The Thursday Tirade

Late last night (11:36 PM actually) I became a grandfather. I will use my anticipation of such event as the reason for me not posting my weekly opinion. I admit it is a shifty excuse but I am sticking to it. I am changing my weekly crusade from Opinionated Wednesdays to the Thursday Tirade. I would not want to piggy-back or interfere with Haiku Wednesdays.

I have been asked a few times if I should be called Grand Paw, Grand Daddy, Pap Paw or something else. I have thought about it awhile. My fraternal male grandparent (Dit) was called Grand Daddy (well one of my cousins called him Grand Father) while my maternal male grandparent was called Pap Paw. My oldest daughter called her maternal grandfather Pop Paw George and my father Grand Daddy. My youngest, The Rock Star Mentality, called my father Grand Paw T.W. The other two daughters called one of their grandfathers Poppy and the other Grand Paw. After much consideration and realizing what Kyleigh calls me will be what her siblings and cousins will refer to me as, I have decided I shall be called Big Cat Daddy or Big Cat for short.

Ok, now for my weekly opinion.

I work with a guy from West Virginia. He is a nice guy. He is a smart guy. That is pretty much uncommon with the company I am currently employed. It seems from time to time, he comes up with new adjectives. Recently the word he has been using a lot is ignorant.

So I am using his word to define how I feel about NASCAR. It is ignorant. Come on guys, it really is. On the way to South Carolina we passed Talladega Speedway on IH 20. It was empty and desolate. On our return trip this past Saturday all of the camp sites in front of the track and adjacent to the interstate where packed. There was a haze of smoke from camp fires etc. It looked like a lot of fun. I realize that our country is having a major economic crisis, but judging from the thousands of campers and motor homes, the NASCAR Nation is not hurting at all. In the background of all of the campers was the grandstand of the race track. I could barely make it out in the fading sunlight and smoke. I arrived home at about 8:00 AM and I went to sleep. Later that evening I watched the news and they showed the highlights of the days' race. There was number 99 flying through the air at the finish. What sickened me was the announcers. Those blood thirsty assholes were calling the race and you could tell that the crash (which was pretty dramatic) could very well be deadly. Yet the announcers almost sounded gleeful.
Admit it, please. The typical NASCAR crowd wants to see crashes. Lots of them. Many drive around with a #3 with a halo over it on clothing and caps and stickers on their cars and trucks. I guess they are are honoring a man who died because he refused to wear proper safety equipment. Yes it is pretty much understood that he did have the option (in fact he was instructed to do so)to wear the restraint that would have saved his life,but he simply refused to do so. He was the Intimidator. Well I have another name for him......DEAD. Is that the sort of thinking my new grand daughter should have? Yep the word ignorant comes to mind once more.

It seems that NASCAR is being forced upon us. Working near the epicenter of NASCAR, Charlotte , N.C. gave me the opportunity to hear a lot about NASCAR. (whether I wanted to or not) The fact is that each year fewer and fewer sponsors are ponying up money for a bunch of guys to drive around in a circle. The networks are contemplating dropping NASCAR next year. Thanks be to God. And people make fun of me because I watch Professional Wrestling GIVE ME A BREAK!!!!!

Now I like sports. I could argue that NASCAR is not really a sport at all, but I will forgo that. Personally I like college football. Well I actually like Louisiana State University Fighting Tigers Football. I suppose people can fault that sport too. So get you own blog and do so.




Come to think of it The Nature Boy lives in Charlotte too.

And that's how I feel,





Happy birthday Kyleigh Marie Roby.

Big Cat loves you.





The Third

A Tapestry Thriller

A caveat --- I have tried to find a creative vein since I have returned from South Carolina. I have attempted to write a blog on several occasions but yet I have to get that feeling yet. Since a few of my readers have expressed a desire for written fodder from me, I have amalgamated several posts together and offer the following. I promise to do better in the future. I sort of mention beer in this one though. See if you can find it.


I have made a point a few times that I really enjoy music. On December 25, 1965 my parents gave to me a couple of really cool Christmas gifts. I received a Gibson J-45 guitar, a Zenith portable record player and three albums that to this day rank high on my list as the best of all time.

The first one was one my father actually wanted. As I mentioned before in a previous blog, my father was friends with a singer by the name of Jim Reeves. So I received the 1964 RCA Victor recording of his greatest hits. It included "He'll Have to Go"; "Four Walls" "Billy Bayou" and "Danny Boy".




The second one was the very first and self titled album of the trio Peter Paul and Mary. That album included a treasure trove of folk songs. "If I had a Hammer";" Lemon Tree";" 500 Mile"; and Pete Seeger's "Where Have All the Flowers Gone".





The third one was no slouch either. It was by those lovable mob tops from Liverpool. Rubber Soul is a true classic. Some how I got the U.K. version and it had a few extra tracts such as "I've Just Seen a Face',"This Bird Has Flown"(Now known as Nowegian Wood), "Think For Yourself", "Run for Your Life" Nowhere Man" "Wait" (my fav), "Drive my Car", "It's Only Love,""You Won't See Me"; and of course "Michelle".(my belle)

Only two other record albums has had more number hits than Rubber Soul. Can you name them? Clues are given in this blog.

I cannot imagine a better primer for a teenage boy. Those three albums and guitar have been an integral part of my very soul. The Zenith is long gone as well as the three vinyl albums. Years later a worthless piece of shit broke into my house the day after Thanksgiving and stole the J-45. I have replaced the music and now most tunes from these three albums are on my computer. The J-45 has been replaced with a D-28

Anyway my love has music has continued. I love listening to it, I love singing and playing it. I love writing it. I have actually tried my hand at writing music. I must admit I am not very good at it. My desire is to be a real songwriter. Thus far I am still in the "wanting to" phase. One day a few years after my blessed divorce from the first Mrs. The Third, I was setting in my home all alone. The wife was gone and she took a lot of stuff with her. One was our child. It had been raining for nearly a week and a storm had recently blown a nearby transformer so I had no electricity. It was hot and muggy so I opened the sliding glass door in the back of my house. I pulled my guitar out and as I listened to the rain I wrote these words " tears keep falling like rain on a broken beer can." The inspiration for the penning came as I watched water cascade in a down spout and pouring on to a crushed Budweiser can on my patio. OK, I admit it is not very good.But I am still working on my muse.

