Last Saturday I went to the Tampa Bay Vegfest in Cotanchobee Fort Brooke Park on Riverwalk. It’s their 6th annual festival, but the first I’ve been to. I think last year I had a run at the same time. My loss, it was a lot of fun. Actually, my partner in crime went last year and said this year was much bigger.  I guess that means I better go next year because it’ll likely only be bigger and better.

So, what do you even do at a Vegfest?  Well, I think it depends of the fest.  I went to one in San Diego in like ’89 and it was a total hippy fest.  Reggae music, a haze over the crowd that was not tobacco smoke, a lot of girls in skirts that had not bought a razor maybe ever (I had never heard of women not shaving at the time and was a bit mystified.  Still not my thing but to each their own and all). This was not that.

Fast forward 26 years (writing that makes me feel old, but lets go with wise, shall we?) and vegetarian is pretty much main stream.  My 16 year old daughter is vegetarian (my sons are not), she has friends that are vegetarian that went to the festival, and my son (22) has dated like 3 vegetarians.  Apparently, it’s a thing now.

The Tampa Bay VegFest had all ages from kids, to high school and college age to  retirement age people. I have to admit that last one surprised me.

Anyways, what was there to do?

Well, there were lots of vendor booths. Some where selling things like t-shirts (the Hail Seitan, Go Vegan t-shirt was one of my favorites), soaps, jewellery, snacks, pretty much a bit of everything. There were also some great vegan samples. My very favorite was Treeline nut-cheese (that sounds so bad, I know). It was a spread for crackers that all by itself made a case for the deliciousness of vegan food. I had to take a picture that was too bad to share but enough that I could go buy it. There was also a coconut ice cream sandwich that was amazing, which surprised me because I have bought the same brand of vanilla ice cream in the past and didn’t love it.  I’m going to have to try it again.

It was a lovely 90 degree fall day so even wearing a tank top I was happy to hear they had speakers and movies playing at the history center. We only made it to listen to one speaker, but wow was she great.  We got to listen to Jo-Anne McArthur speak about animals she had met during her photojournalist adventures. Adventures sound like great things but in this case not so much. She has traveled the globe to bring us the faces and stories of animals whose lives have been hidden. She has photographed minks and foxes being raised for fur in horrific conditions, factory farm victims, a bear whose life of suffering cumulated in having his paws removed for soup (but was rescued), all sorts of things.  But it’s all tempered with visits to a farm sanctuary full of happy, healthy animals and other sanctuaries which if nothing else allows you a glimpse into lives of people who dedicate themselves to good instead of evil. Sometimes it’s nice to be reminded that these places do exist.

There was also a food truck circle (yay, food!), bands and a cooking demonstration. I attended the Thai Tacos and Caribbean Rice and Beans demo. The demos were done by the people at thefoodpharmacy.com. Check out their web site, they have all kinds of recipes and videos on how to cook vegan recipes.  Their theme seems to be good, healthy food now instead of drugs and doctor visits later. Radical, right?

Then there was the mandatory circle of animal rescue groups with dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, even a great big real pig.  I’m a sucker for this section and the partner in crime even put an application for a great dog there.  Should hear back some time this week. A photographer and a blogger and we were so into the dog we forgot to take a picture of her.  FAIL.

All in all a great time. If you’re on Facebook follow them here so that next year you’ll have all the info you need to attend. Bring your compassion and a huge appetite.

I became a vegetarian when I was 17, 28 whole years ago.  Way back then when the dinosaurs were still around the only thing you could find when out to eat was a side salad (iceberg lettuce, 2 cherry tomatoes, croutons, please hold the bacon bits. Um, I said hold the bacon bits…). Fast food joints equaled Taco Bell bean burritos or french fries. They did not do salad.

Back then when I went to McDonald’s and asked for a burger no burger extra veggies 90% of the time I got a blank stare or outright not being nice laughter. Mostly at McDonald’s, still don’t go there anymore. Probably why I still curse too much to this day.

