Scenes from a life

Poor Gemüsings has been much neglected this past year. That was certainly not my intention as I absolutely love writing about all things vegan. The past year has been so intense personally for me and continues to be. As I struggle to get my footing when the waters are churning, it’s easy to focus on what is going wrong not what is going right. However, with my camera by my side, I’ve caught some moments that give me reason to remember that life IS good and things are getting better.

In the past year I have had the pleasure of growing a friendship with the amazing Q. We met at a vegan potluck last November (both wearing pink and dishing up our own takes on vegan cranberry sauce) and are currently celebrating our one year “friendiversary”..he he. Long walks and tea with this woman have helped me through the toughest of times. In September, a group of vegan friends had the pleasure of celebrating Q’s 30th birthday and a fun time was had by all:

Celebrating Q's 30th bday..TL and me

Q and the other A

The amazing P smiles for the camera

Also in September, I decided to take a road trip to clear my head. I had said for several years that I’d go to Bleu Lavande in Québec to see the lavender bloom. It was a little out of season but since I was en route to Montreal I decided to detour and stop. Q joined me for the adventure and using her GPS we back roaded over the Canadian-US border to an itty bitty border crossing that was unbelievably quaint.

Lavender!

Everyone on the tour appeared to be from the area..except for me and Q. Q’s fabulous French was an excellent help when my college French failed me in understanding what was going on!

Guided tour @ Bleu Lavande in Québec

I can only imagine how beautiful this place must be when the lavender is in full bloom in July and August.

Mid September is past flowering season but still smells great

Our tour guide forgot who the two American girls were and couldn't pick us out of the crowd!

Q with her new camera..lavender paparazzi!

Tofurkey Sandwiches

During the movie and tour the sky was gray..but when we whipped out our cameras suddenly the clouds cleared and we were drenched in gorgeous sunshine.

Yes, those colors are real!

The store sells various lavender products. Pour moi: lavender dark chocolate (vegan–we checked!), food grade lavender (for lavender lemon cookies), and lavender tea.

A little shopping pour moi et Q..of course!

After Bleu Lavande, we headed west to Montreal to visit my dear college friends C and O plus their two kiddies B and E. It was a good break for C who is finishing up her PhD at McGill. Of course a stop at a local bagel shop was a must.

Bagelness in Montreal

I hadn’t seen the kiddies, B and E, in three years and I was delighted to see what wonderful little people they have evolved into. E is very interested in veganism and Q and I were more than happy to answer any questions that she had. C reminded me that I had predicted when E was an infant that she’d be vegetarian..I had completely forgotten and it now seems that I’m a bit of a soothsayer! hehe! A Veganomicon lasagna was a big hit at the family dinner even with O who is 100% French and very skeptical of vegan food.

Q and our favorite little vegan E

Also spent a lot of time at Pulse Cafe near my home this summer, always seeing friends there. If you find yourself in Boston please check it out!

Good times at the all-vegan Pulse Cafe in Davis Square

Finally, yet another new vegan friend appears on the horizon and I join him on his quest to visit all the state parks in Massachusetts (300+). Here are some shots from Belle Isle Marsh where we watched the planes land and some rainy drizzle. Best third date ever!

T's latest conquest in his state park goal

Another view

More to come soon…!

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