The First Mrs da 3rd and I would frequent a local Houston, Texas eatery called the Refectory. It was located located in the Town and Country Shopping complex. It was a pretty good steakhouse. It was sort of like the old Steak and Ales. It had a back room where you could go and listen to bands. One night we saw a band called Wheatfield. They were a trio of two guys and a girl. They were damn good. I remember a song that they played called Waxahatchie Woman. I was blown away. I dreamed that night how it could have been me up there singing. I suppose nearly everyone has fantasies about being a big music star. I know I sure have. A few week later I turned on the tv and watched a new show on the local channel 8 . I once again heard the strains of Waxahatchie Woman.

'Turning the knob, changing the channels the old-fashioned way one evening in 1976, I landed on KUHT, Houston's PBS station-the country's first PBS station- and saw a band on a stage in front of an enthusiastic audience. Two tall, skinny men with long, blond hair, one on each end of the stage, stood playing acoustic guitars as a beautiful dark-haired girl sat on a stool between them in the center of the stage, singing, "The lady has no heart....". "What is this?" I thought. I sat down, mesmerized, arm's length from the television, and didn't touch the knob again until after Gary P. Nunn's "London Homesick Blues" played and the credits for the show ran.The band was Wheatfield. The tall, skinny men were Craig Calvert and Chris (Ezra) Idlet, the dark-haired girl was Connie Mims and what it was, was Austin City Limits first broadcast in its first season.
Lyle Lovett - January 1999 from the foreword to the book"Austin City Limits-25 Years of American Music"by John T. Davis

Wheatfield eventually added a bass player and drummer. Then Connie Mims got married and had a couple of kids and decided to leave the band. Craig and Ezra formed a duo and called them selves Trout Fishing in America. They have done pretty good for themselves.

A few years ago a couple of local enterprising people in my former home town spent a good bit of money to build a live music venue. They have survived thus far. They began having open mike nights on Saturday evenings. I played in a local band by the name of Cold Creek. We were a trio with interchanging percussion and bass players. Our trio consisted of Mike on guitar and lead singer, Gary (who was in a wheel chair) on harmonica and me singing backup and playing guitar and mandolin. We had played at Mainstreet Crossing a few times and I guess we did pretty good. We attending the OMN and signed up to perform a couple of tunes. We got on on stage and played our set of songs. I am not sure of all of the songs we did but I do know we played Steve Earle's Copperhead Road and Charly Robison's John O'Reily. I know that because we always played them. Both songs have distinctive sounds of a mandolin.

We did ok I suppose and we set down and listened to other bands and singers. Then Connie Mims came over to me and complimented me on our set. I looked up and said "Thanks, it means a lot coming from you." I was about to babble to her how my wife and I used to listen to her so many years earlier. Before I could say anything she asked if I could back her up in her set. NOW THAT WAS COOL !

If someone asked me what sort of music is my favorite I would be hard pressed to come up with an honest answer. Come to think about it, if you asked me what my favorite type of beer is I would be similarly stumped. I guess you would have to consider what sort of mood that I am in.

But I do like Texas music. So what is Texas music? mmmmmmm I am not sure.
It just is or it isn't.

When I was dating my first wife, we would go and visit her family who all lived in the Fort Worth area. Her cousins Gary and Melvin owned a Kenwood receiver with Sansui speakers. I was so damn envious. They had this album by a group called Frummox. This was an interesting album. It was recorded by two guys. Dan McCrimmon and Steven Fromholtz. On one side of the album was trio of tracks called Texas Trilogy. The songs were a story about a small town in Central Texas. It really is a real place. I loved listening to those songs. A few year later after the First Mrs The Third and I were wed and moved to Houston, I began looking to obtain a copy of Frummax. I searched for months. I visited numerous record stores. Keep in mind there was no Internet at the time. I finally found a "pristine" copy at "The Groove" The album cost me nearly twenty five bucks.

But (bear with me) I am actually getting to something. Now I realize that if ask 100 people to list the top ten "Texas Singers" you would get 100 different lists. But I submit my list. I am confident that a minimum of seven of them would be on all 100 list.

Steven Fromholtz (saw him at Anderson Faire in Houston)
Gary P. Nunn (saw him at the Broken Spoke in Austin)
Willie Nelson (seen him at an outdoor concert near Lake Livingston, at a shit hole bar in Shreveport (Lake Cliff Lounge),at a RodeoHouston show and at a race track in Bakersfield, Ca.)
Waylon Jennings (saw him in Bakersfield also)
David Alan Coe (saw him at Gilley's in Pasadena, Texas)
Jerry Jeff Walker, Ronald Clyde Crosby born in Oneonta, New York(Saw him a few weeks ago at Bloomin Temple Festival)
Guy Clark (Saw him at Hoolihans in Houston)
Ray Wily Hubbard (Saw him in Luckenbach Texas)
Pat Green (for the younger crowd) (Saw him at Texas Crawfish Festival in Spring Texas)
Roger Creeger (saw him last year at Bloomin Temple Festival)
Cory Morrow (Saw him at Sam Houston Racetrack)
David Alan Coe (Saw him at Gilley's in Pasadena, Texas)
Townes Van Zandt (saw him at Anderson Faire and other Houston clubs. He lived in an apartment across from mine and he would borrow my guitar on occasion)





WAXAHACHIE WOMAN

(Calvert/Idlet)

If I just had me a nickel to spend
Or if you could spare me the dime
I’d call up that woman from Waxahachie
To tell her that I love her and I’d like to spend some time
Making love
Making sweet, sweet love
Making love
With that Waxahachie Woman
I can see her face all glowin’
Like the misty morning sunshine
And that Waxahachie Woman doesn’t even know my name
I was on my way to Idaho, I was colder that an Eskimo
I was waiting by the highway for a ride
Well I couldn’t feel my toes no more and my hands were frozen solid
To the handle on the case of my guitar
Well she warmed my and so much more
She left me with a memory
And a doctor bill that cost me twice as much as I paid her
Making love
Making sweet, sweet love
Making love
With that Waxahachie Woman
I can see her face all glowin’
Like the misty morning sunshine
And that Waxahachie Woman doesn’t even know my name
Now every time I think of her I remember all she gave me and I realize the lesson to be learned
If you find a girl that's willin', you'd best buy some penicillin, It's much easier than paying twice the money for the ride
Making love
Making sweet, sweet love
Making love
With that Waxahachie Woman
I can see her face all glowin’
Like the misty morning sunshine
And that Waxahachie Woman doesn’t even know my name

Some call me Tunes

The Third

Another Hump Day Tradition

In the last couple of days I have noted at least three new reality series are going to be aired soon. One is about the Navy Seals. I think it should be good. I am sure it is because of the recent action against the Somalian Pirates. Now I may not be a rocket scientist and my political opinion (I did meet Glenn Beck once. He is a big supporter and contributor to the Rachel Jauma Fund) may not be what my readerships is looking for, but the situation with the pirates seems pretty simple. If it was my decision I would deploy a few Coast Guard Cutters and a U. S. Navy ship or two and I would blow those fuckers completely out of the water. I am sure a couple of cruise missiles would do the job quite well. I would put a serious fear of Jesus in those assholes. Now THAT would be a great reality show. No sense in trying to negotiate just obliterate.

