Puppy!

The St. Michael Auction was last night and we have a new member of the family. She is an 8 week old black lab mix - a rescued puppy that now has a new home. The kids are very excited as you can tell from the new November pictures.

October Photos and More

Well, life has happened again and I've not been posting as much as I'd like. The good news is, I've made up for some lost time. I've updated the September Photos and added a gallery for October.

A few highlights:

• A visit from Jennifer and Elizabeth
• Trips to Seabrook
• Fishing photos
• Halloween

Enjoy! More to come including Christmas Brew and more...

Bavarian Weisen - Mostly Compliant

The keg is ready, and so like all good brewers I elected to give the latest brew a try. This Bavarian Weizen (Wheat) is a very good beer. While technically not fully compliant with Reinheitsgebot - The German Beer Purity Law which allows for only barley, hops, and water. This is pretty close as it has barley hops and water and wheat malt, (from Canada no less).

While I prefer the Belgian Wit, this is still a very good beer for summer. Too bad it's 48, rainy, and nearly Fall. :)

The best part of this beer is the fact that I brewed it with my Dad. We spent a Saturday in August and it tastes a bit better knowing that.

Here's the recipe (10 Gallons All Grain) :

10 lbs. Wheat Malt
10 lbs. Pale Malt (2-Row) - Breiss
1.5 lbs. Munich Malt 10L

1 oz. Tettnanger 2.8 - 60 min
2 oz. Tettnanger 2.8 - 30 min
1 oz. Tettnanger 2.8 - 0 min.

White Labs WLP351 Bavarian Weizen - Platinum

Next up - likely tomorrow - Wassail Christmas Ale

Makeup Time

OK, so I've been slacking...

We have been busy though too!

I've posted pictures from August, like this one.

View More From August including Charlotte's Birthday Party, a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Forth and a short flyfishing expedition on the Deschutes River.

Earlier this month we visited Disneyland and family in California. To view these pictures, click here or on the California Vacation Gallery on the Right below is a sample picture.

And Finally the First Day of School which was Monday for Ian and today for Charlotte. I'll be posting an entry about school soon, but for now here's a preview. You can see more in the September Gallery.

Founder's Day Fun!

We spent this past weekend out at Seabrook for Founder's Day. This is likely our last overnight for several weeks as the house is completely booked for August. We have mixed feelings about it as we have really grown to cherish our time out there and have all met friends we enjoy seeing. Our next trip will likely be the 17th of August with my parents. After that, some time in September. I am planning at least a few Fall fishing trips as the big salmon will be heading into the coastal rivers in the September/October.

We had a great time, the kids especially. They worked for hours at "The Stump" with the next door neighbor kids (also from Olympia). Evan and Ian are both seven and have really hit it off and spend most waking time riding bikes or this weekend, working on "The Stump".

I've updated the July Photos with a bunch of new ones. Added a video of Alec counting the stairs. You may remember a previous entry.

Enjoy!

Alt Style Ale - Part Deux

Cracked open a bottle this afternoon of the Alt. I've previously discussed the first batch which was very good. I had bottled 5 gallons and kegged another 5. This second batch consisted of 10 gallons and I had bottled the entire batch. One of the benefits of brewing a lot of beer in a short period of time is you are not inclined (at least I'm not) to rush drinking it. So, it fermented in the primary for over 10 days, sat in the secondary for almost two weeks and has been bottled for almost a month. Thus, the beer is very clear and very good.

I did switch up the recipe from the first batch in that I used whole hops vs. pellets which has resulted in a less hoppy beer (I happen to like hops) and has increased the clarity. Although, I'm sure time has more to do with that.

I have a second batch of Belgian Wit still in the secondary which I will bottle this week. With the remaining Alt in the keg and several cases of Alt and some Belgian Wit...my guess is this second batch of Wit will get plenty of time to sit undisturbed prior to drinking.

Oh, what to brew next?

Breakfast Anyone?

