A look back...

2008 was a year of many changes for me including meeting a new group of friends and creating this blog which I am truly enjoying. Here are some of my favorite memories from the year I wanted to share.

In March I went to some Treehouses in southern Oregon for my friend Deanna's birthday. I hardly knew her then but decided it could be fun. Now I am good friends with her and many others from that weekend. I was also proud of myself for going on the wobbly bridges between the treehouses since I am afraid of heights.

I have started a tradition of visiting a friend in San Francisco every spring. This year I took the Amtrak down since I didn’t want to drive myself and I don’t fly. We ate some great food, had a little vegan ice cream cake every day, walked down to the beach and went paddle boating in Golden Gate Park. We saw lots of turtles, ducks and even baby Grebes!

The weekend of 4th of July I went camping with some friends. As we were on a walk, I started to feel the heat and decided to turn back. On my way to the river to cool down, I spotted an adorable little spider who I nicknamed Spike. I have never found a spider to have so much personality and cuteness before. I talk of him often.

Later that month I went camping with the girl I mentor to Clear Lake. The beauty of this lake is worth mentioning a second time and I definitely want to go back! The morning that we left, we made record time packing up and leaving. The moment we got out of the tent, mosquitoes started their attack so we ran. So bring very good bug repellant when you visit this place.

I visited Lighthouse Farm Sanctuary for the first time this fall. The people who run this place or so kind and the animals seem so happy. There was a donkey who stole my heart cause he was so sweet and got jealous when I tried to say hello to others. The goats were friendly and were very photogenic. Of course the pigmy goats didn't want to have anything to do with us which was a crime since they were so cute. It was great meeting all the critters and I look forward to going to another volunteer work party.

In the fall I was on a bike ride with some friends and suggested we stop by the Rhododendron Gardens which is my favorite place in Portland. I go there all the time and take pictures, visit with the water birds, rats and squirrels. Sometimes you can even get a glimpse at a blue heron, but they tend to be very shy.

This visit I saw a blue billed duck which I remembered to be a Ruddy Duck. I had seen them in pictures but never in person. I was so excited I could hardly contain myself! I didn’t have my camera with me so I made a special trip back the next day and got some pics.

I want to pick a favorite recipe for the year to feature but this is such a hard thing to do. I love so many of my recipes and have so many more to share. I did decide on my Vegan Joys though. They are unique and tasty and you can play with the recipe to make them your own. You can add nuts of any type, use sweet potato instead of regular mashed potato for a different look, or whatever else you can think of. You could also make this in a square dish instead of making balls and just cover the coconut mixture with the melted chocolate and refrigerate.

Thanks for all the people who have visited my blog this year! Next year I have in the works Buffalo Tofu Sticks, Lime Melt-Aways, Pecan Squares, Twix Cut-outs, Creamy Red Pepper Sauce, Pizza Rolls and so much more!