Cuteness, Cars, Crafts, Veterans Ceremony, Tomato Saltine Salad Recipe, & Fair Week Re-Cap!

I thought I would start this post off with a little CUTENESS!  This photo was taken in Erie near the Bayfront.  These little youth ducklings were all snuggled up and ready for a nap.

It seems I have been spending more time in Erie for several reasons but a few of them have been work related.  As for this 2nd photo - this was taken at our local Courthouse over the summer.  The person on the right in mid-salute is my father.  He was one of over 300 veterans in our county that was recognized for serving during Vietnam.  Our area has more veterans per capita than any other county in Pennsylvania.

In late June - we once again helped with the car and craft show at the fairgrounds.  It was the first time in 7 years of holding the event that we had PERFECT weather!

One of the camping foods I made this past summer that I certainly want to try again is this Tomato Saltine Salad.  For the vegan version I used the following:

2 packages of saltines
1 large tomato, diced

Vegan Mayo to taste/consistency

Garlic, fresh or dried, to taste

Sea Salt and Pepper, to taste

Super easy!  I know it might sound weird but I think it might just qualify as a comfort food!

Finally, I am getting to re-cap Fair Week.  It was the first full week in August and I'm just getting to it now!  YIKES!  In this photo, you will see me, Riley Green, my mom and my dad.  YES...Riley Green is TALL...but...my whole family is also SHORT so that is why he looks like a giant.  BUT...if you look at the next photo...

You will see all of the guys from Home Free are also tall.  Here is a pic of the guys with me, my sister, my dad (squatting and holding my niece), Trinity, and my mom in the back, too!  This was the 2nd time we had Home Free at our Fairgrounds and they are AWESOME!  My niece was dancing the entire time.  Now when she sees the five guys in a photo...she points to each one of them and says..."hot...hot...hot...hot...hot.."  I have to say...she's NOT wrong...they are some good looking guys!

Something I did for the very first time at fair this year was enter a few categories in the domestic buildings.  My original plan was to enter several photographs but when I went to do the prints they were to grainy and I decided not to do it but didn't want to FAIL at a goal so I entered other categories instead.  This first photo didn't place at all.  I decided to enter it into the Mixed Media but there were so many other entries that were much more involved than mine so it's all good!

This one placed 4th!  I entered it for Collage!  It was a project I did several years ago and was thrilled it placed!

This one I entered into the Scrapbooking Page category.  I placed 3rd!  I was pretty shocked!

And check this out!  I got a 1st place!!!!!!  I was completely surprised and didn't believe it at first.  I entered this Veggie Recipe Book in the Rubber Stamp Project category!

Here's another look at it next to the actual ribbon.  I had more photos of the inside on my IG, too!

And here is my FIRST PLACE Project with all 3 Ribbons!  I was so thrilled yet surprised that I placed at all let alone with 3 projects in my first year of trying!

Tater Tots & Fiats!

Happy Friday!  Last night I literally threw this Tater Tot Casserole together!

I started with Spinach, Chickpeas, and Carrots.  I made a mild cheesy sauce with Almond/Coconut Milk, Earth Balance, and left over Egg Trick Seasoning (the recipe for that is from The Vegan Zombie Cookbook).  I then topped it with baked Tater Tots.  Next step - I covered it in leftover vegan cheese sauce I made with a combo of almond milk, Daiya Cheese, and spices.  Then I sprinkled Wildtree Taco Seasoning and Hemp Seeds over it!  This was pretty amazing if I do say so myself!  I think I just might have to make more of these!  Oh!  And I didn't bake this casserole either...stovetop!

Earlier this week I blogged about the Fiat Meet Up from last weekend but I nearly forgot to post these photos so here they are!

I really wanted to post these because you can see our new orange graphics and rims!

Yup!  That is our Abarth on the right!  I just LOVE the orange color!

We might adjust and/change the back a bit in the near future tho!

