Missing The Breakers

Yup!  I'm already missing The Breakers!  I'm missing the Florida weather.  Just when I thought spring was here we had 2 days of snow in the PA/NY state line area last week!

To warm up I thought I would post more photos from our trip earlier this month.

This first photo is one that I took the day we went to the beach.  You can see their private beach area with some of the chairs and umbrellas and the lovely clouds and ocean!  From where I was taking this picture was from the pool area.  They had 9 different pool areas there.

Here's a photo I took at The Surf Break.  The Surf Break was a little spot near the pools, cabanas, and beach where you could get small meals, finger foods, and drinks. 

One of my mini goals while I was there was to get a coconut with the coconut water in it.  I was able to do that the 2nd to the last day we were there inside The Surf Break but I will share that photo with you at another time.  Yes...there were surf boards on the ceiling of this hut and it was so fun.  The breeze was nice, too!

While we were at The Surf Break there were two young ladies there bar-tending.  They were very nice and sure worked their butts off!

This photo was taken outside the front entrance of The Breakers!  Each day it was fun to take a walk out front and see what kind of exotic and fantasy cars were there. 

It's not unusual for The Breakers to hold various car shows, too!  The weekend we were there they didn't have a car show but I have seen a lot of pics from past ones and they are pretty awesome!

This was also where a lot of the limo's came to pick up and drop off people, too!  We were fortunate enough to take a limo to our tour of the new offices of Garden of Life.  More on that in the near future.

This wasn't a photo of our limo but of one of the many others we saw in and out of The Breakers.

The Breakers was incredibly clean all day and night but one morning I was out and about earlier than most people were and I noticed several golf carts around the grounds cleaning up debris from the night before.  And when I say debris - it was NOT garbage - but downed palm tree limbs - for example that came down naturally from the winds the night before.

They really do a great job working at all hours to keep this place looking amazing!  And each and every person there greeted us and was extremely helpful and nice.  I can't say enough about their terrific staff at The Breakers!

This was one of the many photos I took from the Terrace which was part of the Flagler Club.  The Flagler Club was the 6th and 7th level of The Breakers.  We were lucky enough to stay on the 6th floor and absolutely LOVED every minute of it.  I blogged more about this on both this blog and My Travel Blog so be sure to check those posts out!

I loved the blue and green colors on the terrace...the umbrellas were HUGE...the seats were comfy, the stone and marble beautiful, and everywhere you looked there were plants!  I should have counted how many plants were JUST on the terrace but I didn't.  I wouldn't be surprised if there upward of 100 plants in that area alone!

I've already shown a lot of the photos I have taken of the Palm Trees at The Breakers and I wanted to let you know I did a whole post of the Fountain at The Breakers and that is located over at my Travel Blog...check it out...HERE is the direct post on the Fountains.  Outside in the enclosed area past the lobby you will see an area with water, a fountain or two, and statues like the one you see here.

There was marble, stone, fountains, plants, palms, and other bits of eye-candy EVERYWHERE.  There was something to look at - at every turn and it was breath-taking!

In the near future I will share some of the foods and beverages I enjoyed while there.  I was just thankful for all of the fresh fruit and salads and organic fresh pressed juices, too!  So stay tuned for that!

Big Jim Peppers Are Here, Homemade Chana Punjabi, Vegan Russian Dressing, and More pics

I was going to wait to post these photos in near-future posts but I'm already so far behind with blogging I didn't want to bankroll them.  that and I'm so excite to share these pics with you guys! 

First up...

This pepper!  BUT...this isn't just 'any' pepper...it's a Big Jim Pepper from our Rooftop/Container Garden at work!  Woot!  Sam and I cut one open and ate it raw and LOVED it.  It wasn't sweet.  At the end it had a kick to it, too!  YAY!  These did really well for us and we are already planning on doing more next year.  We had 3 plants that were good size and produced a few.  If we spaced them out more I think we could have gotten more of a yield but I'm happy with what we did get!

We have some late bloomers of our rooftop produce which I will be sharing with you soon.  We are still waiting on the Brussel Sprouts, too, but they do take a long time from start to finish.

Last night I wanted an Indian Inspired dish but also wanted to make some for my lunch today.  Based on what I had in my pantry and in my fresh stock in the kitchen I made some Chana Punjabi and it turned out great.  It wasn't spicy but it was tasty!  Here's the recipe I threw together...

1 Can of Chickpeas
1/2 tea Wildtree Garam Masala
1 tea Wildtree Garlic & Herb
2 Large Tomatoes
1/4 tea Turmeric Extract
Pinch of Garlic Chili Sea Salt

Last week I was sort of craving a Russian Flavored Dressing so I came up with this Mayo-Free, Soy-Free version that I was quite proud of that I did in my Vitamix.  Recipe...