I have revisited my last two postings. Ok, they may not be my best but if one is really paying attention one should find an underlying subliminal message. You just have to dig deeper. I shall continue with my Beer 201 lesson later but I need your assistance. I need to know which channels would be the best to approach about my impending series. My bride watches a lot of reality television and as a result I guess I do to. She used to watch a lot of old re runs such as the The Waltons and Little House on the Prairie. She watches 7th Heaven and falls to sleep watching (or listening to) re runs of the Cosby Show. She records and watches movies from Lifetime and the We Networks, or the estrogen channels as I call them. If I had to list her favorite movies I would say Pretty Woman, Dirty Dancing and In Harm's Way would top her list. Yes the later is a John Wayne war movie. I suppose I have influenced her a little bit. But if you really watch the movie you will see it is sort of a chick movie.
She watches John and Kate and the show about little people and the Biggest Loser and The Great Race. She is not into soap operas and most sports. She will watch a Tiger football game on occasion. She likes Dancing with the Stars as well as NCIS and a few other scripted television shows. She hates professional wrestling and NASCAR. As far as NASCAR is concerned I tend to agree with her. My God, it is about as thrilling as watching a a cricket match between India and Bangladesh. Some of my co workers spend big bucks on NASCAR. They wear their 3s or 88's or 48's or 99's with pride. Personally I am waiting to see a sport derived of racing Cigarette boats. It too would be a sport (and I use that word loosely) derived from smuggling illegal cargo. My brother in law Mark tells me that you have to go to a race to really understand it. I tend to think he may be right. I do know that they let you bring your own beer into the stands. That is pretty cool.

When I was a lot younger, my friend Gary and I would go to dirt track races. We frequented Hill Top and Boot Hill race track. Gary had been working at his father and uncle's machine shop since he was old enough and he saved up some money and purchased two 1958 Ford Thunderbirds. He used one for parts and built the other to race. He and I (and a few others) worked on his cars to make them ready to race. After a few months Gary enter a race and actually did pretty well. He raced nearly every weekend and I was a member of his pit crew. My girl friend Becky's dad (James) thought that was a very cool thing indeed. As a result both Gary and I were invited to go with James and his brother to a secret location on nearby Wallace Lake to go frog gigging. After a few months of racing and a few trophies, Gary relented and said I could drive his car in a race. The "amateur" race lasted 3 laps. The big day arrived and I crawled inside the drivers seat of old number 2. Gary picked that number because it was my number when I played high school football and baseball. Ok, I wont lie . Gary really did not pick the number. I painted the number on his car when he was not looking. We raced around the track and I looked up and saw the green flag. I gunned it and I was in first place. As we finished lap number one I still held the lead and I was beginning to think the trick was to get in first place and stay there. Then this metallic green 1968 four door Lincoln Continental with a back seat so large you could fit a large family of Mexicans in, crept up beside me. I recall seeing a dollar sign spray painted on the side. The number 5 was painted rather than an S in the $. This guy was trying to steal my glory and I was not going to allow it. I gently moved to my right to push him out of the way but he did not move. Our cars touched and it was then that I over compensated and Number 2 was rolling over and over and over. I remember feeling my pants to see if I wet my self when I came to an upright position. I was so scared and then pissed off. Then embarrassed because I did not even finish a three lap race. Thus ended the Third's illustrious racing career. Who knows what may have happened had I actually won. I do know Becky broke up with me. And James her dad, never took me gigging again.

Speaking of Professional wrestling, what in the hell is this draft that they have? It makes absolutely no sense. I know it is programming and kayfabe, but it is pretty strange. Then again I do not understand rotisserie league baseball either.

I realize I have strayed once again. But I have decided to add something new and exciting to The Brew Chronicles, a journal of thingsBeer. Opinionated Wednesdays. One of my son in laws has a blog. (I am not sure my other son in laws knows what a blog is.) Anyway as I have mentioned before I started TBC by his example. Recently he started haiku Wednesdays and I have attempted to submit a haiku each Wednesday. Here is today's submittal.

A Cold Brown Bottle
Golden Liquid Staff of Life
Magic One More Time

Now I realize I could have a Opinionated Friday or Monday but they just do not feel right. I hope between The Jim and I , that we have not ruined hump day.

As far as my Wednesday opinion.....Well I quote from above.....

" blow those fuckers completely out of the water"

The Third

Post script:

Now I have never done this before but I wanted to add something more. In The Jim's latest blog (not withstanding his Wednesday Haiku submission) he showed a picture of this plastic horse. When I was growing up in Shreveport, I used to pass Packard's Western Store on South Youree Drive. They had this huge horse up on a sign. It was just like the one pictured on the aforementioned blog. More than once, my friend Gary and I would get beered up and sneak up and paint it's balls blue. Later I became very good friends with a guy by the name of Larry. I mentioned him a couple of times in my previous blogs. He is the Larry I went to Colorado with. He is a former college roommate. I introduced him to his wife. His son, born on my birthday is named after me. He stepfather was Ivan Packard the owner of the mentioned western store. Larry used to tell me about how he and his brother had to repaint the balls of the horse because of vandals. I hope Larry never reads this blog. 3rd

Let My People Go !!!

About 4 years ago I was traveling from New Hampshire back to Texas. I was riding in the company truck being driven by one of my nephews. He is now past 21 years old and his first son (Byron Matthew) was actually born yesterday. So congratulations Dick Head. Anyway, he stopped at a 7-11 and purchased several energy drinks and lots of candy. We got back into the truck and he cranked up the volume on the radio and we flew down the road and proceeded to listen to American Idiot about 30 times. Now I actually like Green Day but 2 two days non stop is a little much. He finally took the CD out of the player and when he did a song called Stairway to Heaven was playing. I told him "Now that's good Rock and Roll". He looked at me with his stupid look and said "I have never heard it before" I laughed and asked "Where have you been? This is one of if not the greatest Rock and Roll songs of all time" I realized how stupid the question was since I realized he was raised on "The Compound" He replied " I don't see why" as he slipped a disk back into the player and the strains of " Wake me Up when September Ends" once again filled the cabin of the truck.
In all fairness to Middle Matt, He is a beer drinker and that goes a long way with me.

