7 Kids, 2 grandkids, 1 on-the-way, 2 cats, Mom, and Dad

Having a beer or Hanging out with other bloggers

I went over to Kelly's Row in Dover last night to meet some others for a beer. Good Friend and his Wife from You Who were there. I got to meet the recent newlyweds from over at Granite Rants who assured me that his lack of posting would be ended now that he was back from his honeymoon. Kreblog and his his wife rounded out the crew.

The only sour note in the evening was that the much praised Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was not available any more! I made do with Redhook Hefe-Weizen.

Good Friend and Wife then walked over to Crescent City Bistro with me and we enjoyed a nice meal at the bar. It seems odd now that Todd no longer works at the bar but such is life. I tried some cognac at the end of the meal and I've decided that I'm not really interested in aquiring a taste for it. It reminds me too much of taking medicine.

There are not enough hours or There are too many hours in the day

We have a pretty busy weekend scheduled. Beautiful Wife is at a field trip today with Youngest Daughter and won't get home until around 8pm.

We're going to a retirement party Saturday night for someone Beautiful Wife used to work with and a bunch of people I don't really know. There's going to be karaoke so maybe I'll give that a whirl.

Middle Daughter has invited over some friends and wants to visit the Mall of NH but I don't think the mall visit will happen.

Youngest Daughter has a soccer game on Sunday. Beautiful Wife is going with Son on a deep sea fishing trip with some ex co-workers. I was supposed to go but between a sleepover for Middle Daughter and a soccer game for Youngest Daughter I figured one of us needs to be home.

Also, I've noticed a tendency to get motion sick and the thought of spending a whole day drift fishing doesn't appeal to me. Son is thrilled that he's getting to go so that works out.

I know Oldest Daughter has plans but I won't hear from her until she actually needs something. THEN it is urgent and needs to happen right away.

I wonder if I'll find some time to try some wine this weekend. Bottles are accumulating at an alarming rate. :-)

A great book or Intelligent children will read this one

I read this book when I was in junior high and enjoyed it so much that I read it multiple times. It was mentioned at the end of a grownup book I just read, Krakatoa : The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883. The author of the grownup book mentioned this one is one that intelligent children will have read.

The children's book is a blend of fact and fiction with fiction dominating the mix. The editorial review on Amazon.com says: Professor William Waterman Sherman intends to fly across the Pacific Ocean. But through a twist of fate, he lands on Krakatoa, and discovers a world of unimaginable wealth, eccentric inhabitants, and incredible balloon inventions. Winner of the 1948 Newbery Medal, this classic fantasy-adventure is now available in a handsome new edition. "William Pne du Bois combines his rich imagination, scientific tastes, and brilliant artistry to tell a story that has no age limit." -- The Horn Book

I'd recommend that you stop in your local store and get this book even if you're a grownup.

Wine Tasting takes brains or a good palate is not enough

There's an interesting article that shows a correlation between brain activity in a trained wine taster and a casual drinker. Having too much wine is simply the pursuit of intellectual growth!

Karate last night or Sleeping good after working out

Son and I went to karate class last night. We worked on self defense and practiced a variety of blocks and counters. I personally like it when we work on controlling our opponent. They throw a punch or grab me in some way and then I find a way to contort their hands or limbs in such a way as to cause them a lot of pain. However, punching them in their neck works too...

Go South young man or And then I went to FL, again

I got sent to Orlando on company business on short notice. I found out Friday that I needed to leave Monday afternoon to be at the customer's by 9am Tuesday and then fly back Tuesday evening.

I did manage to have some fun though since I was the technical muscle to the sales effort. I talked the global account manager into getting the upgrade at Hertz to the convertible Ford T-bird! What a sweet car, and I'm not one of those guys who wax poetical about a car.

We ate dinner at Ronnie's Steak House that had a great wine list at incredibly expensive prices. The house wine was $12 a glass to just get an idea. The food was great but the service sucked. On top of that, the price of the tip was automatically included and it was just two of us eating. I had to ask in order to get more water, a pet peeve. Also, it took 25 minutes to get our check even after they had cleared our table, another pet peeve.

We had a couple of hours to kill once the meeting was done so we went to Downtown Disney and had a hot fudge sundae at the Ghiradelli's shop that is there. I also got presents for the daughters, son, and Beautiful Wife.

Drink up the Zider or Happiness is friends and a glass of wine

Beautiful Wife and I got together with a bunch of Friends last night for food, which was great, and wine, which was plentiful.

I read the host's blog and it seemed like she had a great time too. She did a great job cooking and her husband did a great job serving.

I'm glad that Beautiful Wife drove home because I definitely had plenty of wine coursing through my system and was feeling no pain. ;-)

It would be great to get together more often than we do.

