My Happy Eye "The Blog"

21st Century Schizoid Man

2012-02-04T16:10:00.000-08:00

I received a letter from a good friend the other day. It was one of those let's look back on those good old times," nostalgic," remembrance of the way things used to be FWD: FWD: FWD... you have received them I am certain. For example it contained cartoons titled:" how things have changed!" The first set of cartoons compared the old days to now and the topics were" listening to music, watching films, chatting with friends, reading the news, and playing music. In the old days we listened to music on the stereo, we watched films on TV as a family, we chatted with friends on the telephone, dad read the newspapers by himself alone in a comfortable chair in the quiet of the living room, if you played an instrument you practiced and practiced until everyone in the family wished you did not play that instrument ever again. Today all of the above can be done on computer. I don't think that's so bad. Digital technology for me has enhanced my life and afforded me the opportunity to be highly selective about what I listen to, or read, or communicate about with my friends. I love the opportunity the Internet presents at no charge for me to be able to read" The Guardian, The New York Times, Pravda, the Hindu Times and any other news resource in the world I wish to read, I call that democracy in action... I no longer have a newspaper delivered to my doorstep, why should I? Not when the news in that paper newspaper is days old, filtered, and often of no interest or relevance.

What a useful machine the home computer is.

Another cartoon in this e-mail was a comparison of "before" and "now days." It depicts a boy going out to play football he's holding a football and is dressed in uniform ready for the game." Now days" depicts him sitting in front of the television or computer monitor playing the same game digitally. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing but frankly it's the way things are today. In the town that I live in there is a huge soccer" European football" field complex not far from my home. Year round I see boys and girls of all ages from early school grade to high school out there playing almost every day. So it's not like kids are not out there getting their exercise.

These Video Game Kids make great UAV operators

The next cartoon is about a child's room. In the" years before" when a child was told to go to his room, supposedly it was punishment and there would be little for the child to do for the duration of the punishment. In the "now days" depiction of a child sent to his room as punishment we see him smiling in a room full of technology, audio equipment, television, and other things to entertain him as he sits smiling with headphones on. I can understand what the intent was the author of this cartoon wanted to depict. On the other hand if a child is living in a remote location, or is snowed in, or is in a wheelchair, this Internet connected child's room is a virtual library, school system, and collection of devices to enhance a child's education; and I am all for that. Punishment today would be to send the child into another room without this collection of technologies.

In my Room... the world is my Oyster

The next "Remember the good old days" cartoon is of a child's birthday party where we see happy children excited about the birthday cake and wrapped presents received. In the present day pane we find a child in a darkened room at a laptop computer excited about how many people remembered his birthday on Facebook. Facebook has brought together people from every religion, ethnic origin, race, country, and economic background to share their lives with each other. I see something good here for if you are not ignorant then you wont be stupid. A consequence of Facebook membership is that instantly around the world people can talk to each other about everything be it sex, politics, energy policy, war, disease and many other subjects each and everyone is us is inquisitive about. If you belong to Facebook you understand.

Did you ever get that feeling someone was watching?

The next cartoon is of a religious nature, hence I'm beginning to feel this nostalgic comparison of "Then and Now" may be sinister in nature. I fail to understand the author's intent. The cartoon depicts a child asking dad who made the world? The father answers" God made the world my son..." The second pane titled "Now" has a modern day child asking "who made the world dad?" The father answers curtly, "look it up on Google my son." It used to be in the "before" world... to find an answer to any question one would visit the library or refer to reference materials such as the World Book Encyclopedia, or Encyclopedia Britannica of which if you owned a set you had money and did much better in school then the kids who did not own a set.. Today free access is available on line for anyone on Earth to find answers to any question... The Internet is the "Great Equalizer." Talk about freedom and democracy in action. Just about anything we are curious about is available today online digitally to study. Everyone in the Free World uses Google, everyone in the Free World refers to Wikipedia. And why not for if you look at this cartoon with a smile... it is easy to understand we live in a time of great change. As futurist/sociologist professor Alvin Toffler clearly indicated back in 1971, in his monumental book "Future Shock," the only constant in our life is change, if you are not connected to the Internet you are irrelevant.

Some things were made for us to not easily understand.

I believe we will continue... that is to say.... those of my age group, to be held in awe by the rapid changes we involuntarily incur every day. I think that's fun, and I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid of young people being smarter than me. I believe we need to love one another, and rather than make fun or evil of our differences that we celebrate them. I will conclude with contemporary thought by American comedian Richard Pryor. Prior said," there ain't no fool growing old!"

and let us not lose our sense of humor...

"My Happy Eye."

"Ale Trail" Tale # 1...

2012-01-28T15:10:00.000-08:00

Scott sent this one to me...

I was in the pub with my gal last night.
I said: “I love you.”
She said, “Is that you or the beer talking?”
I replied, “It’s me... talking to the beer.”

I love poetry...

No more Multi-tasking- Do one thing really well

2012-01-22T10:55:00.000-08:00

I have decided to slow things down!

I have been overwhelmed these past few months with too many things to get done. Yes I could do them, but only if I was multi-tasking. Have you come to the same conclusion I have, that multi-tasking leads to inferior quality of what you do get done, and a pile of other things waiting to be finished?

“The human mind cannot, in fact, multi-task without drastically reducing the quality of our processing.”

Tim Ferris, author of the “Four Hour Work Week,” believes there is no reason to Multi-task and practices his life as such. I think if you are young and caught up in the "Gotta have my look at Facebook," daily routine, that may be good for you, but not for me. I now realize why it is I panic when I multi-task: "Fear of failure."

“This steady and dissipated attention to one object is a sure mark of a superior genius; for hurry, bustle and agitation, are the never-failing symptoms of a weak and frivolous mind.”

Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, who was an English politician and man of letters and was reputed to be selfish, calculating and contemptuous, said the above quote. None the less he was a clever essayist and “epigrammatist,” that is to say a writer of short, witty poems expressing a single thought or observation. In other words, he was an anti-multi-tasker from way back when! I wonder if he and his ilk... as they plundered India and the American colonies... that he might have originated the above thought train... and that the concept caught on... that they would do a better job... when they raped, plundered and destroyed things... one ancient civilization at a time? Who Knew?

“My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way.”

Ernest Hemingway said that, and it makes perfect sense. Here we are hammering away day after day doing who knows what to get ahead. All the time we have been doing so, we have been right here all along; and if you haven’t read Hemmingway, now is the time to start.

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

Leonardo da Vinci said that, and need we say more? Now if I have your attention, and you want to explore an insane approach to life... then check out Tim Ferris

All photographs by My Happy Eye 2000-2001

There's a sucker in every crowd

2012-01-07T17:07:00.000-08:00

Now let me get this straight...

I have been terribly concerned about the abysmal health care game / system American's must go through when it comes time to see the doctor. If you have insurance you are golden, if you do not then everyone hates you for having to pay for your health care out of their tax dollars. It's a mean game. That said, "Laser Surgery" for your pet. Oh, come on. You have to be kidding. Some one is actually willing to pay for Laser Surgery for their pet rather than paying out of our tax dollars for a fellow human being to get well who cannot afford today's health care costs.

Tell me, will this be an issue on the campaign trail this time around?

On a Lighter Note... " Who invented Peanut Butter?" Click Here

2012 "what's ahead?"

2012-01-05T19:53:00.000-08:00

It's an election year over here. Folks just don't seem to be agreeing about much as of this writing. Alcohol sales are up... big time... cutbacks are on the horizon, employment looks a bugger, neither party has an energy policy, damn if you can find an electric or hydrogen powered car for sale... Greenhouse gasses abound, the glacier ice is melting, every country in the world save for China and India economically is in dire straights. Michael Jackson is still dead. If you believe in the Mayan Calendar myth then it's best you have your Last Will and Testament in order... and if you don't then like the rest of us you are hoping things will sort themselves out for the better it in 2012.

Hopefully we can all come to an agreement....

Try Coal (Click Here)

Would you like some cheese with that "WHINE!"

2011-12-26T13:48:00.000-08:00

We are not talking here about wine in a box although there are those near to my heart who swear by it. This past Thanksgiving I did consume with great pleasure an Australian Merlot out of a box... from the Alice Springs area… I am not an ungrateful man… I will do the box! We enjoy the generosity of our friends and families… do we not? But for this posting we are raising the standard (so my brother–in-law insisted), going for the gold so to speak… and as for my bother in law who lives in the grandeur of retirement in the south of England who spoke highly Christmas day of a vintage I paid far more than I should have, for a bottle of… well read on!

To the left: a"consumed" Château de Pibarnon $50 dollar bottle of wine

Dear Brother in law Rog, about that Château de Pibarnon $50 dollar bottle of wine, there’ a story here that needs to be told. You said it was a quality wine, and I must say that I was very pleased it was not vinegar after that bottle spending all those months in the wine closet was opened Christmas day. I suffered Catholic guilt big time most of this year hiding that bottle … I did so having forked out way too much cash for my money, no pun intended… before considering what I was doing. I let the wine store owner serenade the fool I am as he recommended this vintage after I had been buying so much dry red French for about $10 a bottle, my limit… $10 a bottle… This bottle of $50 dollar wine sat out most of the year since I purchased it… hidden in the back of the wine closet… for out here where we live they do not build basements, so we have no wine cellar… what I have to tell you I believe will annoy… I could not tell one bit of difference from Château de Pibarnon $50 dollar bottle of wine up against a taste testing of a good bottle of $10 dollar French, none, nothing… not a bit.

All energy is Solar...

Oh I know, estate bottle… limited edition (I bet that’s why they can get you in the pocketbook the way they do) and that Monsieur “Comte Henri de Saint-Victor” and family have been producing some of the most seductively aromatic and nobly structured wines in all of Southern France for years, no argument there and I do plan a visit in future. Not an issue! I am certain the 300 days of sunshine each year on the south facing slopes and that the estate soil at Château de Pibarnon is unique, differing even from that of its neighbors further down the slope… yes I know all this contributes to sophistication. I also know that the appearance is supposed to make this wine special... that is to say a rich ruby-garnet colour in the glass, with notes of plum, tar, pancetta, and stewed tomato (Wait a minute… stewed tomatoes? What’s going on here?) And that this wine is soft, round, and earthy at first (I love the taste of dirt!) But then we are hit with slightly gripping fruit tannins and a fresh acidity that kicks right in… next thing you know… I was washing down my Christmas Turkey dinner… glass after glass with my baby who did all the cooking… and then it was gone… urp!

Fields of Castro to be burned!

Rog… I won’t refuse a bottle of this stuff should you dare to share in future… but I am a simple man of unsophisticated means… pour for me the $10 a bottle French and I’m a happy, and then bring out the Courvoisier or the Jarnac and we will light up a mild Cuban I will have purchased at the Regency Arcade Tobacconist in Cheltenham next time I visit… then for the next hour we will smoke and drink heaven. As our good friend Kinky Freedman of “Kinky Freedman and the Texas Jew boy’s say's, "we will be burning Castro’s fields!" Oh darn... you don't smoke do you?

