AVL Beer Week

Asheville Beer Week began last Friday and so far we've been to 3 events.  That's right, three.  The first was a tap takeover of historical English ales at Zebulon Artisan Ales in Weaverville on Saturday. While there we ran into some folks from Sun n Fun, Sarasota, FL.  The beer was truly outstanding.  Sorry, no pics as I forgot my camera.  Yesterday we went to Sierra Nevada for Spring-toberfest with traditional oompah music, German food and a free mug with the first round of their great Oktoberfest beer.  And today we enjoyed Beer Flavors 101 with Cliff Mori at Barley's Tap Room.  What a treat!

Cliff did an excellent job as he is a very fine speaker:  knowledgeable, animated, enthusiastic and responsive to his audience.  We learned so much that it's hard to know where to begin.
   First off, I earned 2 tickets by volunteering for the Asheville Brewer's Alliance to work at a soccer game checking id's and pouring beer.  And it just happened to be pouring rain, very cold and windy.  It actually snowed in the higher elevations that night!
     He started with the basics:  beer is made from water, malted barley, yeast and hops.  Asheville is so popular with brewers because the water here is mostly free of minerals.  In fact, most local brewers use tap water from the City of Asheville.

Cliff went on to explain how flavors are influenced by malted barley.  He gave us some to sample along with beer to compare to.  Wow!  My taste buds did somersaults!  He also gave me a new way of tasting:  hold nose, take a sip, slosh around mouth, swallow, release nose and exhale.  It was called back something and the flavor explosion was amazing.

Hops are flowers that are grown once a year and are a vital ingredient.  The plants grow to 20' high and like the northern latitudes and dry climates best.  IPA's are usually "dry hopped" which adds flavor without adding bitterness.  And they are the most popular style of beer in the US right now.   We sampled a Highland Brewing IPA which was excellent!
   In 2015 there were 32 breweries in Western North Carolina and today there are 68.  Kendra Penland, the executive director of the AVL Brewers' Alliance will have more than a handful if this trend continues.  I regret that none of my pictures of her were good enough to post.  My compliments to her and Cliff for a great workshop and wonderful addition to Beer Week 2017!  Thank you!

The Spring Concerts

We went to Forest, VA on May 11 for a 5 day visit to attend the band concerts for grandsons Patrick and Houston.  In addition, we also celebrated Mother's Day with a very fine dinner, visited Thomas Jefferson's summer home in Poplar Forest, had lunch with Enka High School class mate Bobbie Lewis Gallo and played golf at Forest Golf Course.  Whew!  What a week!

Patrick has decided to end his band career at this time to devote himself to other pursuits (swimming, boy scouts and pre-college electives).

So this was his last hoorah.  Or is it?

On Friday we went to Poplar Forest to see Jefferson's "summer home".  Although it was a rainy day, we enjoyed the house very much.  It's an octagon designed by him, of course.  It was as fascinating as the man!

Our hosts during this time were daughter Barbara and her husband, Trey.  As always they were warmly welcoming, fine cooks and tolerant of our weirdnesses.  Is that a word?  Now it is!

On Mother's Day we attended church with the Crowder clan and were inspired by a fine message and songs, as usual.  Afterward there were photo ops with some of the mothers of the day with children.

We then went to Westminster Canterbury, aka "the home", where we were treated to a wonderful lunch by Linda and Houston Crowder.  Thank you so much!  It was outstanding!

On Monday we had lunch with Enka High classmate Bobbie Lewis Gallo and her hubby, Frank, at a favorite restaurant in Lynchburg, the Farm Basket.  The time flew by as we thoroughly enjoyed lively conversation and good food.  It was a gorgeous day!  Hope to see you again sooner rather than later!

On Tuesday we went to Houston's concert and it was truly outstanding.  The highlight was George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue with Jeanne Backofen Craig on the piano.  She is world class and happens to be a band mom, too.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a single good photo that evening.  But I did share the music on facebook.

We never go far without our trusty companion, Tinkerbell.  She thinks Forest is her second home as she gets to play with Oreo, Patrick's guinea pig, and many of her favorite peeps when she isn't sunning herself on the deck.  Life is good!  Oh yeah!

Christmas Surprise

Anyone who knows me well knows how much I love Bell's scotch.  It remains my most favorite of all whiskeys, hands down.  I was introduced to it by the late Ted Hall, a business associate and friend from the UK, during trips to Toronto.  Later I enjoyed it in London pubs whenever I traveled there.

The only time I find it now is when we travel to Michigan and I cross the border to buy some.  Last time, in the spring, I was detained for 45 minutes returning to the US, just so I could pay $12 duty on 5, 750 ml bottles.  It was well worth the wait and the hassle by border guards.

Yesterday we had lunch at a new British pub here, Pete's Pies, and the owner came by to introduce himself.  He's a Brit, with the accent and good pub food to prove it, and we were discussing British pubs in general, and beers and Scotch in particular.  When I mentioned Bell's his face lit up and he went on to tell me where and how it was made to make it so good.

During the conversation Lynn mentioned that the Bell's box was still under the bed in the trailer and there might be a bottle left in it.  "No, that couldn't be", I said .  A friend had brought me 2 fifths from Canada in early fall and they were long gone.  There was just no way I could keep a big bottle for that long.  But I wondered....

Upon returning home we went straight to the trailer and lo and behold!  There it was!  A huge bottle of nectar from the Gods!  I was so excited I nearly wet my britches!

