On Saturday, I went with my friend Shelley to try out this meetup group in the city. This group was going to do a photography walk through Central Park to capture the fall foliage. I’ve never done a meetup before, so I figured, why not.
The walk started at the Grand Army Plaza on the Southeast corner of the park (59th & 5th). It was a large group of people, some knew each other from previous meetings, and others, like us, were new. But it seemed everyone kind of kept to themselves for the most part. While it was nice to have a guided walk through the park, there is a reason why I don’t like group photography tours. Too many people going for the same shot. My back was bothering me so, I definitely didn’t see the need to join everyone in jockeying for the shot. Didn’t matter anyway, the park was so crowded, and the weather was really overcast and the colors from the trees were incredibly dull. I felt like I could do better back at home with a romp around Rockefeller.
So, the next day I went for a run. Sunday is my run day. Regardless of whether or not I ran at all during the week, I always try to get at least 6 miles in on Sunday. I have my usual loop through the Rockefeller Preserve which presents the many faces of what you find in that area. From the busier wider lanes to the farm area, the lake, and the more remote. Too bad I can’t run with my good camera.
With the fall foliage in full bloom, and the remnants of the damage done by the monster storm in full display, the colors were still muted, but at least the experience was much more enjoyable. When it’s just you, the dog and the occasional cow, not only are you visually enjoying the beautiful fall day, but physically basking in the quiet calmness also. And that is one of the reasons I do enjoy living here in the ‘burbs.
After a good run, I decided I was in the mood for a brownie. But I don’t think a regular brownie was a good idea.
I can’t tell if the 10 pounds I gained over the summer were from muscle gain from crossfit and marathon training or weight gain from eating like I had the metabolism of a woman 10 years younger than me. It is probably a combination of both, but still, I had to start making some changes if I was going to indulge.
Black bean brownies have popped up recently, and I’ve always meant to try it. After an exhaustive search, I finally found a recipe I could live with. It was for a black bean brownie, which happens to be gluten free (which continues my gluten free brownie experimentation) without any weird ingredients that cannot normally be found in a regular pantry and can be vegan, depending on the type of chocolate chips and sweetener you use.
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