So the kids are really enjoying doing things more and more on their own. Our energy is now not some much spent doing stuff for them but guiding and requiring the clean up afterward. It takes different attention and energy and is not necessarily easier.

Right now they are "cooking" a very special breakfast. Last night they made salad from spinach from Grandma's garden, cherries from Grandma's, Nasturtium flowers from our yard, carrots and sugar snap peas.

The salad was wonderful, the cleanup for Julie, not so much. I'm on breakfast this morning and they won't let me in the kitchen. We'll see what they come up with. :)

The Artist

Ian has been very excited about music and painting. In fact, we assembled the easel and he's worked on artwork in the basement. He asked to work on outside art to be like Mr. Arthur, an artist friend we met at Seabrook, not to mention his Great Grandmother. :)

So we set the easel up and away he went.

His next pursuit, music and cooking he says.

Lazy Sunday

So we had a pretty low key day today. Got up, went to Mass, ran some errands so Julie could get some stuff for raspberry jam, I took a nap, planted some plants, made sure the sprinklers were working, tested some stain samples, and sampled the Belgian Wit from a bottle (very good).

I've attached a video of Alec playing with Charlotte's Chinese yo-yo, while not taken today it pretty much summed up a lazy Sunday.

The coming week will be busy, I have several meetings and proposals due and will be in La Jolla on Wednesday and Thursday pitching our products, so the calm before the storm is definitely fine by me.

July 4th at Seabrook and More...

We spent a great last weekend out at Seabrook for Fourth of July. We went out Wednesday evening and I returned Monday night after some fishing on the Quinault and Queets Rivers (Thanks to Rob for joining me fishing).

There are some pictures now finally in the July Gallery as I've just now got them uploaded. A few highlights from around here from the past week include:

• Trip to Seabrook
• New Hot Water Heater (Thank goodness I noticed it leaking right before we left Wednesday evening or Julie's return Sunday would've been even more hectic)
• Tall Ships Festival in Tacoma with Grandma
• Overnight with Golf and a Movie with Grandma and Grandpa Omar (Ian and Charlotte)
• Lots of work for Mommy and Daddy
• A wagon ride and walk last night with Alec

Below is a video of Alec counting as he climbs the 45 steps from the beach to the trail...Enjoy!

The New Wiggles - BONUS VIDEO

As a bonus...The New Wiggles Sing!

"Walk Like a Bear"

The animals for reference are:

Bear
Kangaroo
Snake
Wombat
Bear

I Love it When it Rains

Rockabye A Bear

"Even Steven" - The Tao of Steve

For as long as I can remember he's been here. While it has been several years since I've seen him, it is not hard to picture what he has been doing since we last talked. He has been quietly and consistently providing love and support to his family. Whether his children or grandchildren, nieces or nephews, Uncle Steve Champ has been there.

We didn't live very far from Aunt Francie and Uncle Steve, a few blocks via bike across Chandler. It was in their pool that I first learned to swim, and around their pool that 13 years ago we gathered to celebrate Julie and my marriage. The groomsman, Mike, Jeff, Jim and Scott still talk to this day about the days following where they played with family and friends. Our family is like that, guests become part of the family and continue to feel welcome even years after. There isn't a time that I see those guys that they don't talk about the pool party after our wedding.

Growing up there were pools parties at the Champs and eventually at our house and others. Uncle Steve and Aunt Francie were fixtures at those parties and would be quick with a joke or a smile. While I don't specifically recall ever telling either how much I love them or their presence. I always knew they loved me.

These past few weeks I've been thinking a lot about our family and about Uncle Steve and Aunt Francie. I have been left with many impressions and memories that fly through my head. Some will make sense to others, some not so much. Most of these have exceeded the statute of limitations in most states, so since I'm not certain which data center is serving this, we're likely safe. :)

• The Skull Club - Dawn was the leader - who was to know Skull and Bones was already a secret society. An early rule: Don't kick the skull.
• Margie Winchell - She survived not only the Champs, but the Forths and many many more
• Dragonflies don't bite, and I caught all Aunt Francie had in the yard one day.
• Arnold Boy - Proudly delivering prescriptions to the most/least desireable apartments in North Hollywood - I learned a lot those years...by the way, the seatbelt was a rope that we tied across ourselves.
• I got sick one night while staying the night at the Champs when I was about 12. I still won't try Tasters Choice International Coffee again to this day.
  
