Upstate Steampunk dining out at Fitzy's and more

Busy weekend, getting to see Mark at the new

Coffee to a Tea, attending the Upstate Steampunk dining out at Fitzpatrick's where we had a turnout of 44 people and I hung out with lots of friends, Cindy, John, Lindy, Bethany, the irrepressible Ben of IFB, Tara and Elizabeth, Gypsey, Marla, Sarah and Braxton of Valentine Wolf and met new friends as well, including, Shelby and Eddie.  Lots of great Irish food and good conversations, talking about books and science, music and the upcoming plans for the Upstate Steampunk Con next November at the Garden Hilton Inn in Anderson,SC.  Gypsey is already setting things in motion for indie films, a late night Victorian costume swimming party in the indoor pool.
Gypsey is hard at work setting things up and has already planned our next Upstate Steampunk dining out for March 5, 2011 at the new hotel so we can check it out and see how to use every inch of it's space to our advantage.Check the hotel out - it looks lovely in the photos.
Beware all!  Ben and I are putting our off-kilter heads together and plotting the crazy tea party, picnic, scavenger hunt,for some day in the spring at a park.  Ben has experience with a mad hatter tea party and I have scoured the steampunk empire for ideas, so it will be a jaunt into Wonderland for sure!  Details to come!
 It was wonderful to see so many people at Fitzy's dressed up in new and amazing new costumes. These people are dedicated. We freaked the mundanes downstairs and inspiration was offered all around. I came up with something at the last minute. It was cold outside! So I stuck with a sweater skirt and corduroy jacket. I did wear my poisonous plant necklace and the watch fob watch I made with copper and beads, and had fun fixing up the hat with the goggles I won from Nick Valentino. He offered them in a contest for tweeting etc. about his book Thomas Riley.  Which I didn't even know I'd entered, I was just tweeting because it's a fun book. I jazzed the goggles up at the last minute out of desperation and for fun used butterflies.

And while it was fun playing on facebook, more plotting, exchanging book ideas with new friends, I had to settle down and focus and finish writing the article I'm writing on the psychology of steampunk for the Upstate Steampunk Anthology, Gypsey is editing to be published by Cambridge University Press in England.
I think it's written, may need a bit more organization and some copy edits.  So I'll put it aside for a day or two and then check it over and hopefully have Brian do a critique before I submit it.

    Photos by Pher Reinman of Touch of Grace Photography