Fast forward to today and I can eat pretty much anywhere besides Cracker Barrel (bacon in the green beans!) or Apple Bees. But as a person who hasn’t ate (eaten? I can’t decide) meat in so long that if I do on accident it’s the equivalent of food poisoning, I sometimes have to ask if there is some kind of meat broth or lard (I love Mexican food) in things and I hate to do it because I don’t want to be a pain.

So you cannot even imagine how excited I was that there were enough vegan restaurants in Asheville to eat at a different one every night of the week.  Not even just vegetarian, vegan!

By far one of the best dining out experiences I have had was at Plant. I decided since I was living large and all that I would go all in and try the raw Lasagna Cruda. I haven’t really tried raw meals before, but all the more reason to try it when someone else is not cooking, right? I only tried it because it was in my I’m-on-vacation-screw-it-I’ll-try-anything mood, but it was one of he most amazing restaurant meals I can even remember. Live herbed almond cheese and kale & pecan pesto almost kept me from trying this, but they ended up being the best part. My definition of restaurant food worth the drive /  money is something that would take me all day to make myself (and still wouldn’t taste as good) and this definitely fit the bill.

Bad picture but it was the kind of place where taking pictures at all seemed kind of over the top. Just trust me.

My partner in crime had the Seitan Chile Co Queso and that was pretty dang amazing too. We actually started the whole thing off with fried plantains drizzled in some undefinable not too hot hot sauce that made me want to eat there every day.

The second night we went to the Laughing Seed Cafe. This was the night after hiking over 8 hours, and in all honesty I think I was leaning against the wall eating half asleep. I took no pictures, ate part of the East West Quesadilla, and basically zombied through what was probably a great meal. All I really remember was they had an amazing bar drink with ginger in it and my partner in crime had a dinner with tofu (neither of our favorites) that was absolutely amazing. Low Country Rollups which was a BBQ sauced wrap that has inspired me to try making something somewhat similar. We shall see.

I don’t know of any restaurants near me like these. There is The Cider Press Cafe out in St. Pete, but it’s fairly far from me so I haven’t tried it yet. Probably eventually.

Do you have any great vegan or vegetarian / vegan restaurants near you? If so where are you, I want to go!

The whole point of driving all the way to Asheville, North Carolina from Tampa was to see fall. I’ve never seen it and though I don’t have a bucket list if I did seeing fall and snow would be on it.

So the first morning we woke we woke up at the you-know-what of dawn (seems to be becoming a weekend ritual) and drove about 45 minutes (I think north?) to Craggy Gardens. Why get up so early when on vacation?

Because this. The top picture is of the sunrise and the clouds we are looking down on. Ya, I’ll wake up for that.

As if that wasn’t enough a baby bear ran in front of the car on the drive up.  Having never seen one I babbled like a 2 year old about it until my partner in crime was probably ready to slip me a Valium, but hey, it was cool. And he pretended like I wasn’t crazy annoying, so all good. 🙂

Once the sun was up we started hiking. Turns out hiking in the mountains for 8 hours after living in totally flat Florida for 8 years was a wee bit tiring.  But totally worth walking being a chore for like 3 days.

I had forgot how much I loved wandering about in the mountains, sloshing up streams and generally spending entire days just exploring outside. The entire day we saw one couple after we had turned back to the car, no one else was on the trail at all. Perfection.

What was missing?  Well, I had kind of expected more color.  There was lots of yellow and gold, but very little reds except for one tiny little tree. The best place of all was about 500 feet of the trail where the leaves on the ground looked like rose petals (in spite of no red in the trees above) which seemed like at any moment a fairy could fly by and you wouldn’t even be surprised.

Now I am not and was not complaining about the lack of red color in the trees, because truly the place was beautiful.  But wait until you see what we found on the drive out.

Classic fall. Can’t wait to show you.

We interrupt or regularly scheduled  North Carolina trip post for a quick reminder that I am in Florida after all…

One of the reasons paddleboarding never gets old is because it can be the most calm, peaceful activity you can imagine or it can be a crazy good workout or adventure.  It just depends on you, your location, and the weather.  Mostly the weather.

Your body acts like a sail, and when the wind is particularly high it can become impossible to paddle against it without kneeling or sitting down to catch less wind. It can be exhausting and dangerous if you don’t know your limits. So, tip of the day is always paddle out against the wind so when you are getting tired the wind can help you back.  There was one time when just as I turned around the wind changed direction and I think by the time I got back home I slept the rest of the day, but it usually works.