That’s what I’m talking about!

My Happy Eye, "Christmas Lights in the Hood!"

2011-12-24T19:48:00.000-08:00

Last Day for the Advent Calendar

DON'T FORGET TO CLICK THE "PICCIES" TO ENLARGE THEM

A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do

So I walked about my hood Christmas Eve Photographing the Fairy Lights for my Sister in Law in Seaton, and my Nephew in Cheltenham, you have to admit, not too many are disturbed about the additional cost for electricity, then again it is Christmas Eve... A My Happy Eye Photo Essay...

Aunti say's, "Not like Baby Sis's," Unkie say's "Darn Close!"

The Ale Trail: "Florida, last day!"

2011-12-11T18:14:00.000-08:00

Made in China

Might as well finish up with this Florida story in order to move on to higher ground, no pun intended mind you but if anywhere in the entire state we traveled was of a higher elevation than one hundred feet above sea level I would be surprised. On the East Coast I kept thinking the whole time we were there on our last free day in Florida, “Honey this is Hurricane Country.” Our last day was spent at the Kennedy Space Center, so I will pick up from the last blogging and talk you to the sights.

more Naughty Bits

The night before we headed out to the Kennedy Space Center … we had been invited to dine with some friends at a Steak and Sea Food House not far from where we were attending the convention, and just a short drive from our hotel. My better half and I walked into a fairly poorly lit room, and with all the chairs crammed together it was a bit rough negotiating getting to our seats. Party of 20 you see... and as it turned out it was a party of 14 and as our eyes became accustomed to the low light... this painting dominated the evenings conversation; not a great painting, not a bad painting, nice figure I suppose... nice girl, and you have wonder how much she was paid to sit or better said "recline" for an amateur artist... and then we must ask... to be displayed “On the wall of a Steak and Sea Food House near to Disney, Florida? What’s with that?

Legacy to the Space Race

I remember while growing up before President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, I am certain now he said in response to the Russian’s sending up all sorts of missions into orbit around the Earth that America would put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. And we did, and this is pretty much the main theme of this place. Looking back at those years, that’s pretty heavy stuff killing a nations leader. That pre-meditated murder changed the course of our nations history.

the business end of a Saturn 5

Skipping the politics and looking at the money spent, especially now as we are in the middle of the second greatest economic depression to hit our nation; it’s perfectly fair to ask just how much money was spent on the space program? Will we ever know? While we were out traveling about in the bus that was taking tourists like ourselves to only two locations out there on Merritt Island, our bus driver pointed to the tract of land that was the road used for the rockets mounted on those heavy track vehicles to leave the assembly building and take the rocket to the launch pad. A tract of sand 17 feet deep, 200 feet wide and miles long was dug out and removed and replaced with what looked to me to be 2 to 3 inch river rock that he said came from up in the mountains of North Carolina. Can you imagine how much it cost to do that? 17 feet deep.

one of the launch preparations buildings

It’s pretty fascinating walking about and looking at everything in the display building, but do not lose sight that what looks new to many is really old stuff, 40 years old. It’s 1960’s technology on display in a 21st Century world. What came to mind is too bad they backed off working with this stuff. As you know the Space Shuttle program ended this year, while overseas in China... that country is pushing full speed ahead to gain dominance in the space race.

60's technology

There’s no sense moaning about it now really. Where we made high school students go through Hell studying literature, English composition, Math and "advanced" Math in the 1960’s, somewhere along the time lines since then we screwed up... Because of our poor ranking against the rest of the worlds high school students today, it is obvious the greater majority of our High School students are not busting their balls to achieve while it is also so very obvious that in China and India and many other countries the students are. I think we are 17th these days in over all ratings compared with the rest of the world... is that any legacy for a country that was first to put a man on the moon?

a long time ago

I will recommend that you visit the Kennedy Space center because it will make you think. If for any reason to remind ourselves as Americans what we once accomplished. It’s a great place to take your family, again it was overrun with kids and school tours and for my money this is the time of year to visit for the weather is much cooler... they tell me... then in the summer when it is 100% humidity and up near the 100’s for daytime temperatures. As for the theme parks, we gave them a miss.

south of Cocoa beach

No visit to the East Coast of Florida and the Kennedy Space Center would be complete without having a look at Cocoa Beach, you can drive there in about 20 minutes, it’s located just a few miles south and once you get there you will soon discover it’s past it’s shelf life. In other words it’s had it’s day in the sun. The entire sea coast that you would call Cocoa Beach is privately owned until you get down to Patrick Air Force base. There is no parking in Cocoa Beach if you think you will cheat and walk down to the water from one of the side streets, that’s not going to happen for parking is at a premium and I can only imagine what a mess come summer. Just as the November sun was setting, after driving for what seemed quite along time we came upon a military managed beach, there was parking, and it felt safe and clean and I was able to snap a photo.

the Hyatt at Orlando

The next morning we drove back to Orlando International Air terminal, and I have to tell you this is one clever designed place. Rental cars, the Hyatt hotel, the Air Terminal itself, all within a short walk getting about. To tell you the truth I would have rather stayed here because everything you need is within reach. Orlando must have figured out that aging Baby Boomers are growing in numbers, and those 24 hour international flights to Europe are killing us. Remember Sunday Morning News Caster Tim Russert? It was attributed after he died that the long flight from Italy and cramped seating kicked in a thrombosis that took his life. Orlando is inviting in that we can split the trip, fly to the air terminal, do a restful over night, and hop on the shorter flight the next day to Europe arriving refreshed.

just a minute to your flight

Once you clear TSA it's a short shuttle by rail to your flight. This place gets high marks from My Happy Eye. As for renting a car? Get the GPS. As for eating well, don't forget to shop Wal-Mart. As for central Florida, it's a theme park. As for the surroundings about the theme parks, dismal. As for the West Coast of Florida in November?

a little bit of Heaven

That's what I'm talking about! 72 degree water, slight warm breeze coming in from the gulf, blue skies, plenty of parking once you are south of Sarasota, white sandy beaches... pelicans in formation flying along the coast.

Wadda ya gonna do?

In the theme of keeping these gulf waters pristine... May I recommend a good read on Energy Consumption "Click Here"

another short diversion: On the Ale trail "the Beaujolais nouveau"

2011-11-26T08:51:00.000-08:00

"the Beaujolais nouveau"

I am not finished with what I have to say about Florida by no means, but!!! For now we must move on to the "the Beaujolais nouveau," for as you should know we have only a short time to savor! I was faced with a dilemma... I think you will agree I made the best choice under the circumstances... that being to get to the wine I had to go through an untrained, knowledgeable, uncouth and disinterested seasonal helper at the best wine store in this town. "We have a tasting!", said the young sales assistant. "Don't drink and drive," said I. "You can spit it out," said uncouth. "And waste the Beaujolais Nouveau?"

I know it's hard to train the text message obsessed uncultured... worse... for me this had to be the kid's first job, at least he has a job so I was not unkind. I am certain for an employer these days it is rare to find a young fresh out of high school trainee with a good command of the English language never mind familiarity with French! Hence I found myself explaining "Nouveau" means "new" and that is the magic with this wine... also it's an annual tradition, released in France the night of November 17th this year and the tasting of the "Nouveau" leads to those with much more sofistication than I to forecast wines that will mature to "brilliant or failure, and that by the end of the evening of the first tasting in France, patrons... from drinking copious amounts of Beaujolais nouveau... well, everyone's happy at that point and so they go home to copulate or sleep depending whom you are with, your age, preferences... and hopefully with the one you were with at the beginning of the evening, this is France you know! I think it is wonderful the Beaujolais Nouveau makes it over here to the states in time to be savored before turning to vinegar... we must praise the miracle of modern shipping methods.

Rather than waste time and take a chance on not finding a real treat, the wine store had three makers on sale, I think my baby sis Caroline would approve, I purchased all three...

So, here is the My Happy Eye "On the Ale Trail" rating for the Beaujolais Nouveau 2011 in our little corner of the world:

# 1 hands down: Mommessin... an exciting wine that stood by itself... interesting flavours and very tasty
# 2 Joseph Drouhin: soft, quiet, not as exciting as # 1
# 3 Georges Duboeuf: Year after year the standard, you wont go wrong.

I also found a great blog about this years vintage if interested... "Strictly Tasting"

Next Post: back to Florida

A temporary diversion: Florida Part 2

2011-11-20T18:19:00.000-08:00

Real English Fish and Chips is still one of Britain and Ireland's favorite meals. “Pommes Frites (Fr),” that is to say “French Fries (USA)” or “Chips (UK),” were first introduced to Great Britain in the 1800’s. Cod is the most popular choice of fish, followed by Haddock in the UK and Halibut in the states. An establishment that sells traditional Fish and Chips in the UK is referred to as a “Chippie.” We also find in modern Great Britain today, Fish & Chips on the menu in Pubs and restaurants; it is a favorite food of the British people.

So as you may well imagine after all that fun in the sun, the day was growing darker. We were traveling from Siesta Beach heading towards highway 75 North on Stickney Point Road that connects to Clark Road which will take you back out to 75. As we crossed the bridge over the waterway that leads to Little Sarasota Bay I was first to spot the “Boatyard Waterfront Bar & Grill.” My better half said, “Fish & Chips.”

I recommend this place. First off... the setting is convenient… although you will hear cars driving over the bridge if you chose as we did to eat outside on the deck. That said they had Stella… anyone who has gone for a larger in Belgium, France, and the UK knows Stella Artois. It arrived in a traditional size pint glass. I need not say anymore for Stella speaks for itself, and worked just fine washing down a mighty fine plate of almost authentic British style “Fish &Chips.” Feel safe to order if you are from the UK and are on holiday, you will not be disappointed.

We enjoyed the harbor setting and then it was back to Orland. Orlando, Kissimmee and Sanford are boring. They are the support system currently in place for Disney World. Over 2 million people live in this area and save for the gated communities of the wealthy, most likely if you live here you are living in an apartment, or like the majority of people everywhere you go… you are living in one of the abundant “Trailer Parks.” The median income for this area for regular folks is $39.881, the average for Florida is a little more at $44,736… hence you soon realize this is why we see so many double-wides as the average price for one is about $49,158, which most folks can afford even in these down turn economy times. There were 17,357 property crimes in Orange County last year and 2,814 reported sex crimes. According to the Orland, FL Crime and sex offenders Report. The Orlando, Florida violent crime rate is 98% greater than the Florida average and 265% greater than the national average. The Orlando, Florida property crime rate is 78% greater than the Florida average and 148% greater than the national average, and overall, the Orlando, Florida crime index is 81% greater than the Florida average and 160% greater than the national average. I just thought you ought to know.