1 C Cashews
2 T Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tea Coconut Sugar
1 tea Wildtee Garlic & Herb
1 tea Dijon Mustard
1/2 C Relish (or chopped sweet pickles)
3/4 C Ketchup

This was a great dressing AND a wonderful dipping sauce.  Overnight in the frig it thickened up because of the Cashews!  YUM!

Why...yes...YES...that is Moonshine!  I'm mostly posting this because I LOVE the way the photo turned out!

We visited 3 Moonshine places while in TN.  It's now legal there.  We sampled a few from Ole Smoky.  They had Moonshine infused cherries.  I thought I would like them more than I did but they look super cool in the glass jar, don't they? 

My husband ended up purchasing one of their baseball caps.  And some of their Blackberry Moonshine.

There were a few Wineries nearby and we intended to go back and check them out but we ran out of time while on vacation.

DOH!!!!

I just LOVED this fountain that was tucked back in one of the coves in the shopping district of Gatlinburg. 

There were places to sit and shop.  A few places to grab some beverages like a specialty coffee or pastry.  But my FAVORITE part was this fountain and the building facades.

I still have a LOT to blog about from our vacation and more photos to share here and on the Travel Blog.  But I will save those for another day!

I have more giveaways to post about, too!  Hopefully tomorrow!  Stay Tuned!

And don't forget to scroll down...this wasn't my only post for today!

Taking A Stroll: Sun Dials, Fountains, Bridges, Water Fronts, Landscape, and Statues

I'm going to try and take more 'strolls' as well as take more photos while on my strolls and post them here.  Last week I started doing this and found some neat discoveries in nature as well as local history.  Since I am a transplant I will have to do some research on some of my findings.

My first photo posting today is of this Sun Dial.  It's located in our downtown area in Warren, PA, between 3rd and 4th Avenues on Hickory Street.  It's fairly large and surrounded by greenery and landscaping in a small park area.  We have over 20 small parks throughout the city.  Many of them do not have much going on.  Others have markers or trinkets depending on who maintains them.

Next up I walked over to the middle of downtown and took a photo of our fountain.  I remember this being a bit controversial because the deer in this fountain are NOT native to our area and that was the whole purpose of the fountain project.  This is located at The Point - that is where Pennsylvania Avenue and 2nd Avenue meet.  It was put in a few years ago during our Streetscape Project.  There is a Northwest Savings Bank Logo near the fountain indicating that it's referred to as Northwest Plaza.  It's not far from where I work.  I see this everyday.  The fountain is only active in the summer months.

This is a photo of Hickory Street Bridge - also in downtown.  I'm taking the photo in between Breeze Point Landing and Soldiers and Sailors Park.  In the summer months - Soldiers and Sailors Park has Music In The Park every Friday Night from 8 to 10pm with music from local and regional bands.  This is a free event.  I will probably do a future post on Soldiers and Sailors Park in itself.  As for the bridge - it's quite historical but was also re-built a few years ago.  It was a large project and took about 3 years to complete.  The water you see is The Allegheny River.  I will have more photos of The Allegheny River in this post below as well as future posts.

This is a photo of the river looking the other direction from Breeze Point Landing.  Back in 2005 and 2007 the area spent a lot of time and money on Breeze Point Landing in downtown and these days it's a very nice walk as well as a nice space and view but I think it is very UNDER used.  HERE is some more info on the project and national chatter about this space.  I remember the first Ribfest of our area was at Breeze Point before they put the condos in.  That event has since moved to the downtown streets, then to Bett's Park, and now to the Warren County Fair Grounds in Pittsfield.  This year that event is being re-worked at the new location for a BBQ and Archery event and that will take place next month.

One of the neat things about Breeze Point Landing (park) is - of course - the waterfront and walk way - but also the Iron Statues that have made their home there for a few years now.  I think there are 3 or 4 statues there.  They were made by youth in our area.  This is one of them.  The soccer player.  There are a few other statues like these in another park or two in the downtown area as well.  On the other side of the park is what locals refer to as "Big Blue".  Big Blue is a large steel parking garage that is actually BLUE in color, hence the name.  Some of the landscaping in and around that area - especially - Breeze Point Landing - is really nice right now!  There are still blooms and flowering blooms on the trees.

Like this one.  I'm told it's a Dogwood, but don't quote me on that.

I just really liked the flowering blooms so that is why I took the photo the other day.  It was a gorgeous day.  I'm very thankful for nice, warm weather...since it's few and fair between, it seems.

Here's a close-up of the flowering blooms from this tree.  I really enjoyed my stroll last week.  I think we all need to take them - even if we have before - to NOT take for granted things that surround us - even if they are in a small town or city.  There is beauty in everything and I want to take a moment and make sure I pay attention to those beauties every now and again.  I think My Blissful Journey is a neat place to do that.  Until next time :)