Animal Friends, Plant Life, Hot Temps, and Colorful Meals!

Last week I took a walk in a nearby park.  This nearby park has a Pollinator Garden in it.  There were some plants that had already 'expired' for the season but there were several that were left blooming and beautiful including this one so I took a picture.

Last weekend I spent commutating back and forth to the fairgrounds.  We still camp there and volunteer each weekend on the grounds.  This coming weekend there is a folk art festival that we will be attending on the grounds, too!  I hope to take more photos of the grounds and of this years festival before we are no longer down there for the winter months.

Since Monday was a holiday I didn't have to work so I decided to take Cricket with me.  She had fun with my mom and dad's dog Lexi and some other dogs that were down there.  She played and walked a lot.  On our way home she was sooooo tired!  She laid down on my lap while I was driving and fell asleep!  She was even sluggish the next day!  So cute and so funny!

Some of you know I adore goats!  Each time I see one I have to spend some time with him/her, make a fuss, talk to them, etc.

This is one of the goats I saw over the weekend - last weekend!  He was giving me kisses and nibbles!

I should be able to see more goats this coming weekend.  Usually, at this festival we go to there is a guy who rehabs animals and brings them for the kids to pet.  I remember blogging about them before/in previous years.

I do have some vegan items to share for Vegan MoFo but first I will get all of the non-food stuff out of the way!

It's been a hot summer but I have to say that the last 3 weeks has been a little NUTS!  I LOVE hot temperatures but I don't like it when the humidity gets out of hand on top of those hot temps!  That is exactly what has been happening these last few weeks. 

The other day it was over 100 degrees AND I swear it was near 100% humidity...then...the power went out for at least 3 hours! 

This is the dash of my new Fiat!  I have to say I love it more and more each day!  I already put almost 2500 miles on it!

Now on to the food!  Today is COLORFUL Meals!  Well, I had to try and fit this into today's prompt for Vegan MoFo!  It's last weekend's Vegan Fair Food Option.  We ended up going to Stoneboro Fair and there was a Mexican Food Truck there and they were SO NICE!  I asked all the 'normal content/ingredient questions' that 'we vegans' tend to - and they told me what everything was made with/how it was made/what it contained!

I opted for these Nachos that I customized.  They had Salsa, Lettuce, Black Beans, and Rice.

They were tasty!  Sometimes...all you have to do is ask, right!?

One of the things I have had at the camper all summer - just in case - I got the munchies and couldn't find anything FAST - and/or didn't feel like a sandwich - or cooking - I had these Salted Caramel Organic Brownie things from Nature's Bakery!  I've tried their other flavors before but this was a FIRST for me with their Salted Caramel!  They are rich, that is for sure!  I have to say...I'm a fan!

Another thing I wanted to mention...my parents went to Erie the other day and brought back one of the Mad Mex's vegan options for the Angry Hippie Burrito...they offer Daiya Cheese and Tofutti Sour Cream as options!  It's been too long since my last trip to Mad Mex!

Spring Flowers, Vegan Leftovers, Co-Op Cafe Eats

I'm going to start a little backwards here.  When I got home from work yesterday I noticed something colorful in the backyard.  I HAD to investigate!  This is what greeted me!  How lovely!  I moved into the house I am living in prior to DH and I getting married so I think I've lived there about 16 years since our 15th Anniversary is coming up soon.  I don't remember these flowers back then BUT the last 3 or so years they have been popping up!  Nature is mysterious and gorgeous...isn't it?  I can't wait for more signs of spring!  I will be sure to report!

For some reason I could edit all my photos except for this 2nd one and I don't know why but it wouldn't let me flip it.  This was my dinner (times 3) last night!  I worked off of leftovers once again!  Sweet Potato Chickpea Wraps.    In addition to mashed Sweet Potato and Chickpeas I added Corn, Diced Tomato, and Jack Daiya Cheese.  It was way better than I expected it to be!

After I used some of the Diced Tomato, Corn, and Chickpeas I then had more leftovers to use.  I ended up making that happen in the next few photos.  I have to warn you - this will be a LONG post today with MANY photos!  I almost forgot to show you the meal I had at the Co-Op with my parents and sister last weekend so that is below, too!

But before I get to those photos I have these next few pics to share.  It's a progressive dish using leftovers!

