More Regional Stops & Snapshots AND Even More Vegan Finds

Strange question right off the bat?  I'm a little OCD and can't stand it when I have a post that has zero comments LOL.  I posted later yesterday and earlier today and at the time of writing this yesterday's post didn't have any comments so if you can help me out by commenting on both of the posts I would appreciate it.  Does anyone else have this OCD issue when it comes to blogging?

Anyways...more photos from the last couple of months including this vegan find!  I believe I found this at Giant Eagle in Erie.  It was pretty good.  I see they are coming out with more breakfast options, however, I have found that I am eating them for dinner!

These lil gems I found at Wegmans and I have to say I'm a fan!  I see they have other products that are vegan, too, so if I see them again I will have to try them! 

I also spotted these at Wegmans.  I had been seeing other people post other flavors on IG and when I saw them FINALLY I just about jumped for joy!  I have yet to make them but one of these days I will get to it!

I've already downed this bottle of Goddess Dressing from Trader Joe's!

These I bought at Lakewood Apothecary.  They have some neat vegan snacks there.  I tried these and like them but find it to be an occasional snack and not one where I would eat an entire bag at one sitting.

I also found this Detox Toothpaste at Lakewood Apothecary!  Has anyone else located this yet by chance?  I have used it a few times and it's ok so far.

I consider myself to be somewhat techie but there are certain things I still like to have to physically write in and to have in front of me instead of using an app or device.  A daily planner is one of those things.  I have been on the search for one for what seems to be EVER and a few weeks ago I finally found one that I really like.  This was the quote that was on the front.

While in my travels for work I enjoyed the time I spent on one block of Jamestown where there were a few shops within that block.  This was one of the shops.  It's the Bio Dome Project and they had a co-op/vendor feel to it and carried some interesting items.  I loved their window store front and snapped this pic for my co-worker since she's our resident 'plant lady' and has gotten a few of us started with office plants!

Right next door was The Sprinkle Cone.  I really LOVED the look of this place!  Artsy!  They even have about 3 vegan options daily.

The space is opened via garage door but they converted the inside for this space.

It's seasonal but super cool decor where you can scribble on their chalk board walls!

While in Jamestown I also stopped over at Full Moon Rising Bakery.  They had a nice space, as well, and carry at least 1 vegan option daily.

This is the outside of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, NY.  Jamestown is the home of Roger Tory Peterson who was a naturalist, educator, artist, and environmental advocate before environmentalism was 'a thing'.  His specialty was birds.

The Roger Tory Peterson Institute is right down the street from SUNY JCC - Jamestown Community College.  That's where I went to college and it's been a while since I have stopped over and spent time in that neighborhood.  Down the other side of the street is this park I used to spend time at while in college.  It's called College Park and before that it was called "Hundred Acre Lot".  The history behind it is that it was SAVED by fundraising efforts by area teachers and students and was one of the first School Parks in the nation.

Oh!  I almost forgot to post about this Vegetable Panang Curry I found at Trader Joe's!  I figured it was time for another food break in this post before moving on to more travel and regional photos and tidbits!

These two photos were taken at the foot of Bett's Park in Warren, PA.  I've featured other photos from this park before but I don't think I have posted about the water side of things.

It was a bit on the dry side when I took them.  Sometimes the water is higher.  These trees will be changing colors for fall soon.  I will try and get more fall photos this year and post them soon!

And one last photo for today.  This is another park.  This one is on the other side of Jamestown and is called McCrea Point Park.  It's a nice little park in the middle of old factory buildings and a bit of hustle and bustle.

Letchworth State Park

Back in Mid-September DH and I decided to take a day trip to Letchworth State Park.  Eventho I grew up in and around Western New York I never visited Letchworth.  Come to find out, I used to live about an hour away from it!  People from the Buffalo/Niagara Falls area joke that locals don't visit The Falls (or more specifically ride on The Maid of The Mist) until after we move from the area.  I guess the same could be said of Letchworth State Park.

These first two photos are part of the Glen Iris Inn at Letchworth State Park.  It was formerly the estate of William Pryor Letchworth and has been a country inn since 1914.  It overlooks the Middle Falls on the Gennessee River and overlooks Letchworth. 