This area is home to Walt Disney World Resorts which was why we were visiting… here you will also find Sea World and Universal Studios... “Tourist trap USA.” If you like driving turnpikes, this is the place for you for US 17, 22 and 44 all intersect at Orlando not far from Disney. According to the Trip-cart website “The vast majority of Central Florida's residents are Caucasian and English-speaking. There is a large African American community in parts of the region, as there is also Hispanic… especially around Tampa and Orlando. Senior citizens constitute a major demographic in most of the Central Florida region, particularly in the Sarasota area. The greater Orlando area, on the other hand, which has been growing almost nonstop since the mid-1970s, has a large percentage of families with children. Orlando, Tampa, Sarasota, and Kissimmee see millions of tourists throughout the year.

Knowing this, and that we were 40 miles away from the Kennedy Space Center, we stayed an extra day and spent that extra day there. While we were listening to the story of how the Space Shuttle program had just shut down, the Chinese government was launching that day an unmanned, auto-docking spacecraft that would dock with their own space station the "Tiangong" or Heavenly Palace... China has already put its first companion craft, Shenzhou-8, into orbit alongside it. We can all sleep better knowing that absolutely there is no military application for this technology.

So… not long after arriving… we hopped on the tour bus out to the launch facilities... after paying an incredibly high ticket price to enter in the first place... and also for our Chicken Burger that we ordered in the Space Centre restaurant. Thank goodness our visit was on a non-high volume attendance day, for if was on a high volume attendance day then one would find oneself waiting in very long lines at every venue. It's a great place to visit but be prepared for the over population... Because it was an off day, we were able to enjoy the sights. We skipped getting off at the short tower facility, which is the first of the two stops... and if you get off here you will walk up to get to the top of this building to look out over a swamp, well whoopee do… Rather we stayed on the bus, skipped the short tower and headed out to the more interesting of the two stops... we practically had the bus to ourselves which was worth at least half the visit as too many people really can get on my nerves.

More to come...

A temporary diversion from the snow and ice "Part 1"

2011-11-16T19:46:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we have to just suck in our stomach, do our duty, march to the music, so I did what I had to do and brought the "Mrs" along for the trip. While I did boardroom meetings she soaked up abundant sunshine by the pool, while I worked out committee issues she went shopping, breaking only to meet me for lunch and then off she went again to soak up the sun, read a good book while I trudged back to the conference halls like the good soldier I am, at least when you bring your better half nighttime is not another lonely room where you count the hours until Friday when you can leave while praying this hotel hasn't bedbugs for you to take home with you. This one did not!

I received no complaints what so ever concerning the pool, of which I am told was sunny most days (you can't always tell from inside the conference room) and that my babe had a much needed rest and read a few novels and only was occasionally disturbed by another mother with children ruining the peace and quiet. Folks this is not the time of year to bring your kids to a resort with a monster size conference facility, better for you to go find a "Family" style hotel where the little darlings can as loud as possible... at the top of their lungs... yell their heads out screaming at each other... and with more children with the same love for mayhem... whose mums are all wearing their I-pod ear bud headphones to kill the noise; really this is what we must thank Steve Jobs for... and God bless his soul for Apple.

Someone tell me why it is that only flowers of this exotic beauty are found in the tropics? I would love to be able to grow these in the Pacific North West, which as I walked about the conferencing facility I quickly forgot that is where I live. In fact it was beginning to sink in rather clearly that there is a reason Northerners of my age and vintage move down here to Florida for the winter. It has to do with the warmth of which back home is artificially produced by furnace this time of year and brother you have to pay for it. And as for my East Coast relatives and friends, tell me," how much is your winter heating bill projected to be this season?"

I'm not going to say exactly where it was in central Florida we stayed, I will say that if you are used to following MapQuest or Google Maps directions, well forget printing out the directions before hand as in this part of Central Florida the "Theme" dominates the naming of the highway exit, not the street name, better when you land... and you have collected your luggage and are now at the auto rental booth... and the nice young man at this car rental agency is negotiating with you to purchase all the extra stuff you will not need for the most part this trip... that due to your printed maps being virtually worthless... that you say "Yes," when he asks if you would like to rent a GPS... just do it!

A man can take only so many meetings before he starts to want to rip his fingernails out, he can listen to only so many vision statements before he begins to lose faith.... and of what little time he finds he has off in these far away places... before the next meeting, you know... get out and meet the locals. So finally a free afternoon came our way and... "Go West young man, go West I thought!" Tampa might be a nice place to go visit, and perhaps one day I shall make it to that high population city with major traffic but not this trip. Years ago I was in a speech writing contest in memoriam to Dr. Martin Luther King, I came in second and the winner who became my good friend and looked just like Dr, King said to me one time that he was from Sarasota. Let me tell you... do not waste a moment... for Sarasota and south along the coast from there is where you will find those idyllic white sands, where when you look out to sea brown pelicans... one following one another are flying in formation up the coast.

We spent the afternoon here after a somewhat long drive from Orlando, and then back, to have spent only a hour or so on the beach, a small price to pay for marital bliss I say! I will leave you with with a short story... as I stood looking out to the blue skies with no clouds towards the sun... I called my good friend American Author James Mace as at the time it seemed the right thing to do. When he picked up the phone I said, "I just want you to know I am on the Gulf of Mexico, the water is a beautiful 72 degrees F, that would be 22 C, warm breezes are blowing in from the sea." He shot back that it was quite cold where he was with gray skies and it had been raining earlier in the day with snow expected later that weekend on the mountains. I said, " Sorry... have to go... TTFN!

And off we went for Fish and Chip's, I will close for now with more to come.

Le' Croissant

2011-10-29T12:27:00.000-07:00

Check it out !

Dear Baby Sis, guess what we had this morning avec le caffe'? That's right, sometimes called a crescent, I went for Le' Croissant.

And then I thought, show Baby sis ,"the last of the summer vine!"

Je suis un sauvage de l'Amérique.

The Ale Trail: "Ebenezer Ale"

2011-10-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

Guess who picked up a six pack at the Supermarket tonight?

Dear Mr. Sam Adams Sir, I was still not over the taste left in my mouth from that bottle of "Bonfire Rauchbier" you featured in your Harvest Collection this year when I read the ingredients listed on this six pack of Bridgeport "Ebenezer Ale," and thought it best at the time to bring some home, which was a good move on my part!

Golly Gee that bad taste I told you all about in my last posting that was left in my mouth from the "Bonfire Rauchbier..." it's gone... and I'm also feeling pretty good after having one of these "Ebenezer Ales!" You can see one is missing from this six pack, my first one this holiday season... I assure you it will not be the last.

Now Mr. Adams, this is a real "Malty" tasting Ale, I would say for example if our UK friends who drink Traditional Cask finished Ale were to Quaff a pint of this magic in a bottle... they would most likely agree that Bridgeport "Ebenezer Ale" tastes about as close as you can get to a British Ale over here without being over there, if you get my point, or my pint... and I hope you do. Yes, there will be sticky British who would not agree, just to be mean... but that would happen... only if they deliberately wanted to be to be difficult, which from my experience most British do not as they very much like the taste of Ale like this one.

Please send your Master Brewer out here to the Portland, Oregon for a taste!

You will see...

My Happy Eye

For Ebenezer's brewery: Click Here

The Ale Trail: Sam Adams "Harvest Collection"

2011-10-08T12:49:00.000-07:00

It's new to me

Micro-brew style beer really took off in popularity about 25 years ago in the Pacific Northwest and the art of making better tasting beer in the USA headed eastward finally making it to Boston where Sam Adams dominates the biz... in that region... it's a good company and one of my best friends "John," said when a case of the "Harvest Collection" shows up at the supermarket get yourself one. I did.

A My Happy Eye taste test:

Sam Adams Boston Lager: A great beer, I would say this one's the anchor product for the company.

Sam Adams Oktoberfest: A hearty tasting more Old English malty beer, which I prefer, very good.

Sam Adams Black Lager: I don't know what to tell you other than it's a larger, kind of sweet, tasted like a PBR to me only dark.

Sam Adams Pumpkin Ale: Someone at the Corporate Office thought this one up... that it would be interesting to brew a beer that tasted like mom dumped some of her "All Spice," in, which is normally used in the baking of a Pumpkin pie... give this one a miss.

Sam Adams Bonfire Rauchbier: Worst tasting of the lot.. a real bummer, like drinking stale beer out of an ashtray...

Sam Adams Irish Red: So So... I know there's huge Irish community in Boston... and there once was a line of Irish pubs right outside Fenway Park, can't tell yo now as it's been a long time since I was there... that said it would be interesting to see how well this brew has been received in Bean Town by the Irish who live there.

Sam... send your best brewer out here, give him a charge card "Carte Blanch," and all the time needed to tour the Pacific Northwest, have him or her do Hood River, Oregon where they won't want to leave. Then shoot on over to the coast which is totally uncluttered this time of year and don't miss Yachats, located on highway 101 where up and down that road they brew some of the finest micro-brews in our great nation.

Do Portland, you must do Portland... visit those little back street pubs where every pint is magic. Then get on up to Washington state and do the same thing in those small coastal towns with names hard to pronounce... have some of "Our" seafood in restaurants much less crowded at prices you can afford... do some "me time" and decide what recipes to bring back to Boston.

Lose the "Bonfire Rauchbier"

The Ale Trail: This one's for Monty!

2011-10-03T19:53:00.000-07:00

A fine Monte Cristo with snifter of Courvoisier, it just doesn't get any better!

What started me down the highway to hell with smoking Cuban cigars all happened when I lived in Greece in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Christmas Day a friend of mine offered me a Monte Cristo, it was thick, aromatic, about 6 inches long and I had just quit cigarettes and had to think a bit before accepting the gift. Smoking cigars is not he same as smoking cigarettes. There is no comparison as the tobaccos are entirely different, they burn different, they taste different and for my money cigars are not addictive as cigarettes are. The danger is still there of secondary smoke and catching oral cancer, not a pretty thought but nonetheless they are associated with smoking. That said ,there is nothing as tasty as a Cuban cigar, to me it's as beautiful as a beautiful woman. I stayed away from cigars once I left the island of Crete and did not smoke a cigar again until I deployed to the Balkans. There is nothing quite like being heavily armed as you do your part to prevent people from killing each other while on a peacekeeping mission in the aftermath of a horrible war; ah to sit down one night and light up a Cuban”

I am burning Castro's fields!