Those folks who really know me, know that I truly love music. I like most kinds. Well I must admit I really am not fond of Bollywood music. I am sure that it is good for some but not me. Lately, I have been hooked on music by Joe Ely. I am listening to him now as I type this. On my television show I plan to immerse my taste of music on it. Recently I have noticed a lot of television shows using various tracks of music to fill in the back ground of their respective scenes. Grey's Anatomy and Scrubs are two that come to mine but NCIS and CSI Las Vegas do as well. Here in Texas we have our own kind of music. It invigorates our soul.


Ok, so much for that lets get back to Beer. Beer 102 actually. So if you recall in the last lesson we talked about the first half of the ingredients of beer. We shall now talk about the other two components, hops and yeast.

Historians argue as to who first brewed beer. Some say the Phoenicians, others claim the Chinese and then a few say the Ancient Egyptians. Well personally I really do not care but to who ever did I offer my heart felt thanks.

When I was much younger I used to pluck rose petals and eat them. They were all bitter tasting yet they had a fruity tang to them. My mother used to tell me they were poisonous but I did not think they were.

Yesterday while at Wal-Mart I purchased a sixer of Michelob Original Lager. I actually like it. It is good beer. I have an empty bottle in front of me and this is what is written on the bottom part of the label:

"A unique blend of Hallertau, Strissel Spalt and other hop varieties
combined with Two-Row Barley Malt to create our signature Munich-Style
Lager"

So exactly what is a hop? Its a flower. And just like roses that are a lot of different types. Each has unique characteristic and flavor.

Ahil; Ahtanum; Amarillo; Cascade; Centennial; Chinook; Columbus; Cluster; Crystal; Fuggle; Galena; Golding;Hallertau; Hersbrucker; Horizon; Liberty; Mount Hood; Northern Brewer; and Strissel Spalt are all type of hops. This is a small list

We could discuss which hops make certain types of beer such as the quote above but this is Beer 102 or How to make Beer , An idiots guide. So for the time being we shall defer to later lessons.

This leads us to the final ingredient of liquid bread. yeast.

This past Saturday my bride and I did something we have done for a long time during the Easter weekend (Passover for my Hebrew constituents) We watched The Ten Commandments on ABC That movie is somewhat like the movie Airplane. Each time I watch it I see something new. I noticed a scene in which the people in a small hut were waiting for the smoke cloud to pass them over. They were passing bread around to children and telling them that the bread was the bread of haste.

This comes from Deuteronomy 16:3

Thou shalt not eat with it leavened bread: seven days shalt thou eat without leaven, the bread of affliction, because thou camest out of Egypt in fear: that thou mayst remember the day of thy coming out of Egypt, all the days of thy life.

Bread not leavened is called un leavened bread (duh!) So what is leavened? Well in order for bread to "rise" or leaven it must contain a active yeast. Yeasts are microorganisms classified as a form of fungi. There with about 1,500 species known. The yeast species Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been used in baking and fermenting alcoholic beverages for thousands of years. Yeast is a live organism that is fundamental in the baking of bread. Without it, the bread is flat and has no real form. Of course without yeast you do not have beer either.

Well now we have defined the four essential ingredients of beer. Beer 101 and 102 are now complete. Our next lesson is Beer 201 or as I call it The Brew Begins.


Let My People Go !




The Third

Jack, the Bean Stalk and The Magical Seeds

Now I do not want to fall into the trap of submitting volumes of useless blable and a series of words with the intent of increasing my total of postings. I have been accused by several of my constituents of blogging out of boredom. Ok, for that reason I will be more attuned to such. I have a lot of work to do in order to get The Brew Chronicles, a journal of thingsBeer off the ground.

Now is the time to dispel any misgivings about beer. My readers need to have a knowledge of how to brew beer so I hereby submit Beer 101:

A long time ago in a different life. Well at least a different wife. A friend of mine from Northern California gave me some magical seeds. Unlike the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, I did not give away the milk cow for them. I kept them for a while and one day I took my high dollar stereo system and arranged the two speakers very close together. I then took two saucers and placed a moistened paper towel on one of them. I then carefully spread the magical seeds on the towel. Then I covered the magical seeds with another wet cloth and then placed the other saucer on top of them. I set the saucers (with the magical seeds) on an antique "corner table" (the only piece of furniture salvaged from my late grandmothers house prior to it being burned down by an arsonists) and I placed a pristine LP named Dark Side of the Moon on my turntable and turned the volume up. I wanted the sound waves to permeate the magical seeds. For about 10 hours I played various LPs including Highway 61 Revisited, Physical Graffiti; Making Movies; Live at Leeds ; Gaucho; Routes to Django Reinhardt; Year of the Cat; Breakfast in America; Fragile and Abraxas. Sure enough those little magical seeds began to sprout little tails (sprouts). I gently took each of them and nestled them in a bed of potting soil inside of a large planter (on wheels). I placed the planter in front of one of the speakers and for the next few days various tunes passed over and through the planter. A few days later small green leaves began to break the surface of the soil. Once I could recognize distinct stalks for each of my babies, I rolled the planter outside into my back yard. About five plants actually began to grow pretty good. I watched them each day. I nourished them and watered them and admired God's handy work. After a couple of weeks my babies were nearly 3 feet high and were quite bushy. The first Mrs. The Third was beginning to think that the plants would grow to a height over our wooden fence and the children on the way to school would be able to see my babies. I wheeled the planter inside the house and let it grow under some lamps that I purchased at a local "surf" shop. It was not too long and I noticed that it too was beginning to form some sort of like growth. I informed some of my friends of this phenomenon and I was informed those growths were "buds" .I guessed the buds were going to be producing magic seeds. The buds grew larger each day and began to develop little red or orange strands or hairs around them. The leaves of my babies were beginning to grow much larger and darker. The babies kept getting larger and larger and my wife was beginning to complain that the planter was taking up too much room in our closet. Then all of a sudden it seemed as if the plants (my babies) were dying. My magical seeds had finally reached the end of their lives. I felt the only proper way to dispose of my babies was to cremate them. So that is what I did (a little at a time). It was a occasion that I felt mixed emotions. What I can recall is that I got very hungry and I got a bad case of Chinese eyes.