Before I start posting the waterfall photos I wanted to make special mention of this area within Letchworth.  It's called Tea Table Rock area.  It's located in the Wolf Creek section of the park and named for the unusual rock formation.  In the 1920's, photographs of the scenic area were said to show the 'table' high on the edge of the cliff.  As for this specific photo that I took this is one of the many picnic areas of Tea Table.  It was an open-air pavilion.  There was a back wall with a fireplace and chimney.  The two sides were somewhat enclosed but had window frames that were cut out much like you see on this back wall...other parts of the sides had half walls that were about hip-high or so.  Where I was standing - taking the photo - that entrance side was open and exposed.  I think it was a great way for people to huddle to get away from the elements but still have open air for the nature lovers.  It looked VERY old and really took me back to a different time.

Here is a photo of some of the cliffs they were referring to.  When we went in mid-September, the leaves had yet to change...as you can see here.  It was still an amazing sight to see, tho!

I tried to take as many photos as I could before DH's patience ran thin.  There is a lower falls, middle falls, and upper falls.  The Middle Falls was the largest.  We mistakenly thought that was the Upper Falls and didn't actually make it up to the top.  I know we have to go back at some point so when we do I will report back and hopefully have more photos of that waterfall.

I know it's hard to see, but close to the middle of this photo, there is a small bridge that you can walk over.  We didn't make it over to the other side so I didn't get any photos from that area.  Again, I hope to go back and explore it more!

Here is a closer look at one of the bridges.  It's a little grainy because I zoomed in as much as I could.  Again, we didn't make it over to that side or else I would have gotten a better snapshot.

Here's another angle of the gorge area.  And another one of the many cliffs.  Overall, Letchworth State Park is nearly 14,500 acres and about 17 miles long.  It's about a 35 mile drive from Rochester and a 60 mile drive from Buffalo.

I was able to get more photos of the Middle Falls when we went.  Here is one as we were approaching.  In the upper right-hand corner, (which is actually the Portage Viaduct), you can see what looks like a bridge and/or railroad bridge way type structure or skywalk.  That area is where the Upper Falls is.

As we continued to walk, we could feel the mist of the falls.  The stone surrounding everything was truly amazing!  It was a bit windy that day and because we arrived earlier in the day it wasn't too busy YET and was a tad chilly.

I've always LOVED waterfalls!  When I saw how massive the Middle Falls were I knew I had to take as many pictures as possible!  I'm bummed we didn't make it to the Upper Falls that day.  Letchworth State Park is also known as the "Grand Canyon of the East".

Here's a side-shot of the Middle Falls.  I read that as many as 50 waterfalls found on tributaries that flow into Gennessee River.  In some places, the rock walls are over 550 feet high!  I had a lot of fun that day and can't wait to go back!

Life Updates, Vegan Snacks, Outdoorsy Weekend Recap

Over the past couple of months I have been attending various meetings and events involving my local branch of The League of Women Voters.  I have decided to become a member.  There are many topics that I am interested in learning more about.  Since I have decided to keep this blog mostly political-free and believe me when I tell you that is a REAL challenge - I will continue to NOT preach my politics here on this blog - but I do have other places to vent - thankfully.  I just wanted to update you on a few things I have been involved in over the past couple of months.

I have also been very involved with a newly formed group called Impacting Poverty.  We have a few things in the works including a poverty simulation in the fall which I will be participating in.

2016 marks DH's 7th year on the county fair board.  One of his major committees is the Entertainment Committee and I have helped out as much as I have been able since he started.  We are working on many things for this years fair which is in August.  This year the entertainment acts include: Colin Raye, Home Free, and Little Texas.  I will be posting more about Home Free VERY soon because the more I watch and listen to them the more I REALLY love them!

My parents recently attended a CANDY SHOW in Chicago and brought back some VEGAN TREATS for me!  I will say so far one of my FAVORITE new-to-me companies is Bobo's Oat Bars!  Here is the first one I tried and I really liked it!

I also nibbled on this flavor a day or two afterwards!  What I liked about this flavor is that the chocolate wasn't overpowering yet still part of the overall flavor!  I have a few more flavors I will be sharing with you down the road so be on the lookout!  I appreciate the fact that the company is active on Instagram and have liked and commented on my posts!

I thought this was certainly worth a mention, too!  A White Cheddar Flavor Skinny Pop Popcorn that is VEGAN!  I enjoyed it very much!  It was gently flavored and memorable!

