As we've been traveling the last few years we've used Airbnb a lot to find places to stay. It has worked pretty great for the most part. They are nice places and in good locations. However, on a recent trip to San Antonio, Texas I got to stay in a resort and even spend half a day at a spa there. It was quite fancy for me. There was a huge pool and a big veranda we went out on every night and even napped on. The staff was very friendly and helpful. You have to drive to get around Texas, there's no two ways about it. So being able to get good directions is pretty important. The Eilan Hotel seems to be pretty new and it was not super busy when we checked in on Tuesday but as the weekend came it became full of life. There is also residency on the grounds so there was a fair amount of kids in the evening which was bit a of surprise. The woman who did my facial even helped me solve a skincare mystery which I am very grateful for....
Fairy Tales and Fables
Things I have made...I am very influenced by fairy tales, myth, fables...the lessons hidden in dangerous beauty...
Austin City Limits
Some snaps from around Austin, Texas from my visit there about 6 weeks ago.
Cosmic Ascension
I am all about new things the last year. I mean I've never shunned them anyway but I've been actively seeking new experiences this past year. One of the new experiences I've had recently was to attend my first camp-out music and art festival. I had no clue what to expect and it was the first year of this particular festival. Cosmic Ascension turned out to be a pretty great and memorable experience. From camping with 6 of my friends to an amazing performance by Beats Antique. There was about 1500 people present for the three day event. I was so impressed by how nice and happy everyone was-I did not see or hear a single raised voice except in excitement. It was such a pleasant atmosphere. The land was breathtaking being on the White Earth Reservation, absolutely pristine. We had amazing food by Asase Yaa, who I can't wait to see again at TC Vegfest in a few weeks. There was cooking out, games, art, music and of course our two camp set ups. Anything worth doing is worth overdoing, right?
More New Things
I'm in the process of adding 40 new pieces to my shop. I'd love it if you stopped by!
Friday
Just a few pleasant images for this Friday. Have a great weekend!
Blanton Museum of Art (or the time I realized I like taking pictures of naked people)
I went to this museum about a month ago to see the exhibit they had on Cats & Dogs. The Blanton Museum of Art is not a big museum which worked out well for me since I did not have a lot of time. Sadly, I was not allowed to take pictures of the Cats & Dogs exhibit but I did capture some snap shots only to go through them and realize so many of my favorite paintings contain the soft, curves of a naked lady. But of course. I mean we look nice. Don't get me wrong I also like naked men. Naked people. Anyway. The coolest thing to me was that I didn't get a lot of time to capture information about all the works but this awesome place has a database in which you can return time and again to read and enjoy the works. Thank you internet!
New Things
I have been crafting like mad and I am starting to list the many new pieces I've created in my shop. I'd love it if you had a moment to stop by.
Morning at the Arboretum
I went out to see a beautiful large glass art exhibit at the MN Landscape Arboretum. I went in the early part of the morning when it was quiet and deserted. It was a really nice way to start the day.
Fall is coming and the Arboretum is probably a great place to go experience it. Minnesota is never more beautiful than when the leaves change.
What To Eat Wednesday, New India
I recently visited Austin, Texas. It's a very vegan friendly town. The first night there I had dinner at a place called New India. It's a little place with great food. My favorite was the 5 Star Thali Platter that had a bowl of every vegan thing to sample on it. I eat a lot of Indian food and I was pleasantly surprised to find things on the platter I had never had before. Fragrant and unusual. Sprouted lentils, yellow dahl-all quite delicious. I am learning to really love sprouted bits of legumes. The staff was friendly and the menu was clearly labeled vegan. It sits amidst all the many food trucks in the Austin City Proper. Austin is a pretty cool town. I'll write more about it soon. Those of you in the Midwest will know what I mean when I say it's similar to Madison, Wisconsin.
What To Eat Wednesday, Triple Rock Social Club
A long time favorite place of mine for breakfast. Especially if you made a few bad decisions the night before. As it's usually cool inside and dimly lit. Triple Rock has an extensive vegan menu that includes vegan Kalhua pancakes and a glorious dish known as the Mother Biker. Tofu scramble covered in spicy vegan nacho cheese. They also have plenty for dinner such as a Vegan Po-Boy. Quite Tasty. It's a punk bar so don't expect it to be fancy. But you can expect very good service and excellent food. They also offer the Mug Mimosa which is a coffee cup full of champagne and oj. What more could you ask for on a morning with a slight headache?
Hungry Hungry Hungry
Fire Noodles at Namaste Cafe.
I recently saw a big poster that said EAT WELL TRAVEL OFTEN and I thought-YES! I have taken on the very big task of truly organizing my photos and it's taking a long time but it's also showing me things I've long forgotten about. One thing I have been trying to get better at is my photos of food. As someone who tries to share what is important to me about my diet i.e. meat-free, healthy and adventurous, I think having terrible food photos would most certainly not communicate that and they would possibly end up in places such as Somebody Ate That and completely defeat the purpose of taking food photos. Here are a few that I came across recently that I thought looked pretty yummy.
Homemade Coconut Curry-recipe soon!
Homemade Green Beans-SO EASY! Wash, snap off ends, heat wok up pretty hot, flash fry them with tamari and chopped garlic. Takes about 10 minutes total and most of that time is washing.
Instagram snap of vegan donuts from Glam Doll Donuts.
Epic salad bar at Q Cumbers. Very Veg Friendly.