• Playing Toss with Timothy...Quick John, let's see if he can touch the tree branches.
  
• The quiet, consistent, even temperament of Uncle Steve. From where I sit, he lived a life dedicated to his family, consistently doing all he needed to do to provide.
• Riding in the camper with the older cousins
• The RV
  

As I mentioned earlier, it's been a while since we last spoke and for that I am sorry. He left an impression on me and on all of us. We are all better off having had the privilige of knowing him and being touched by his life.

Seabrook - For a Day, a Lifetime, or 20 minutes...

Left work a bit early today to head out to Seabrook to deliver a new log desk, chair, mirrors and blocks. The drive was easy, but a bit slow. I unloaded the car, settled in for a few minutes on the porch to take in the views and listen to the ocean. I'll maybe hop on my bike
and cruise around, or maybe just relax here for a bit longer.

I'll head back to Olympia in a while, but for now, I'll savor some time on the porch.

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

A couple of video messages for the Birthday Boy!

We love you!

Brian, Julie, Ian, Charlotte, and Alec

5 Drifts - 5 Fish

It took 5 casts to catch 5 fish Sunday afternoon. The fabled fish of 1,000 casts - the elusive Steelhead - seemed for 20 minutes at least, to be as simple to catch as a chill in February.

Our boat, guided by "Miracle Ken" had toiled for nearly 6 hours along 20 miles of river with only 1 Steelhead to show for our efforts. Ken announced it was time for a fourth quarter comeback. So with Favrian skill he orchestrated what would now and forever more be known as simply "The Comeback".

You see, it wasn't just us not catching any fish, it was everyone. Hundreds of shore and boat anglers had been counting their thousand casts, hoping the next one was it. Blue Creek was swarming with boats and people, the only missing player, the fish. That was, until Ken piloted us to the top of the drift and into the Steelhead Hall of Fame.

We increased our weight, switched our presentation and set forth. (no pun intended). 30 yards down the drift, "Fish On!") We landed a mid-size hen a few hundred yards down river. We proceeded back upstream and began again.

This time it took all of 40 yards for the announcement. "Fish On!" So it was to be, another Steelhead.

We tried again and again...two more drifts two more fish. 4 for 4.

In the world of hitting a baseball 4 for 4 is a fine, fine day. In the world of fishing for Steelhead 4 for 4 would be like throwing a perfect game and hitting for the cycle in the same game.

Would lady luck smile upon us on drift 5?

The simple answer, yes. Just as Bill Murray lived the same day over and over in Groundhog Day, so we did on Blue Creek for a fifth time.

Anglers on the shore and in their craft stood with jaws agape as Ken drifted us through that final run and simply stated, "I believe we've worn out our welcome".

As quickly as it had begun, it ended. We got our 6 fish - 5 on 5 casts the other on 6,000 casts, which I guess when you average it all out it not all that special after all. ;)

Many thanks to Chuck and Bob for the trip and hat's off to Ken - architect of "The Comeback".

Adios 14 MPG, A Strike, and Before and After

So it's been a fun Saturday around here. It started with me presenting to Pastoral Council and is now just winding down.

Adios 14 MPG

We replaced our Jeep with a brand spankin' new Jetta. I was tired of filling up the tank every 3 or 4 days and the mileage with the big mudders was just downright unacceptable from an economic and environmental standpoint. Our gas mileage will increase by 2x - 3x.

A Strike

Charlotte and I went to Zavien's Birthday party. It was Charlotte's first time bowling and she did very well. She scored a bumper assisted 72. With her rolling the rock so effectively, I decided I best stay on the sidelines so as to not be outscored. A video is below.

