still in business, years after the demises of the Gingerbread Castle (of Hamburg, NJ) and the Fairy Tale Forest (of Oak Ridge, NJ) and the Enchanted Forest (of Ellicott City, MD).
posted by KPaffenroth at
11:04 AM
3 Comments:
It was great meeting you, Kim. We'll have to do it again sometime!
It was great meeting you, Kim. We'll have to do it again sometime!
Next year, I have to catch up with you. :-) Sounds like a great time, Kim.
Take care,
Louise
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