July 31, 2017
After several less than active seasons, the butterfly bush has been all a-buzz this summer. So I broke in the new lens for my Nikon and got into the bush to photo-stalk some of the feasting creatures. Like this Monarch butterfly, a big flirt who seemed to content to playfully Read more…
July 16, 2017
Breakfast can often go two ways–vibrant or gluttonous. This morning we headed over to a no-fail vegan breakfast option that I rarely take part in, an acai bowl. I got The Patriot with banana, strawberry, blueberry, coconut, and acai at Brazailian Acai Bowls in Bakersfield. It did the job. A Read more…
April 18, 2017
With spring definitively here, the bulbs I planted last September are starting to poke out their heads in the backyard… like these late daffodils with the complicated faces. Trees are finally blooming. And so I stored my winter coats and sweaters away. I’ve gushed about tulips plenty, but how about the Read more…
April 4, 2017
While I finish a busy week before Spring Break travels, here are iridescent heads of mallards at the Massapequa Preserve glistening in the sun… The crocuses in the backyard, like me, who are just sick of waiting… The daffodils, worse for wear, finally standing up with the sun… And Read more…
March 24, 2017
I am pretty sick of the land being a scratchy shade of dry beige. The animals are marching out of their dens, ready for spring. Myself included. But far more exciting, this fox. Who sees beautiful foxes in their path randomly? Luckily me today. The fox, a Red Fox, was walking about Robert Moses State Park. Near Read more…
February 24, 2017
Typically the weather during my mid-winter school break, the week of Presidents’ day, is poor. The usual snow chances have me avoiding travel and “hunkering down” at home in hibernation mode, perhaps planning Spring and Summer adventures. This year, however, had me stricken with early onset Spring fever. I needed to bust out Read more…
October 27, 2016
While planting bulbs in the backyard, I encountered this lovely ladybug and slug who did not mind a photoshoot. So I obliged.
October 9, 2016
I spent 12 hours in a sloth habitat in Oregon and learned so much about these fascinating animals. The habitat is part of Zoological Wildlife Conservation Center. They take in sloths who have lost their habitat due to logging or who have been orphaned. Below are my favorite pictures and a Read more…
October 2, 2016
How delightful to stumble upon a field of flowers in rural New Jersey! I couldn’t pass it up, especially because my own sunflowers are now all dead. Happy sunflower faces against the grey day. Kind of a mystery why these cuties are still standing… What is more delightful than a field Read more…
August 20, 2016
For a gal who always sees the first a.m. showing of movies in the theater to avoid people, going to Yellowstone National Park in August is a little counterintuitive. However, crowded in Yellowstone Country is far different than crowded in, say, the New York City subway. It’s 2.2 million acres. Read more…
August 12, 2016
I get to see all the backyard goings-on when I am home for the summer. Like hungry bumble bees getting sustenance. Black-eyed Susans looking all badass, ready to intimidate a Daisy. Hibiscus monitoring and managing their sun intake. The sunflowers building their happy faces. Beautiful butterflies feasting then fluttering. Oh, and a Read more…
Bushwick, Brooklyn is now home to Elisa’s Love Bites, a gluten-free bakery with a few vegan options always on-hand. At the time of my vist, marked v-options included the Black Heart Cake, Original Sin Cake, Fig Buddies and Fluffers, aquafaba meringue cookies. The Black Heart Cake was what I devoured right Read more…
August 4, 2016
First: The Sunflowers on I-90 in South Dakota. As I travel west on the I-90 a couple of days back, I noticed a dramatic yellow hue contrasting the prairie’s muted landscape on the eastbound side of the interstate. Sunflowers. I did some recon later on and learned that South Dakota was Read more…
August 3, 2016
Wall Drug is a very well-known roadside attraction with a long history of enticing drivers. It all began in 1931 when a persistent couple bought a drug store in the middle of nowhere. Determined to bring customers in they began luring the travelers with promises of free ice water by way of numerous Read more…
July 29, 2016
Without the Empire Pass this year, I am not getting to the beach as often as last year. I am stealing the EZ-pass to go, however. This was some mushroom. I wanted to buy it and sit on it with a hookah. The butterfly bush started getting some action. This Read more…
July 7, 2016
Gainesville is a university town, so you know vegan options are good… for them educated, idealist types. Starting early, breakfast: The Tempeh Scramble with potatoes, toast with vegan butter and housemade jam at The Jones B-side. Good, hearty fare, but soy-saucey marinade made the dish a bit salty. And unfortunately Read more…
April 28, 2016
The day’s activities would involve a pitchfork and a wheel barrel. But first, a bit of breakfast: great coffee from Archive Coffee Bar, which has vegan donut holes from Bigwig delivered Tuesdays & Fridays (bummed I missed them!) and a strawberry and chocolate-stuffed vegan crêpe from Oregon Crêpe Cafe & Bakery. Read more…
April 27, 2016
Are you ready for it?… The United States of America is gorgeous. From shore to shore, the spectrum and range of natural beauty is astounding. This many say (or sing), but such things are more effective when felt, sharp-like, when one is inside (or atop) it, gazing and love-filled that there is Read more…
March 14, 2016
Brunch is a “thing.” It’s different than other meals. Maybe because it’s like two of them. Stakes are higher. Like a bad brunch is doubly bad, a great brunch can make the day. Brunch at Daya, an all-vegan restaurant in the pretty Winter Park downtown, was perfect. Their half-plate option Read more…
March 13, 2016
A long time ago, when the Earth was green, I swam with the manatees in Florida’s Crystal River, where hundreds of manatees flock to in the winter months when the waters of the Gulf of Mexico are not as warm. It was time to see the manatees again, though the Read more…
March 12, 2016
The Sanctum has a fresh, vibrant vegan breakfast items that are the perfect start for a long day of sites. Any place with a mural like that is bound to deliver on plant-based goodies… equally important, kick-butt French press coffee equivalent to nine cups of hotel’s brown, hot water. Normally I Read more…
February 28, 2016
Ben & Jerry’s has gone vegan. Here are two of the four non-dairy flavors. Both flavors were delicious. Now I must find the vegan Chunky Monkey and the Chocolate Fudge Brownie. On my neighborhood walk, I saw these plush nests and their exotic inhabitants. Parrots! Bisecting contrails Holding on to Read more…
August 28, 2015
Greetings from the starboard side of the Oosterdam and our grand obstructed view. Yes, the floor to ceiling windows in the stateroom are on the same deck as the emergency life boats. But no fear, our priority was to have the means of seeing the most of Alaska, not necessarily Read more…
August 27, 2015
After several days at sea it was very exciting to disembark finally. The first port was Haines, Alaska, a sleepy, small city (number of graduating high school seniors in 2015: sixteen) with plenty of natural beauty and wildlife. The kind of stuff people come to Alaska for. The port only Read more…
August 20, 2015
Having a yard is like having your own park that no one else can visit… unless they’re invited of course. I love watching all the life go on in the yard. And I much prefer to see its critters than those urban critters (i.e. millions of people) in NYC. Then, there’s the flora. Read more…
August 7, 2015
Maywood Pancake House, in Maywood, New Jersey, is kind of a second location of Rutherford Pancake House (blog report on their vegan challah French toast is here). Both locations feature vegan breakfast options, which is far more a special than lunch or dinner options. I was delighted to arrive here pretty Read more…