Parchment Paths

For years, I’ve wanted to visit a local oddities parlor, you know, the kind of store that sells taxidermy, antiquated medical equipment, creepy dolls, Gothic jewelry, maybe even a few human skulls. When I heard that The Strange and Unusual OdditiesParlor has added a Harry Potter themed café, I wanted to go even more. A friend and I made the visit a few weeks ago and were not disappointed. The café part of the shop is very small and has a limited menu, but we didn’t mind at all.   The café is a perfect little nook in the shop and what they do serve seems to be excellent. We both ordered Butterbeers and thoroughly enjoyed them.   They are a bit like a tastier version of the smoked butterscotch latte Starbucks served a few years ago. Keep in mind that they are not like the cold soda versions from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but are still delicious and very pretty. The shop itself was amazing, though perhaps not for the faint of heart  , ...

  We only have a few more months until season three of Stranger Things airs on Netflix.   During the wait, I re-watched the first two seasons and made some interesting comparisons and contrasts. In both seasons, the Byers's home undergoes  drastic transformations.  Season one, Joyce hangs the lights and paints the letters on the wall to better communicate with Will. Later, she hacks a hole in another wall, and the house sustains substantial damage when an attempt is made to burn the Demogorgon out.  Season two, the transformation is not quite as damaging, mostly hanging Will’s map all over the walls and floors and boarding up the windows. However, some minor damage occurs during Steve and Billy’s fight, mostly broken dishes and the dent in floor made by Max swinging the nail studded bat. Another similarity between the two seasons is that they both feature poor Steve being beaten up. In season one, by Jonathan, in season two by Billy. He seems to boun...

The most recent adaption of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express has been out for some time now, but I only just recently watched it. I’d already seen two other movie versions and wasn’t sure how I felt about another being made. The plot is ingenious, but it does not always translate well to screen, also Hercule Poirot is an amazing but difficult to reproduce character.           Though it had been awhile since I read the book, I could tell right away that some aspects of the story had been changed for the movie.   A whole new case (at least new to me) is created to explain why Poirot is traveling on the train.   The book does begin with him wrapping up a case, but very few details are given, whereas the movie has him giving a brief recap of the case and revealing the culprit.            Without spoiling the movie by explaining all of changes, I can say that while the plot remains b...

One of my favorite scenes from the Harry Potter books never made it into the movies. It’s from the last book, The Deathly Hallows . Things are not going well for Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley.  The three teenagers are hunted by a corrupt government and separated from friends and family as fear and evil spread over the Magic and non-magic worlds.             The three find themselves at a school friend’s home. While the point of the visit was to speak to her father, in the book the trio wonder into her room during the visit, where they find that their friend, Luna, has covered her walls with paintings of not just them, but of a few of their other friends as well. Linking the portraits are what look like gold chains, but what is really the word “friend “repeated over and over again in gold script.  It was then that they realized not only how much Luna cared for them, but how much they cared for her. ...

"Pardon me, my lady, but would you care to see a dragon?” the polite, almost lyrical voice asked amidst the fading sounds of the passing parade that left strands of confetti in its wake. “I bet it’s a lizard,” I thought. “It’s the same old gimmick at every Renaissance Faire.” None the less, I turned to face the speaker. I was slightly surprised to find an attractive man with wavy, copper hair and a short scruffy beard holding out his hand to me with a smile. I returned his smile and decided to be polite; I was there to have fun after all. “Sure,” I replied looking into his open palm and poking out a finger to pet the lizard’s miniature head. It was not a lizard, however but what I could only describe as a very tiny dragon, complete with wings folded at its sides. I even thought I felt a small amount of moist heat near the mouth, like steam issuing from a tea pot. It was unlike anything I had ever seen outside of a movie theater.   “Wow,” I whispered, “It really d...

2018 was a wonderful that saw adventures with friends and family. I returned to the seashore after many years away. I saw my friend’s Nicole and Tim’s new home on the same trip and tasted one of the best doughnuts I have ever tried from of  The Fractured Prune. My dad and I explored the site of a local mine disaster where there is a memorial, walking trail and the remnants of some old buildings.   2018 saw several trips to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire .   Opening weekend, Mel and I met up with a group of our college friends, one had never been to a renaissance faire before so it was amazing seeing her experience it for the first time.  My dad and I went for Heroes of the Realm, aka Labor Day. It’s not often that he goes and get to pick what to see and do, since we usually take my niece and nephew and let them pick,   The kids and I went on a separate occasion and while we missed Dad, we still...

Hillside Farms is not only a working dairy farm, it’s also a great ice cream parlor, dairy store, mercantile, antiques market, and petting zoo all combined. I love going there to visit the goats, eat ice cream, and pick up some homemade soap or a candle. Christmastime at the farm is still a great time, despite the cold weather.   I wasn’t able to go last Christmas, so when a friend and I were deciding where to hang out, I suggested Hillside.   My friend and her kids had a great time. We visited the animals in their festively decorated barn, and got Christmas themed ice cream and hot cocoa. Aside from being at one of my favorite places, it was great visiting with a friend I don’t get to see often. We talked about Christmas and what was going in our lives and tried to keep a friendly cow from chewing on our coats. As I’ve said before, Christmas is a very busy time, so I was very grateful for the time we had  to enjoy each other’s company and the holiday. ...