Nailed it, except for the bagels

It's easy to feel a little lost and fairly incompetent when diving into a new field. But if there's one thing I know I can deliver, it's a costume to match a theme. Between the networking and literature deep dives, I made the time to pop by New York for a classic Sharon soirée, the likes of which had often drawn me to London back in my Brighton days. Much to my surprise, this turned out to be Sharon's very first party stateside since her move over the pond several years back, as she hadn't been based in Manhattan until just a few months prior. What a privilege to be part of her very first US guest list! She hosted a fantasy-ren-faire-themed birthday/Halloween get together, and (after perhaps a few too many Amazon returns), I nailed it. I am still not a fan of corsets and I don't understand how women tied themselves into these things for so many centuries. I'm glad it was just a half day of my life. The folks were fun, the hostess was as lovely as ever, her new place is both fabulous and fabulously located. (Did we expect anything less?) My biggest complaint is that I somehow trekked all the way up to New York and did not eat a single bagel. (And somehow had more than my fill of sourdough. What coast was this even??) I'm sure I'll have some time to correct that before this East Coast adventure is over.

Fantasy Ren Faire Halloween in NYC, with some pretty spectacular views and even more wonderful company. Collage also featuring some suburban Pennsylvanian lawn décor and authentic caramel apples.