Mar 22, 2017

I got a job at Memorial and I really didn't want to go in so early, but it ended up not being too bad. I thought about taking a run after work, but I figured I should give my legs a little break after 5 days skiing. I took a nap or tried to and then we picked up Chuck and Alycia and went to The Abbaye for Firestone Walker's U Buy the Glass Night. Chuck and I parked and walked back from the Piazza lot. The beers were all fantastic. I loved the Pilsner, 31, Double Barrel Ale, and Easy Jack. Unfortunately we didn't have a chance to have Union Jack because it kicked.

Once the event was over and we finished our delicious cheesesteak and vegan wings along with our last beers poured after it finished we decided to go over to The Foodery and get a few bottles and cans to drink. We had to get a Union Jack since we missed out. We also got a Crunch chocolate PB Porter from Manayunk brewing and hung out there for a while longer. On our way home we may have passed a car on 55 on the right shoulder while a tractor trailer passed on the left. No big deal.

Mar 21, 2017

I went down to swim in the morning as Ryan slept in. I love swimming early in the day. I hopped in the hot tub for a short time afterward then headed back upstairs to get a shower and dress up for more skiing!

We started off in the trees and spent most of the day hopping between different sections of glades. We filmed each other a few times and were both feeling quite fast and confident overall. We did get ourselves into one place that we probably shouldn't have and had to slowly find our way down.

By the end of the day it had started snowing and the whole mountain was serene and beautiful. We planned on leaving but we ended up staying another hour or so just because we were having so much fun doing the jumps and filming each other on them. It was a perfect ending to our trip.

On the way home we stopped in Worcester at Belmont Vegetarian to get the medley of delicious food. I planned on stopping at Edge of the Woods in Connecticut again, thinking I would finally get there on time, but even though I called to confirm the deli was closed when I called back to order. I was so annoyed.

We stopped at Two Roads Brewing when we were in the area so I could have a flight and eat the rest of my leftovers since I didn't get my Reuben. For once some of their small batch beers were not great, but the Conntucky Lightning bourbon barrel-aged beer was great. We hopped back on the highway and finished the long drive home in good time.

Mar 20, 2017

One of the great things about staying at the Mt. Washington Hotel is that we could put all our ski gear on in our room, our boots on in the lobby, grab our skis out of the little holding area downstairs, and hop on our two-minute shuttle over to the resort. We left about 45 minutes before the lifts opened and we still sat around for a while waiting. We thought we'd be on the first chair but this couple beat us to it. Turns out it doesn't really matter anyway. Elite people get to go up early.

We still got ourselves a freshly groomed trail that no one else had skied on yet. It was so nice. We spent the whole day skiing trails with no wait at all for lift lines. Weekdays are the days to go. It was such a wonderful change of pace. The snow was pretty great for the most part and we had the place to ourselves. We got into the trees finally and eased into it, but by the end of the day we were feeling really confident.

We did a run with jumps on it and tried them out a few times. We went down Granny's Grundle and Herb's Secret a couple times which was a nice assault to the leg muscles. Overall it was a really great day and we were worn out by mid afternoon. The view was great as well. The sun was out and the sky was blue all day long.

When we got back to the hotel we headed right for the hot tub. It was nice for a little bit, but then others joined in and started chatting. It was a little awkward, but the guy told us about the outdoor pool so that was a nice tip.

The outdoor "heated" pool wasn't so warm, but we stayed in and walked around for a little bit mostly for the novelty. The coldest part was getting out in the chilly air while we were wet. Luckily we could duck into the pool house to dry off and put on our robes.

We felt like pizza so we drove a few minutes down the road to the town only to find out the pizza place was closed. Then we found another pizza place which wasn't there anymore. We ended up driving a half hour to Littleton where there was a nice little downtown area and a beautiful covered bridge over a frozen, snowy river scene with the cute little town behind it. We got our pizza and walked across the bridge enjoying the nice day and the late day sunlight.

The red building with the water mill on it is Schilling Beer Co. We went in and tried a few samples of decent beers and then we headed back to the hotel.

We went back outside behind the hotel to enjoy the fire pits and encountered a strange woman who kept telling us that we just missed them making s'mores and she could go inside and get some if we really wanted to. She eventually left and we went to the bigger fire pit because it was getting chilly.

We spent the rest of our night playing SnipperClips in the lobby and hanging around the room in our robes trying to get the perfect gangsta picture. I think we got it. It felt too soon to already be leaving our lavish accommodations, but we packed up our stuff anyway to be ready to leave in the morning then relaxed in bed. It felt like a really long day in a great way.