Now lets review this story and go back to when my magical seeds grew their tails. the actual term for this process is germinate. If you take a seed of a grain (starch) such as , barley, rice, wheat or oats you can do the same thing. Perhaps not with the music waves (but feel free if you want) this is the sort of thing we all did in the first or second grade with a bean. Remember? Anyway at that point in the process you stop. You take the the germinated seeds and stop the process. In fact you let the seeds (with the tails) completely dry. when you get to this point you will have "malted" the seed (s)
The technical side is:
The acrospire (the plant shoot) grows along one side of the kernel. As it grows, pre-existing enzymes are released and new enzymes are created in the aleurone layer which "modify" the endosperm (the protein/carbohydrate matrix starch reserve) for the acrospire's use.
During germination enzymes in the aleurone layer are released, and new enzymes are created, that break down the endosperm's protein/carbohydrate matrix into smaller carbohydrates, amino acids and lipids, and open up the seed's starch reserves.
The purpose of malting is to create these enzymes, break down the matrix surrounding the starch granules, prepare the starches for conversion, and then stop this action until the brewer is ready to utilize the grain.

What you have in the end result is Malted Grain

We live near Waco, Texas. The water there taste like shit. We once worked a job in the San Joaquin Valley of California. The small town of Hanford is in the middle of nowhere. Well actually it is surrounded by dairy farms. The air smell like shit. The water taste even worse. I think in all likelihood the water actually did have shit in it. My father used to have a lake house in Sabine Parish Louisiana. It was near Toledo Bend. They had well water that was actually yellow in color and had large clumps of a cloudy substance every so often. they said the water was actually healthy. The overwhelming smell of sulphur made drinking the water unbearable. I mention all of this to warn you that if you plan on making beer do not do so in Hanford, Waco or Zwolle. Use good water. There is a reason why Portland has so many micro breweries and why Coor's spends millions on advertising the fact their beer is made with Rocky Mountain water. But you do have to use water to make beer.


Thus far we have half of the ingredients for beer. So now I depart from Beer 101. I leave you with this lesson. Look forward to part two ( Beer 102) where I discuss hops and yeast....



People in my life, particularly my family and friends will be an integral part of the series. I am not so sure what it will be like to have cameras in my face all of the time. I will just have to get used to it. I suppose I will have to clean up my language a little bit. I probably can not lay around the house in my Banana Republic boxers and tee shirts as frequently. I mentioned earlier that I would need to have certain things to reflect my status etc. I am sure I will need to temper my needs and desires.


As busy as I will be with the series, I hope that I will still be able to blog here. It is something I must work out.

Beer 102 BE THERE!!

The Third

thingsBeer

The Mrs The Third and I decided that last night was a good night to return our favorite pub O'Brien's. At the last minute I decided to take a bottle of 90 Shilling to Kevin and Ryan so they could enjoy some of my recent Colorado bounty. I put on my new favorite tee shirt (Trinidad Brewing Company), my black Polo shorts, my Mephisto Sharks; some "bling" (a 14k link bracelet inherited from my father); my mirrored aviators prescription sunglasses and my bad ass cowboy hat. As the Nature Boy would say, I was styling and profiling. We sort of have a routine on Fridays, first we go to the Duck (formerly the Duckhorn Tavern) We have one to two beers and play an electronic trivia game. In the past we would play as many as five games and I would usually win at least one of them. Last night I had the lead until the next to last question, but all of a sudden I went blank. RRLady won. Oh well. When we first started playing the game we would sign up on only one game player. Our name was Pauly. Eventually we decided to get two game players so I became Silvio and the Mrs. remained Pauly. Now you may think that these names come from a recent HBO drama. In a way they do. A few years ago, we worked in Manahawken, New Jersey. We all started talking as if we were from Jersey. We started every sentence with the word "Yo" and we called everyone "douche bags". I started handing out names to all of my co workers. I was Pauly, Ric was Carmine; Izzie was Guido; Tony is of course Tony; William was Silvio and Roger was Vinnie. I took the name Silvio for the trivia game. Anyway last night we strolled around the block to O'Brien's and as we bellied up to the bar, I was shocked to see a bottle of Pin Stripe Red Ale. Holy Shit it was a beer from Ska Brewery. I looked all over Denver for Ska and only found one bottle and here I was back on my home turf and there it was. I looked down to see if I indeed had ruby slippers on. It was surreal and low and behold on tap was Gordon, a beer from Oskar Blues (another Colorado beer). Ryan (the owner) later informed me that he had it on tap per my recommendation. He said he was selling the hell out of it actually. My wife told me after we got home that the head bartender Kevin, told her that I was pretty much "right on " on the beers and that they were actually starting to listen to me when I recommended a beer. I guess the word is getting around about me.

So I write a blog on beer blog talking about beer and how much I like it and now my public tends to feel I should discuss peripheral subjects. I am trying so hard to keep this fresh and current and as Simon Cowell says, relevent. What the hell does that mean? I am now back from my trip and I am scheduled to travel to South Carolina on the 20th. I feel I should spend the next week or so with preliminary plans for my pending Television Series.

About two years ago MOJO TV produced eight episodes of a 3o minute television show by the name of Beer Nutz. The show had two hosts Eric Gagnon and Kirk Kingzett. The premise of each episode was that each week the intrepid hosts would visit "beer capitals" They visited Denver, Portland, Chicago, Milwaukee, Boston, Burlington, San Fransisco & Vancouver. It was pretty obvious that neither of them knew jack shit or anything substantial about beer or thingsBeer. The show was cancelled after just one season. You can still find it on hulu and I suggest that you check it out. The Brew Chronicles will tap (pardon the expression) some of the originality of their shows. We plan on visiting pubs and breweries etc. But I plan to delve more into the personalities of the people behind the scenes. The movie Beer Wars is coming out next week and I anticipate that a renewed interest in thingsBeer will follow. The concept of homebrewers,brew pubs, and small craft breweries has certainly moved past the threshold of American passing interest. I find that several breweries, ie. Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada, Dogfish, Spoetzel( Shiner) and New Belgium have peaked and are essentially borderline as "microbreweries ".I remember the mantra back in the 60's "Never trust anyone over forty" It's funny that once you pass that age you forget the mantra or the 40 become 50 or 60. The same applies to microbreweries. Because they have been successful and brewed good products and as a result grew, does not mean that they are any less noble or less what they were when they started. But then again you can you use that same argument for AB InBev. They too were once a microbrewery.
The Beer Chronicles is a work in progress. Once the series is actually on the the air, I am sure these ramblings will be reviewed and studied extensively. As you read these fresh inscriptions for the first time just be happy you are seeing a national perhaps international phenomenon in it's infancy.

