Considering a Trade...

I always get so emotional. I don't know if I can let her go.

Winchester 1300 Defender. We bought it new at the first gun show Misty and I ever went to together. I have added the sidesaddle, heatshield, and pressure switch mini-mag light.

Factory black synthetic stock. 12 ga. 8rds, magnum capable.

But the Smith and Wesson model 60 is a classic. I'd probably use it more, too. Plus it's just like my old Chief's Special, but made Florida-friendly by stainless steel.

I have to go, I'm feeling nauseous.

No, I haven't forgotten about the blog

I just forgot to download my photos. I also haven't taken too many so far this year.

So....... here is a selection of pictures from the last couple of weeks:

Candle. Duh!

Mantle. My mom gave us the prayer flags. They were blessed by the Dalai Lama. My dad bought the brass table in Iran while in the Air Force in the '80s. I bought the KwanYin for Misty and she got me the Buddah.

Kevin's shined shoes. All dressed up and only the Military Ball to attend.

More "Fairer"

Entering the Fair

Fairly dark compared to earlier post

"Fairing" fast 'round

Fair Kingly Cabbage

"Fairis" wheel

Leaving the Fair

Manatee County Fair

Above: overexposed purposefully, and to good effect if my opinion is to be noted.

reflection in the late afternoon's light.

uh.... flags?

A ride. None of us rode it.

Hula Hoops

Oh, and my Winter Solstice Spice Ale (WSSAle- pronounced: wassail) won a blue ribbon.

Brew V

Above and below: A bucketload of strawberries. Stemmed and bucketed by my children. I knew they were good for something.

19 1/2 gallons now. Left to right: rear: Mead Day mead, Citrus Flor, strawberry-apple; front: Live Fast-Die Young Mead, Special Secret Wine Inside, concord pyment, Chappel Wine, and the white grape-cherry.

Chapple Wine sitting in warm water. An attempt at bringing it back to life as a drier wine. It did kick start it, but it didn't last. It is what it is, I suppose. A note for the curious: that is a ghetto airlock. I keep it for old time's sake. Necessity is the mother of invention, and there was a time when $2 for a replacement was just not available.

Brew IV

The astute observer may have noticed that I never mentioned what was in the half-gallon jug in my previous brew post. It was a jug of Welch's white grape cherry juice. I removed a cup of it and replaced it with a cup of sugar before pitching champagne yeast. I have tried a few Welch's wines but found they were a bit thin, so I thought I'd chaptalize a little and see how that works. Misty is the one who suggested the flavor, and I of course agreed- I dig cherries.Well, this is it, up close and personal.

The concord pyment.

"Citrus Flor" So named for the fact that I picked the fruit up off the forest flo(o)r (not really a forest, but I've always been a fan of poetic license) in my back yard. And I pitched a flor sherry yeast.

"Live Fast, Die Young" mead. Made with slightly less honey than usual for a fast fermentation and will be carbonated and drunk immediately, or as they say in wine: young. Yes, less honey means a lighter color, but the main difference between this and the Mead Day mead is the type of honey that was used. The smaller was made from Florida wildflower and the larger from Florida citrus, palmetto, and wildflower.

Reverend Olson's (that'd be me) Chapple Wine.

Ha-Ha!

You thought I forgot about the xmas vacation photos! You thought you were going to get away without seeing them! I know everyone loves to see everyone else's vacation pics, so here you go:

We'll start in Indiana. We went a little out of the way to stop by the cemetary where Misty's dad was buried. When in cemetaries, I'm always struck by the way we choose to treat the fact of death and remember those who have died.

John's Butcher Shoppee was our preferred meat-monger shop back in St. Louis. Make note of the barren trees and grey skies.

We took the kids, at Aunt Jeanne's suggestion, to a rather well to do home. Their whole yard was lit up, including the tennis courts, and they had paths marked by lights on the ground on which the general public could walk to view the whole thing. In my opinion, this one stood out the most. Also, my batteries ran out halfway through, so it's also the best picture I got.