My friend Gary and I found the German PX in Sarajevo where for a very low-price we bought a box of 50 Cubans. I think I might have smoke four or five and Gary finished off the rest. I remember one night sitting with a South American officer... he did not speak English but he spoke French, I did not speak Spanish but I also spoke French, rather badly, but well enough to be understood. We had been filming a television story on the United Nations mine removal team in Sarajevo, it had been a very long day, and I can't remember how I got into conversation with this Colonel, but he obviously enjoyed my company and offered me a Cuban. I was smoking cigarettes then, you do that sort of thing when under pressure, we weren't supposed to drink hard liquor either. Next thing I knew, I was sipping fine cognac while smoking a Cuban cigar. There is not much in life under those circumstances that will take away the pain of a long bad day like cognac and a Cuban.

A Monte will go just as well with a Cask Aged Ale.

I caught pneumonia in Budapest a few months later, if you want to quit smoking pneumonia is just the thing for you. And I haven't picked up a cigarette and I won't pick up a cigarette ever again. But I'm a naughty boy and I do like those Cuban cigars, not enough to pine for them, but since that deployment I have been known to sit down with the fine liquor or a vodka martini with a Greek olive, an occasional single malt whiskey and yes a delicious French cognac. I have my standards and so do my friends. When in the United States it's impossible to get a Cuban cigar legally. I do recall country musician Kinky Friedman of Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jew boys one Sunday morning on CBS Sunday Morning smoking an illegal Cuban on camera as he was interviewed saying he offered one once to president Bill Clinton, who only found out when he finished the cigar that it was Cuban and was quite upset with Kinky giving it to him. Kinky replied," Mr. President, I look upon it as burning Castro's fields." Now there's a thought for you whether it's a true story or not. I tend to like mild cigars and I stay away from spicy or strong as they make me want to vomit. My friend Tim one time came to visit and I offered him a cigar and not much longer after that he had to get up off our back porch to leave his lunch out by the dahlias in our back garden. Some people do not have the Constitution to smoke a good cigar.

You won't go wrong with a Cuban...

So it finally dawned on me one day when on holiday in the UK that Cuban cigars there are legal. So since I was in Cheltenham, I walked to the center of town to the Regency Arcade up to the second floor where a tobacconist has been there since the Arcade opened in the 1970’s. This was about two years ago when then I purchased two Romeo y Julietta number 3’d, with the thought in mind to sit down with my good brother-in-law and smoke them, which we did, and let me tell you our ladies did not at all appreciate that we smoked them in the freshly decorated dining room and stank that room to high heaven, which my good sister-in-law frequently reminds me of the trouble I caused that evening, she was miffed! That said we spent one hour knocking back a few cocktails puffing on those Fidel's. I think my good brother-in-law held up well for a non-smoker, I certainly enjoyed his company as I thoroughly enjoyed burning Castro's fields. So this time two years later during the week of the Royal wedding again I visited the Regency Arcade and took a chance when the tobacconist assured me Monte Christo made a mild cigar, I purchased two, and asked him if I could photograph his shop, which I did to include sticking my nose in humidor heaven. Only a woman smells better. One evening after the Royal wedding I suggested we smoke the Monte's. My brother-in-law declined for personal reasons so for two nights that week all by myself, sitting out back underneath an umbrella of the patio furniture, I slowly pulled on the Monte's while sipping a cognac listening to the song of evening birds as I totally enjoyed smoking those babies. Sitting there, I remembered my good friend Monte back home and wished I could have brought him one of these fine Cubans back to the United States. I saved the label and scanned it for him and that’s the best I could do!

For Monty

I fully understand that I didn't understand when it was happening what it was all about... the 1962 Bay of Pigs Incident, I just knew that when I was a young boy it happened and that it could have led to a nuclear war; thankfully it did not. I worry about Iran today, same thing, don't you think? I know there was a blockade Pres. John F. Kennedy put into action to persuade Russia to back down after positioning nuclear tipped missiles in Cuba that were pointed at the United States just 90 miles away, and to remove them, which Russia did. That was explained to us in the news and was at the time a very serious incident. I know there has been an economic blockade to punish Cuba ever sense. Soon dictator Fidel Castro will be dead and when that happens hopefully the economic blockade will be lifted and then most tasty cigars I've ever smoked may be available for purchase in the United States once again, hopefully in my lifetime, yes, they will be expensive.

I can wait.

I really don't know clouds at all...

2011-09-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

It's cloud illusions I recall.

On Looking Up by Chance at the Constellations
by Robert Frost

You'll wait a long, long time for anything much To happen in heaven beyond the floats of cloud And the Northern Lights that run like tingling nerves.
The sun and moon get crossed, but they never touch, Nor strike out fire from each other nor crash out loud.
The planets seem to interfere in their curves But nothing ever happens, no harm is done.
We may as well go patiently on with our life, And look elsewhere than to stars and moon and sun For the shocks and changes we need to keep us sane.
It is true the longest drought will end in rain, The longest peace in China will end in strife.
Still it wouldn't reward the watcher to stay awake In hopes of seeing the calm of heaven break On his particular time and personal sight.
That calm seems certainly safe to last to-night.

It's was a new day yesterday, it's an old day now! "Red Fish Lake"

2011-09-24T11:38:00.000-07:00


Looking out towards the source of the Salmon River

It's been quite a while since I've had time to sit down and do another blog posting. I've just been so busy writing, painting, and getting on with everyday chores that have to be done. Blogging for me is “me time,” when I get to exercise writing and often when I do so, everything has to be quiet. For the last month or so it seems I just haven't found the time to sit down and write. So it's Saturday morning on a beautiful sunny day in the American West, where I live, in the tranquility of the wide open spaces. We've had family visiting and as such have taken the time to travel about and enjoy the Rocky Mountains and the treasures they offer.

There are those who worship the sun god in Idaho

Our travels this time around took us to Sun Valley, Idaho. I think it's funny that Idaho is the size of England, Scotland, and Wales, with a population not much larger than one and a half million people living in the land mass equal to that of UK, of the same area in square miles , where in the UK live 80 million people. Much of the American West is of the same low population per state. The Rocky Mountains are simply beautiful where much of the area we traveled was a mile above sea level. Being a former cigarette smoker I experienced shortness of breath above 8000 feet. Closer to the sun the air was crisp clean and brilliant.

Light dancing on Red Fish Lake

There was a slight wind caressing the surface near the harbor of red Fish Lake Lodge. The temperature was about 24°C, with not a cloud in the sky. I do my best to stay out of the sun now having experienced a few “nasties” needing to be removed by the skin doctor, thus I ware a hat to keep exposure time down to a minimum, and I expect there are many my age who in younger years also spent considerable time on the topless beaches of Greece and Mediterranean Europe as I did, who now have paid a similar penalty. Today when I visit a place as beautiful as this with such clean water and clean air, all of a sudden I become the environmentalist, for I am fulfilled by the beauty available for free. Places like this compel to write how important it is for humanity to work together to preserve what remains our planet as it's the only one we've got. Now at this stage of my life I am clear, it makes good sense to keep it clean for the generations to come.

Lake Stanley

With the beauty of the green forests, the clarity of the water of the lake, and the end of summer when the tourists have gone and we have the entire place all to ourselves, I celebrate. Now is the best time to come and visit. There are no motorboats screeching across the water, forcing huge waves to crash along the shore to destroy my meditation. Good people take their trash, lazy people leave it for us to clean up. On days like today when you have this beauty all to yourself it just makes it all the more wonderful. Places like this cause me to think ,”why isn't everywhere we go in this great country as clean and beautiful. It can be?” Even on your street, in your backyard, in your suburban neighborhood there is nothing stopping us save from our being lazy, from taking care of things. Peaceful beautiful places like this Rocky Mountain setting in Idaho invite us to think clearly. How lucky we are to have this, and to be here, and that we must take care of it for future generations.

Don't you too find dogs crapping on your lawn to be annoying?

These are my thoughts and I am sticking to them.

The Ale Trail: Thornbury Castle

2011-08-23T19:59:00.000-07:00


Saint Mary's Church which sits on the old commons

It was a perfect afternoon to meet our friends at Thornbury Castle. The castle is located about 15 miles North West from Bristol on the A38 which is the back road from Bristol to Gloucester, that is to say the old original road before there was a motorway. And when you are traveling at leisure in the UK, for that matter in any country, you want to take the old roads for on these happened history.

Glebe House

From where I was standing, I did an about face and here we find Glebe House, which has been here at least since the early 1500's and has been added two twice. The house is on the commons and we can assume at one time sheep and cattle grazed and wealthy homeowners with motor cars were a long way into the future.


The entrance from the road from the commons heading west.

The castle itself goes back to the 1500's and sometime in the last century it was made into a hotel, for the Landed Gentry, that is to say wealthy visitors of which today it remains the same. It's actually a very interesting place to visit and I suggest if you are visiting Bristol to not pass it up.

The grounds about the castle

The day we visited was a glorious one of sunshine and warmth, we walked about the grounds that surround the castle before going in for afternoon tea.

The vineyards

The castle has it's own vineyard. This is the first time I even thought wine making was going on in the Bristol area, for my tastes as you know, I love the ales we find in county Avon.

a cozy room for guests

Everyone was already up in the room where we were to have tea, I had a wander about the castle and came upon this room, of which there was I will assume a wealthy couple in there reading newspapers and doing their best to ignore me. I was polite and did not take their picture.

at £28 pounds per person

Everyone should try afternoon tea when in the UK, cucumber sandwiches, salmon sandwiches, fish spread, tea and scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream and tea with milk and sugar and not lemon! There were sweets and it all was yummy and gone in no time.

another stately room

We all had a wander about the castle and grounds after tea, how could we not? It's actually a very interesting place of which 90% of the photos I took I haven't used to tell the story but they will make a very nice calendar and cards.

A Huge Banquet Room

Apparently this is "the place" for wedding receptions. It's a huge room, but cozy, and full of interesting armor and medieval things to look at. We visited on a Thursday afternoon and pretty much had the place to ourselves.

The castle court yard

I would have to say the experience coming to the castle late afternoon Springtime was worth the visit. This place is a hotel and it's on the web and it is a bit pricey but it's quiet, and classy and if you have money to burn, of the castles converted to hotels that we have stayed at, this one is very nice, again pricey but aren't they all?

and bring the Ferrari !

I'm not one to say a thing against Italian motor cars as wouldn't we all like to own a Ferrari? This one was conspicuously parked right up near the main entrance, and this was not an official parking place; with his money I really do not think he was all that concerned.

Go for the tea and scones

We had visited for the tea and scones and cannot complain; ah... to be with good friends, to have good conversation, to walk about the grounds of Thornbury Castle... it's a must do!

To view the menu or make reservations @ Thornbury Castle: Click Here

The Ale Trail: Finally we visit "The Fleece"

2011-07-27T21:13:00.000-07:00

A splendid time was had by all...