In case you missed the previous post - this was the Western NY - Southern Ontario Fiat Club and we went to the Grand Opening of the Erie, PA, Fiat and Alfa Romeo Dealership!

Here's another look at some of what we did with the graphics and rims!

We have the rims done first at a local tire store - they did a great job!

We had the graphics done locally, too, and I do like the sides the best out of everything!

We have a few things we hope to do in the near future with the club - one being European Car Day in Clarence, NY.  We may try to get to Pittsburgh for Fiat Freakout if we are able to for the weekend part of the meet up.

This weekend will be a Wildtree Weekend!  We will be at Chapman Dam State Park. 

The Fiats Are Coming! The Fiats Are Coming!

This past weekend was fun!  It was the first Fiat Meet Up of the season that Dale and I were able to make!  We first met another couple in Jamestown, NY, and then headed to Dunkirk, NY, to meet up with a group that was traveling from Buffalo, NY.  After chatting for a while we all headed over to Erie, PA.  There were about 12 or 13 cars that was on the ride!  It was a little cool and windy but at least the sun was shining!  The reason for the meet up was to get a group of us from the Western NY - Southern Ontario Fiat Club over to the Grand Opening for Auto Express Fiat Alfa Romeo of Erie.  During their Grand Opening of the Fiat Dealership they were raising money for an animal shelter there, too!  Dale and I made a small donation.  I think they raised over $1,000 for the shelter that day.  After we all left the dealership after spending a couple of hours there many of us went to Southern Tier Brewery in Lakewood/Busti, NY, and enjoyed the sun, some of the group ate, and others tried some of the brews.  There was a Reggae/Folk Fusion type band that played on the outdoor stage and we listened for a bit.  After Dale and I left the group we went out for dinner.  It was a great day!  We met some new people and met up again with some new friends we made from last year, too!  Oh!  We took our Abarth - not the Fiat 500 Pop - but we hope to take both of the cars to an upcoming cruise-in soon!

In case you are trying to find me in the photo above - I'm the one in the grey shirt next to the guy in the blue shirt to the left of the red car.  The guy in the blue is Dale.

Sunday - my mom and I traveled over to Nobel Winery near Westfield, NY, to meet up with my sister who was putting on a bridal shower for her soon-to-be-sister-in-law.  It was the first time I met her.  But it was a nice day and I am always happy to see my sister!

Monday - Dale and I did some yard work.  We did some major trimming of the trees in our front yard...which isn't much of a yard since we live so close to the street...we will call it our front garden instead.  It was long over due and now it's done...it looks much better.  So YEAH it was a busy weekend!  What did you do?

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!

Our First Fiat Club Meet Up!

This past weekend Dale and I participated in our very first meet up with the Western New York Southern Ontario Fiat Club. 

I, personally, have been waiting a month or two for this!  It did NOT disappoint!  It was a FUN time!  We did a LOT of driving and met some really great people! 

Our starting point was in Warren, PA, and we met up with a couple from Jamestown, NY, over at the Park N Ride there.

After we met Tom and his wife Kathy in Jamestown - the 4 of us - in our 2 Abarth's - drove to Ellicottville, NY, for the first stop on the run!  

When we got to Ellicottville we grabbed some tea and coffee at The Coffee Culture and chatted a bit.  This was the first time we have met ANY of these people.  Everyone was great tho!  Shortly after we started sipping and chatting another man drove in with his Ferrari.  Not too long after that the brunt of the Buffalo Area crew drove in - with their various Italian Cars!  2 of them stopped to get gas before the entered the parking lot of the coffee place. 

Of course I snapped some photos on my iPhone.  After everyone official 'met' each other we decided to take off!   In the photo above I think I was able to get everyone accept maybe 1 car.  In this photo I wanted to get the Abarth's and Fiat's together.  The red one is Tom & Kathy's and ours is to the right of theirs...the grey one!