This past weekend my parents and I attended a Women In The Outdoors Event at Chapman State Park and it was a wonderful day!  This is the 3rd year we have attended as a vendor with our Wildtree Products!  This is one of the MANY pics I took from one of the classes that took place!  Faerie Houses!

They had Essential Oil classes, too!  There were some classes that I had no interest in whatsoever that were not veg-friendly, per say, but in the area I live in I am used to it and skip over them.

They had outdoor Yoga, too!

And right next to us was a guy who was doing classes on Recycling For The Birds.  He would take plastic coffee tubs or other plastic bottles and make bird feeders out of them!  VERY COOL!  I think he did at least 4 classes and all of them were well attended!

IT'S MIDWEEK MUNCHIES TIME!!!
But I don't have an official linky this week so if you participate just let me know in comments!
To see an example of a past MWM (Midweek Munchies) take a look at my top sidebar!

Brain Break & Vegan MoFo 2015 PREP!

I took these photos/videos last week and had not gotten around to post them until now.

The purpose of these are that we all need a little 'brain break' every once and a while.

Sometimes I will eat my lunch in a nearby park or just sit there for a few moments to gather my thoughts.

Question of the Day: What do you do on your 'Brain Breaks"?  Comment below.

I figured this was a great time to post this because TOMORROW is the first day of Vegan MoFo!  YAY!  I can't wait!  Will you be participating in Vegan MoFo?  If so...let me know your URL if you haven't already!

I'm NOT a Girlie Girl...but...

I'm declaring today Selfie Day here at my blog...mostly because I am still trying to plug away at my vacation pictures and blogging about the trip we took to West Palm Beach and The Breakers! 

I'm NOT a Girlie-Girl...but...at The Breakers I would have been tremendously out of place if I didn't wear skirts and dresses. 

I did get a new wardrobe out of it so that was cool and now with my new position at work I just might get more use out of the clothes I bought for the trip!

In the first photo I'm on the Terrace of the Flagler Club Level at The Breakers in West Palm Beach.  When I first bought the dress I thought of it as one of those 70's Go-Go Dresses but it ended up being very comfy and I was pretty happy with the purchase.

In the 2nd photo you can see I was a little red from sun burn.  3 years ago I would NOT have worn a shirt without sleeves.  Since I lost the weight I feel a little bit better about it.  I was standing in front of this HUGE Aloe-like plant that was in the front and off to the side of The Breakers.  I probably still have a quazi-hippie thing going on here with this outfit but that is more what I am used to than fancy dresses.

This photo didn't turn out very good but at least you can see another one of the dresses I bought for the trip that I ended up really liking.  My hair in this photo, on the other hand, was pulled back because of all the wind that night.  This dress was a thicker material than the others but I ended up really liking it and I do love the shades of blue!

You will probably be seeing me wear those shoes, more, too!  I bought them on sale for like $6 or $7 dollar just before we left.  They are simple but still outside my comfort zone as far as shoes are concerned.  And YES...all of my shoes are NOT made of leather.

And here's the photo of me drinking FRESH coconut water straight from the coconut!  I know it sounds crazy but it was one of my many mini goals while we were there.

It was SO good!

This photo was taken at The Surf Break (Hut) near the pools - I have blogged about that area of The Breakers prior to this blog post.  Be sure to scroll down for more photos from the trip and from that specific area of The Breakers!

Funny fish face or kissy-face?  Either way...this is me being weird outside of The Breakers during one of the walks we took one morning. 

I believe this was one of the few times I wore capris pants with a dress shirt (blouse).  The  top was white - and I don't normally wear white - but it worked, I guess.  The shirt had some beads and sequence at the top around the neck. I was sitting in front of one of their many gardens.  Nearby was a cute little salamander but I wasn't able to get him the photo..sneaky devil!

And finally this last photo was of me in the last dress I bought before leaving.  I normally don't like big flower prints nor do I like the color pink...pair that with the simple fact it was a dress and it already had 3 strikes against me.  It wasn't bad, tho.  I did like it from the waist down more than the top but it worked for the trip. 

One dress I didn't post here that I REALLY liked was the black and red dress I got but I didn't get a good photo of me in it.  I told hubby that we would just have to start doing more things that warrant me wearing dresses! LOL

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!