October 21, 2020
As I am wont to do, I spent my birthday far away–far from obligations to others and doing exactly what brings me joy. This joy will be the subject matter of the next posts as I packed my itinerary so full of wonder–battling the year’s chaos, upheaval and misery. It’d Read more…
October 19, 2020
[Oh my.] The Orionids Meteor Shower will be peaking on my birthday. So naturally, I have to accept the sky’s invitation. I’d have to find the dark, program my camera, sit back and watch the show, hoping for better luck than when I attempted to catch the Perseids this time Read more…
June 20, 2020
Sleighton Farm School in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania was once a reformatory school for delinquent girls. It was also other things since the 1826–including a House of Refuge and a co-ed reform school. But its life from 1931 to 1975, when it was an all-girls school for unruly 12-18 year olds… Read more…
A destination for lovebirds since the sixties, the heart-shaped jacuzzis, circular beds, mirrored ceilings and wedding bell-shaped pool at Penn Hills Resort in the Poconos Mountains of Pennsylvania have been decaying since its closure in 2009. Though I have stalked from the fence in 2017, today’s photo mission in Pennsylvania Read more…
August 14, 2019
I slept soundly in my car on night one. And even though I forgot to bring my pillow from home, I woke up with no aches or cricks anywhere. I quickly packed up my site to head south… I will be heading souther and souther everyday starting this new day. Read more…
At some point, as I sat in the vacant astronomy field across the street, the traffic in the parking lot of the public stargazing field of Cherry Spring State Park died down. There was darkness above, yes, but it was blanketed by a murky sheet of heavy overcast. Underneath it Read more…
August 6, 2019
With a few successful astrophotography shoots under my belt, mostly dealing with composition, I was ready to attempt to capture the : ::motion:: : of the sky–stars that shoot. The Perseid Meteor Shower, an annual display of displaced comet debris, offered such an opportunity. So I’d be packing up my Read more…
July 13, 2019
After a whirlwind, a ton of pictures from the Atlantic City Vegan Food Festival at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City. Enjoying a break between responsibilities. Another break when I gambled away $20, because: Atlantic City. Get the vegan message! Peanut Principle in Albany, New York Gangster Vegan Organics. I Read more…
April 8, 2019
I like to take the long way home… and find things to see, find things to eat. Like the vegan tofu “wings” from Bullfrog Brewery. Those were from Williamsport, Pennsylvania. On the see list, this Pink House in Wellsville, New York. The ornate Victorian home has had a bit of Read more…
April 6, 2019
So much is, whether we acknowledge it or not. Whether we know it or not. As we carry on as the terrestrials we are, there above us… infinitely more. Tonight I pointed my camera upward in an attempt to take a piece of that more, a dress rehearsal in advance Read more…
November 18, 2018
There are always new vegan options to try in Philly. I’ve been peeping The Kettle Black‘s vegan croissant for a good while, so that was our pre-breakfast… in the car. The real deal Even better than the vegan croissant I had in Paris. Flaky and sublime pastry But breakfast would Read more…
October 7, 2018
Another perfect day inside Autumn. Today on Hawk Falls Trail in Hickory Run State Park in White Haven, PA for waterfalls and foliage. The glorious mist on a beautiful early Fall day Waiting for everyone to leave… …because I wanted to go in! Ok, so it’s cold but it might be Read more…
October 15, 2017
An hour from Philadelphia is the lovely borough of Phoenixville. Once the site of iron and steel mills, Phoenixville now has a thriving downtown strip containing diverse eateries, watering holes, and breweries. And some vegan eats! It is one of those places that feel like a mix of home and Read more…
A friend and I were official registered zombies for the 5K obstacle course Zombie Mud Run in Reading, Pennsylvania, part of the 26-year running premiere haunted attraction Shocktoberfest. Our task: arrive early, become a zombie… and grab the brains, heart and entrails (flags) of the registered human runners. Of course, that last Read more…
August 25, 2017
I’ve likely been through Pennsylvania’s interstates the most frequently of all the states. But today I planned some stops to break up an otherwise long, boring drive into chunks. Starting from Pittsburgh in Western PA, I first headed to Shanksville, the crash site of the United Flight 93 on September Read more…
August 23, 2017
I woke up in Cincinnati, Ohio and went to bed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This means that, likely, I will spend tomorrow evening in my own bed. New York. Though I am squeezing in brief stops as I pass through, this excursion is winding down. But I still need sustenance and Read more…
August 6, 2017
There’s always a reason to go to Philadelphia. Usually it’s food. But the food invites you to make a day of it, to explore other things. Then, the duration of exploration makes you hungry again. (So yes, it’s mostly about food.) But Philadelphia is only two hours away, has deep Read more…
August 5, 2017
When I was a kid I loved ravioli. Meat ravioli. I remember joining my mother when she picked it up from the Italian market. I knew that the ritual was different than going to the generic grocery store a few doors down. And the meat ravioli were square, I knew, while Read more…
October 3, 2016
Fogwood & Fig vs. No. 7 Veggie It’s not surprising that Diane Bezanski has a background in photography. If the images of her veggie burgers, under the name Fogwood & Fig, were all I had, they might still win a few battles. It is true that you eat with your eyes Read more…
October 2, 2016
On a dreary rainy-grey day, I took a quick trip to Lancaster, PA to check Root off my to-do list. Though the font and tree seemed very familiar, I had never been there before. We were interested in the housemade vegan mozzarella sticks, which they have limited quantities of daily. Luckily, we got the Read more…
July 29, 2016
It is amazing to me how quickly you can discover rural charm outside of the bustling New York City area. It takes about two hours. Those are sloooow, traffic-stricken hours… at any hour. But it’s worth it. Lambertville, New Jersey, which sits on the Delaware River on the state border, is a Read more…
April 3, 2016
Like New York, Philadelphia’s vegan options are ever-evolving. From the vegan mock meat Asian restaurants I visited decades ago when I briefly contemplated moving to Philly with a friend to all the brief day trips through the passing years, today’s highlights are a quick skimming off the mound of Philly vegan options to Read more…
July 23, 2015
Hawley, Pennsylvania is a resort town in the Poconos Mountains Lake Region located just far enough from the thriving metropolis New York City to feel like you’ve entered an entirely different habitat. Though most of the area resorts are for various outdoor adventuring, The Lodge at Woodlach, the area’s high-end Read more…
July 22, 2015
Not too far from the New York-Pennsylvania border is a small vacation town of Hawley, on the Lackawaxen River and close to better-known Delaware river. Though this is a summer haven for campers and other nature enthusiasts (and hunters), a friend of mine had year-round residence here as a growing gal as Read more…
July 13, 2015
In my goal of V.V. hitting “all 50 states reporting” status, summer is the time to pack on the states. Getting out of New York and past the tristate area to make it to these unreported on states is a daunting task… as is the return to the tri-state area. So Read more…
November 29, 2014
Philadelphia is very vegan-friendly. They have eateries that far surpass played out, crowded, lesser-quality Manhattan options. Vegan Commissary is one such eatery. Brunch at Vegan Commissary was perfect. As the name suggests, it’s all-vegan. But there is no need for restriction; Vegan Commissary hits every mark, appeasing my high standards with Read more…