Before and After - A Haircut

Have you seen me lately?

It has been a crazy week.

It all began with a whirlwind of graduation, end of school, birthdays and Father's Day and now has settled in to a less than hectic pace. Lots has been going on here, but it's been a blur. I'm looking forward to a day of fishing tomorrow on the Cowlitz River as the guest of one of our vendors, so that's nice. I will be sure to get some photos up of this as well as the remaining June gallery items sometime tomorrow afternoon.

Here are the highlights from last week!

• Book Club - Mom's Group
  
• Bellydancing
• Poker
• Ian's last day of school
• 1st Grade Swim Party
• Charlotte's last day of school and graduation
• Alec's Birthday
• Charlotte's Friend's Birthday
• Presentation to St. Michael Parish Pastoral Council (1 hour from now)
  
• Small fender bender in the Costco parking lot (Friday the 13th)
• Finally finishing 2007 taxes
• Father's Day BBQ (Flank Steak) and Smoked Baby Back Ribs
• Mom's Group Painted Plate Night
  
• 10 Gallons Belgian Wit
• Possible new car? $13.50 a day to and from work is not going to cut it for much longer with these gas prices

More to come...I promise. :)

I'm Two - Birthday Videos

Alec turned two yesterday and you can see some of the video highlights below! Enjoy!

Presents

Book from Charlotte

Lawnmower from Ian

Happy Birthday - Blow out the Candles

Eating Cake

Don't forget about the June Photo Gallery!

The Graduate - Two Down One to Go!

We are now officially under a one-year hiatus from Sacred Heart Preschool as Charlotte graduated this evening. I can't say enough about how wonderful Sacred Heart school has been for our children. Ms. DeeDee and the entire staff have given both Charlotte and Ian a great start and for that we are very grateful. Charlotte won the "Writing Her Name Award" for her determination while learning to write the longest name. :)

Next year we will have two at St. Michael. This will certainly make it easier on carpools, etc. but we will miss the trip to Lacey. Perhaps Ms. DeeDee will use the year to prepare for our sweet little Mr. Mischief. :)

Hooray for Friends!

Ian and Murron at the park celebrating the graduation of Charlotte and
Audrey!

Seabrook Weekend

Despite a cold weekend we had a great time this past weekend at Seabrook. We arrived Friday afternoon and spent that evening playing around the house. Saturday morning Ian and Charlotte made breakfast, played Wii and hung out around the house. In the afternoon, we all watched The Princess Bride and Charlotte declared it the "Greatest Movie Ever". We roasted marshmallows and hunted some frogs Saturday night. Daddy even shared some Alaska Frontier Ale with friends. We spent most of the day Sunday laying low before heading back to a busy work week. It fun to be back at the beach. I've posted some shots in the June Gallery!

Candy Land Cake

This past Friday was Charlotte's Birthday! Well, not really, but it was the day they celebrated her summer birthday at school. The occasion was made even more special by one of Mommy's famous cakes. This time, a Candy Land cake. The cake featured, lollipops, an ice cream cone castle, rollo swamp, candy canes, gumdrops, and more. It made a big hit at school! I added some of the in-process shots to the June Gallery!

The Reveal - Belgian Wit Edition

So, I re-cleaned out all the lines in the fridge, re-sanitized everything in preparation for the tapping of the Belgian Wit keg. Today was the day. Verdict: Excellent!

Bottles will be ready in one more week!

The Dance!

A classic video of a princess dance joined sometimes by a prince known as Mr. Mischief. :)

Authors and Artist Fair

Ian wowed the crowd at the Authors and Artist Fair at St. Michael School on Monday. He did a stirring rendition of the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. In addition he showed off some of his great artwork. Added to the June Photo Gallery! Also I've added a video below...Enjoy!

We have a jumper!

Ian taking his turn off the diving board. Hooray!