Binge Drinking: A self-destructive and unrestrained drinking bout lasting for at least a couple of days during which time the heavily intoxicated drinker "drops out" by not working, ignoring responsibilities, squandering money, and engaging in other harmful behaviors such as fighting or risky sex. I think I have that right!
The Fleece is one of those pubs that's got a history about it. I found a lot of information on the Internet, the place looked tempting... we gave it a go had a good meal and the drink at this ancient setting was as you would expect. The fleece was recommended to me by my good friend Chris who lives in Basel Common which the Fleece was half way for us to meet as we were staying in Cheltenham... we like to meet each other over beer or ale or spirit and have been doing so all over Europe for the past 27 years.

The Fleece from the town common / parking lot

Finding the Fleece is a bit of a chore... they don't call it the Midlands for nothing. The Fleece is located in central England just outside of Evesham in the otherwise unnoticeable town of Bretforton and we got there an hour early. Bretforton is a quiet little old little village... there remains a little bit of a town square turned into a parking lot with lots of little cute cottages and touristy shops about the old square and there is the the ancient church, Saint Leonard’s, which is a grade I listed building of the late 13th century. It seats 140 and was left open the day we visited... the rest of the town reeks of tourism and it sure beats shopping at the mall.

St Leonard's in Bretforton in the parish of Bretforton

I walked about the ancient church and took some photographs and then made my way out to the parking lot / old square where I found an old classic Triumph from the 60’s... families walking about, most were either coming from of going to the Fleece. The Fleece is pay day for everyone in Bretforton.

St Leonard's pews

The village has several local legends of ghosts and a history of murder. The Fleece looks like it has many stories to tell. Its historical significance to the Cotswolds and the Vale of Evesham is immense The building was already 71 years old when the Lancastrians marched by on their way to final defeat in the Wars of the Roses at the battle of Tewkesbury, and it was 200 years old when the gunpowder plotters road past on their ill-fated attempt to blow up Parliament.

A 60's vintage Triumph

Reputedly it is Oliver Cromwell’s Pewter Dinner service that was exchanged on his way to the battle of Worcester and this is said to be the pewter on display in the pub. .. if not true, it remains a fine example of 17th century English Pewter. for you to see for free with a fine hand crafted ale in hand. The inn sign is the coat of arms of the Ashwin Family, who, lived in the Manor House in Bretforten.

The Ashwin Family Coat of Arms

The Fleece is an old ancient timbered building and it looks like it goes back a long time. My first impression was everybody was short back then and we know that's not true … I'm certain the building has sunk down into the ground over the centuries. Architecturally it's photographically very interesting with lots of little details inside the building and about the grounds and when you do go inside its all they said it was on the Internet. That said, “Mind Your Head” signs are displayed everywhere so we tall people are at a disadvantage.

Heed Warning!

I'm certain more than one person is knocked their head on the ancient wooden beams and it is an adventure finding the men's room. Eventually you make your way to the bar to order a round the first ale I requested was Hookey Bitter, and I will tell you it was the most tasty of the three that we ordered that afternoon.

The side alley outside the Fleece

The Fleece became a licensed public house in 1848 and has seen little change since this date, it is a fine example of a black and white 15th-century timber-framed medieval farmhouse and is located opposite to the beautiful church of St Leonard's across the village square in Bretforton. Bretforten is a rural village in Worcestershire located 4.4 miles (7.1 km) east of Evesham. It is the largest farming village around Evesham. The Village name has changed little over the centuries and was first recorded as Bretforten in a Charter of AD709. The documented history of the village goes back more than 1200 years.

Our friends arrived as I was outside in what used to be the driveway, at least it is now for the delivery trucks, all others will park out on the street in the little town, and after we greeted each other happily we went inside to have a meal. The Fleece is owned by the national trust, as an American I am not quite sure what the national trust is, I don't care.

The national trust preserves ancient buildings and that's part of the English culture or governmental or the way they run things in the UK I like very much. The Fleece became a licensed public house in 1848 and has seen little change since then, at least that’s what all the tourist paraphernalia will tell you, for my money it’s gone through changes as today’s business climate demands so.

The United States is enormously large for our 300 million population and there s still enough land when you travel about that lets you know you're not fenced in. In the United States you will find parking;what the United States lacks is a singular tradition and culture as ancient as those we find in Europe, and especially in the United Kingdom with one of the benefits of traveling to ancient buildings like the fleece, you're sitting in a place history marched past the door, or sat there for a meal, who knows what children were born from the union of people for 500 years ago that live there, drank their, spent their lives in that village, we'll never know.

For my money this was the best tasting Ale that day

I won't say to you the fleece was charming, I will say I've seen many many buildings like it, and if you like that sort of thing, those ancient dark tiny rooms with old furniture that presents itself as if you're on a movie set in one way, or in a Dickens novel in another way, and that would be okay save for the fact every other table in the fleece is home for tourists.

I would have to say tourists keep these places alive, and are annoying to the locals who do come there because it's their local palm. The landlord was terribly annoyed with my photographing over and over everything, I suppose I should apologize, but I'm a photographer and I went there to photograph this agent building. What I found was not on pleasing to the eye, when I did find as nice as the weather was that they was that the tourist season had begun it wasn't long after I approached the bar for my second Dale that I had to wait as the fleece was short staffed and the tourists were undecided as to beer to buy next.

To say don't go there would be wrong. Do go there, go there to enjoy as you won't find the charm with a low hanging ceilings in the dark rooms of pubs in America or Canada, you won't find ancient British history, so these places serve a tremendous wonderful value and feeling you get knowing you're there, maybe that's the the tourist mentality in me, and the photographs I took say what the place really is, it's a pub or restaurant... a place for friends to meet, to relax, to try handcrafted ales, at least I hope that's what it is for you, it was that for me, good friends, good food, good times, and they passed so quickly and this was the week of the royal wedding, so many ales... so little time.

What we came here for...

The Fleece Inn was originally built in about 1400 as a longhouse, which was a type of dwelling housing a family and animals under one roof. It was originally built by a prosperous yeoman farmer called Byrd. The Fleece Inn dates from the times of Chaucer (14th Century) and was a family home for the Bird family until the 17th Century when it was turned into an Inn. In 1977 The Fleece was bequeathed to The National Trust, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the cultural, environmental or historical treasures of the United Kingdom. It has been said the Fleece Inn is without equal, it was bequeathed by a Ms. Lola Taplin to the National Trust in 1977.

And for you Cider Heads....

A curious mediaeval tradition also survives at the Fleece, preserved in accordance with Lola's wishes. This is the practice of chalking "witch circles" on the floor in front of each hearth to prevent witches from getting in through the chimneys. The BBC has also used the The Fleece Inn and the surrounding village green for its 1993 £5 million production of Charles Dickens' Martin Chuzzlewit where the pub was renamed the "Green Dragon" for the duration of shooting.

Look for surviving chalking of the "Witches Circles" on the floor

Reputedly Oliver Cromwell’s Pewter Dinner service was exchanged on the way to the battle of Worcester and this is on display at the pub. Even if this account is not true, it is a superb example of 17th century English Pewter ware.

Tasty... give it a go...

The Fleece Inn is a pub steeped in history, it remains largely unchanged, although it now serves delicious pub grub and most famously pays homage to the locally grown vegetable Asparagus during May and June. During the winter months traditional English favourites feature largely on the menu such as Sausage and Mash or locally made Faggots. When the summer months roll around the seasonally changed menu features popular choices such as traditional Ploughmans and the legendary Fleece Inn burger.

There is a big deal this time of year about the Asparagus festivals about this region

With its roots in rural England The Fleece Inn celebrates all things traditionally English at any opportunity. During the year the pub hosts various annual festivals the most famous of which is the British Asparagus Festival Day at the end of May. Thousands visit the grounds of the National Trust property situated in the centre of the village of Bretforton to sample some of the local produce and enjoy family entertainment and traditional rural activities. During October the annual Apple and Ale festival takes place sporting over 40 real ales and ciders to sample.

This was also an excellent choice...

And speaking of Ale: Pigs Ear, (OG 1050, ABV 5%)PIG'S EAR Strong Beer, CAMRA's Champion Beer of Gloucestershire 2007. Deceptively strong IPA that is eminently quaffable. A pale-coloured beer with a light hop balance leads to a hoppy, fruity aroma and smooth, finish. A wolf in sheep's clothing!

Begs the question... is the Fleece for a rowdy crowd... of are the neighbors ears all that sensitive?

For a Tastey Pigs Ear, Click Here

The Fleece Inn
The Cross
Bretforton
WR11 7JE
Tel: 01386 831173 Click Here

The Ale Trail: Back in the USA and the brew pubs of Hood River, Oregon

2011-07-12T19:39:00.000-07:00

Kyle and Amanda start their life together as husband and wife

There is nothing quite like being invited to a wedding. This post is a diversion from the "Ale Trail UK" series for in cyberspace we can do the time warp dimensional shift thing and pay no penalty for Ale is Ale and as I thought you in the UK would enjoy a few words on what's on offer over here in the Pacific Northwest... on the Columbia Gorge... in July when it's hot and you just got to break a thirst! And it was hot? Yes, at sunset at the now famous Skamania Lodge resort (see hotlink below) in Washington state about 40 miles or so heading east from Portland, Oregon. If you are a golf addict this is the place for you. Not a bad place for a wedding either... a high class resort with great food, great service and just the place to have a wedding when you want to leave it to the professionals as our friends Kyle and Amanda did.

kamaina Lodge with wind surfers

I love the place. We had an excellent meal at the lodge the night before... the maitre d' said her son was on his third tour in Iraq, upon hearing that I thanked her for his service and said please take us to a table, and what a view, great meal, affordable, great Ale... you do know this is Micro Brew country! So once you check out the price of the rooms... or if they are fully booked... and then you take nitro glycerin pill for your heart... look about the local area on the Internet as we did for a place to stay. Skamania lodge is about a 4 mile drive from the "Bridge of the Gods" at exit 44, you can miss it when driving on Highway 84.

The Stern-wheeler Colombia Gorge heads to dock at Cascade Locks

There is a very nice park just outside the marina at Cascade Locks, couple that with a mighty fine afternoon in the warm sun with the wind blowing through the gorge and what you have is the perfect setting for an afternoons picnic. There is a park right at the docks where a Rock Hound gathering was going on, people paying for rocks someone else picked up off the ground, what will they think of next? Then there was a Porsche road rally that stopped off at the marina parking lot so everyone around could gawk at the Porsche 911Carrera roadsters and wish they had the money for one... except me as I don't buy old cars. Call me a fogy... go ahead.

The Stern-wheeler Colombia Gorge at dock

I had never been on one of these before, it's been retrofitted with diesel engines, and was as smooth as could be on the river, that is to say the Columbia River, it was built in Hood River 16 miles up the river and that's a town you defiantly want to stop and see as Hood River is Brew Pub and Winery country, a region all to it's own and a day or two's stop for certain, you might want to stay for good. Hood River is home to the Full Sail Brewing Co, the Big Horse Brew Pub - Horse Feathers & Co. (Highly Recommended), the Double Mountain Brewery, and just up the road on highway 35 on the way to Mount Hood (you have got to go see Mount Hood) is the Hood Mountain Winery which is the most beautiful winery I have visited in the United States.