From Ellicottville, NY, we all drove to Bradford, PA.  We drove around downtown and over to the Zippo Museum.  This was the first time I had ever been at the Zippo Museum eventho it's not far from our home.  Funny thing, too, is we drove the other way to go back but we want to get to know these guys and thought it would be fun!  I think I am going to post another blog entry about the factory in the near future because this post is already going to be VERY long.  There is a TON of history when it comes to Zippo Lighters but more on that later.

We spent some time at the museum and were able to talk to the chapter's leader Darryl and his brother Owen quite a bit.

On the drive from Ellicottville to Bradford Owen was leading the pack then Tom and his wife and then Dale and I.  The Abarth's were in front.  When we left the Museum the Ferrari was in front of us.

I was able to get a photo of most of the cars in the parking lot of the museum except for Darryl's Spider that was in the other section.  There was also an Alfa that came along on the drive.

The weather ended up being pretty nice but it didn't start out that way!  When we left Warren we were attacked by bug swarms!  I think it's going to be a problem near the Conewango Creek this year.

As you can see our SPRING is a little behind because of the wicked winter we had.  Not much has bloomed yet.  Some area Landscapers have said it's about 2 to 3 weeks behind schedule.  Many people in our area have lost a LOT of their trees, shrubs, and other plant life that comes up every year because it was colder than usual.

So...that's why the scenic tour isn't as scenic in these photos, I guess.  It was nice, tho, at least it wasn't snowing!  Fingers crossed there will not be any more snow but then again nothing ever shocks me anymore!

From Bradford we headed back to the state of New York to Salamanca.  Much of Salamanca, NY, is on the Seneca Allegany Indian Reservation.  It's a lovely part of the state.

Our destination while in Salamanca was a restaurant on top of a hill.  It used to be called The Red Garter but it was recently bought and remodeled.  It's called Bear Mountain now.  They still have the restaurant and are adding a RV Park.

Dale and I got HUGE salads (because we were going to have dinner in a few hours) and they were really fresh and tasty and reasonably priced!

Here's a photo I took of the cars lined up in the parking lot on top of the hill.  You can see SOME of the trees bloom in the back.  We have mountains of trees around our area since we are near the Allegheny National Forest among other things! 

The restaurant was HUGE and had 2 floors.  They had a bar downstairs - capabilities of one upstairs as well as outside - plus decks on both levels.  The outside seating area was painted in Orange and Black - Harley Davidson Colors.

Here's a look at the view from the parking lot.  It's MUCH higher up than it looks in this photo.

We had a GREAT time!  There are more photos on my Facebook if you are interested.  The WNY SO Fiat Club will be participating in the Euro Car Day in Williamsville, NY, on June 8th and I think we are going to go!  I think on June 21st they are headed up to the Finger Lakes for a stop a a trio of Wineries.  I really hope we can attend that as well.  In between those two weekends we have a LARGE Wildtree event that I will tell you about in the near future, too!

After we parted ways from the group after a late lunch or early dinner we took a drive on our own.  Not nearly as speedy or lengthy.  But we ended up in Onoville, NY, which is near Frewsburg, NY, and went to The Horseshoe Inn for dinner.  It was nice.  I haven't been there in a LONG time and they made me a wonderfully LARGE Veggie Wrap!

Afterwards we headed back home.  It was a FULL day but it was super FUN!  Can't wait for the next Meet Up with the Fiat Peeps!  I think we ended up putting 400 miles on the Abarth but we didn't even empty the tank!  NICE!

A 3rd Fiat?

Well, Sort of!

LONG story short...it was a deal we couldn't refuse. 

We already traded in the Olive Green Fiat we just purchased about 2 months ago in of this LOADED New 2013 Abarth.  It's a sportier version and has MUCH MORE Power!  I really think this is what Dale wanted last time.  Everything worked out well with this trade.  It couldn't have gone any better, actually!

Dale really LOVED that the brakes were RED.

