More Travels, Animals, Flora, Photos, Food, and Community!

I've probably posted a photo like this already when I mentioned my recent trip to our Audubon but I can't help but re-post this little guy!  This is Lincoln.  Ever since I met him I have been thinking about him.  He's a resident of the Audubon and was a rescue.  At some point I will be stopping by to make a donation specifically for his care.  I adore this guy!  LOOK!  He's even smiling!

One of the other stops I made while traveling for work not too long ago was one of my favorite places in our county.  This is the road to/from Kinzua Wolf Run Marina, Kinzua Dam, Kinzua Beach, Allegheny National Forest/Rim Rock, Jake's Rocks, etc.

I was thrilled with how this photo turned out considering the car was moving at about 55 mph when I took it.  Below you will see two more photos specifically from the Kinzua Beach location.  I will be revisiting Kinzua Beach this Saturday as I volunteer for a Bicycle Event and helping with registration.  My father will be helping with set-up today and the beer tent on Saturday.

But the last time I stopped at Kinzua Beach I was completely alone.  Well, I was the only human...let's put it that way!  It was a nice brain break.  Here is a photo I took while walking down the hill from the parking area.  There is a building behind me, several large parking lots, restrooms, and a few paths.  The grass you see is a small part of a LARGE grassy area where you can walk, sit, have a picnic, etc.  The bridge you see in the front is the bridge that goes over part of Kinzua and is near Kinzua Wolf Run Marina which is somewhat across the street on the other side of the bridge and Kinzua Dam itself - is not too far away.

That day I walked down to the water.  There were several ducks there.  They were not afraid of me in the least.  They actually came up to me and nibbled on my shoes and jeans.  I talked to them for several minutes.  I posted a video a while back on IG.  I was so surprised they came up to me like that but it totally made my day and I will not forget it!

Another brain break I took this past summer was to Bett's Park.  More specifically the Pollination Garden that Penn State Master Gardeners attends to each year.  These next few photos where some of the beautiful flowers I saw while there this year.

I have blogged about the Pollinator Garden before and I think I even did a walk thru video on YouTube a few years back.

Since I am backlogging these photos I must say most of the flowers and plants have since 'expired' for the season because fall is approaching.

And speaking of fall...my indoor/office plants are starting to realize what time of year it is, too!  I've already lost 3 plants and it's bumming me out.  This plant, however, is one of my newer ones.  It's called and Aluminum Plant.

This one is an Elephant Bush Plant.  I fell in LOVE with it but I think it's on its way out, too!  I hope I can save it.

My mother found a few old photos and here is one of them.  It's of my sister and I when we were in our church Kids Choir.  We were 'ewes'.  Oh...to be a kid in the 80s!

Here is a photo from the most recent Bra Shipping Party that our Zonta Club Members did.  If you remember seeing photos like these in the past you might recall we send the bras over to Free The Girls and they go to survivors of trafficking to help them start their own retail business.  Right now there are 3 countries that receive these shipments...Mozambique, Costa Rica, and El Salvador.  In about 9 months we have shipped 2,001 bras to Free The Girls from our rural area.

And now it's time for some vegan food!  Here is one of the items I found from Trader Joe's.  It was yummy and had a nice kick to it.

Right near where I work there is a NY Style Pizza and Deli place and the pizza dough just happens to be vegan.  They will put basically anything you want on a pizza.  I have enjoyed a few of them in the past but recently I decided to re-visit their 'build your own salad' and this is what they made for me.  It was darn hefty and VERY MUCH appreciated!

Greens, Broccoli, Tomato, Avocado, Cucumbers, Onion, Peppers, topped with a nice amount of Hummus, and French-Type Dressing.

Again, one of my side trips while traveling to work - and actually FOR work - I stopped in Kennedy, NY, at the Aber's Acres Produce Stand.  I couldn't pass up these AMAZING Organic Raspberries!

And...Cherry Tomatoes!  A few years ago they got their ORGANIC certification.  It was a 3 year process.  Their stuff is AMAZING, too!

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!

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!