I am officially starting my journey at this writing. I guess the first step (short of me saying this is the start) is to create an outline. This posting and ones in the future will be reflecting such outline. Input from my readership will be accepted and possibly appreciated. Now as much as I may like to think otherwise, I am confident that this appears as a fantasy .....but is it? When I was in a pub (Old Chicago) in Colorado last week I told the bartender I had a Beer Blog and was negotiating a new television series. I got a free beer out of the deal. So see, it does work.
I surmise I should truly come up with a central theme of my series. That theme shall be


Following a Dream: the true message of the series is of a person who sees a goal in life and his journey to such. The path is not always straight and smooth and it has bumps along the way and the hazards are all part of the panorama. Essentially it could be summed up by the phrase "It is not the kill, it is the thrill of the chase."

Uniqueness: Each person on this planet is unique, some more than others. I want my personality to be a part of this story. My compassion, my sarcasm and my temperament is what I feel will add a uniqueness that will be appealing. I do not own a motorcycle yet I still watch American Chopper. I feel the fact the show is about thingsBeer that the viewing audience will be drawn to the substance rather than the subject.

Oblique Stardom: I have been playing guitar since I was fourteen years old. At the time being I only own one guitar (1979 Martin D-28) and two mandolins. I have played in several bands Red Kettle; Cows and Chickens; Blue Denim; Cedar Grove Allstars; Dancetown Band;Aspen; Playin for Keepz; KGB;The Beagles; Bounty & Cold Creek Band are a few. I have "sat in" with several others and played on a few recording with others. None of the bands listed ever became famous or well known (except in their small circles). One night when I was heading to the bathroom after playing a set for over an hour, a couple of young kids approached me and asked me for an autograph. I gave them what they asked and then I asked them to give me theirs. Now I can tell you that it was a true eye opener. I was actually embarrassed. I mention that here because it is where I want to be with The Brew Chronicles. I want to be "known" yet I want to always be embarrassed and extremely humble. I am confident that America is ready for someone like me.

Why me: "I can do that too": I am wanting this series to reflect that I am only a proxy. I will never claim I am better than or more suited than anyone else to be on the show.
Money: Hell yes. I want to be compensated. I read the other day that some television actors make up to 1 million dollars per episode. Holy Crap!!!!! Obviously I will have expenses (travel and clothing etc) I would expect that such expenses will be paid by the network and I have ongoing expenses so I would anticipate some sort of salary or contractual agreement. I would like to live comfortably and of course my life would be opened up to the American Public so my home and vehicle has to be somewhat respectable. But I am not looking to get wealthy, just made comfortable.

Awe:It is pretty cool to look at a infant as he or she gazes into the lights of their first Christmas tree. It is sheer awe. That is what I am looking for as I stroll through The Brew Chronicles. every episode should have that freshness and awe. When I visit a brew pub or micro brewery I admit I do not make a bee line look at their facilities. I have seen several and lets be honest, they pretty much are all the same. I mean some look fancier than others , but they rarely awe me. But recalling my visit with Alan at Hair of the Dog, I sat there and chatted with him as we took bottles and placed them in six pack carriers that where then place in cases. That day I was in awe. On the show I want that awe to come across the screen. But I want the person I am interviewing or interacting to be in awe too.

The GABF (Great American Beer Festival) is usually held in Denver each year. It is becoming the award presenter that is becoming a gold standard. There are beer festivals popping up all over the place and of course TBC will do it's fair share of visits to them. I envision attending the GABF and others and walking into the hotel lobbies and having multiple fans approaching me. I want to be one on one with them and not have a single bit of "air" about me. They are not my peeps, I am theirs.

So there you go. I will fine tuning my outline over the next few blogs. I will crafting a presentation that I plan to submit to multiple producers and networks. I am confident of success.



Stay tuned

Happy Easter and Great Fifty Days (Paschal Tide)



The Third

The Great Divide Pub Crawls Parts One( 2008) and Two (2009)

Modern technology is something I both love and despise. I go stupid when I cannot find my cell phone, yet I get pissed when it rings. I cannot remember the last time I used a pay phone. Since I purchased a HDTV, I can not imagine living with out it. I think I shall have to get a Blu Ray player soon. I really do want a set of better computer speakers. Being without my computer is like being without a fix. Since I have began to blog I can not imagine life without this way of expression. I do not,have nor do I intend to have, a face book account or my space thingy. I have no idea what a twitter is. I am not wanting to know either. In August 1990 I took a job working in and around Bakersfield, California. I had been laid off from my previous job with the pipeline company for over a year. I had taken "odd" jobs and lived off of unemployment and my new wife's pay check. My first actual check (which included my travel pay) was for more money than I had made for an entire year. I loved the job. I loved the people I worked with. I loved living in Bakersfield. Yes, I loved Bakersfied. I love California. I was promoted to Supervisor (over 17 other employees) after less than one month on the job. For the first three months or so, my job consisted of me leaving Bakersfield (at approx 250 feet elevation) and driving about an hour up California Highway 58 to a town called Tehachapi which was nearly 6,000 feet elevation. While it would rise to over 115 degrees in B Town, I would need a sweater at times up in the mountains. My task was to sit in my car and be available to "deal" with landowners if and when needed as our crew of "dope smoking" surveyors traipsed around their property. Once I was eating breakfast at a local diner and I set next to Chuck Conners (The Rifleman) and Jack Palance (both residents of Tehachapi). I had this huge Motorola "bag" phone that I could use to make phone calls at the rate of 32 cents per minute. Today I own another Motorola that I can hide inside my hand. I can take 3.2 mega pixels pictures with it and I can store up to 500 tunes on it. Most of the pictures on this blog were taken on it actually. I own a computer that has more memory and can operate faster than the computer I first accessed in 1971. The former occupied an entire floor of an office building. Mine can be placed in a bag smaller than the aforementioned phone bag, and can be stored in the overhead compartment of a small airplane. During my sojourn in The San Joaquin, I visited my first Micro Brewery. It was named Okie Girl Brewery and it was located at the top of "The Grapevine" in Lebec, California. The beer was good but the root beer was toi die for. The brewery is no longer open. If you look at the label pictured here you can see images of blue and yellow umbrellas. This is to represent an art project by the artist Christo . He chose two sites to display his umbrellas: an area which is 60 miles north of Los Angeles along Interstate 5 near Lebec, through the Tejon Pass, and Ibaraki, Japan which is 75 miles north of Tokyo. The California umbrellas were yellow in color and the Japanese umbrellas were blue in color. The 1,340 blue umbrellas in Ibaraki and the 1,760 yellow umbrellas in California were placed sometimes in clusters covering entire fields, or deployed in a line, or randomly spaced from each other, running alongside roads, villages and river banks. The project was to last about 3 weeks but a freak wind storm occured and one of the umbrellas to crush a woman to death. My father and step mother actually witnessed it. As a result the umbrellas were removed. I took several pictures of them and I am posting one of them in this writing.

