The Fantastical AFA Gallery

In Las Vegas I stumbled upon a gallery that was filled with amazing sculptures and limited prints, doodles and artwork from a variety of modern artists. Many of whom are a part of the Low-Brow Pop Surrealism movement. An aesthetic I have grown to love over the last few years. I'm not one for spending money on well-known artists as they've already made it and I try to support the little guy or girl but wandering through here was wonderful. There is what I consider an odd amount of surreal art in Las Vegas. Though as I've reflected on this last visit it has occurred to me that places don't get too much more surreal than Las Vegas. Have a look at the AFA Gallery website for a lot of information and you can buy things as well. I do so love those animal sculptures by Dr. Suess. I could especially imagine a cat perching atop the bird as if it was some sort of prize.

The lovely world of Daniel Merriam

Beloved Maurice Sendak

Bellagio Gardens

I have been to Las Vegas 6 times now. Probably that's enough. But who knows, there always seems to be reasons to go there. The last few times the Bellagio has had a completely great garden display. This year's of Under the Sea was especially cute. I walked through it everyday for a week. Because my hair is blue right now little girls tend to ask me if I am a mermaid. The first time it happen it was so adorable that I rather decided to never have normal hair color  again.

Did I do ANYTHING this summer?

Now that it's September I found myself wondering this morning if I had managed to accomplish anything this summer and really started to think that I had not. Which actually is a bit insane. I think I feel this way because it's been a mix of great things and trepidation this summer. With putting out my second book, Armand El Dorado to losing both of my pets this year. To traveling to coming home to house disasters. As fall is rolling around, I thought I had better look through my pictures for any more evidence of accomplishing anything. Then! OH YEAH! I went hiking in the Grand Canyon. Which has been on my bucket list for about a BILLION YEARS. OK! So, I'll take that little victory though I have not managed to clean my house worth a damn in two months(Look-it's a thing). 

I ventured to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The less visited side but no less magnificent. Woods and animals were everywhere. The temperature never got above 70 degrees and the landscape was just as beautiful as you could imagine. Some of the hiking was easy, some of it was hard, all of it was amazing. The National Parks are set-up so everyone, no matter what ability level can see at least some of the sights and I think that is wonderful. Visit the website for a TON of useful information. Tips on trails and food and clothing, etc...I took a LOT of pictures. Here's some of them from my weekend.

What to Eat Wednesday but on Thursday, Las Vegas

The first time I went to Las Vegas about 18 years ago, it was a very different place. That said I was also different in many regards myself. Las Vegas back then was a faded, tired destination. It did not lack for visitors but I am relatively sure it was not the most visited tourist destination on the planet as it is now. It did seem to cater to every desire and every taste and perhaps that was true but when I returned when I was older I quickly learned that being vegetarian and especially vegan was no easy task. Not when signs advertised $3.99 steak and eggs as if one good vice deserved another. I mean, you could survive on vodka drinks I suppose but at some point carrying that alcoholic laden head on an empty stomach in that tremendous heat is dubious at best. These days food is not sold based on price. Now it is sold based on being luxurious and even an art form in many places. Simply put: Unless you only eat fast food, eating in Vegas is not cheap. Fair enough. I don't gamble anyway so my money has to go somewhere I suppose. I do tend to judge the success of a trip on how well I can eat. Las Vegas is becoming a lot easier to be vegan as even the nicest hotels offer 5-star vegan dining. Be that as it may, eating in an expensive manner is not always necessary. Here are a few places around the strip where vegan food was not exactly abundant but certainly available. Some of it was even delicious. 

First stop is where I stayed, Vdara. This was a bit of mixed bag. I really liked that the hotel was gambling free and smoke free. We did have problems with our room and have to move. And then had problems with that room. BUT the little Market cafe downstairs offered a vegan breakfast option as well as several vegan lunch choices. Most importantly, they had veggie burgers and fries available for room service at all hours of the night. They were good too! 

The tofu scramble was a bit bland but hey! I could get tofu in Las Vegas!

Next up and probably more exciting for me was to actually find a vegan cupcake in Las Vegas at Sprinkles. Seriously. And it was red velvet which is a rarity in the vegan baking world.

I spent an afternoon wandering The Venetian Hotel with my friend. Including going on the goofy gondola ride. We stopped for lunch at The Grand Lux Cafe. They had a lot of vegetarian choices but only a couple of vegan choices. Luckily it included french fries. I mean, I was on vacation after all.

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There were two pizza places with vegan options. The first we went to was 800 Degrees near the Monte Carlo hotel. They did not have a vegan menu or anything such as that but it was build your own. No vegan cheese options or protein that I could discern. I did enjoy my pizza though as they had capers. It may not seem like it but I am actually easy to please.