Last weekend we headed out to Fred Howard park, and though the wind was moving along pretty good we hadn’t been out on the boards for 2 weeks so decided to give it a go anyways. After all, who could resist heading out into a morning like this?

Needless to say getting to the other side of the little bay area we were in took about 3 times longer than usual.  Heaven forbid you decide to stop to rest, you would end up moving backwards.  Which is actually kind of fun because the fin on the board makes it turn around for you. But still. Tiring, remember?

Heading into the sun is beautiful, but you can’t see a thing in the water because of the reflections.  Heading away from the sun the water is so clear you can see straight to the bottom.

Here’s the cool part.  Once we decided to head back we just stood on the boards and on occasion made a slight course adjustment to come in where we needed to.  Check out how fast we were going – no paddling needed.  Keep in mind I was standing on the moving board when you judge my mad videoing skills.

I kind of had a squirrel moment with some birds, but the point is the board was going that fast all by itself.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwuMelMfSnU] This is what Tampa residents come home from vacation to. Groovy, right?

Right near the border of northern Georgia we happened upon a place that I swear if there are magic places this was one of them.

It was a little shop full of paintings and statues and all kinds of art that the man in the store (definitely a second generation hippy) and his father had created.  Everything from maybe 8 inch paintings to a huge metal elephant, all hung from the wall, the ceiling, leaned haphazardly against each other and generally looking like an old second hand store with really cool art instead of junk.

I thought it was called 3 Legged Art but now looking at the picture there is no D so call it what you like.

There was an attached building next store that was full of furniture.  Maybe one of a kind metal table and chair sets, maybe manufactured somewhere and brought in, I don’t know.  They also had huge wooden tables and chairs, each carved from one huge piece of wood. I didn’t take any pictures inside because it seemed disrespectful, almost like stealing but if you ever pass by that way you have got to stop and wander about a bit.

Way out front in a gated area they had all kinds of metal statues imported from Mexico, everything from little dogs to jack-o-lanterns to a big purple dragon.  There was even a metal mattress frame hanging from the ceiling that had been made ornamental with the help of wine bottles and such.

I would just LOVE to get that dragon, put him in my front yard and listen to my home owners association (aka the bane of my existence) bitch about it.  I’d have to win the lottery though so that they could fine me or whatever they would do.

I really wish I would have asked the guy if I could take a video walking through the shops because he was super mellow and groovy and probably would have said yes.  It wouldn’t have done the place justice but I’d love to share a little of the feeling of the place.

I mentioned yesterday that I am going to be writing all week about my trip to North Carolina last week.  Ya, it was just a weekend trip but lots happened.

As seems to be our way (in spite of not being at ALL morning people) we were up and out before it was officially morning.  Of course the mandatory stop was made for coffee, then we hit the road.  Which happened to be a dark road at that hour so we didn’t see much.

Anyways, about the time we hit Georgia it started to be light enough to read the billboards.  Holy crap, Georgia has a lot of billboards.  Just saying.  And apparently, though there are pictures of peaches everywhere they have NO PEACHES. I don’t care what time of year it is, the one time I’ve ever been in Georgia shouldn’t they have been selling peaches by the roadside?  It could have been canned peaches, I would have been ok with that if they also had can openers. But no.  Then, the welcome center that they had been advertising for about a million miles that I was so looking forward to being welcomed at was closed.  Really?  That’s not very southern hospitable is it?

Sorry, squirrel moment.  Back to the billboards.  Many of them were advertising wineries.  I love wineries!  Too bad it was 9am.  The frog winery (that’s not the exact name, but there was something about a frog in it) didn’t open ’till like 11.  Dang! We saw another billboard for Horse Creek Bistro and Winery and decided to stop whether they were open or not. After all, doesn’t bistro mean food?  And it was breakfast time.