Uncle Rog and I left at around 6:00 PM and we took the truckers route to Denver. First to Cowtown then to Wichita Falls , Amarillo, Dumas and continuing on US 287 all the way to Lima Co.

Almost exactly one year earlier (actually on March 23rd) I left in the Big Blue Luxury Liner (company truck) at 2:00 AM. I picked up two travelers and we proceeded towards the top of the continent. We had a job in Ogden, Utah. I had done some homework and I had a litany of breweries and brewpubs to visit on my way to, there, and from. The first one was Trinidad Brewery located in Trinidad, Co. (Fort Llatikcuf, Co.) It is pronounced (Fourt Yat tie cuuf) (or you can reverse in and it is pronounced differently). I had planned to arrive there at about noon. Trinidad, Colorado is 14 miles north of Ratan Pass (the stateline between New Mexico and Colorado). We arrived 3 minutes early actually, but to my dismay they were closed. They would not be open till 3PM. I was tempted to stay but I had other stops planned. My itinerary was for us to stop and spend the night in Fort Collins Co. We had motel accommodations waiting for us there. Fort Collins, home of the Mighty Rams, is the home of New Belgium Brewery , Odell, Brewery, Fort Collins Brewery and Coopersmith's Brewpub (recommend to me by none other than my tee totaling brother in law and current boss). In addition AB InBev has a brewery there as well. The actual largest brewery in the world is located in nearby Golden. I guess you have to admit that Forty Collins has some serious beer vibes. I really wanted to visit New Belgium but I learned they were closed on Mondays. Odell's was open till 6 as was Fort Collins Brewery. In order to get there in time I would have to really fly and I still had Shamrock Brewery in Pueblo, and Left Hand Brewery in Longmont, on my list to visit. I also had a brew pub in Wyoming and three in Utah and in Western Colorado (planned as my return route). As we left Trinidad Brewery I looked at my watch and decided I would not stop at Shamrock Brewery and would go on to north of Denver to Left Hand.
We made it through the Mile High City and was heading towards my second stop of the day (Left Hand Brewery) .
I had been driving for some time and I decided to let Ben drive. Especially since I was planning to partake of the hops. While in Denver, Ben entered a bus only lane. I kept telling him that he was going in the wrong direction. To make a long story short, his brilliant move cost us about an hour. By the time we arrived in Longmont, I realized that we would never make it to Fort Collins in time to visit any of the places I had wanted. So I decided I could drink two beers and perhaps spend a little more on gifts. The picture of the tee shirt is the $ 30.00 dollar one I mentioned in an earlier blog. It is one of my favs. The beer was excellent. My two travel mates were like bumps on a log. Neither of them drank beer or for that matter, any sort of alcohol. Ben's previous job prior to working for us was an independent pharmaceutical salesman. He eventually left our employment after he peed in the wrong cup. So on we went to Fort Collins. My watch said 6:30 I decided to go to Coopersmiths at least. (They are a pub and grill). I went to my room and waited as Ben and Benny took the company truck to get them something to eat. They returned and I decided that I would at least drive past some of the places I had wanted to visit. Much to my surprise Forty Collins, Odell's and New Belgium (Fat Tire) were all located on the same street and were about a half a mile apart from each other. (Well, technically speaking New Belgium was on a connecting street). As I was driving past the places I had wanted to visit I noticed a grinding noise emitting from the vehicle. It seemed as if something was wrong with the brakes. I was not too happy about the prospect of crossing the great divide with poor brakes. I eventually went downtown to Coopersmiths and as I parked the blue beast, I called my brother in law (the boss) and told him the news about the truck. "Are you sure" he said. I confirmed the bad news and then asked him what I should do. He informed me that he was a little over an hour East on I-70 from Denver. Fort Collins is about an hour and a half North of Denver so I had at least 2 hours to eat and try out a few of the brews made at Coopersmith's. I had a Buffalo Burger and a two of their beers. The burger was excellent and the beer was good (not great) but good. I returned to the Super 8 and sure enough, Tony arrived about 30 minutes later. As he peeled out of his motor home he exclaimed. "What in the hell did you do to my truck?" I knew he was joking. He got inside the truck and drove it a few feet and then said "yep, it's the brakes" I had been scheduled to be in Ogden the next afternoon at 4:00PM. That would have meant I would need to leave Fort Collins no later than 8:00 AM. "Well you are going got have to stay here and get her fixed. So you are excused from working tomorrow." he said. He then took some tools from the truck and loaded them inside his vehicle. Then he was gone. As he left, he instructed me to call the office the next morning and have them make arrangements for me to take the truck to a repair shop. I told him I was capable of finding a place but he insisted that I allow the office to choose the place of repair.
The next morning I did as he requested. I called and spoke to the office manager (my wife) and waited for her to call me back with the location of the repair shop.

If you recall earlier, I said that three breweries were all within a half of a mile from each other and were on the same street. That street is E Lincoln Street, and damn the luck, the repair shop I was instructed to take the truck was Lincoln Street Auto Repair. In fact, it was directly across the street from the Fort Collins Brewery and I could see Odell's as I stood in the parking lot. The Beer Gods were with The Third that day. The office and my wife had no idea of my good fortune. So I took Ben, the other driver, and we went to the repair shop. I left him there and around 10:00 AM and I strolled down to Odell's and had a few pints (on the house of course). I really enjoyed their beer. I especially loved the 90 Shilling (which I have had before). I really liked their IPA. It is awesome. I purchased a tee shirt from them and then I walked to Fort Collins Brewery. They did not serve beer until noon and it was only 11:00 AM. I purchased a sampler 12 pack and a tee shirt and walked across the street and placed the shirt and beer in the back of the truck. I was informed that it would be at least another hour and a half before the truck was finished so I informed Ben that I would be at the New Belgium Brewery and he could pick me up there. Wow! I was really impressed with their facilities and I sat at their bar drinking free beer (see picture) for over an hour. I purchased a tee shirt and a cap while I was there. I even got to pet Arrow II (a descendant of the Border Collie of which The Mighty Arrow is named). The mainstay beer of New Belgium Brewery is of course, Fat Tire. Their logo has a bicycle on it. The brewery has several bicycle racks on its premises and many employees actually ride their bicycles to work. I was really impressed with the guy behind the bar. He let me sample several beers that are not marketed (as yet). As I set at the bar several of my friends called me from Utah wanting to know when I would arrive. Little did they know I was drinking beer at New Belgium.