Wind Surfing on the Columbia River Gorge

While on the Stern Wheeler we were constantly entertained as we traveled down river towards Hood River by professionals who must have read Tim Ferris's Four Hour Work Week, it was men and woman who have traded in the routine of the 40 hour week for a life of high level physical fitness and dare devil stunts whipping alongside the river craft doing about 50 knots and putting on a show worth the two hour fare. Hood River is windsurfing country, old 69 VW Beetle buses, long hair, illegal overnight camping in the parking lot because they are psyched out on the wind. Not a bad life if you think about it and add to that the Ale!

Three Pacific NW Ales and two beers that wont go away.

I have a lot of friends in the Marine Corps if you can imagine that... the beer of choice for Gunny's on up is Budweiser Light, no arguments please. Next up is Corona, which is not at all a bad beer. There's a monopoly for growing the hops in Eastern Idaho for Corona which is brewed in Mexico. If you don't know, during World War one, Germany sent spies down to Mexico... being it was right next door to the USA... for the duration of the war. I cannot imagine a German gentleman without his "pils" or "export." Do the math ... it's not hard to figure out the mother country for most of the brewery's in Mexico and when they started brewing beer. Move over from Corona to the Widmer Brothers and I will tell you without going into detail that any beer they brew you will find delicious unless you have an aversion for Wheat Beer or Hefeweizen... next up is the Mirror Pond Pale Ale, every bit a "Hoppy" style IPA. The entire Pacific Northwest from Idaho to Washington into Oregon... they grow most of the Hops for the beer brewing world, if not most a boat load for sure... ever heard of Cascade Hops? Finally to close out this blogging... Full Sail "Amber," out of Hood River and one of the reasons you should visit, really this is one of those bucket list places for the growing population of beer and ale aficionados and us regular folk who might wear an occasional Python Boot.

For a night or three at the Skamania Lodge: Click Here and bring money!

For a ride on the Stern-Wheeler: Click Here

The Full Sail Brewing Company: Click Here

The Big Horse Brew Pub: Click Here

The Mount Hood Winery: Click Here

Ah to be in England next!

The Ale Trail: Energy Independence on July 4th... American Independence Day 2011

2011-07-04T19:36:00.000-07:00

Prime Minister Churchill was half American and half British... a great combination if you ask me!

I must ask, what would he do about the current energy crisis?"

The United States hasn't a clear "energy policy and I am worried about that as my country today is dependent on rising world oil prices per barrel of oil driving down our economy. I think it might be the same for the UK. I do know petrol over there is priced on the dark side of the moon. If you have ever been stuck in traffic in Europe behind a diesel burning truck with your window open... the smell is acrid, it burns your nose... that's when you are close up. As it dissipates... the amount of that acrid material is cumulative to how many cars and trucks, homes and boats and aircraft that are burning fossil fuel... and into the atmosphere it goes for you and I to breath. For myself... I like breathing clean air. The USA today burns 24 percent of world's oil production and the oil we import will significantly rise in price in the coming decade.

There are no Solar Cell arrays polluting the Gulf of Mexico

Presidents of the United States since the days of Richard M. Nixon, all have stressed the strategic importance of the United States to free itself (that is to say be Independent) of imported energy supplies. I quote Presidents Carter through Obama:

Richard M. Nixon (1969-1974) "Let this be our national goal: At the end of this decade, in the year 1980, the United States will not be dependent on any other country for the energy we need to provide our jobs, to heat our homes, and to keep our transportation moving."

Gerald R. Ford (1974-1977) " we must develop our energy technology and resources so that the United States has the ability to supply a significant share of the energy needs of the free world by the end of this century."

Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) "we must reduce our vulnerability to potentially devastating embargoes. We can protect ourselves from uncertain supplies by reducing our demand for oil, making the most of our abundant resources such as coal, and developing a strategic petroleum reserve."

Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) "Given our continued vulnerability to energy supply disruptions, certain emergency preparations—such as rapid filling of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve—remain principally a Government responsibility. But our basic role is to provide a sound and stable economic and policy environment that will enable our citizens, businesses, and governmental units at all levels to make rational decisions on energy use and production—decisions that reflect the true value, in every sense, of all the Nation's resources..." July 17,1981.

George H. W. Bush (1989-1993) “The Congress should…enact measures to increase domestic energy production and energy conservation - in order to reduce dependence on foreign oil.”

William Jefferson Clinton (1993-2001) "The problem of climate change presents an existential threat to the future of civilization. The scientific consensus that climate change is real and caused by man-made activities is overwhelming. The only debate is over how soon really bad things will happen and how bad they will be."

George W. Bush (2001-2009) “When it comes to energy and the environment, the American people expect common sense and they expect action,” the president said. “We’re taking action by taking the first steps toward rules that will make our economy stronger, our environment cleaner and our nation more secure for generations to come.“

Barack Hussein Obama (2010 - preset day). "Now is the time for serious leadership to get us started down the path of energy independence. Now is the time for this call to arms."

1969 to 2011... the criticality of energy independence for the United States is nothing new and all our presidents were or if living, are aware of it.

Solar cells are being mass produced today in China

Energy Independence technology # 1: I wish I could afford installing Solar Cells on my rooftop, I think of the money I would save and the air I breath would be less dirty. Imagine every home in the USA, every factory and commercial building with a south facing roof covered in these panels and connected to the (smart) national grid from Boston to San Fransisco.

I do not find them ugly

Energy Independence technology # 2: When the wind blows electricity is generated.

If the cow poos... digest it to make methane

Energy Independence technology # 3: If you are down wind... then Anaerobic Digesters make having that pig farm or cattle operation up wind a bit more tolerable, and in remote rural America what better way to generate electricity? Let's see, as my friend John from Iowa would say, "that's the smell of money" and I would like to add, "with Anaerobic Digesters we are saving money."

Iceland and Hawaii are going fully independent generating electricity from abundant Geo Thermal fields.

Energy Independence technology # 4: In the continental United States... for certain in the states out West such as Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, and California there are near to the earth's surface active Geothermal fields waiting to be exploited... clean energy that doesn't pollute the air we breath.

Rotting below every city dump are vast amounts of methane ready to bottle

Energy Independence technology # 5: Rotting bio mass generated from every citizens household makes for methane, many cities and towns across the USA are tapping into this free energy resource for where there is civilization there is trash. Also many cities and towns are moving to generating methane from human waste at the sewerage treatment plant, again free fuel for an Independent nation for the asking.

When water is in motion energy is released.

Energy Independence technology # 5: I know there are arguments about generating power from water as the big dams do kill the migrating salmon; ask a farmer who uses that water how much he cares? My brother in law want's to buy a nearby derelict mill with a water wheel in order to have a generator installed to generate electricity for himself and the local area where he lives. Now if you think about it, that sort of technology is an affordable idea, you would think it would catch on.

PBR now that's independence on the 4th of July... Red White and Blue!

Energy Independence technology # 6: Beer. I have been on the Ale Trail so long... tonight I was to take a break and then started thinking about 100 dollar a barrel oil... I am a real big fan about the United States (and perhaps the UK should be too) moving away from burning fossil fuel imported from overseas... especially from some countries that simply hate us for being Independent, I say make their wish come true. My wish right now is to have a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer.

Back to the Ale trail in no time at all, may this post find you free and living a life celebrating Liberty!

On the Ale Trail: I just happened upon...

2011-06-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

Horse Racing is a major event each year in Cheltenham

On our trip home this Spring for the Royal Wedding I clocked more "Me Time" than I had in years. I wish I could do six months uninterrupted and perhaps one day my wish will come true, for now the way I work is we will drive somewhere and I go off on my own, "Meet you back here in an hour!" This time there were days I got out for long walks and I made the most of it. I will feature the Queen Hotel in another posting, for now... well who ever the photographer was, and it wasn't me so there's no copyright with the piccie like there usually is within the Meta Data as it isn't mine, just a photo of a great photo taken long ago.

Bus stop not far from the Queen Hotel in Cheltenham

I am lucky to travel about the UK in a automobile so I cannot imagine getting about using public transportation. I suppose if you have the time for waiting for the bus it is not much of a bother, but if your crippled with arthritis such as many are especially in those senior years... then it has to be painful getting in and out. I have issues with the sneezy - wheezy where ever I travel and I can only imagine come the cold and flu season these Dears choose to stay home rather then chance being killed off by the latest virus just before Christmas.

An afternoon snooze on a warm Bank Holiday at Tewkesbury Abbey

I thought to myself he probably had a few too many "Pints of Ale," just across the street at the Bell ( lucky dog! ) and the wandered over to the Abbey for a snooze on the lawn. Very nice grounds surround the Abbey which sits on the flood plain where the four rivers meet at Tewkesbury.

Traditional British Pub Warning

This sign is found everywhere in the UK. I can only imagine there must be many with head injuries from low ceiling beams in pubs. I am a veteran of such danger... three times in my life I have cracked my head in memorable fashion. American doorways are on average 76 inches or higher, Belgian doorways on the other hand... especially from the 16th century... well in Wallonia at the time my house was built... folks were a bit shorter, I don't think that doorway was five foot six. I rented a home just outside of Mons and one morning I was in a hurry... it was the first week come to think about it I was in that house. My house was once the "Masion Communal" the town hall... it was built in 1573... with a very narrow staircase up to the second floor... and as I said one morning I hurried down the stairs and smacked my noggin a good one. The Second time was in Dorset, we had rented a cottage for a week between Lime Regis and Weymouth in the ancient village of Abbotsbury, where the ceiling of our cottage was a mere five foot nine inches if it was a day... I cracked my head three of four times that holiday. I know I regretted eating my Wheaties as a boy, and in name of the pain I named the place we stayed "Schmackenkopf." Even so... I still had not learned the lesson... so after leaving Madison, Wisconsin one August night on a flight to Chicago where I was scheduled to catch a connection... well as I was leaving the bulkhead for the gangplank down on to the tarmac I walloped my skull something sever and that one put me down... it took some time for me to wake up... I should have been seen for a concussion as I woke up a bit stunned, but I didn't want to miss my flight home so I shook it all off and you can bet I take to heart warnings such as this one which is to be found at the Fleece in Bretforton just east of Evesham on the B4035. I will blog about the Fleece in an upcoming post.

Thornbury Castle at sunset

Thornbury sits North West of Bristol, it's a short drive to get there, get off the M5 at Almondsbury and take the A38 north not quite five miles. We met friends there for afternoon tea which I will blog in another posting in full detail, for now I offer this pleasant very old English setting...