A Lazy June Day

So it's been a lazy day around here. We are all missing Mommy and looking forward to her return. We took the opportunity to recover from the fun and activity of Dad's weekend, not to mention clean up! :)

Alec was a bit tired and grouchy this morning and was acting like he may be getting sick, so we laid low, missed out on fishing at the Lacey pond with the Risse family. There is always next time.

I've started June's Photo Gallery...the first upload includes shots around our house on this lazy first day of June.

Alt Style Ale - Another (Alt)ernative

So you may or may not have read my earlier post(s)

• Single Stab Wound to the Hand - Alt Style Ale
  
• Alt Style Ale Recipe

Mercifully, this post is more related to the second. My wound has healed and I have at least to this point avoided lock-jaw (much to the staff's chagrin).

In any case, during Dad's weekend, I elected to brew late last night after the kiddies were in bed and expanded upon the Alt Ale recipe previously discussed. In this case all remained the same EXCEPT, I replaced the Hallertauer hops with Mt. Hood. Why? I dislike pellet hops.

Fermentation is currently rip-roaring and it appears we will have 10 gallons in a couple of weeks. We'll see how it differs from the previous batch.

Also while wart was boiling I bottled the Belgian Wit and kegged 4 gallons. I was a fun late night/early morning.

On Safari

The kids and I took a trip over to Charlie's Safari yesterday and it was a blast. While they are still working out a few kinks you can see that it is going to be a very successful operation. With our weather being marginal at best for 9 months out of the year it is great to have a spot so close to home where the kids can get out (or in rather) and play. They offer a huge play area, bouncing houses and slides, put put golf, laser tag, and an arcade complete with tickets which you can redeem for prizes. While it is nearly 8 dollars a child for the bounce house and play area, adults with a paid child are FREE. (Laser Tag and Golf are extra). As an added bonus, even the adults can play! Just make sure to leave your shoes and BRING SOCKS...no bare feet allowed. :)

More Photos

Let's Mow

Time to drive Daddy!

Phonics Desk Phun!

Alec is nearly two. I thought this video Julie shot best showed his aptitude for future reading and knowing his letters and sounds.

Day Trip to the Lodge

After filling our bellies with Sunday breakfast we decided to do some exploring between here and Lake Quinalt. Our first stop was the Quinalt National Fish Hatchery. We enjoyed a self-guided tour of the rearing ponds, hatchery room and fish ladder. Over 8 million chinook, coho, chum and steelhead are released each year from this facility. Impressive.

We then headed North toward the Lodge located on beautiful Lake Quinalt and in the rain forest at Olympic National Park. We dined in the Roosevelt Dining Room (Named for FDR, who made a visit to the Lodge while President) There is a lot of history at the Lodge and it was fascinating to tour the grounds. The best part...less than 40 minutes from Seabrook to Olympic National Park and we've just scratched the surface.

More Photos

Sunday Surprise!

Our house made the front cover of today's Business section of the News Tribune. While the focus was not on our house, but on our friend Casey, it was a surprise to see it there front and center. Congratulations to Casey and everyone at Seabrook, what a great write up!

View the article.

Grand Opening

During yesterday's perfect afternoon I decided it would be as good a time as any to crack open the first bottle of the Alaska Frontier Ale. It did not disappoint. I will be dropping off a few for friends around Seabrook.

Saturday at Seabrook

The weather was beautiful today. We enjoyed a relaxing day doing everything from searching for slugs and tadpoles, to hot tubbing and roasting marshmallows. I've added a bunch of photos to the May '08 gallery as well. More to come tomorrow.

Life is good...

78 degrees, blue sky. Nothing more to report.

Amazing Seabrook Sky

Arrived earlier today. Couldn't pass up snapping a quick iphone
picture this evening while on a short walk. More pictures and posts to
follow. It's good to be back.

Poker Night!

Fun was had by all at Marty's place last night. Despite a late arrival from all the participants we managed to get in three games. It was good to be back around the table with good friends, to chat, laugh and ridicule. All part of the camaraderie we've forged over the past few years.