The color is Gray with a Black Stripe on each side.

We are thinking of customizing it a little bit - but just subtly.  When and IF we do I will certainly keep you posted!

I'm stoked because it has not only a sun roof but a screen for the sun roof!

Here's a closer look at both the wheels/brakes and stripe.

With Abarth's - even tho they are made by the same company FIAT - they do NOT bare the Fiat Logo - they have their own Abarth logo instead.

Dale also LOVES the Rims on this!  Same color as the car!  And the trademark Scorpion in the center!



This car came with the upgraded comfort package!  The seats are pretty freakin' awesome!  The seats are even heated!

It's also equipped with Beats Audio!  YES!  Dale and I have been fans of Beats for a while now.  One of these days I should blog about the headphones/headsets we have in the home studio!  They are AMAZING!

Anyways...just a few more pics of the new ride!  Dale's stoked!  We are REALLY looking forward to the upcoming Fiat Club Events and meeting new people!  Dale and I NEED that!

Here are a few links that might be of interest...especially if you aren't familiar with Fiats and Abarth's. 

Their MAIN PAGE for Fiat USA.

Abarth's Specifically.

Wiki for Fiat and Abarth.

And where we have made our Fiat and Abarth Purchases:
Auto Express Fiat of Erie.

I've Never Been This Excited About A Car Before...

This post is about a week overdue but I have just had NO TIME - so sorry about that!  But I have been looking for the perfect-for-me car for a while and I have found it!  Check this out!  It's my new-to-me Fiat!  It's technically USED but gently.  It was a deal we couldn't pass up thru my BIL.  It only had 9,000 miles on it and it's a 2013!  The interior couldn't have been cleaner!  So, yes, this is my new 2013 Fiat 500 Pop!  I'm totally LOVING it!  I've never been this excited about a car before - one that I have owned, that is!  It's so cute!  It's fun to drive!  It's tiny and cool!  It's about 11 and a half feet long.  That's 7 inches shorter than a Mini Cooper and 5

inches short than a Chevy Spark.  A SmartCar is a little over a foot shorter than my Fiat but still I think this is pretty awesome!  I've been told and have been searching the gas mileage chatter on this Fiat and I'm thinking I will get between 36 and 40 mpg with it.  We haven't been able to put it to the test that much yet, tho.  Hopefully next week as this week is HELLA Busy for both of us!

Until then...here are a few photos so you can see what my new friend looks like!
We are nicknaming her "Wonder Buggy".  (teehee)

It IS a 4-seater!  It has a hatch back/trunk and the 2 back seats fold flat as well.  It's SO cute and I'm totally LOVING it!

I hope to post a few times this week but it will be hard as I will be out and about and here and there and everywhere for work!

Burgers, Basketball, Food, Weather, Dogs, Cars, Movies, Radio Remotes - Oh My!

I mentioned last week that it has been pretty crazy lately!  This post will show you some of the things that have been taking place - both in my Full Time Job in Radio, in the Community, in my fun-job Wildtree, and in daily life. 

Kickin' things off is the radio remote that we had on Friday at the Allegheny Burger Festival and Gus Macker 3-on-3.  Here's a photo of my hubby while talking to a vendor and friend of ours on the radio during the live broadcast.  That's Dale's New/Used FJ Cruiser in the back ground that we put 92 Gold Magnets on for the remotes.  It actually works well for that station because of the Yellow in the 92 Gold Logo! 

The Burger Festival and Basketball Tourney was Friday thru Sunday.  Our Radio Remote was at the very beginning from 11 to 1 on Friday.  Saturday - my mom, dad, and I took our Wildtree Stuff down and were there from 9am until almost 10pm.  The weather was PERFECT!  There were around 200 teams.  We did pretty good for sales - not awesome - but not bad, either.  It's funny how many fellow vegetarians and vegans I meet at Burger and Rib events!  This weekend I met a young man who was also vegan and we had a great conversation.  He ended up buying some Wildtree Butter Grapeseed Oil.  The Butter Flavor is vegan - the flavoring comes from coconuts!  He was there with two of his friends that wanted to try and get him to eat a burger.  He stood TRUE.  One of the vendors there did a HUGE Vegan Burrito for me!  It was awesome!