It all started as a Bowl.  I used Spinach, Corn, Sweet Potato, Chickpeas, and Diced Tomatoes.  I topped with a Tahini Sauce and sprinkled Nutritional Yeast.  I will have the recipe for the Tahini Sauce in a little bit but first I wanted to show you how the leftovers transformed into additional meals.

I sampled the bowl and it was ok.  It kind of felt like it was missing something.  Before moving on and tinkering with the dish I mixed up what I had and took a pic.

The only other thing I added to this was Turmeric.

Recipe for Tahini Sauce:

1/4 C Tahini
5 T Water
2 T Lemon Juice
1 T Maple Syrup

I also forgot to mention I seasoned the Chickpeas wish Cumin and Garlic.

Now...THIS is the TICKET, folks!  This is the 3rd and final attempt and the real winner of the bunch!

I added more of the Tahini Sauce, Smoked Paprika, Pistachio's, and Jack Daiya Cheese!  BAM!!!

Now the only thing I have left is 1 Sweet Potato, a little Cauliflower, and Spinach.  I'll have to see what I can come up with using those items!

Moving on...

This past Saturday my parents, sister, and I went to Erie to check out Baby's R US and Target for my sister's baby registries.  They had a bunch of questions about car seats and such.

After all of the shopping stuff I suggested we go to the Co-Op Cafe.  The Wholefoods Co-Op Cafe, that is.  We had a nice time!  First up - some snapshots of our drinks!  Mine - the green one - is called Alkaline Heaven.  It had Cucumber, Carrot, Celery, Spinach, and Apple.  My father got the orange one in the back.  It was called Sunrise.  It had Carrot, Apple, Orange, Pear, and Lemon.  He tries to stay away from Cucumbers.  I think it was the only one that didn't have Cucumbers in it.  Both were good.  I sampled everyone's!  My mom and sister got smoothies.  The Triple Berry Smoothies to be exact.  They had Strawberry, Blueberry, Raspberry, Orange Juice, and Almond Milk.  Yes...the BOTH opted for the Almond Milk over the standard.

Mom, Megan, and I chose the soups they had that day.  Mom grabbed the Tomato Garlic and it was VERY garlicky.  Megan decided to go with the Chickpea one.  They both ordered smalls.  I went with the LARGE and gobbled up the Apricot Red Lentil Soup which is one of my FAVORITES there!  My other favorite is a Spicy Peanut something or other but I haven't seen it there in YEARS.

There is just something about this Apricot Red Lentil that I cannot get enough of!  I could seriously drink it by the vat!  As you can see I was messy with it while putting it in the container.

My Dad went with the Cheese Pizza on Whole Wheat Dough.  It wasn't vegan because of the dairy cheese but at least it was meat-free!

And finally...we scored this VEGAN COOKIE!  It was about as big as my face!  All 4 of us shared it!  Everyone liked EVERYTHING they had!  I have to say this VEGAN COOKIE was probably the BEST I have had to date!  YUMMERS!

It's been another busy week and the next several days are going to follow suit.  I like being busy.  I actually get more accomplish when I am busy than when the days are less filled with various tasks and activity!

But then again...I have always been BACKWARDS.  When I was in school I did better when I had all the extras going on.  Then when I ONLY had studies happening.  The busier I was the better my grades.   Now...the busier I am - all around - the better work is!

Vegan Maple Hot Chocolate, Raw Books, & Recent Stops!

This is my 2nd post of the day so be sure to keep scrolling!  This post you are reading now will be a lengthy one, too!  First up...I wanted to tell you about a lovely treat I am enjoying as I type this!  It's Maple Hot Chocolate from 3Leaf...and it's pretty incredible!  It's a combo of simple and pure ingredients including: Pure Cane Sugar, Raw Organic Cacao, and Natural Flavors...and it's VEGAN!  Today has been a dark, rainy mess of a day and I found this in my stash and FINALLY decided to try it!  I'm glad I did!  This was certainly a treat for me I don't have a lot of sweets and/or vegan dessert-like beverages or vegan hot chocolates.  It tasted like a darker chocolate with a nice splash of maple flavor!

 
I was telling you in my first post of today that I went with my parents to Sam's Club on Sunday.  My mother bought me two books!

Yup!  Here are the covers!  The first one is Raw Energy In A Glass.  I was excited about this one because I have the original Raw Energy Book and really LOVE it and I think this one I like even more than that one!  I already thumbed thru the whole thing and can't wait to try some of the blended soups, energy shots, and juice-smoothies...among others!

