vacation, staycation

First meal on the new barbecue grill! Homemade veggie burgers and roasted pineapple.

The garden is growing!

I'm on day four of my ten-day break from teaching and classes, and it's been great! I feel human again. Last week I seriously spent 12-17 hours a day at school! It got a little insane at the end of the quarter. Also, being on quarters, rather than semesters, for those who don't know, it's absolutely nuts. As of last week, I had been in school since January 3rd with only spring break and two one-day holidays off. I do realize that people who work normal, full-time jobs often go that long without taking time off. And sometimes those jobs demand a LOT outside of the normal 40 hours a week as well. But most weeks I was at school 6-7 days in a row, because I had so much stuff to do outside of normal hours. That might be normal for grad school, but I just couldn't keep it up anymore. It feels amazing to be done for a bit and to have a lighter load this summer.

And it wouldn't feel like a summer break without some delicious food. Let me tell you about my absolute favorite food offerings in Columbus.

Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream - It really is splendid, to be sure. The Riesling Poached Pear Sorbet is my favorite frozen dessert...ever. All of their ice creams are made right here in Columbus, with locally sourced ingredients when possible.

Hal and Al's - The only vegan bar in Columbus. Everything on the menu is amazing. The bartenders just might know Corey and me by name... They sell Columbus's famous local veggie burger, the Luna burger, cooked to perfection on a locally made pretzel bun. We've tried almost everything on the menu and have yet to find something that wasn't outstanding.

Clintonville Farmers' Market - Although hard to replace the spot in my heart reserved only for the Conway Farmers' Market, this weekly outing always provides whatever is lacking in my own garden. With everything from fruit, veggies, mushrooms, cheeses, pastries, honey, plants, flowers, and the list goes on...I could probably spend most of my paycheck here if I weren't careful!