Sadly, it was also closed.  How could it be so hard to find an open winery at 9am? Didn’t anyone care we were on vacation?  Actually, someone did.  A gentleman pulled into the parking lot and invited us in, although they were not officially open for a while.  Since they weren’t open there was no food, but you know what he did offer us?  A wine tasting. Score!  And one of the wines, Traveler, was peach flavored!  Not cloying juicy peach, just a hint and it was wonderful. That man single handedly saved our drive through Georgia.

So, if you happen to be driving up the I75 past exit 41 be certain to stop in and try a sampling.  It was only $5 for 5 samples and a very nice, thick wine glass.  I’ll still break it but it may last a couple of months. Try Traveler and Jockey, they were both wonderful.

We did finally stop and eat actual food in Georgia, at some Mexican food restaurant.  I don’t believe I will ever eat Mexican food in Georgia again.  They didn’t even have peach salsa, which I was just certain they would.  So sad.

I’ve only lived in 3 states. Arizona, California and Florida. Know what these states have in common? They’re mostly hot and they have no seasons.  I have never seen fall, until last week.  I’ve never seen snow except in patches either, but that will have to be remedied another time.

Last weekend we drove up to Asheville, North Carolina to finally see fall.

We had way more adventures than would logically fit in a weekend, and I decided that I’m going to spend the week writing about the various things we did while up there. I also decided to try Blogher’s NaBloPoMo again, which is a challenge to write a blog post a day everyday in November so I’ll be sharing something about the trip everyday this week.  Spoiler alert, I’ve never finished a single challenge I’ve ever decided to try, but there’s always a first time, right? And I have a ton to say at the moment. Here’s a preview of what I’ll be writing about this week.

Wish me luck on my latest writing challenge!

PS: I wrote this tomorrow, because I didn’t actually join NaBloPoMo until the 2nd.  In my defense, I hadn’t checked my emails.

Last weekend we decided to try out a new spot to paddleboard.  You can go to the same place every time and see something new, but it’s still fun to try somewhere different.

Saturday morning was pretty windy, which is not a great thing for SUP. Your body acts a a sail so you can go really fast with the wind which is fun, but you do have to change directions eventually.  It turned out Pop Stansell is perfect for windy days. We set off from the ‘boat dock’ (is it called a dock if it’s just a muddy place to drop off your boat?) Immediately to the right there is a large area to paddle between mangroves and homes.

It looked like if you headed straight out you’d be on the bay but that I’ll have to explore another day.The downside of this area was it was just sort of dirty.  You have to walk through that icky, sticky,slick mud that is in some places in the bay to get to the water. The water was brownish and because it was the way for boats in the neighborhood to get to the bay it just didn’t have the same clean feel as the water further out.  That seems to be typical of neighborhood waterways though.

The water was only about a foot deep all through the area, which is actually pretty cool unless you fall in (I didn’t, yay!). It’s pretty cool because there are huge fish jumping everywhere and a ton of different birds.

I didn’t actually check out the park itself, but this place is going on my short list of places to paddle when the wind is up too much to paddle on the bay.

All in all it’s a great place to go to see all kinds of interesting things, as long as you don’t mind a wee bit of muck on the way in and the occasional boat passing.

If you are in Florida have you been to this park before?  Where are some other little out of the way places I should check out?

You KNOW I love some zombies and mayhem.  So deciding to attend Busch Garden’s Howl-O-Scream Unearthed was a no brainer. Not like a zombies aren’t interested no brainer, which was kind of too bad, because there were a lot of zombies to watch out for!

This year Howl-O-Scream included 7 haunted houses and a show.  We made it to 6 of the houses. I missed DeadFALL which I am pretty bummed about because that one was set in a Victorian garden and greenhouse, and you know I love gardening.

I have to say, I was only disappointed by one house, and that’s because it had the longest line and because I suck at video games. I think everyone else really liked this one. Zombie Containment Unit 15: Moving Targets is pretty much a real-life video game. While you’re waiting you hear a broadcast – one of the zombie containment units has been breached.  They are escaping and citizens are needed to help stop them! You get a super cool laser gun and are set loose on the containment unit of zombies. Hey, this is a job for me! Except that just like every other video game I was never quite sure what I hit or didn’t hit or what I was even trying to do.  Not an issue with the place, it’s that thing where I can’t play video games and then I give up.  So sad really. Know what’s not so sad? This mad cool zombie DJ on the way in.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnWr2pNZzo0?rel=0]

All that about my least favorite.  Needless to say we had fun.  So what was the very best haunted house?  Everyone we asked said it was Death Water Bayou, so we went there first. It was pretty epic. Voodoo queens, Deliverance types, it was a great start to the night.