Mar 19, 2017

This is the main memory I have of Okemo for the day. The lines were crazy at a lot of the lifts. We only took the bubble lift once because the second time we got in the line we bailed and went to get lunch instead. 

It was another beautiful day and the lines forced us to go do trails that we had never done before or didn't remember too well. We had fun once we got on the lifts and we spent the day choosing the trails with the least amount of people on them. The snow was really great here for some reason though so that was nice.

We left Okemo headed for New Hampshire and stopped at Worthy Kitchen for lunch. I got a mac and cheese plate and started sampling beers. They had a few beers from Hill Farmstead which were quite good as well as Lawson's Finest Double IPA which was nice to try after hearing so much about it. My definite favorite was Little Umbrellas by Four Quarters. It was a coconut pineapple sour and it was fantastic. I want more right now.

When we got to The Lodge at Bretton Woods we sat and waited for the customer in front of us before being told that the hotel was closing the next day and we had been moved to the hotel across the street. That hotel is the Mount Washington Hotel and Resort. Quite a huge upgrade. I'm not sure of the price difference, and we would have had access to most of the amenities there anyway, but being able to stay there was definitely nice.

As we arrived the sunset was coloring Mount Washington and the Presidential Range pink. It was an amazingly gorgeous scene from our hotel porch balcony. We spent the night in high spirits enjoying our room and exploring the hotel a bit. I spent a little time in the indoor pool and hot tub before retiring to the room for the rest of the evening. The bed was so comfortable that it was easy to fall asleep.

Mar 18, 2017

We got up and got ready for skiing at Stratton as I took phone calls from photographers in Jacksonville doing the Insane Inflatable 5K. Once that was all taken care of we took the winding roads up to the resort and got to skiing. It was really crowded, but we didn't end up waiting in too many lines. We took the gondola a couple times, but mostly avoided it. The weather was amazingly perfect. Blue skies and not too cold. The snow wasn't perfect, but it was better than Mount Snow. We had a great day of skiing.

We went back to the hotel and relaxed for a while. It felt good to just lie in bed after skiing. We had gotten done early so it was another day with extra time. We went to Hermit Thrush Brewery a little later and did a flight of all of their beers. There were a few new ones, but the Party Guy was my favorite of them. Everything was quite good as always (except the super boozy quad) and the Truthy Cardinal barrel-aged tripel was amazing. I wish it wasn't so pricy to get cans.

We walked down to the outdoor store and I got a new belt. We went next door to Mocha Joe's where I got a green tea ginger maple drink that was amazing. This isn't that. This is Ryan's drink. I'm sure it was good but probably not as good as mine. We went back to our hotel for the night and watched The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror that we always quote with "The Shinning" and the time travel segment. It made me want to go back and watch more of the old episodes.

Mar 17, 2017

Ryan and I got up and ready for skiing at Mount Snow for the first time. The lodge was crazy packed because of the $17 lift ticket St. Patrick's Day extravaganza. The snow was patchy and rough and overall the trails were not super fun. We got used to the iciness and avoiding patches of grass and rocks, but after a few hours of leg-pounding ice trails we decided that we had our $17 worth and headed out early.

It felt a little strange being done skiing so early, but we made use of our time dropping off our skis to get waxed and sharpened then went to Superfresh for lunch. It took a really long time to get our food, enough that I had to go feed the meter. When I came back my kimchi quesadilla was there and it was delicious. I got a vegan twix bar for dessert that was also fantastic.

We went back to the hotel for a little bit before heading back to town to pick up our skis and then went to Whetstone Station Brewery for dinner. I got a flight and Ryan got himself a beer. I told him to get the sour because it's closest to kombucha. He didn't love it, but he drank it. A true beer drinker.

The beers were pretty good, but the bean burger was amazing. I would go back for the food before the drinks. We went back to our hotel for the night and played SnipperClips on his Switch. We got to bed pretty early in preparation for another day of skiing.

Mar 10, 2017

I started my morning driving through rain and traffic to get to the airport. It's a good thing I left early. Once I got on the plane I thought we were good to go, but we had to wait in line to get de-iced before we could take off. The whole flight I thought I was going to miss my connection. I got to the next gate in Charlotte just in time-- if they were leaving on time. It turned out that flight was delayed for mechanical work so I was fine. I got to Augusta a little late but without issue. 

