I took MBW and the HA for an excursion yesterday. We needed to shake the rust off and see new horizons. So, skirting south of Mt. Hood, then along its eastern flanks for a while, until we cut due east through a national forest, winding along a narrow road, then north to the Columbia River at The Dalles.
When you have more than one thing to write about but little to link the subjects, start with a bombastic title.
Don’t leave the best for last. Or do. I don’t know, it’s confusing.
How about this? Boss: Falchion’s Company Book One is now an audio book. That’s pretty good new, I think.
Last year’s beer jamboree was the festival of guava and mango. That wave has receded. The new hotness (to employ an antiquated Smith-ism and indicate how old and out of touch I am) is sours. This year was heavy on sours, goses, and beers featuring citrus notes.
The Alamo, as if you needed me to tell you that.
The web log is travelling. The HA is anxious to get to Six Flags. Who has time to write? So instead of my usual maunderings, here are some photos of San Antonio, Texas.
Lion Tamers
Butterfly day at the zoo, much to the delight of the HA.
Everything is bigger in Texas. Get a load of those pigeons.
The River Walk.
The Sniper Tree
Tower of the Americas.
Birthday taster at Blue Star Brewing.
Your safety is our number one priority.
A cool fall day in a college town on a football Saturday is classic Americana. I traveled to Eugene and back this weekend for precisely that.
Last full weekend of July. And that means: The Oregon Brewers Festival. The family and I made the trek to the Portland waterfront. The HA frolicked in the fountain while wandered a few blocks away for a bit of frolicking of my own. The Festival has made a couple of changes that I did not care for. The organizers ditched the program booklet, substituting a single sheet. And they stopped providing a pen along with the tasting package. So I was forced to type in my notes on my phone with increasingly fumbly fingers. My notes follow a bit farther down.
MBW, the HA, and I returned from Mexico Friday night. Saturday we loaded up the car and drove south to Springfield, Oregon. At least the cat had one night to reunite with MBW before we abandoned her again.
Today is the is the wedding of one of my cousins. Other than the 90+ degree heat, it’s a fine day for it.
We reached Springfield around 1PM Saturday. We hit Plank Town Brewing for lunch. I like the space; open, brick and timber. The food was decent. The flights disappointed me: instead of picking from the available beers, there were three pre-selected options. I don’t object to an IPA only flight, but I’d prefer to able to sample a greater range of the offerings. The New England style IPA exceeded expectations, the other three…did not.
We still had time before we could check-in to our hotel. So we visited the Springfield museum. Springfield is, of course, the actual inspiration for the hometown of The Simpsons. I don’t care what else you may have heard, it just is. Springfield is located next to Eugene. Eugene is the college town, Springfield the blue collar town. An admirable pairing, if you ask me.
The wedding was a sprawling, family affair, the family now that much larger. Perfection would have required about a ten degree decrease in temperature. But why quibble. We had to leave relatively early during the post-ceremony festivities to make it home at a reasonable hour. Congrats to the newlyweds.
I hope that ends my travels for the near future. As much as I generally enjoy travelling, I need a break. Back to the office tomorrow.
MBW is on a business trip to Monterrey. Monterrey is a vast, sprawling metropolis in Northeastern Mexico. It’s grown even larger since my last visit, not long ago. MBW brought me along with her to entertain the HA. The Airbnb we rented boasts an impressive view (when smog and clouds allow), a gym, cafeteria, and — most importantly — a swimming pool. The HA and I have spent numerous hours in the pool and we’re only at the halfway mark of the trip. I expect many more.
I have a few bits of information I’d truly like to share. But until the details firm up a bit more I’m not going to. Instead, I’m going to write about beer. Deal with it.
This year is the 30th anniversary of the Oregon Brewers Festival. Not necessarily an interesting number, but it is for me considering I’ve been to almost all of them. Twenty plus years of beer lines, heat, random yelling, and crowds. It’s better than I make it sound. I’ve tried some fantastic beer over the years.
This year I took the day off and brought the HA with me. MBW was across the country at a conference. So, daddy and daughter beer day. Bula! We arrived as the festival opened. A stroller provided her shade and a platform for the portable DVD player. She was set. I had a festival mug and tokens. I was set.