Look at me, slacking again. But I've really been busy and not home too much lately, so now I've finally got some free time to update this. This is gonna be a lonnng entry.

Thursday 9/2 and Friday 9/3 I went on a spur-of-the-moment trip to Niagara Falls, Ontario with my Dad, his girlfriend and her kids. It was my first time seeing the Falls and they were sooo gorgeous. I had a good time.

09/02/2010

This is by far the best picture I got of Horseshoe Falls lit up. It was the first night we were down there and at night they are beyond beautiful. I loved it.

09/03/2010

I think this is another really cool picture of Horseshoe Falls. The next morning, my Dad and I walked along the entire length of both the Horseshoe and American Falls. This picture was taken while I was standing on an overlook right on top of Horseshoe Falls. The water was moving so fast it made me feel dizzy!

The Maid of the Mist, in the mist! That boat ride (which I later went on after taking this picture) was by far one of the coolest things I've done. We got soaked, but it was so worth it. I like this picture because you see the boat entering the crazy amounts of mist coming off the Falls.

Friday night after we drove home, I went to a free local Zoso concert. Zoso is a Led Zeppelin cover band (my favorite band of all time) that does by far the BEST job of impersonating the real thing - they are known as the "ultimate Led Zeppelin experience." They all embody each member of the band so well and do a great job playing the music. That night was the third time I've seen them, and because it was a free show at a small venue (so good seats no matter what), I rushed out to see it although I was exhausted because they are so good that you usually have to pay for tickets. They did a great job as usual, playing a lot of songs off of the "Houses of the Holy" album.

09/04/2010

Since last summer, I have volunteered a bit of my time every couple of weeks at a place called the Mustill Store. It is run by the Cascade Locks Park Association and situated along the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath trail. I work as a store greeter for towpath bikers and hikers in this little renovated canal-era provisions store. It's really a fun gig and I've learned so much about Akron and canal history. I meet really interesting people, too. Saturday was my last day volunteering there (for awhile at least) since I'll be moving to Columbus pretty soon here.

Later that day, I went on two hikes with my Mom, both at a park called Silver Creek, part of the Summit County Metro Parks. Those two hikes were both of our first hikes for the annual Fall Hiking Spree I've done since I was a kid. Visit the link I posted, it will give all the details about the spree. It's a really fun and worthwhile way to get out and enjoy the beautiful fall weather and our local parks!

This picture that I took on our second hike showcases a really cool contrast of color in some fall flowers alongside a small pond. I thought it was pretty.

09/05/2010

I took this picture today during a hike my Dad and I went on at Cascade Valley park, another of the Metro Parks and my third Hiking Spree hike (I only need 8 to finish!). The trail we hiked has some beautiful views of the Cuyahoga River and I liked this picture because you can see the river and some cool rocks, and my Dad looking thoughtfully out into the water. :)

Okay, last picture for this entry. Tonight I made (for the second time) an AMAZING Roasted Tomato Basil soup, using all of my plum tomatoes (3 pounds) and basil leaves (3 cups) from my little garden. It was sooo good...the only problem was that I added a bit too many red pepper flakes when I was sauteeing the garlic and onion and although the flavor is great, there is quite a bit of spiciness that sneaks up on you when you eat the soup. Ah well, I love spicy foods so I don't mind too much.

This recipe is by far one of the best - I don't even like tomato soup or tomatoes and for whatever reason, I can't get enough of this soup. A great way to use up all the produce from overactive tomato plants as well: you can freeze the soup and have a great taste of summer in the middle of winter.