Around the table were, Thomas, Scott, Chad, Dave, Marty and myself. Most of us left full of good food, and at least one of us left gaining a little weight in the wallet.

Here's to next month!

To the Zoo with Grameano

Ian is still sick. He had to miss his field trip to Northwest Trek yesterday. Today was Charlotte's turn and if it had not been for Grameano, she would've had to miss her field trip too. Since Ian was too sick to go to school, Julie had to stay home and take care of him. I had meetings today that were put off from yesterday since I was home, thus I could not stay home again.

Grameano cheerfully stepped to the plate to take Charlotte to the Zoo. Charlotte had a fantastic time and talked all they way home non-stop about all the fun...Everything from seeing the octopus, eating ice cream and petting a REAL rat! She followed it up by saying, "Don't worry Daddy, I washed my hands when I was done."

More May photos can be found here as well.

Belgian Wit to Secondary

So tonight I took the Belgian Wit from 9 days ago and transferred it to the secondary fermenter. This will allow me to clean out the primary and make them into secondaries for the Alt done over the weekend. I allowed myself a small sip whilst transferring and while a bit yeasty will definitely be good in a couple of weeks. So good in fact, that I will be picking up another set of ingredients to do another batch.

Swim Lessons!

Charlotte is ready to join the other Sea Puffers!

The Resting House

Ian is not feeling well today. He had a rough night with a high temperature. Unfortunately this means he is going to have to miss his field trip today to Northwest Trek. He and Julie were planning on leaving about now for school to pick up friends and head to Trek. It was to be an all-day field trip. My job was to work from home and keep tabs on Charlotte and Alec.

I feel bad for him, but I'm not sure how much fun it will be for the class. The weather has returned to our usual 50 and rainy (plus some wind). It's unbelievable how three days ago it was 95 and today, 50 with rain.

So, now the task is to keep the other two away from him so they don't get it too! Fifths Disease is going around in his class, so that is the likely culprit. Hopefully we can push through this and keep our plans alive for a trip to the coast this weekend.

The Commish

Tonight is school commission. I'm heading out in a couple of minutes and will grab some dinner on the way South. It is not always easy to get the energy up after a long day of work for a two hour meeting, but it is well worth it to have this level of participation.

St. Michael School is a very special place. I have been around a lot of schools in my time and I believe it offers students a great education.

I am honored and excited to participate.

Spring Cleaning! Outside Edition

The weather has been spectacular and gratefully not as brutally hot today as the past couple have been. Friday was supposed to have been the hot day, but my vote is for yesterday being tops. I was showing a consistent 95 yesterday. Mercifully, today was in the high 70s, more my style.

After Church I got started on getting the deck ready to re-stain, so I moved all the chairs, pots, bbq, etc and spent a few hours cleaning and prepping the deck. I topped it all off with a good pressure washing for the patio below the deck. We are going to be getting a quote on under decking so that the rain does not drip down on you below so we can use the space when it's raining. Nothing like sitting in the old hot tub and having muddy deck water drip down from above. Since the hot tub is now history, we're working on cleaning up the space.

The kids enjoyed the slip 'n slide yet again and Julie worked in the yard planting, pruning, and beautifying. It is looking fantastic...I'll get some pictures posted soon!

Ready, Set, Go

Alec's idea of a slip 'n slide.

Alt Style Ale - Recipe

So, the process has begun...heating the water now!

BC Alt - All Grain (10 Gallons)

22 lbs - Briess Pale Malt
1 lb - Crystal 60
.25 lbs - Chocolate Malt

5 oz - Hallertauer (60 minutes)
1 oz - Hallertauer (10 minutes)

White Labs WLP036 - Platinum Dusseldorf Alt Yeast

More to come...

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

We didn't buy peanuts AND Cracker Jacks, but since there are peanuts IN Cracker Jacks we got it covered, along with hot dogs, chips, cotton candy, regular pop corn, etc. etc.