Homegrown basil on top of Victoria Vegan Alfredo Sauce. Served with bow tie pasta(my favorite) with soy chicken strips and pine nuts. YUM YUM YUM.
I'll be making these tonight: Tofu Fajitas loosely based on this recipe: Tofu Fajitas. I make mine more spicy and use all vegan products. NO sour cream cuts the fat intake.
Potatoes from Mill City Farmer's Market, homegrown rosemary with herbs from Penzey's Spices (Bavarian Seasoning is the name of the blend), olive oil, all chopped and placed in foil then cooked on the grill. Easy and very tasty.
My favorite pizza from Punch Pizza. The Gigi: olive oil, garlic, basil, cherry tomatoes. Simple and perfect.
Have a tasty day!
Minnesota Monday, Minnehaha Falls
A visit to Minnehaha Falls, a favorite place.
Things I've Made.
Listing new pieces, going through photos of past pieces, I love making jewelry.
Thursday's Times Past, Seattle
OK-the title is silly but it occurred to me that I do not like the phrase Throwback Thursday. But I do like the idea of sharing past experiences. San Diego Comic Con is happening this weekend and I am not at it. I have never been in attendance despite the fact that I have been a geek for quite some time now. It did get me thinking on some of my favorite Geeky Experiences and I was reminded of how much fun I had at the EMP Museum in Seattle some years ago. I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside but WOW it's a cool place(though at the time was notably lacking in Firefly pieces). I also ate tons of great vegan food such as at Cyber Dogs. Seattle is quite beautiful and I was there in December. It was funny how many of the residents were complaining about the 50 degree weather and back in Minnesota it was below freezing most days. It was a nice break for me to say the least. Also happy making=the amazing number of used bookstores.
I mean seriously, the museum was filled with stuff from Bladerunner. It was awesome.
What to Eat Wednesday, Galactic Pizza
I have been reintoduced to a pizza place here in Minneapolis the last couple of months. When Galactic Pizza first opened, I was pretty excited about having another vegan pizza option. I went there three times before giving up on it. I would have terrible experiences all three times. Bad service, long wait times, undercooked pizzas. It was a shame really, they have a great mission of making high quality pizzas, using electric cars for delivery and quite charmingly having their delivery people dress like superheroes. Including at one point some years ago one of the delivery people famously stopping a thief in their superhero outfit. Fast forward about 5 years and a friend wants to go eat there. I hesitate but then go with it and I am so glad I did. Whatever problems they had in the past, Galactic Pizza is AWESOME now.
They have great, unique vegan pizza options, the whole space has been redone and is very nice. I didn't get a picture of the outside but the patio they have set up is cute. The service is ten times better and the food was to-die-for. Especially the vegan bianca pizza. Also, 3-D pizza menus. I can't recommend it enough now. And save room for vegan strawberry cheesecake. YUM.
Matisse on a Monday
I actually saw this exhibit of Matisse about two months ago. But with working on my book and launch party, I've been unable to share it. The exhibit was at the M.I.A. and I went on the same day to see the The Art in Bloom exhibit for 2014(which I love). I knew a little about Matisse and I do like some of his work. It's a bit out of the realm of art I favour as I tend to be more in love with the romantic and fantastical. There are pieces in his fauvism work I do enjoy and of course, like so many-his paper-cuts. Here are some snaps from the exhibit.
Ella Cerulean, Book 1 of The Connective
I have been one very busy lady. But I am so happy and proud of what I've been doing. Over the last 8-9 years I've been slowly putting together ideas for a new young adult science-fiction series of books. I never really sat down too much to write a whole lot till the last year. I've had notes on scraps of paper, napkins and even a chapter written on my iPhone. I finally was given the opportunity to work full-time on getting the first book out and well, I leapt in with excitement. My first book Ella Cerulean, Book 1 of The Connective is now out and available on multiple websites. I will note that these currently available editions will change a bit as we wanted to get the story up and out in time for a party we hosted at the local convention CONvergence (separate post to come). The party we had was based on the last three chapters of my book. It is so amazing to me how much work several people in my life put into making this happen. We worked countless hours to make this come to life and I couldn't possibly be happier. The paperback version is available on Lulu.com and the digital versions are on Apple (this version is free and includes a mini-movie) and Amazon (which is currently .99 but will go up in price). The book is also available internationally. I am so pleased to tell you that the first week it was out it sat in the top 100 of Young Adult Sci-Fi books for a week. I couldn't believe it! It was on the list with The Hunger Games and Divergent! Allow me to share with you photos of the book cover and of the party we created and hosted for three nights in a row based on the book!
We served homemade blue champagne!
What to Eat Wednesday but on Thursday, Mad Mex
Mad Mex was a place I ate at twice in Pittsburgh and it was so good! Very vegan friendly, nice staff and the portions were CRAZY. I loved the tofu tacos. Go here if you can. Some pics from my phone. They're not great but you get the idea.
Papercuts. The Pretty Kind.
I didn't know too much about papercuts. I've seen smaller ones and have always thought they were cool. Of course, when we are kids we try our hand at making paper snowflakes. Recently, I went to one of my favorite places in Minneapolis, the American Swedish Institute. I love going here because I see art I've not experienced anywhere else. On this particular visit it was not very crowded for once and I was able to examine details in the mansion I haven't been able to see before. I only wish the cafe was a bit vegan friendly. The gift shop is very cute and I have bought many gifts for people from it for various holidays.