Well, the truck was finally finished and Ben picked me up and we began our journey to Ogden. I soon realized that my good fortune was still with me. I had found a small brew pub (on the computer) located in Rock Springs, Wyoming. Bitter Creek Brewing was not going to open until noon and my original itinerary would have put me there well before noon, but with my late start, another window opened up. Rock Springs is a mining and rail town located along Interstate 80 in Southwestern Wyoming. We stopped there and parked the truck in a small parking lot across the street from the brewery. Ben and Bennie sat in the truck as I went in to "only purchase a tee shirt" ( A Beer Named Bob) Well little did they know I downed a pint of Bob and a pint of Coal Porter. Mighty fine beer actually. We got back on the road and we arrived in Ogden around six o clock. It had been a good day.

While in Ogden I got to visit another Micro Brewery/Pub by the name of Rooster's and had a few pints of Polygamy Pale Ale. We also went to a bar across the street from Roosters and tried out several other Utah beers including Wasatch Brewery's Polygamy Porter.
One of my co workers, from Minnesota brought me two six packs of Fat Squirrel Beer. So I had a lot of good beer. Unfortunatley he too peed in the wrong cup.

The plan was that we to return through Southern Utah and as a result I have a few other micro brews and brew pubs to visit. But things changed and I was assigned to a week long project in St. Joseph, Mo. That worked out pretty good to. I found my way to down town Lincoln, Nebraska and the Emporium Brewery and later to Murphy's Pub in Weston, Mo. home of Weston Brewery. As were leaving Missouri . I had the chance to visit the Boulevard Brewery in Kansas City and then drink a Flying Monkey Beer (made in Kansas) at a local BBQ joint.

The Great Divide Pub Crawl Part One was truly great. In addition to all of the beer, I got stuck in a blizzard, help another employee who was stuck in snow and saw two of my fellow employees fail a drug test. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

So there we were cruising up US 287. We got to Limon, Co. around sun-up and we began to heading West towards Denver. It began to snow and then it got pretty heavy. It took over two hours to go less than 70 miles. A few hours later they closed I -70 west bound. Fortunately we were at our motel and I was sound asleep with visions of Colorado beers dancing in my head.

It was my goal to drink Colorado beers. I was looking for beers that I had never had before and particularly beers from Avery Brewing, Boulder Beer, Ska Brewing, Tommy Knocker Brewing. Odell's, Oskar Blues,
New Belgium, Brekenridge, and Left Hand Brewery beers are available around here so I decided I would pass on them.

The first day I was there my fellow pub crawler , now known as The Blue Whale, took me to a nearby liquor store in search of Centennial State beer. I particularly wanted to find beer from the Ska Brewery. The store did not have as much selection as I had hoped. I purchased a 12 pack sampler from Tommy Knocker and a sixer from a brewery called Palisade. (Farmer's Friend). I must admit I was impressed. A few days later I found another "gourmet" liquor store near our work location. I purchased a sixer of Odell's I.P.A. and a a sixer of Avery's Old Jubilation. The Odell's is now my favorite I.P.A. That is saying a lot since I felt Harpoon made the best. The Old Jubilation tasted like a Winter Seasonal Beer (which it is) But damn it was Spring even if it was 19 degrees outside and snowing like a bitch. They too, did not have Ska. A day or so later the Blue Whale and I went to Old Chicago Pizza. They are a chain and claim to have an amazing selection of beers. They did...well sort of. I asked the guy at the bar if he had Ska on tap. He said no but he did have one in a bottle. Wow, it was good. I took a picture of it and and I am displaying it here. Then I had a Drydock Pale Ale made in Aurora, Co. Since we were actually working in Aurora I thought it would be cool to have a beer from there. Shit, that bastard was damn good. Then I chose a beer from Odell's (5 Barrell Ale). I was impressed and I was beginning to think that Odell's was beginning to be my favorite brewer. We played a trivia game while we were there. We did not win. I discovered that dinosaurs were not the largest animals that ever lived. Come to think of it I already knew that.

Our job was going pretty good but we learned that due to an engineering mistake, we had to stay a few days extra. That was good news for The Third and obviously good for The Brew Chronicles.

Friday night found most of us at an over priced pub (Trapper's) two floors above our motel room. I partook of several Mighty Arrows and had some amazing Lamb Chops. With a ten dollar off token I still spent over forty bucks. It caused me to recall rubbing Arrow II's belly and all of the great Lamb dishes I had at Basques Restaurants while I lived in Bakersfield.

Saturday at work was pretty much a waste of time. We were there only 3 hours and did absolutely nothing. The materials we were supposed to receive was not delivered on time so we were released early. That evening a few of us dined at Carino's and I had an Italian beer. I mention this only because it was the only non Colorado beer I drank on this past trip/crawl.

The Beer Gods once again smiled upon me. Like I have mentioned before, I road with Uncle Rog (my son in law's uncle actually) He planned the trip to Denver and we took a back road route. It really was a good one actually and it looked as if we would return the same way. But I -70 was closed due to heavy snowfall and and ice storm. When we finished work Sunday , I asked Rog how we were travelling back to Texas He replied we would be travelling South on I-25. My mind began to whirl and soon I was on the phone with Trinidad Brewing to see if they were open. They were. So Roger and I arrived there at around 4:30 and I had a beer ( We Heavy Lassie)(It was 11% ABV) and I purchased the tee shirt that I had hoped to purchase a year earlier. I love it. The Great Divide Pub Crawl Part Two was great too. I drank a lot of Colorado Beers but sadly learned three of my fellow employees quit, two were fired for a "rooming violation" and three were dismissed for a snowball fight.

So in closing I leave this submittance.

When on a pub crawl

good things comes to those who waits

libations and swag.

Whopee....

The Third

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Ok, this will be short. It is Saturday morning and I am typing on a Holiday Inn blogging machine. It is windy and icy and snowy and cold outside. We finished our job yesterday but we have to go and do additional work requested by the customer.

I see I have a new reader and that is a start. TBC is off and running. Thus far I have accomplished my task and consumed several Colorado Beverages. I will detail them in future ramblings. The added time here will give me more chances to get more Rocky Mt. beers. That is if my allowance holds out.


Brrrrrrrrr



The Third