The 2nd book I got was this one and I about 70 pages in already!  It breaks down many of the fruits, greens, etc and tells you all about them and have multiple simple recipes on most pages highlighting that specific juicing or smoothie ingredient!

I know it sounds silly but I like the 'feel' of the pages!  They are thick and nice to grip!  This book is oddly sized but I like it!  It's tall and skinny almost like a half page in width.  I think it will stand out in my collection.  I can see myself referring back to BOTH of these books often!

Now on to some of the stops I have made over the last week or so!  In my travels for work I stopped at a local art gallery.  They have two art showings happening at the same time...and actually I think they are just finishing up with these two before they switch to another opening there!  One of the artists is a wonderful woman I know Ellen Paquette!  Her and her husband are so nice and SO TALENTED!  I linked her name to her website if you are interested!  I bought one of her Wee Beasties years ago and ADORE IT!  Check out her paintings HERE - these are the ones that were on display at The Crary Art Gallery.

Out of respect for the artists and their paintings and art I didn't take photos of them but here you can see some of the sculptures that are always on display at the art gallery!  Next...I'm looking forward to THESE oil paintings, too!

Yesterday - in between raining and crappy weather - I was able to visit Kinzua Wolf Run Marina and Docksiders Cafe up near Kinzua Dam.  Here is a photo from the marina.  In about 3 weeks this will look extremely different because then all of the docks will be full!  I hope to post more photos of my work travels in the near future.

Some of the roadside photos you will see in the next few months might just be over a lunch break.  A midday meditation of sorts.

Like these next photos from a local Pollinator Garden.  You may remember this garden from a VIDEO I did last year.

Here are some of my favorites from my recent walk thru the Pollinator Garden.  A group of local people do this garden every year.  They are called The Penn State Master Gardeners.

I hope to see more of what their group is doing at this years Warren County Fair and also our local Farmers Market which should start next month.

I'm also looking forward to seeing which growers will be participating in the local farmers market again this year.  Last year was a little rough on them.

And speaking of some of the festivities of last years Farmers Market I noticed you can see some photos of me HERE and HERE...from their Facebook Page.

That little sweetie is Cricket!  I can't believe it's almost been a years since we've had her!

You can tell from their PHOTO SECTION that it's a very Pet Friendly Farmers Market!

I'll leave you with one last photo from the Pollinator Garden that is under the direction of Penn State Master Gardeners and is inside Betts Park in Warren.  It's a large park here in the area that has many baseball and softball fields, Bocce Ball, Basketball, Pickle Ball areas - as well as a wonderful place to walk/jog/run along riverside.

I'm hoping the weather improves and it's more photo friendly so I can share some better pics with you soon!

The Breakers - Front & Back

Over the next several posts I will be sharing with you the trip we took to West Palm Beach, Florida, thanks to Garden of Life.  We stayed at The Breakers and it was overly amazing!  I was able to blog my way to The Breakers last year and I was finally able to go!  After the horrible winter we had we were overly excited to see sunnier skies that is for sure!

This first photo is a shot taken from the 6th Floor on the Terrace of the Flagler Club Level.  This is the entrance of the resort.  You can see the beautiful fountain and front garden greeting you as you arrive!

This was the view looking out of our window.  It was listed as Partial Ocean View but I would say this is a head-on Ocean View!

Sure - it was 'out of this world' to walk among the wealthy - but - it's the little things that I truly loved the most like the palm trees!  The sunshine!  Seeing birds I don't usually see at home and being surprised by small lizards and salamanders!

And coming across a single red vibrant mini flower in the middle of nowhere during a mid morning walk.  I carried it around with me for a few hours and even brought it back to the room, too!

Stay tuned for more blog posts and photos from Florida in the coming weeks!  It will probably take me that long to catch up and post all of the eye-candy we came across while there!  You can also see more photos on my Instagram and our Travel Blog.