Titanic "Iceberg"

A combination of Maris Otter pale malt and fine wheat malt, combined with Yakima Galena and Cascade hops... nice to know this is a British - American combination. It's actually a Wheat Beer, of which this was a gift to try. Now I have had my share of Wheat Beers about Germany and then in the Pacific North west of the United States. Wasn't about to be ungrateful... not show my appreciation... best to slug it back, smile say what a swell beer it was... and move on to a fine English Ale before Evening Tea (supper), which I did...

Old Peculiar

A rich, dark, smooth-tasting beer with an unequalled flavour. Brewed using the traditional Fuggle hop, Old Peculiar has a large and enthusiastic following all over Britain and around the world. It comes from Yorkshire and has been around since the 1890's. At (5.6% ABV) a few of these and I am ready for a nap before the evening meal! Bad me....

Theakston's: Click Here
Thornbury Castle: Click Here

Cheltenham Race course: Click Here

The Ale Trail:Tewkesbury

2011-06-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

Tewkesbury Abbey... a picture post card kind of place!

In all the years I have visited family in the Cotswolds there just never seemed to be time enough to visit Tewkesbury. We were treated to almost picture perfect weather the last week of April and first week of May this last visit. One afternoon we finally made it over to this town where on the main street we find half timbered houses dating back to the Shakespearean era. Tewkesbury is situated where four rivers (two of them are the Severn and the Avon) meet and is built on a flood plain, where... yes... it floods from time to time. Legend say's the town derives it's name from a hermit-monk-Christian missionary names Theoc, a missionary who built his cell here in the mid-7th century. Construction of this Abbey started in 1102, in other words parts of this building have been here for over 900 years, the town has been around for a while.


The main area of worship

I receive e-mails and comments as much about the churches and cathedrals I essay with photographs as I do about the culture of British Ale itself, I found this quote from the late 1800's about Tewkesbury: " The abbey, whose church is now the parish church of the town, was founded by Robert Fitz-Hamon about the end of the eleventh century. He was the first of the many exalted personages who were destined to be buried there---many of them his own descendants. For the lords of Tewkesbury and patrons of the abbey were of the very salt of the earth---De Clares, Despencers, and Beauchamps; all names of might in their day, and full of great memories now. Magazine of Art (August, 1887), pp348-354, under the head "An Old English Town," Mr.J.Pendrel Brodhurst, more @ Tewkesbury history.com

The main alter

I find it often best to do a bit of research about these places I visit before I write... and I enjoy posting quotes from those who have long passed from this Earth. Again, from Broadhurst, "Within, the church is very grand and massive, and of great size. The work is a remarkable blending of the Norman with the finely decorated achievements of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. "From the old Guide: "In the Church are a number of monuments and monumental chapels of exquisite architectural beauty, commemorative of Robert FitzHamon, its Norman founder, and of members of the distinguished families under whose patronage the Abbey establishment increased in wealth and importance."

For how many centuries from this place has the word been spoken?

As we know wherever we find a Church, Cathedral or Abbey nearby we find an establishment serving Ale! Tewkesbury being no exception of the rule, five sites are known to have had inns or taverns on them as early as 1550. They are The Crown or New Inn, The Fox, The Swan, The White Hart and The Black Bear. I did not get to visit any of these pubs listed this visit, but will next time around. I did visit just across the street "The Bell."

According to the website for the Bell:"After the Dissolution of the monasteries the old guest-house was briefly a tannery, but was rebuilt as an inn under the name "the Angel" in the late 16th or early 17th century. You are offered to relax in an oak beamed bar with open fire and enjoy some tasty bar snacks and a glass of your favourite tipple. In the summer months you can sit outside in the pretty courtyard. Actual the pretty court yard also faces the not-pretty customer parking lot.

I went for my namesake!

Click the image and it will enlarge. I love Abbot Ale and highly recommend if you are visiting England to give it a try. Green King produces excellent product... so no matter where you go if their Ales are on offer it's a good bet. Have one with a shot of Captain Morgan's 100 proof spice rum, the very same combination my brother in law Roger introduced me to 26 years ago, I swear by it and have never found myself confused while consuming... if you can imagine that. Thinking back to the Captain Morgan's, I recall my good friend American author James Mace of the "Soldier of Rome" series now engaged writing the 5th book of his series... to highly recommend I read Doctor Hunter S. Thompson's, "The Rum Diary," and with good reason for the Doctor will clear your mind in times of depression, I highly recommend you read anything by him.

A seasonal Ale by Green King

I wanted something hand crafted and could not find one offered at the Bell... and that's something you have to get used to when visiting public houses in the UK, if it is owned by a corporate entity then you drink what they brew, Green King Ales are excellent, but if you want something chewy, rare , go to the CAMRA website to find where they serve hand crafted ale in the area you are traveling.

A pint of Alepril Fool on a hot sunny afternoon at the Bell in Teweksbury

So here we are back on the Ale Trail, I shall now take you pint after pint on the adventure as we find what else is to be found on offer in Gloucestershire and Warwickshire.

The Old Guide to Tewksbury: PDF Click Here

Tewksbury Camra home Page: Click Here

Tewkesbury history web site: Click here

The Bell to book a room: Click here

James Mace "Soldier of Rome" series @ Amazon Click Here

Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, "The Rum Diary" @ Amazon Click Here

Green King: Click Here

The Ale trail: "Time for photography..."

2011-06-05T19:18:00.000-07:00

Mosaic nude... made with mirror pieces... found in a furniture shop, Tivoli district, Cheltenham

I have had a lot of fun writing about our travels to the UK for the Royal Wedding and before that all about great pubs and great Ale... I am not about to stop doing that but for this post, and I did promise to feature Ale... for this post... no apologies... I feel like featuring artsy photos this post... well interesting photos... don't know if we can call them art... how about interesting? Interesting would be safe. I haven't a clue who the artist is who composed the above mosaic nude... It caught my eye a few years ago in a furniture store window, I thought it was terrific then... so when I was walking past the store and looked in and there it still was... the manager said it was OK to photograph it, he liked it too, but said for the life of him it's been a bugger to sell... me? If I had the place and didn't have to ship it Stateside... I would have it.

Really deep deep thoughts...

I have no fun shopping at shopping malls, for me the experience is bland, stale, lifeless, meaningless... I would much rather let the others do their shopping and I take off to photograph what comes my way. So while my beloved shoppe at the Mall in Street... I set out for Main Street! I love the way the noon time sun illuminated the window and door frames, and the glass top aluminum table with matching chair and freshly shaved head.

Head on down the Highway... Looking for adventure...

My good friend Roy Jones of "Roy's Rock's" fame years ago taught me to every now and then turn around and see what's behind you... so here I was on the ancient common of Thornbury photographing the Cathedral, and I did just that, and just in time to catch little Missy here doing what kids do best, just being kids. Don't forget to click the photos to enlarge them.

Good advice

As a child of the 60's now 60 I am most qualified to give this sort of advice. John Lennon said, "it's all in your head... " and he of all people should have known... "Lucy in the sky with Diamonds" and all that. We let things go to our head, we strive to be ahead, head today gone tomato... so mind your head... good advice... found this one on the Bristol Harbour short ferry # 7.

I used to drive a Ford Escort... not the same thing!

When I think of an escort what comes to mind is Margaretha Geertruida "Grietje" Zelle... other wise known as Mata Hari who was an escort herself... of sorts... maybe not like the escorts to be found at this establishment... down in the Stokes Croft district of Bristol at the end of Cheltenham Road just before you hit City Centre... then again why not? It's nothing personal... just business... During World War I Mata Hari was a double agent, a spy... so why would you entertain thoughts things have changed since then?

at Thornbury castle hidden in a private dining room

If this is real and not a reproduction or figment of the imagination of the artist, then it's a fearsome weapon of war. Can you imagine running into someone ready to kill you wearing this, defiantly they would have the psychological edge ... and this is where I will leave you for now... on the edge.. wondering when I am going to write next about the ale?

It's coming...

The Ale Trail: "Kiss Me Kate!"

2011-05-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

Even the Bread Companies got in on the act of National Celebration

Before writing about the week of the Royal Wedding I have something of concern I wish to talk about. I download a weekly podcast out of Silicone Valley titled "The Commonwealth Club." The club has been around for more than 100 years... guest speakers are world class and are invited to speak from both sides of the political, economic, scientific and literary issues of our time. A recent podcast raised concern about the topic of this generation of twenty somethings and younger... who already are renowned for not being readers and / or writers. Some are now totally avoiding typing on their Face Book page in favor of using I-phone technology to video blog. I write because I have to as it keeps me straight and compels me to be responsible for what I say, I must check, check and double check that my facts are valid and for correctness of spelling. Blogging each week requires I rewrite until what I have to say is structurally interesting to read.... hopefully. The danger of this generation forgoing reading and writing is the possibility of the generation following them will not be able to read a legal contract, dispense exact measure of medication and be rendered through no fault of their own... will be unable to express their thoughts in writing .. except for the children of the very wealthy or the brilliant ones who will sustain these skills as someone has to run things and we all know "an Education is one way out of poverty..." I truly hope this video blogging thing on Face Book is a fad and not another one of the Changes Dr. Alvin Toffler warned us of in his monumental work... "Future Shock" way back in 1971 that I have to accept for I do not!

The father of the Bride...

With that now out of the way we move on to the Royal Wedding. I do believe... “Everyone loves a fairy-tale romance.” I am confident the ladies do. As an American visiting the UK for the event it was at this time of national celebration a great time to be here. The week leading up to the wedding was one to remember... I had the most wonderful time with family and friends, especially traveling about the Cotswolds and wasn't that a treat for my camera!

The Union Jack was proudly displayed everywhere we went!

There was a spirit of optimism I noticed when talking to people... The UK like the States has gone through some seriously bad financial times these past few years... the Royal Wedding was a time to let things go and relax put your troubles behind...

From WWII but the message still rings true!

Most of the British I know love the Royal Family, and this is something Americans pay little attention to... so although there was huge press coverage in newspapers and television... all because this was the biggest Royal event for 30 years,.. unless you were there in the UK to see it first hand on the street... well... for most Americans it meant little that this wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton was almost 30 years to the day of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana. Did she say “I do...” or was it “I will...” for there’s this big bride will obey the husband thing to be sworn at the alter that we find in British wedding vows... and it is of controversy and a topic of conversation across the nation when these events come our way today. One afternoon during the week before the Royal Wedding we decided to take a two lane country road off the A46 when the sign pointed to “Elmley Castle.” Half the fun is being there and finding another castle to photograph is a good thing... so off we went... and after driving about for half an hour down country lanes... there was no castle to be found.

Now if we wanted to stop the car and get out to go for a long walk we would have found the ruins which today amount to only earthworks that remain of a late 11th century castle. So there is no Castle in "Castle Elmley..." What we did find was very “Country” British village of less than 500 people... and the locals had prepared their tiny village for the Royal wedding.