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The second pizza place we went to Slice of Vegas had an entire vegan menu. I loved the pesto and the veggie sausage pizza we had and I would recommend them over 800 Degrees. 

There was another vegan place we ate at off the strip that was tremendous but it deserves it's own little write up. I dunno. Food may be boring to some people but I take such great pleasure in it and rarely have to settle for ordinary. People over the years have given me helpful advice where to eat veg and I try to spread a little help as well. I mean, obviously if vegan is good enough for Beyonce it can be good enough for you. 

I did two other posts about vegan dining in Las Vegas recently:

China Poblano also near the amazing Chandelier Bar, I visited this bar three times and had amazing cocktails each time. 

And certainly do not miss The Wynn Hotel if you, like me adore dressing up and fairy tales. Well, the fun part of the fairy tale not the turmoil and trouble part that includes the treacherous tasks you must perform for the fancy finery.

Falconer Vineyards & Winery or Wine O'Clock, of course.

The state of Minnesota holds many surprises for me even after living here for 15+ years now. One of the most recent was my visit to Red Wing, Minnesota to stop in at a winery. Because as you know if you are trying to be a writer in your late 30's you must develop a successful drinking habit. That is just a fact. Especially since you need something to drown your sorrowful explanations to your snobby reader/writer friends (who only think writers such as Bukowski and David Foster Wallace are worth reading)as to why it is you love writing science-fiction. For young adults. Or forthcoming cat storybooks or that you really want to write a comic. They will most assuredly frown upon your choices and thus you will be able to bravely walk away without crying provided you know your friendly wine bottle awaits you at home. As such the choices one makes when choosing a wine are quite important. And as someone who ascribes to Dylan Moran's wine drinking school, I am quite educated in the drinkable factor of wine. 

The last winery visit took place at Falconer Vineyards in lovely, green and lush Red Wing. We didn't plan to go here as we were on our way back from other stops and decided that in order to maintain our good cheer and good health we had to have our daily allowance of fruit. Or whatever. 

This is a beautiful place with a small tasting room but huge grounds and a deck filled with seating. They also have a pizza oven and that seemed quite popular. They had a tasting sheet and flight but as is always the case, the hostess was quite generous and let us try everything we wanted in addition to the tasting. It always works on me. I am absolutely a sucker and generally leave with no less than half a case. And often with the pricey ports. I also watched an old guy mansplain some convoluted way of opening wine bottles to our young, pretty hostess. Do I have to say that he did it wrong and got cork in the bottle and demonstrated mostly idiocy to the experienced server? She was a champ. Smiled and thanked him, had a secret laugh to herself. We left her a big tip. 

My favorite from this visit was a white table wine made with Catawba grapes. Not one I had heard of before but enjoyed a great deal. I took home the last bottles they had for the season.

Reflections:

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Where They Grow Pizza Flowers

When I first heard about this farm pizza business my first thought was the last scene in Wall-e when the man tells the kids that they'll grow pizza flowers. This place doesn't exactly grow pizza flowers but it does grow flowers and lots of yummy veggies for your pizza. Red Barn Farm of Northfield opens it's gates to pizza fans a couple of times of month. I went yesterday and found it quite enjoyable. It's a bit of a drive from where I live but quite pretty and green. The pizza fans came out in droves and we had to wait a while for our order but they do warn you about that on the website. I would say bring a game, book and wine for a relaxed afternoon. My friends and I all just lazed about chatting and looking at flowers, butterflies and ponies. When we finally did get our pizza which has vegan friendly crust (the also offer a gluten free option and dessert pizza) it was filled with fresh, crunchy veggies and I found it quite enjoyable. I'd also never had zucchini on a pizza before. My favorite however was the Greek Style made vegan (no cheese). The crushed garlic on it was sumptuous. They don't have vegan protein options nor vegan cheese but that's fine with me. I'm perfectly happy to eat a bunch of veggies with sauce, olive oil and garlic. We managed to find a place to park our chairs and blankets at the top of a little hill under a tree. Despite there being a lot of people it didn't really feel crowded. There seems to be a few more of these little places around Minnesota and Wisconsin and I am tantalized into exploring more of them.