 Sunday we dropped by a few car lots and looked to see what they had.  I will be in the market for a switch soon but I am looking for something  very specific.  It has to be SMALL since Dale's vehicle is so HUGE.  It has to be good on gas mileage.  I want to get my payment down.  $200 a month would be awesome!  It has to have a unique color that stands-out.  And Automatic.  I have to say I am sort of in LOVE with the new Chevy Spark!  But I'm not into buying BRAND NEW cars, ya know?  This one is technically USED but not by much.  It only has 156 miles on it.  I don't like this color and come to find out it's a Standard.  I'm really interested in the Jalapeno color of these, tho!
After enjoying a drive around town my husband, mother-in-law, and I went to see Star Trek - Into Darkness.  My Husband went to see it on Saturday with his brother, too!  It was GOOD! 

Sunday evening - we spent a quiet night at home and as you can see the 'furkids' were just hanging-out, too! 

Riley is such a GOOF.  He LOVES to lay on his back - which is rare for most dogs - at least the dogs I know!  He must have laid like this for at least an hour.  I also go a close-up of his mouth and teeth!  He was cracking me up!

Oh yes!  I almost forgot to mention that Friday Night we were supposed to meet up for dinner with some friends of ours!  Tom and Nicole.  Tom plays Mandolin in Dale's band.  But Tom wasn't feeling well.  So Dale and I went to dinner at a near by Golf Course and Restaurant that we haven't been to in a LONG time!  Jackson Valley Golf Course.  They had a nice salad bar - I also got a plain Sweet Potato, too!  I hope to post some photos of the overlook later today or tomorrow.

The weather has been great the last few days!  Yesterday it was 88 and 89 degrees when I left work at 5-ish.  This is totally my kind of weather!  To think - just a week ago it was snowing!  It's supposed to get a little cooler again but the forecasts have been up and down so that could all change again - and again - and again!

More happenings through-out the day yesterday...we had another LIVE remote broadcast!  This time it was from Jones Chevrolet in Starbrick.  They were having a Ribbon Cutting for their new showrooms!  They did a very LARGE Expansion and Upgrade to their facilities!  It was neat to get the grand tour!  They've been in the area for 95 years!  It's been passed down thru 4 generations!  The Chamber was there - I have worked with them in the past - as I served on the board for 6 years - and our Mayor was there - as well as the District Manager for Chevy - and other family and employees of the dealership!

Dale was EYE BALLING the new Corvette!  Grrr!  I told him he already has his Corvette!  This year I hope we take it to some car shows!  Dale told me he doesn't like the new head-lights on the 'vette's because they don't pop up like all of the other Corvette's lights do!  He's rather upset they changed this aspect of the 'vette!  I will say - the color is pretty awesome, tho!

And FINALLY...some food!  I've been really hungry for some Indian Food and last night I did a take on a dish based on what I had on hand and I am really pleased with how it turned out!  Here's what I did for this Indian Mushroom-Lima Bean Stew:

2 C Lima Beans
6 Ounces sliced Mushrooms
1 Small Onion
1 C Diced Tomatoes with Juice
1/2 C White Cooking Wine
1 T Garam Masala
1/2 tea Turmeric
1 T Garlic Paste/Spread
Pinch of Wildtree Garlic Galore
1/2 tea Red Chili Pepper

I had a little bit of this last night to taste it and I'm having the rest for lunch today!  It's very yummy!  I sort of blabbed on a little long again, today, Oops!  I'll be back later today or tomorrow with more photos and happenings!  I'd love to hear about your weekend and your thoughts!  Drop me some comments!