When I brought it into the house, I poured a small amount in a snifter and just sniffed it for a long time.  Finally I took a wee sip, swirled it around with my tongue and finally let it slide down.  My oh my!  Surely one of the best sips of Scotch I've ever tasted!

So, it was as if Santa came early, the Gods smiled upon me, I outsmarted myself again, or any one of a number of explanations.  Whatever, it's an even Merrier Christmas to me!  Oh yeah!

Searching for Peace

Today I swore off political commentary for a while in order to search for some peace of mind.  So I hopped on the Burgman and headed for Davidson River only to get caught in another rain storm, my second in as many days.
   Last night at Isis Restaurant & Music Hall Lynn & I celebrated Myra Grant's birthday, enjoyed some excellent blue grass music and saw this splendid bottle of wine.  No, we didn't try it this time...but surely will have to in the future.  With a name like that, who could resist?

How did I wind up so lucky to be with 4 ladies and it wasn't even my birthday!  Yee ha!

Last week daughter Barbara and grandsons Houston and Patrick were here for an evening of pizza and looking at pictures of Barbara as a very young girl.  The reactions were priceless!  Love 'em!

Of course I had to stop at Looking Glass falls, which was crowded with swimmers on this day.

And finally at the Cradle of Forestry where we lived and worked for the past 3 years, a bunny munching out on sweet clover.  Oh yeah!  A brief search for peace and I found it, for a while.

We do, indeed, find what we seek...with our hearts.

Isis Restaurant & Music Hall

We went here Saturday night to see two of the best musicians on the planet, David Holt and Josh Goforth.  David toured with Doc Watson for 14 years and was greatly influenced by the master.  Josh is a very fine, young whipper snapper who thoroughly enjoys his music and many break into a dance at any moment.

                                                                 David Holt

                                                                 Josh Goforth

These guys play straight from the heart and have an obvious love for the music they make.  David knows the history of the songs and learned them from former masters.  He has pictures of the mentors to go with the stories.  You just can't find a better show for and $18 ticket!

Isis provides a great venue for performers and audience alike.  We were seated at a table near the front for dinner and remained there for the show.  The sound system is excellent, especially for an old fart like me with poor hearing.  So is the lighting and view of the stage.

                                              Seared grouper sandwich

                                                      Filet mignon with sweet potato hash

                                                       Crab cake with remoulade

The food was excellent!  Myra had the grouper, Lynn the filet and I, the crab cake.  We also shared some mussels to start and the coconut curry sauce with lemon grass was delicious!  Our only mild disappointment was the service.  We couldn't catch him after the meal for dessert, more drinks or our tab.

Overall it was a terrific evening with our friend, Myra Wiggins Grant and my loving wife, Lynn.  Oh yeah!

This first post to a new blog for me and Lynn is about a recent trip to celebrate my birthday.  It could be called "Flexibility", or "Adaptability" or "Go With the Flow" and any of those would fit well.

We planned to go to the coast to a camp ground called Cedar Point in Croatan National Forest. Reservations were made there and on the ferry for a day trip to Ocracoke, plus I had found a popular seafood restaurant offering an all-you-can-eat oyster roast.   I had stayed at Cedar Point several years ago, got caught in a tropical storm and had to evacuate suddenly.  So on Monday morning as we watched the news and saw a tropical was headed that way we changed our plans.  We went to Pipestem Resort State Park in West Virginia, another place I had stayed before and enjoyed greatly.

 On Tuesday we took the Burgman to an Indian village called Wolf Creek and had a very enjoyable visit.  It had been discovered during the construction of the interstate and had been restored along with the addition of a museum.  Several graves were marked among the shelters.

Planning for a nicedinner on Thursday, my birthday, we rode by The Oak Supper Club that has fabulous food and beautiful setting, only to find it closed for renovation.  So our next choice was fine dining at the bottom of the gorge in the resort, accessible only by tram.  A lovely place!

On Wednesday we played golf on the par 3 course and found it in excellent shape and very challenging!  That afternoon we rode the Burgaman down to Sandstone Falls on the New River to take in these gorgeous views and the sound of rushing waters.

On Thursday we played the championship course in perfect weather: 72 degrees and cloudless skies! It was quietest round of golf I can ever remember.  No airplanes, no trucks, no cars or motorcycles or honking horns...nothing except the birds chirping.  Heavenly!  Our scores weren't heavenly and we still had a wonderful time.

After golf our entertainment for the afternoon was watching chipmunks devour some stale peanuts on the picnic table beside the trailer.  I removed the screen from the window and used the camera zoom for these shots.

Watching these guys eat whetted our appetite so off we went to enjoy our dinner by the river.  But when we arrived at the tram it was out of order!  And no one had let us know!  So first and second choices are now gone.  We head for a little town called Princeton, 15 miles away, and found an Outback Steakhouse, our favorite place for lamb.  We're sipping our drinks when the manager comes up, introduces herself and informs us that...they are out of lamb!  I told her of our sad story and she stated that my dinner was on the house, please stay.  So we did and had steak and lobster.

It was a fun filled trip and a very happy birthday.  Flexibility was the main thing.  Thanks to my lady Lynn for the gifts of a new bamboo shirt, a UNC toiletry kit and a cap from Troy & Sons distillery.  Oh yeah!  Life is goooood!!!!