Dollywood Photography From My iPhone

Over at my Travel Blog earlier today I posted More From Dollywood and there are plenty of more photos over there if you want to check those out but the ones I am posting here today are ones that I feel turned out exceptionally well especially since all I used was my iPhone to take them.  This is the first time I haven't taken an actual camera on vacation to take my 'good' photos.  Needless to say I was pleased with the outcome.  We were trying to travel light and most of what we did pack was for Paco.  We drove over 10 hours in my Fiat and it certainly got the job done.  We averaged about 400 miles a tank.  We only spent a bit over $100 for gas so that was AWESOME.  Now on to the photos, eh!?  This first one is one of the many mills that Dollywood featured.  It was functional and festive.  Inside you were able to purchase their fresh made breads that they made daily.

One of the many decorated gardens was this one.  It had flowers galore!  Not only that they had a turning Ferris Wheel that moved slowly with the potted flowers in each Ferris Wheel Car.  I stopped and stared at it for a few moments.

I mentioned in another post that we visited Dollywood at the beginning of this years Gospel and Harvest Time Festival.  It last about a month and a half and features over 350 live performances throughout the theme park.

While we were there we did see a number of preachers, reverends, pastors, etc from different denominations and faiths.  There's a small church there that is named after the doctor who delivered Dolly Parton as a baby.

One thing I will have to research more is if there is a connection to birds and birdhouses and Dollywood and/or Dolly Parton.  I saw a SLEW of birdhouses throughout the theme park.  And I don't mean just any old birdhouse.  I mean INVOLVED birdhouses that were colorful and creative...ones that were HUGE...ones that had multiple stories...even ones that were themed.  Some were unusual, some where tall yet thin, and others were just so stunning I couldn't help but snap a photo...or 10 photos!

This one was behind a kiosk.  I couldn't believe that it wasn't more out in the open!  It stood about 6 to 6 and a half feet tall, had 3 floors, windows, doors, a deck, etc.  It was very beautiful!  If we visit Dollywood again...I just might have to try and count how many birdhouses I see!

Going along and keeping with the Harvest Time theme - giant colorful displays like this one could be seen throughout the theme park. 

As you can see this is almost like a Christmas Tree made out of potted flowers that tier into the sky.  Behind it was Hay, Wheat, Corn Stalks, and other festive decor. 

You can tell that Dollywood goes above and beyond to change things up and make the place look amazing!  I hear that Christmas Time is even more involved, too! 

We saw several people working on adding lights to many of the standing structures.  I bet they were getting ready for the Christmas Time Festival.  I'm sure it takes a LONG time to decorate for that!

Waterfalls Inside & Out - Las Vegas

 One of my favorite things?  Waterfalls!  Another one of my favorites?  Las Vegas!  So I am posting about BOTH of them here.  Above is a pic of one of the displays inside the Bellagio.  I posted about that the last few days, too!  So if you want to see more of the Bellagio pics scroll down.  They had a Waterfall Inside among the flowers displays.

And here I am outside of the Flamingo at their Waterfall area.  It's been about 10 months since our last visit.  And I've lost about 30 pound since this pic was taken.

Participating In:

Tuesday Around The World

Around the World Tuesday
Our World Tuesday

Flower Balls

 More from Bellagio in Vegas last year!  These "balls" were completely made from flowers!  They were amazing!  They were REAL, too!

Scroll down LOTS more to see today!

Participating in:
Monday Mellow Yellows

Bellagio Gardens March 2012

 

This was part of last years Garden Botanical Display inside Bellagio in Las Vegas!  Each time I go there it is drastically different from before!  One of the many reasons I LOVE Vegas...it's ever changing!

Participating In:

Mandarin Monday
Postcards From Paradise 

Macro Monday - Macro Maniac

This was a Scrapbooking Page I did a while back but it does show my LOVE for Macro and when I found the Macro Monday Meme I thought it was the perfect time to post it here on the blog and participate!  I hope to continue with this Monday Meme in the future, too!

Mellow Yellow Monday

I'm digging up some of my old photos and posting them here!  This one popped up and I thought it fit for a new meme on Monday called Monday Mellow Yellow.  I hope you all like it.  I took it a few years back.

My main two goals for joining in these blogging memes is not only to keep this blog active but to encourage myself to get out and get snapping again!

Orange You Glad It's Friday?

Yup!  Another Meme!  Orange You Glad It's Friday!?  WHY?  Because I LOVE Fridays and I LOVE the color Orange!

I took this photo a few years ago.  My cousin Paula's garden was gorgeous and I couldn't resist taking TONS of photos!  I have one picked out for next Friday already and it's from my Grandmother-in-law's Garden!