A white lie is still a lie unless you're john f. kennedy

I had read an article about 2-3 months ago about JFK's myriad of medical problems for his whole life, not just during his presidency. He had been give last rites on a couple of occasions because his condition would get so bad. The author even surmised that he died that fateful day in Dallas because he was wearing a corset that kept him from slumping over after the first bullet (non-fatal) hit him.

Anyway, a new book details not only the medical problems he had (and kept secret from the public) but his affairs. In Bill Clinton fashion he even had an affair with an intern though unlike Bill he picked one who was "tall, slender, beautiful."

This is what the author had to say:

But he concludes that neither Kennedy's affairs nor his serious medical conditions, which he shielded from public view, affected his performance as president...
''I do not see evidence that he was undermined or impeded,'' Dallek said.

So President Bush lands on a carrier and that is grandstanding and showboating and he should be chastised. Kennedy lies about his medical condition and has numerous affairs but all that matters is that he wasn't impeded in any way....

No more sars or kill them and then they can't spread it

Boy, you gotta give it to the government in China. First they ignore the SARS problem and then they decide the best way to deal with it is to kill you if you have it before you can spread it.

Good Beer or It ain't just for belching any more

Beautiful Wife and I attended a great Beer Tasting at Crescent City Bistro last night. The featured brewery was Unibroue, a Canadien microbrewery.

We tasted many beers, got some free glasses and even got to take home a bottle of the Apple - Ephemere. I wasn't sure about a beer with apple in it but it was hands down my favorite of the night. The distributor says you can get most of the beers we tried last night at Smiley's in Dover.

Sweet Grape or That's why it is used for a dessert wine

I read the following about the grape used for the Late Harvest Vignoles that I purchased from Flag Hill Winery:

Vignoles produces excellent wines of many different styles. It is favored for dessert wines, especially when picked late in the season. The fruit can develop high sugar content while retaining high acidity. Vines are hardy with moderate vigor and productivity. Budbreak is late, reducing the risk of spring freeze injury. Clusters are small, very compact, and highly susceptible to Botrytis bunch rot.

Nice taste or Flag Hill Winery Late Havest Vignoles

I bought this wine today after tasting it at Flag Hill Winery shortly after Youngest Daughter's soccer game. I was pretty impressed at the flavor which wasn't overly sweet. The taste reminded me of apples but it wasn't overbearing.

The only down side was that it was $16.95 for a half bottle. I've bought some other dessert wines so I'll have to see how they compare with this one.

Black flies or Get out of my hair, eyes, and ears

I look forward to Spring right up until when it arrives because of one reason...BLACK FLIES.

My favorite Springs over the last few years have been when we've had droughts and it killed them all before they had a chance to get going.

Good Deed or Of course he'd do it for a sorority girl

Beautiful Wife and I were driving through Durham when I noticed a bunch of pictures and a small photo album in the road. When we parked I went out into the road and gathered up the pictures.

Turns out that it was a photo album of a girl's last semester at UNH and it was candid photos of her and her friends. There also happened to be a bunch of pictures from when they had a male stripper at the sorority along with a momento dollar bill.

We handed off all the pictures to some sorority girls we saw in town and they said they'd get it all to the rightful owner. I also mentioned it to a girl at Breaking New Grounds who said she even knew who's album it was and that they had another stripper there last week.

Why is it that if girls have a male stripper they're allowed to touch and it is all under the guise of girls just having fun?

Old Man or We will rock you

I was speaking to Beautiful Wife last night about the recent collapse of the NH icon, the Old Man of the Mountain. I wondered how long it would be before people were trying to sell pieces of the rock or the metal that held him together in recent years. It didn't take long for IT to start happening.

The only thing worse than trying to sell any of the rocks from the remains of the rock fall is to be the idiot that buys it. NH is the Granite State. There's a bazillion rocks that anyone could pick up and say were part of the formation.

Dessert Wine Spree or Ain't he sweet!

Winery: Peter Lehmann
Wine: Sémillon Barossa The Barossa Botrytis 1999
Score: 90
Price: $16
Country: Australia
Region: Australia
Issue: May 15, 2002

Rich, unctuous and spicy, with a welcome tang of acidity to balance the orange marmalade and caramel flavors that last and last. Drink now through 2008. 1,500 cases made. (HS)

Noble Rot or Wine for breakfast, count me in!

I bought this Hopler Noble Reserve at the NH liquor store today. It cost me $25 but I just read that it scored a 99 from the Wine Enthusiast magazine, the highest scoring wine I've purchased to date. I couldn't find anything on Wine Spectator but the above link tells you all about it. It also has the distinction of being the oldest wine I've purchased being the same year I graduated from High School.

The bottle has the same tasting notes that you can read on the web site with the idea of having some for breakfast being what caught my attention. Wine, it isn't just for dinner any more.