The Wondrous Wynn

On my recent trip to Las Vegas, I realized that my favorite of the hotels for style and atmosphere is the Wynn. We did not stay there even though my boyfriend offered for us to move down there during the week. For some strange reason I said no and I have no clue why. We ended up there three times throughout the week for dinner, breakfast, drinks and just wandering around. It's got that touch of whimsy that I adore in life. I suppose my favorite thing about Las Vegas really is exploring the decorating. As someone who throws big parties and frequently works on my own house, I like to see what you can do if you have unlimited means like decorators in Las Vegas seem to have. In addition to all the art and general prettiness the owner of the Wynn is now vegan. As such vegan dining is very good at Wynn. We went to the buffet a few times as well as eating at the gorgeous Wing Lei. The food was wonderful and light, the staff so kind. And the decorating...well, it was enough to make you swoon really. Even the buffet is cute and in the morning you can get fresh made tofu scramble with all the veggies.

What to Eat Wednesday: China Poblano

Going to Las Vegas in the past proved complicated for a vegan diet. This recent trip I took there was much easier. As I was looking for a place for lunch one day with a friend we stumbled upon China Poblano in the Cosmopolitan(yes, I witnessed the fire). At first I had a feeling of dread as I am tired of these random fusion places that never quite work out well. I thought it might turn out like this Onion article. But as we were seated and explained that it was both Chinese and Mexican "street food" which is a trendy way of saying small plates, I was relieved that I wouldn't have to eat a Teriyaki flavored taco. Because that just does not need to happen. 

The staff was helpful and offered up easy to modify suggestions for vegan food. Mostly as easy as leaving off cheese. I ended up here three times due to the convenience factor. Once it was very crowded and I will admit the people were more than a little...trying to be around. Even as far as boys catcalling girls as they walked by the tables. But that has nothing to do with the place it's self.

My one complaint I'd say is that a lot of the food is really salty. Which is good because of the need to replenish your salt in Las Vegas as you tend to sweat a lot more here but not great because you also don't go outside that much if you don't want to and well, then it's a bit much. 

The staff exhibited amazing patience dealing with the large parties coming in. Many of them drunk and rude. I have to say that because they deserve the praise. I realize this is Las Vegas but people don't have to be jerks. 

Anyway, I really enjoyed my 18 monk noodle dish with wheat noodles and enoki mushrooms as well as the lotus root chips with anise salt. There were other things shared around such as tacos and glass noodles, all of which was tasty. I suppose it's not a bad thing to have salty food when you're also drinking a lot. The Cosmopolitan seems to be one of the trendy, cool places to be right now as well as the Aria. I stayed at the Vdara so the access to this place was pretty easy for me as these are all connected. I would certainly say it's worth a visit as it's more reasonably priced as well and we never had to wait too long for a table at lunch. Just be polite to the staff. They've been dealing with idiots all day.

National Eagle Center

When I was growing up the idea of seeing a bald eagle seemed sort of large and monumental and not like it would ever happen. I grew up far from the seemingly mythical raptors and did not have the sort of parents who really encouraged learning about nature. My mother's idea of roughing it was having a cabin with only one bathroom. I sometimes wonder if it's because of this past that I don't think I like being outdoors. Yet every time I found myself outdoors, I seem to find a great deal of happiness. And trust me it's not easy for me to get it together out there. I sunburn easy. I have terrible allergies. I get bit by every tiny thing that can find it's way to my skin. Mosquito bites swell up on me really fast and itch like mad. I sweat, I ache and dehydrate quickly. But, I still try to get out there and be apart of it. Because when I do it makes me feel a sense of peace I don't find anywhere else. 

Living here in Minnesota I did not realize the first few years how incredibly rich and abundant wildlife is even in the city proper. Now I do and I am pleased to say I've seen many bald eagles as well as osprey, hawks, falcons and regularly visit herons that nest not very far from where my house is located.

But with many creatures, great and small comes many injuries and accidents that need tending. Luckily a few hours from where I am is the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota. A nice, little town on the river.

The center cares for injured birds and watches after the half dozen nesting eagles on the banks of the river. Many of whom I caught more than a short glimpse of when I was out there for my visit. It's a lovely day trip and you can certainly find other places to stop like Lark Toys or Lake Pepin for a picnic. We had some lunch right down by the banks of the river and watched the eagles flying all about as we ate.

You can read more about the Bald Eagle on National Geographic's website.

Geekery Abounds!

I just spent a week in Las Vegas and was very impressed by all the geek references I saw there. I have been there 5 times previous to this visit and never noticed so many before. Here are a few snapshots. More to COME! Hooray!

A Trip to ValleyFair!

I had only been to ValleyFair once before for the Halloween event. Which takes place at night, is great fun but most of the rides are not open. So some of my friends and I went to the park this weekend, this way I could try it out in the daytime. We did do the after 4 p.m. tickets which worked out quite well for us. The park is open to 11 p.m. in the summer on Saturday so it's more than enough time to hit all the rides. Some of the coasters are just nuts. Such as the Wild Thing and the wooden coaster, Renegade. Really it's a good deal of fun. You should check it out. Plus, there is fireworks. I can definitely feel the aftermath on my back as an old lady.....