My visit to the course for Insane Inflatable 5K went quickly and easily so I was able to grab some food and head right for the Hippodrome disc golf complex. I started out not loving the Old Glory course since the holes were not obviously laid out and there was a lot of artificial OB. A few holes in everything became much easier to follow and a lot more interesting. This hole that's sunken in the ground was one of my favorites.

I liked this hole on a hill too. There were a few holes that were hanging or hung up in a fun way. There was another drop-off island hole in the middle that was fun. One of the holes even had a bullpen fence around it. It was really weird and confusing, but good for them for finding novel ways to make unique shots.

Once I finished that course on hole 19, which features a bell tower with a basket hanging in it and a bell to ring when you finish. I started on the Hogback course right away to use as much daylight as I could. It was a much shorter and more traditional course with tight, wooded holes. It also featured this giant basket along the edge that you can see from the highway.

I liked this course as well, but after playing the first one I was in the mood for more unusual holes. Hogback does feature a lot of great terrain and risk/reward dropoff shots in the ravine. I put more than a couple discs down the sides of the steep ravine in this area. I was surprised that it was still light at 6:30 when I was finishing up. I think I made the most of the day.

The next stop was Savannah Brewing where I had to buy a little glass for $14 which I could get 6 pours in. Not too bad, but I wouldn't want to do it every time I went. The space is really great and open, with lots of tables and outdoor games. Everyone was really friendly and the pilsner and wheat beer were amazing. The other beers were just okay, but I think they have great potential. After my samples I went back to my hotel and got some things ready for the race then got myself to sleep at a reasonable time.

Mar 8, 2017

I worked for Ryan at Wood School during the day. He had 3 classes. One of them I had watch OK GO videos and the other 2 I took outside to be crazy on the playground. That was the best way to handle them. It worked out pretty well. The big breaks felt long though. Becca and I went to New Brooklyn Park to play disc golf while the weather was nice, but after 9 holes we were just not feeling it. It's confirmed that I just don't like that course.

We called an audible and headed to Cape May Brewery. They had a bunch of stuff on tap and a good amount we hadn't tried so we got some flights. The Key Lime Corrosion wasn't nearly as good as the regular, but the DemiSemiSeptCentennial was really great. The Geek Out IPA was good too. Avalon Coffee Stout was something I was looking forward to, but it was disappointing. I got a couple pints of the Demi which I enjoyed even more than the sample. We also had a little taste of their mango habanero soda which was surprisingly refreshing.

Mar 5, 2017

Becca and I headed out early to Jack Frost. I got my books on surprisingly easy and went out to get my lift ticket only to be approached by not one but two people trying to sell me tickets right at the window. Both were ushered away by security people, but I followed one of them into the lodge and got a ticket from her saving $18. Whatever works. The mountain is incredibly small. I was surprised that I was already at the bottom when I did a blue run to start off. Becca and I did a couple of the baby greens and they were like nothing I'd ever seen. I could see the bottom of the lift from the "top" of the hill. We had to stop doing that quickly.

We got on longer greens and blues pretty quickly and Becca did really well. We did more blues and it wasn't long before I convinced her to go on a diamond. She fell once, but not because of skiing badly, so she was more confident about her ability. I was really surprised at how quickly she picked it up and improved. We met up with the others and Laura after a while to ski with them for a bit. We went inside for some food and then spent the rest of the day on blues and diamonds. It was more fun than I expected, but we were ready to go by mid-afternoon.

On our way home we decided it was too nice to not stop for disc golf at Little Lehigh Parkway. It was a nice way to end the day outside and there wasn't really anyone else there. I also found two discs on the course.

We hit Wegman's for a nice dinner from the hot bar and then went to Vegan Treats, of course. The ice cream was hazelnut and chocolate. So amazing. We also got a couple of the cookies for later.

One last stop before heading home was Sterling Pig Brewery. We had them at the Abbaye's event a couple months ago so we wanted to try more. The space was pretty nice and the beer was good. The lager was one of the best, but everything was pretty good. There was also a local cider on tap which was awesome as well. The bartender was really nice and she talked to us about other local places. This is definitely a great place and the bar is set up with big open air windows that could be opened in warm weather. It was a nice last stop.

Mar 4, 2017

I planned on sleeping in, but when I was woken up early I just stayed up. I took my time getting ready in the morning and eventually I headed out the door for another long solo drive to the Poconos. I arrived at the Mountain Laurel Inn long before anyone else so I decided to get in the pool and kill some time. The pool was nice, but there was a kid with a ball who wouldn't stop throwing in around near me. Kids. I got out and had a nice long, hot shower in the locker room before heading out to sit in the lobby area to get some quiet.

