Urban Fall Hike

Today is a beautiful October day of the clear blue sky and sunshine galore variety. My great idea was to go to our favorite vegan eatery, as seen here at the left, for the french toast that is out of this world. The bread is thick, moist and crusty and cinnaminy etc etc all at the same time. We order it with the fruit - today strawberries and bananas. They always serve it with REAL maple syrup - warm and gooey and sweet and satisfying and no animal products. An unbelievably satisfying treat in so many ways. I meant to take a picture of my plate before I destroyed it by voraciously digging in, but I was so overcome by the sight of it - the beauty, the smell - I forgot. By the time I remembered I was half done! True to my ' you can dress them up but you can't take them out' reputation, I found myself practically licking the plate or at least the little maple syrup container. Didn't want to leave a single undigested drop. I was also glad to see that they did have a steady stream of patrons eager to have a delicious and somewhat guilt-free breakfast (except maybe for the sugar content). The other popular breakfast order is the tofu scramble which is kind of like a faux scrambled eggs cooked with lots of onions, peppers etc and is also very delicious. It is always a hard choice for me between the french toast and the tofu scramble, but today was a sweet day! Getting back to the my great idea - I have talked about the final destination, but how we got there was the cool thing. I thought about the fact that it was such a beautiful day for a hike and came up with the idea of taking an "Urban Hike" - leaf peeking and Halloween decoration observing along the way. I brought my camera and shot some lovely fotos of red, yellow and orange leaves, menacing ghosts, smily pumpkin people and corn stalks. I also got the flavor of some of the neighborhoods we passed by and an interesting new 'Green' building going up. So, what a great way to start the day - exercise, sweet sights, photo opportunities and a wonderful vegan breakfast. I am happy to be alive. Peace.

Apple Season

Man, I have been totally negligent with my blog lately. I guess it's because sometimes I have a lot to say and other times, my mind is quiet. Maybe it's because I have been posting on Facebook and I am expressing myself in sound bites so as not to bore all my friends? In any case, I will try to break out and go on a little for old time's sake. Last weekend, went to the local apple orchard to pick some Cortlands and Macs. The apple picking outing has been a Fall tradition in our family since I was a child. There is nothing to beat a wagon ride through the orchard watching the small new trees and the older ones laden down with the red apples. Off in the distance, one can see mountains, the valley and the vast sky - this orchard is on a hill. Being able to pick one's own fruit right off the tree is such a wonderful experience. I think the joy of this experience is spreading because it gets more and more crowded every year and last weekend was no exception. When I got the bounty home, of course, the first thing to do is to eat them. I ate a whole fresh apple and it was a little tart and very crunchy and juicy. I also made an apple crunch pie - this was a recipe they had on display at the orchard. Basically it is like an apple crisp in a pie plate, but with a much crispier sugary crust on it. Baking this with fresh apples resulted in the most luscious dessert. After my first piece, I found myself finding ways to even off all the edges. Even though I love the Fall with its crisp dry air days and the autumn bounty and vibrant colored flowers, there is always lurking the knowledge that summer is over and winter is coming. I must admit that the older I get, the more I dread winter. I used to cross country ski, but I took out my ankle in a biking wipeout and my shoulder (3 times) once in a biking accident and twice ice skating. These are 2 parts of the body essential for successful skiing and quite vulnerable if one hits an unexpected icy patch. So, my skis are in storage for now. I do still ice skate, but my favorite winter activity these days is staying inside (I do get on the treadmill to avoid complete slugdom). There is some pleasure in taking a walk on a sunny winter's day when the snow is glistening and the wind is low. Well, I guess that these are my thoughts for today - not very profound I admit, but just a day in the life.