Ian, Charlotte and I headed out last night to watch the Tacoma Rainiers take on the Tucson Sidewinders at Cheney Stadium along with other St. Mikes families.

It took us a while to get in the gates due to a sell-out crowd and a traffic accident (gratefully not ours) out in front of the stadium.

Once inside we treated ourselves to some dinner and snacks. We watched some of the game, but mostly enjoyed exploring the stadium and seeing the game from different spots (mainly since our seats were tough to get in and out of with all the people).

The highlight for Ian and Charlotte was meeting Rhubarb the Reindeer and each getting a souvenir ball (for Charlotte, pink of course), and mini-bat for Ian.

Fun was had by all and they are asking when we can go again...next stop is likely Safeco Field to watch the Mariners...tickets should be easy to get and seating plentiful. Not sure what I mean, just check the standings... :)

See More May Photos Here

Slip Slidin' Away

Following Ian's school conference this morning, Mommy dropped Him, Alec and I off at Toy R Us to pick up a new Slip 'n Slide. Our current Slip 'n Slide did not make it though yesterday's playdate, so we needed a new one.

Toys R Us was a bit picked over with the warm weather, so we found a cool, shark Slip 'n Slide complete with opening and closing jaws. The best part, over 20' of slide. Ian was thrilled. Charlotte a bit less enthusiastic as the video below illustrates.

A Boy and a Backhoe

Alec loves trucks and it is very hard to drag him away when he's watching them work on the construction at St. Michael Parish.

Single Stab Wound to the Hand & Alt Style Ale Coming Soon

I stabbed myself today for the first time ever. It was not fun.

I was using a Leatherman to cut a plastic pot off a plant I was preparing to put in the ground, but the only thing that got put anywhere was the Leatherman into me.

The wound is not bad, nothing like the time I tore my ear off riding my bike home from Paul Mudget's house. It was traumatic enough however, to mention here. For a split second I thought to myself, "What are you doing? You just stabbed yourself..." I'll spare you the photos and no, Mom, it does not need a stitch. :)

In any case it's in the meaty part of my right hand under the thumb, a little neosporin and I'm good to go...

In the interest of ending this post on a lighter note. Everything else is great. The weather is perfect...the kids are doing fine and over the weekend I'll be brewing a Summer Alt Ale...

Tomorrow Ian has his last conference of 1st grade. I can't believe it, 1st grade. He is such a great kid! I will be taking him and Charlotte to a Tacoma Rainiers game tomorrow night, shhhh, they don't know...

Playdate

Ian has been looking forward to today for awhile. His best friend Matthew came over to visit and play prior to swim lessons tonight. I just got home and it looks like they have all been having a good time - Slip 'n Slide, Battleship and frog catching. It's good to see a sunny day and to hear kids playing in the yard when coming home. Life is good.

To Aberdeen and Back - Oh and Swim Lessons

A crazy day! Not sure when was the last non-crazy day, but today qualified as one even by my standards.

Up early and had new hire meetings, sales meeting and then a presentation for a possible new client. All pretty standard fare for life at SiteCrafting. Here's where it got a bit nuts. I had a 1:00 presentation and then needed to leave to be in Aberdeen, WA for a training at 2:30, so I did 15 minutes at the 1:00 and let Mark take over from there. I then traveled the 75 miles to the coast to present. Left at 4:45 so I could be home in time to take the kids to swimming lessons at 6:00. (We were early). Just now settled down, kids are playing wii and ready for bed. All so we can start again tomorrow bright and early.

Wouldn't change it for the world!

Samiclaus Christmas Ale

Meant to add this entry yesterday, but did not want to preempt Mother's Day with a post about Christmas, especially when it included Ale. However, the bottling was a success. 23, 22 oz. bottles with gold caps. Look for these this coming winter.

Note to self: New tradition, brewing 12/6...Nice, this year it's a Saturday.