Becca, Tracy, Christie, and Eliza showed up after a little while from their day skiing and taking lessons and we headed out to Barley Creek Brewing. They were packed so we sidled up to the bar to wait for our table to get ready. We tried a few of their beers which were surprisingly good and the pints were surprisingly cheap. After being seated and realizing the food wasn't looking good and the waitress was quite rude we decided to leave.

I found an Indian restaurant that seemed cool. It was inside an old train car. The novelty was fun, and the food was AMAZING. I love Indian food, but this was some of the best I've had and the waitstaff were incredibly attentive and friendly. It was a perfect change of pace from the last spot.

We stopped at the liquor store to pick up some beers before going back to our hotel. We got a suite so we had a living room area and two rooms. We hung out in the living room area having a few beers while Tracy tried to get some work done. It was pretty relaxing besides having to call the front desk and ask why there were dirty dishes in our dishwasher. It was unclear why they seemed to be so hostile since the moment I got there, but that hadn't changed. We still had a nice night after all.

Mar 3, 2017

I worked at Holly Heights for CST in the morning and spent very little time in classes. After the first two meetings I found out my pre-lunch and post-lunch meeting were canceled meaning I got to leave before noon and I was done for the day. I got a slightly early jump on departure to Baltimore, but not as much as I should have and I hit accident traffic. I still made it to the Baltimore Museum of Art with enough time to browse the contemporary galleries for a short time. My favorite exhibit was The Guerrilla Girls' "The Birth of Feminism." I wandered a bit more, but I really don't like the feeling of being rushed out of a museum. I need to give myself more time.

I went to Union Craft Brewing, which I realized I had been to once before when it was very busy. I did some half-pours to try the beers and chatted with the bartenders about beer laws. I also talked to a couple of guys who (I think) were pretending not to know the Hanson song "Mmmbop." I mean, who doesn't know that? They left shortly after and were replaced by a guy and girl who were really nice and we chatted for most of the next hour about skiing and places they should visit in Philly. The bartender also brought me over a sample of their regular barleywine and the bourbon barrel-aged version. The original was, ironically, too boozy for me, but the aged one was so smooth. It tasted like a great shot of bourbon. Those were not my favorites, however. The best beer I had was the Pajama Pants coffee stout. I had a glass of that and I finished with the tasty Duckpin IPA after a sip of my new friend's.

I got myself a parking spot right in front of Ottobar and headed in early enough to see Dryjacket's full set. They are fantastic live, and I think they could easily be one of my favorite new bands. I need to get their music. I talked to a guy who was in the crowd next to me so it was nice having someone there to chat with between bands. Empty Houses was up next and they were good, but they just weren't my kind of music. The singer could really belt though, and everyone seemed to be into it.

Aaron West & The Roaring Twenties were up next. They played full-band again this time, which I was very excited about after last year's solo show. They surprised me by opening with "'67 Cherry Red" instead of "Our Apartment." The set was all mixed up, which makes sense after playing almost all his previous shows in order. Now that people know this project he doesn't have to explain the whole story and play it out each time. He did play the full catalogue including both covers and finished with "You Ain't No Saint." It was a great night of singing loudly along with the crowd. I needed that release. The drive home afterward felt long, but not terrible. I listened to some podcasts which always helps the time go by.

Feb 24, 2017

When I started my day at Silver Run my meeting schedule left much to be desired as far as free time on such a beautiful day. As it turned out the first two meetings I wasn't needed so I had two hours off right off the bat! I went to Becca's and we immediately headed to the park to play disc golf. I thought we could play the long tees for a change. Well, I was once again reminded why we don't. They're not much fun and some aren't much different. And Becca ended up throwing her disc into the thick brush on hole 10. We used my hoodie as armor and she got her disc back.

I had to go back to work for one meeting, but then I had a long lunch so I met Becca again for Wildflower lunch at Corson Park. It was so nice out. I want to have more meals outdoors.

After going back for a very short time I was done early so Becca, Chuck, and I went to Glasstown. I was excited to try the Super C, their new IPA with Centennial, Citra, and Chinook? hops. It was very citrusy and delicious and maybe my new favorite IPA there.

We had a great time and ended up staying for a long time. Adrian even cruised through! Chuck pretended to be grumpy. It was a proper evening at the bar.