Art Everywhere, Wine Fest and Fall-ifying the House

Busy times call for a good old-fashioned photo dump post! Things have been extra busy 'round here, because when the weather is moderate in Hampton Roads, every festival is scheduled for every weekend in October.

 A truly amazing thing happened: a nationwide movie has been released about the tiny coal-mining community where I grew up! It was amazing and emotional to see Big Stone Gap on the big screen in Norfolk, like traveling home without the 8-hour drive. I burst into tears the minute I saw the landscape. The movie isn't perfect, but it has a lot of heart and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

 On Thursday and Friday, Norfolk was lit up — literally — with the inaugural NEON Festival, a celebration of all things art. The Norfolk Arts District, or NEON, was blanketed with murals and light installations and performances for two days and it was so, so inspiring. Here are a few of my favorite snaps from the unveiling of the district:

 We ran into Carmel, a friend from the Shenandoah Valley, on the street! So stunning!

 The incredible soon-to-open Glass Wheel Studio, featuring a beautiful mural by Hense.

The cementiscope, an incredible love child of a kaleidoscope and cement mixer created by three ladies from the Chrysler Glass Studio.

 Asa Jackson, finishing up a mural behind Exotic Home.

One of the coolest visual moments: At Work Release, 90's rap videos were projected toward the street, with the DJ silhouetted in front of the screen. So cool to see walking down the block.

And in another alleyway was this delightful space baby, tagged to say, "From Da Womb to Da Moon!" So good. I foresee many, many photo shoots with all the great murals.

 On Saturday, we ventured out for our traditional fall Wine Fest day. Ash and I had a great time scouting out perfect locations for future Wine Fests...

 And many glasses of wine were had!

Lastly, I've tried to autumnify the porch with some mums haphazardly planted and a couple soon-to-be-carved pumpkins. I definitely want to scope out some more pumpkins, though, but Sean reminded me, "We're just going to throw them away."