But it wasn’t my favorite.  I loved the BASEMENT. It was a tour through the kitchen for Mama’s Meats. If I hadn’t been a vegetarian before I went in I’d still be one now.  Because that woman’s secret ingredient is Texas Chainsaw Massacre meets you.  Gross and scary and awesome all in one.

What’s up next? How about a Zombie Mortuary? It seems zombies have taken over a small town mortuary and are working their way through the staff and mourners.  Sound old school? Holy crap, you try walking through a room of totally still dead people and trying to not touch anything because you know whatever you touch will actually be alive and get you. Ya, it’s like that.  I didn’t get any pictures ‘cuz zombies, but here’s Busch Garden’s video to haunt your sleep.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwF3cp4ygxc?rel=0]

Next house, Circus of Superstition: The Last Laugh. I own a black cat and I have no problem (much) walking under ladders, but that does not mean I think it’s a good idea to meet all superstitions in one house.  In 3D no less. Got a problem with leaving a hat on a bed? How about a cracked mirror? Hmmm, sucks to be you. Hope you don’t have a problem with clowns… ‘cuz clowns.

Oh, and then there is the reason that all of this occurred.  It seems that while doing renovations to the park an old house was dug up. In the house? A demon of course. Stupid renovations.  Just saying.

Oh, and here’s some tips for when you go.

1. Bring a change of clothes if you really want to be dry. You are in Florida, it’s going to rain and lightening.  And when it does Busch Gardens is going to close the rides because of that crazy thing where they don’t want you to die. Even if you’ve been in line for a while be nice.
2. Talk to the people around you. We didn’t get to go on any roller coasters because lightening, but I met some great people and heard some great stories.  Sometimes a win isn’t the one you were going for. Plus, the houses are still open.
3. Want a great picture? Don’t hesitate to rest those elbows on a trash can or whatever is around.  It makes for a much clearer picture on your cell phone than if you just hold your phone up.
4. Drink.  Ya sure, they have not just beer but also mixed drinks. And I had some. But I’m talking about Power Aid or water.  And don’t wait until you’re thirsty and cranky.
5. Start with the house or event you most want to see – you may not have time to see everything.
6. Most important – wear comfortable shoes!  We were on our feet from 4:30 to 1:30 am and by the time we left the car seat was the most comfortable chair I had ever, ever sat in. Ever.  Trust me on this one.

I received 2 tickets to #Unearthed run as a member of Tampa Bay Bloggers and their partnership with Busch Gardens in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own, of course.

The 5K Color Blast is coming to Tampa (actually Lake Park in Lutz, but whatever) November 11th! If that date sounds familiar it’s because it’s the same day and location as The 5K Zombie run. Coincidence?  I think not.  It’s because Monster Runs LLC is putting on both runs / parties. They’ll also be in Sarasota October 25th, the day after The 5K Zombie run there.

Know whats cool?  If you sign up for both The 5K Color Blast and The 5K Zombie Run at the same time you get an extra ‘combo’ medal. So if you run for the bling you are in luck!  Check it out. You know you love your running bling.

What else is cool?  This is a color run / trail run hybrid.  You’re fine with a jogging or large wheeled stroller if you’re running with young-uns, it won’t be mountain hiking or anything, but it does add a fun change from your average run.

I went to Monster Runs LLC’s color run last year with my usual running partners, we had way too much fun. They may not make it this year though, they are busy preparing for a little sister they are expecting soon after.

In case all of that cool isn’t enough (you are being SO difficult!) I have a pair of tickets to give away.  The winner will be contacted next Tuesday, you’ll just need to register by October 1st.

Here! Enter here!

Can’t decide if you want to go?  Watch this and then sign up, don’t forget to use code ZEN5 to get $5 off your entry. You’re welcome.