Northern Spark 2015

This past weekend was the annual all night art festival Northern Spark. It's such a great thing to wander around the city looking at creations all night long and then watching sunrise from the bridge over the river. One of the best events the city hosts for sure.

Spying on the Foxes

I love Minneapolis this time of year. It's green and lush and full of wildlife. The best one I've seen so far is little foxes. Have a look.

Lark Toys

I am always looking for off the beaten path places to go. I came across this article:Buzzfeed, Toy Stores and was most intrigued. So on Memorial Day weekend we made our way out to Lark Toys and I was delighted to find a magical place in a beautiful landscape. Including a completely hand craved wooden carousel. I brought home a wooden unicorn for myself. Of course.

The drive out there is gorgeous.

The drive out there is gorgeous.

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It's a very unassuming place but inside.....

Summer in My City

Spring and early summer here in Minneapolis are pretty wonderful. Late summer is not too bad but the humidity starts to weigh me down after a while. Right now though there are critters and plants galore!! I love walking around my house and trying to spot who or what is growing and running around. I also love that so many of the neighbors really get into gardening. Probably because we are trapped indoors for so many months.

Here are some pics my boyfriend and I took on a recent walk. Go outside.

Sovereign Estate Wine

Another winery visit took place on Mother's Day. This one out in the beautiful city of Waconia, MN. which is lush and green. The winery is Sovereign Estate Wine and it was a bit different from the other places I have been at this point in my explorations. First, the tasting room was adorable and pink. Most of them are simple, rustic, decorated with barrels. It was on very lovely grounds with a little garden to walk through and overlooking Lake Waconia. There was also bistro food served and I had a warm baguette with dipping oil that was a perfect compliment to the wine. Plus it was a touch chilly so it was nice for that reason as well. I enjoyed most of the wines but my favorite was the Blue Loon which smells and tastes of roses and violets to me. I liked this wine so much I will probably go back out there just to buy more of it. Have a look!

Next Chapter Winery

Two weeks ago on continuing the tours of Minnesota Wine, I went out to Next Chapter Winery in New Prague, MN. It was a gloomy day so it was nice to sit inside and talk to the bartender about the winery. They run on solar power. One of the owners was a pilot from South Africa. The winery it's self used to be a coffee roaster. They also own a bookshop and the other owner has written three books. My favorite of the wines, The Velvet Vines, was the cranberry bubbly. They made it bubbly by mistake and liked it so much they kept it. Well, I brought some home and it is already gone. The winery has barrels you can drink out of and I suppose if you're daring you can mix the wines together(not for me). The MN Blushing Bride white also came home with me and my friends liked that one quite bit.

SPACE An Out-of-Gravity Experience

I always try to get to the special exhibits at the Science Museum of Minnesota. I really enjoy them a great deal. The most recent one: Space An Out-of-Gravity Experience  is one of my favorites. I have seen it twice and both times I really liked the interactive aspects of the exhibit. I went once during the week in the evening which is a great time to go and once on a Saturday which was of course, very busy. I would suggest not going on Fridays during the day unless you don't mind lots and lots of kids as that tends to be a big field trip day. I think this is a great exhibit and you should go see it. It includes scenes from the ISS which you should also follow on IG. There's also a faux Destiny Lab to try out and lots of ways to test you meddle with the experiments. I failed epically at managing the space station the first time I tried and watched a couple of young boys do really well at it. I guess I'll stick to the robot arm.

Luna Rossa Cave Tour & Wine Tasting

In my continuing efforts to drink all the wine in Minnesota, I went to a wine tasting that took place in caves in Stillwater, Minnesota. Stillwater is a great little town. It's like a town you see on t.v. with quaint shops, restaurants and beautiful views. There's things to do such as boat tours, antiquing and on this particular trip: a wine tasting in caves. The Luna Rossa Wine Bar is a very nice restaurant, wine bar and is attached to caves. Which used to be a brewery and then went through various stages of different use during Prohibition and beyond. I don't want to give too much away because the little tour is fun and you can drink wine along the way. Truth be told, I did not like the wine they served but to each their own. It was not made by them which makes it different from the other wine tastings I've attended but they did have an additional tasting after the tour in the wine shop with lots of different wines from around the world. It's worth a trip and if you like Italian food you can also have dinner (though I did not notice it to be vegan friendly). It's on the prettiest main street of Stillwater and there's other things to do as well if you plan.