I finally got around to bottling my latest two brews. Both are from Mr Beer and I have had a lot of success in the past with their recipes. My only concern is the Pumpkin Spice one, the last time I brewed a ‘spiced’ beer it didn’t come out with the flavor I expected. It tasted more chemical-like which was a downer. Hopefully this one turns out better. The two brews are
Pumpkin Spice Ale
and
Wicked Winter Warmer
The Wicked Winter Warmer is a dark ale that had Irish Whiskey in the fermenting keg so it has a bit of kick. The Pumpkin Spice Ale is lighter with real pumpkin and mulling spices included.
I will let you know when I taste test them.
This past Sunday the family and I took a trip into the city to check out the High Line. The High Line is a NYC Park tht was developed from an old abandoned elevated freight line that ran through Manhattan. It had sat unused for years and was slowly being taken over by nature. Some local residents formed a group called “Friends of the High Line” and they petitioned to convert it into a park. The end result is a mile and a half long stretch of green space that runs from Gansevort St to the Hudson Yards.
We took a train into the city and had a late lunch down in Chelsea before walking up onto the high line for a nice walk. The weather was perfect and there were a lot of people with the same idea. Even though it was “crowded” it was still very enjoyable. The boys liked the different sections and their art exhibits. I just enjoyed seeing a part of Manhattan that I wouldn’t normally get to see. The flowers and plants are all pretty much dormant now so I think we’ll have to plan on comjng back in the spring or summer. Even though it was still very pretty the way it was set up.
This past weekend Alex and I went with his Boy Scout Troop on a backpacking trip up Slide Mountain in the Catskills. The weather was predicted to get down into the upper teens at night and there already had been a little snow on the mountain. We hiked in about 4 miles and made camp for the night, unfortunately we were in an area where campfires were not permitted. The boys all made their meals by using backpacking stoves and then we got ready for bed as it was really dark by 6pm and without a campfire it was pretty cold. The next morning we packed up and headed down the mountain back to the cars. It was a good adventure, and certainly a learning experience for some of the boys. Here are some pictures of the hike.
This past weekend Nick and I camped out at Baiting Hollow Scout Camp for Webelos Woods. Webelos Woods is where the Webelos (Cub Scouts) get to camp out for a weekend with the Boy Scouts and they have all sorts of cool stations that the Boy Scouts run for them. The weather was pretty lousy, it rained all day Saturday but Nick had a good time with his friends.
The family and I recently went camping in Cape Cod, MA at Nickerson State Park. It was a great (albeit) short weekend camping trip. We got a late start due to some rainy weather, and then of course we hit traffic on our way up. But once we got there and set up everyone enjoyed the park and the bicycle trails all around the area.
Last week Troop 888 attended their annual summer camp at Camp Yawgoog in Rockville, RI. I was lucky enough to be one of the adult leaders who went along. I have to say it was a great week, tough but a lot of fun. All the boys worked on different merit badges for their rank requirements but they also got some free time to have fun. Some boys tried stand-up paddle boarding, others shotgun shooting. The troop was challenged by Troop 454 to a game of water basketball, which was a lot of fun. Then we challenged Troop 454 to a game of water dodge ball. Some of the older boys hiked the trails at Yawgoog and worked toward the Yawgoog Hiker segment. Each night we had a great big campfire and everyone sat around and relaxed. On Friday night we had a Flag Retirement ceremony where we retired several old worn out American Flags. It was a very memorable week and I can’t wait to do it again next year. The best part is next year BOTH Alex and Nick will be going up.
This past Saturday Alex and I went with Troop 888 to a Shotgun Shooting merit badge clinic in Flanders, NY. The clinic was run by Ducks Unlimited and several Boy Scout Leaders. They did a great job and were very professional. Everyone had fun and learned a lot.
All last week Nick has been attending a fishing camp down at Short Beach in Smithtown. They have been teaching them how to surf cast and fish from the beach. The’ve used all sorts of different rigs and he even has caught some keepers. Here are some of the ones we actually got to eat. They were Porgies and they were delicious. Nick even helped Paula clean them.
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