Belgian Wit

So it's steeping. A sort of wonderful tea that ends up with the attractive name of wort. Which in turn after fermenting for a few weeks is known as beer. This time, it's Belgian Wit.

Belgian Wit is a "wheat" beer, often whitish in color from suspended yeast. Learn More.

This is not a clear beer, but is very refreshing. I brew mine using 1/2 Belgian two row malt, and 1/2 wheat. The rest of the recipe is below, but it all adds up to a very good beer.

10 lbs. 2 Row Belgian Pale Malt (Dingmans)
10 lbs. German Wheat Malt
.5 lbs. Rice Hulls
4 oz. Saaz Hops
2 oz. Sazz Hops (finishing)

Gruut

2 oz. Corriander Seed
1 oz. Bitter Orange Peel
1 oz. Sweet Orange Peel
White Labs WLP Belgian Wit II Ale - Platinum

Prost!

Snacks and the Weather

So today is a big day if your name is Charlotte in our house. Today is snack day at school, and as a by-product of doing snack you also get to do the weather. Today she is starting he unit on ponds and so she and Julie created some frog lily pad cookies. They are very cute, although she chose to go with gummy frogs vs. the real one I found out back.

Mother's Day 2008

So there's a lot to be said for Moms. I have a wonderful mother and I am blessed with a wife who is, in turn, a fantastic mother to our kids. Everyday she greets it with a loving consistency worth noting. Lunches, packing the car, snack, stuffed animals, juice, milk all make up the symphony of the morning routine. Some mornings are easier than others. Tantrums or kisses the love and care are the same. Rarely are there thanks and that is why we have Mother's Day. While every day is kid's (and husband's) day, today is for our Mom.

We got up and headed to church. It seemed like forever since we've been there. We've had a lot going on and it was nice to all be together. We were joined by Gramiano (Julie's Mom) and step-dad Omar.

Following Mass we hit the Olympia Farmer Market for gingerbread boys, tomato plants, roasted cashews and a crash course in navigating crowds. A good time was had by all.

Our appetites calling us, we stopped at Casa Mia for some pizza and then home for gardening and relaxing.

In the end it will probably not be the sort of pampering day Julie deserves or needs, but it was fun and we were all together.

So for all the days we forget to say thank you, we thank and honor you today, our Moms. We love you.

Alaska Frontier Ale - Bottled

So, last night I bottled my Alaskan Frontier Ale. Brewed it two Sunday's ago and it looks to be very good. I originally intended to do 10 full gallons, but ended up with a bit more than 9 due to some problems getting the wort transferred into the carboys.

The recipe for 10 gallons is below for all grain.

• 20 lbs. Pale Malt (2-Row) Gambrinus
• .80 lbs Crystal 80
• 1.5 lbs Crystal 120
• 1 lb Cara-Pils Dextrine Malt
• .20 lbs. Special B
• .12 lbs. Roasted Barley
• 4 oz Fuggle Hops - 60 min
  
• 4 oz Mt. Hood Hops - 15 min, and at end of boil
• Yeast White Labs WLP002 English Ale
  

I have 23, 22-ounce bottles that will be ready to roll in two weeks and about 4 gallons in a keg that will be ready to sample Tuesday. Next up for brewing is a Belgian Wit (my absolute favorite from last year) Likely will do this tomorrow or Monday evening depending upon when I can get my Christmas Ale bottled.

---UPDATE---

Tried a sample a day early...still needs some time, but will be good. Definitely dark though so I am updating the label to include American Dark Ale as well.


--- UPDATE 2 ---

Poured a pint (see photo above). Very good. Should approach perfect in a few days once it has cleared up a bit.

Welcome

So it begins.

I have been threatening to do this for some time and as they say , no time like the present. So I'll say it again, it begins.

I have been blogging rather unfaithfully on our company blog, but this is meant to be more of a personal blog focusing on things like my hobbies (brewing, fishing, smoking - the food kind), family, and fun.

Enjoy!