Though you really can't tell from the picture, this is another graveyard. I took this photo while standing by my dad's grave.

Kevin took this one as we crossed into Florida. You've got to love those green trees & blue skies!

If that wasn't slapped together arbitrarily enough for you, just wait for the next installment of our trip pics :)

Brew Magic

Above is a rather close-up picture of the HAMS Mead-Day mead. I love that color. I hate camera flash, so I tried flashing through one of the airlocks picured below and it came out interesting. To me, anyway.

This is a concord grape pyment. It is the most active fermentation I've got going right now. For those out there without experience: see the stuff above the liquid, stuck to the glass? That is remains of the initial fermentation boom, and it is why you shouldn't fill your jugs too full. Trust me, I know this to be true.

This is a group shot. 13 1/2 gallons worth.from left to right they are: 1 gallon of concord pyment (which is a grape/mead mixture), 5 gallons of Mead-Day mead (s.g. 1.142) sitting in a prohibition era carboy (it's bottom is marked with- I believe -"1927", but I'm not picking it up to check any time soon), 1 gallon of a weaker mead (intended for near-immediate consumption and sharing as a sparkling mead), 1 gallon of Reverend Olson's Chapple Wine (for religious purposes, I'm sure), and 5 gallons of citrus wine (my first attempt) made from two different varieties of grapefruit and oranges from my backyard.

It may look like a lot, but trust me- it doesn't last long, especially if you share!

Oh, thanks to Tom for the gallon jugs.

Artsy Crap

Whatever miscellaneous stuff I come across in the next minute I will post forthwith.
Be right back, I have to browse through my photographs.


okay, I'm back. Here you go:

our youngest with sparklers

our next one up the age scale. also with sparklers.

All 3 kids playing at the beach.

our oldest, without sparklers. (just kidding, Kevin!)

I have lots of pictures to share seeing as I haven't posted much in the last 7 months.

Live music...

... in static format?
These are Gross National Product, performing live in Brandon, Florida.
Check out Bacon Towne Records for more info!

brew notes

Then:

The mead (brewed at Mead Day, courtesy of HAMS club) was not stuck, just extremely slow. It still bubbles, but you really have to wait for it.

The elderberry wine tastes pretty good, could use a little more body, but the majority of the bottles blew their corks out! The gravity was so low, I thought I shouldn't need to sulfite. Perhaps I was wrong, eh?

The gingered ale was a hit. I kegged it with the setup Misty bought me back at xmas '03. It was sweet (not the beer, that was a bit on the dry end).

Now:

I'm letting some apple wine ferment complete before adding cherries for "Reverend Olson's Chapple Wine".

Last night I bottled a "Spiced Solstice Ale". The spice seems a little heavy, but will probably mellow shortly. I figure it will be ready by New Year's Eve. I should have bottled it sooner, but I was recently diagnosed with diabetes and wasn't even sure if I was going to be able to drink it. Turns out that "moderation is the key" to controlling blood sugar, so I am able to hold onto my hobby. Anyway, I used (for the first time ever) a kit. It was English, Munton's "Old Ale", and it was much hoppier than I had expected. The orgininal intent was a Fruitcake ale and I brewed it with ginger, brown sugar, and honey, but the hoppiness killed that idea. Instead I spiced it with a cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg tea at bottling.

Next:

A dry mead. 9lbs honey and champagne yeast. Not sure what else.

more later...

ok, well

I guess I was innacurate in that last posting.



But here's a picture to whet your appetite for the post-xmas vacation photos.

new post!

Well, I went to the day shift back in May and since have not found the time to blog. I am now getting settled in and think I will return with a new addition. Homebrew notes!

I currently have a mead fermenting (seems stuck at the moment), elderberry wine to be bottled tomorrow (finishing gravity below .990!), and a gingered ale to be bottled within the week.

I'll be including pictures and I suppose, brewing notes as well.

See you soon!