You see these vehicles everywhere, the streets of Elmley must be safe

All across the nation the British Union Jack was displayed in preparation for the Royal Wedding... “Elmley Castle” was a visual treat. We pulled over so I could run about like the madman I am taking snaps of this and that..

In villages all through the Cotswolds

I imagined mothers in the kitchen baking wedding cakes as outside children helped with the bunting going up as lawns were trimmed with fences and hedges and garden shrubs were all covered in Red White and Blue, which is a colour combination we Americans also relish. The colours being the same, just a different pattern for the flag... and people were ready to celebrate the Royal Wedding with traditional street parties.

The day before the wedding... in London ...tents lined the street outside the entrance to Westminster Abbey... in the little village of Elmley Castle I think things were more to my pace of living, Yes there was the occasional automobile passing through, the occasional American tourist interrupting this otherwise tranquil life you find in these villages....

The village Green

and like my UK family... all were to watch the blessed event on telly, and by the looks of it these locals were not short of a Bob or two... so they would be joining the other 2 billion people around the world expected to watch the BBC for certain on wide screen HDTV.

Ah to be in England

According to Wikipedia David William Donald Cameron is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party and is the elected representative for the district of Witney as its Member of Parliament (MP)... of which for this event he said the the citizens of Great Britian the week leading up to the Royal Wedding, “ ignore council pen pushers and bring out the bunting" for the Royal Wedding... that’s major and equivalent to saying, “Kick out the Jams” for the Royal couple or “Lets get Giggy” or...

Queen Victoria

Where he was going with saying all this is... "Just Do It!" That is because everything you might want to do in the UK these days from adding to your property or holding an event or whatever... best to stop by the local Council to see what law it is you might be breaking before you do it, or find out what fee it is you must pay (brother you are going to pay) or what ever you must do to keep the local government civil servant “Party Pooper” from spoiling your party or what ever it is you wish to do... better to side on caution... and the Prime Minister was saying "Sod the buggers..." an elected official showing enthusiasm... rare... very rare.

Welcome

By April 23rd over 5,500 Royal Wedding street party road closure applications had already been received across England and Wales, and with four days to go for the blessed event there was no doubt Great Britain was in the mood to party.... and I am one who loves a party. There were contestants taking part in Prince William and Catherine Middleton lookalike competitions, one was organized by Easyjet airline.

You too could be Queen!

Final preparations were being made such as members of the London Chamber Orchestra practicing in Westminster Abbey, workers bringing in full sized English Maple trees inside Westminster Abbey... and as I said like myself... all across the UK people would celebrate from home, watch the telly, toast the happy occasion as it was an official bank holiday.

Across the Street from the Everyman Theatre

Since the engagement was announced last November, details of the Royal Wedding had been leaking all over the place... it was to be a lavish affair... the city of London expected many to attend... at least 600,000 visitors from outside the UK were expected to be in country and who knows how many stood on the streets of London for the motorcade? My friend Christine flew to London be there and was going to stand on the street to watch the couple pass by... that would be hours of standing with only those cold seat plastic public Porta-Potties to the ready for relief... and don’t bother to look down unless you want to lose your lunch... and to have to go there and chance losing your place because “you had to go...“ and face it nothing is more important then when you gotta go!

Bet this one's worth a bit now on the Antiques Road Show.

And then last minute she came to her senses... my friend realized as I did that nothing beats a comfy seat, warm blanket, nearby loo you cleaned yourself so you know it’s safe to sit there, the fridge is not far off, and in hand for these sort of events one would hope to have a fine dry Martini made with Potato Vodka... so “au revoir” to the “Stolli,” we move on... use only Noilly Pratt original French Dry Vermouth for we all love the French who too love the Red White and Blue... finish this baby off with a Garlic stuffed extra large olive... sit there in comfort knowing fully well things are just not going to get any better.

Yes... Hallmark Cards... who would have thought!

I must tell you something I hold close to heart... “Who needs therapy when you have a Martini?” There is something about a Martini in hand whilst in comfy seat that beats that waft of diesel on the street every time.

The Union Jack to brighten up any Royal occasion

During this visit I was also going to attend an outdoors event, the Cheltenham Jazz festival. I went on line and checked out the who was playing, whoa... non other than icon legend Pharoah Sanders... who played with John Coltrane... who had to know Miles Davis... a man who is part of the foundation of great traditional modern American Jazz, this was an artist to not miss... and then to close out the festival, House... Jeeves and Wooster... Hugh Laurie was playing, and all the better.. he was the close out act for the festival.

Benchmark?

I thought to myself it would be cool just like I used to do in the sixties, photograph the artist on stage and then do an interview, heck they both were playing within walking distance of where we were staying in Cheltenham... so I wrote to their agents, of which the Sanders management totally ignored my request. The Laurie folks out of London did reply... that was class... and explained in the kindest of words how he was such a busy man and had no time for me to take up his time, which me being a blogger and photographer and fellow artist... and any advertising is good advertising... and what's a few piccies? I understood and will give it a shot again in future... as most Americans haven’t a clue Hugh is a Jazz musician.

Hugh Laurie the Jazz man... at the bus stop in Tivoli

On the day I was to take the afternoon for myself... to walk about the Cheltenham Jazz festival I had an Epiphany...well sort of... we were driving past the grounds for the event which was held this year on the green in the centre of town just behind the old Town Hall... I had a vision of heat stroke dust in the mouth on a hot Cheltenham afternoon... it was a flashback to the 1960’s when I was young and went to this sort of punishing experience which usually worked out to be a good thing, that was then and this is now. Nope not this time, not going to do it so I asked my beloved... to her surprise as I had been moaning all week I wanted to go... to please just keep on driving.

The Greatest Generation celebrate

When I was in my 20’s sun burn was the price you paid to listen to live music... factor 45 sun screen did not exist... well maybe for the astronaut program but certainly not commercially available for us regular folks. As we drove by I looked out over the green and said to myself this thing was a loser. I remembered reading the line up, and who ever put it together this year was playing a game he knew little about. Or is it I am just not hip to European modern Jazz greats?

William and Catherine were everywhere

I hate the outdoor food tents you find at State Fairs... and the smell of those Porta-Potties only compounds the misery to be had in the hot sun. I find dogs and kids and babies and families sitting in the dirt or lawn distracting and have no compassion anymore for the dog - Frisbee throwing thing just to being cool to attract someone... it’s all bullshit I just don't want to watch anymore. I didn’t always feel this way but now after all these decades I am a veteran of these events... I have had my fill.... so I am thankful for the gloriously sunny afternoon that said, " I need air conditioning and good acoustics..." and when sitting on the lawn I always find the dog mess... or a rock. I fear eating that food from a tent anymore... mystery meat is so “iffy...” and for safety sake I suggest you do what I do... just download the Mp3 and avoid attending these events. The price for the remaining Pharaoh Sanders tickets by the time I got to the ticket booth which is no longer associated with the Town Hall ticket vendor... Pharaoh Sanders was Twenty Eight Pounds and no cameras allowed... take or leave it... I left it.

A traditional Bank Holiday weekend

As I walked about Cheltenham earlier in the week I thought I should be on the look out for souvenir mugs and T-shirts... in the papers it was said shop owners were rubbing their hands across the country with glee because of the Royal Wedding inspired a short business boom... vendors knowing fully well tea cups and other memorabilia would be highly sought by collectors. So as I passed this window, for a fleeting moment I was about to part with my cold hard cash until I read,”Not for Sale.” I found out why... from talking with many shop keepers they all said this time around the on line vendors were raking it in and that was the reason I was having such a bitch of a time finding a Royal Wedding tea cup and saucer for sale in this region of the UK... it was because local shop keepers like this one could not afford the huge investment in inventory... and let me tell you those cup and saucers do not sell for cheap... “pass.”

So the day finally arrived... 27 April, 2011 when Great Britain ground to a halt. The day before I had visited the local Morrison’s store in pursuit of “Kiss Me Kate Ale.” What better way to celebrate a Royal Wedding whilst on the “Ale Trail” then with a bottle of Kiss me Kate? Actually I purchased two, but not until the morning of the Royal Wedding. While everyone back at the house was in a flurry I conned my 17 year old nephew who just passed his drivers license test to drive me to the supermarket. Now he’s a good lad... but I am 60 and he is 17, a vast age difference for certain, so I explained to him all about my concerns... that I was once back int he 80's trapped in the passenger seat... in Belgium... in a Datsun 280 Z with my colleague Franz the German who attempted to break the land speed record on the autobahn between Liege and Mons.

Kiss Me Kate by Castle Rock @ 5% ABV, not bad... not bad.

This all happened in broad daylight, German Autobahn style... that is to say in the third lane which is the “get the Hell out of my way I am driving a Maserati you swine “lane... and I believe we did it in 21 minutes. Franz drove that Datsun at very high speed... and this was before the age of the now readily available wherever you drive High Definition (HD) spotter cameras every kilometer of every highway in Europe in order to keep you in your place or pay the fine... I swear the police simply ignored the SHAPE license plates as I thought they must have thought we might be official couriers... and my nephew appreciated the story and drove nice and easy... he is a bit dubious when in my company but a good lad all the same. Later I said I was grateful for his help as the day before the Kiss Me Kate display was empty so I hunted down a shop employee who swore the next morning there would be more... do I trust him... do I take his word? My reward for patience and bravery in riding in the same car with my 17 year old nephew at the steering wheel was two bottles of "Kiss Me Kate..."

Things sometimes work out for the best.

Elmley Castle: Click Here

David Cameron: Click Here
The Commonwealth Club: Click Here
Official Guide to street parties: Click Here

Pharaoh Sanders: Click Here

Kiss Me Kate Ale: Click Here

Next Post: "Back on the Ale Trail" and with not a moment to spare!

The Ale Trail: "Ladies’ hats far outshine anything a man can wear!"

2011-05-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

I have blurred the background of many of the following photographs for privacy... this post is for the ladies and is all about the hats. We start with Queen Elizabeth... the Queen wore a dignified lemon yellow hat with lemon colored roses on the brim to the wedding of to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge... everything she wore with her ensemble matched. The Royal’s set the standard for fashion at these events... and after all she is the Queen. Please click on the photographs that follow to enlarge them in order to view greater detail...

A little history here... by the early 1900′s woman’s’ hats were enormous, wide-brimmed and loaded with adornments of flowers, feathers, gauze, and much veiling material. Before the sexual revolution and Woman's Liberation Movement women wore hat’s to all occasions, a women would not go out in public without her hat.

Of course by the 1960’s the tradition diminished but over the years hat’s have made a return to woman's fashion in a very big way... today the tradition is back and it is not going away any time soon... women continue to wear hats at formal teas, luncheons, wedding ceremonies and receptions or for no reason at all but to wear them when they go out in public. British women wear hats to weddings as a tradition...it’s a classic English thing!

Some of the hats and outfits worn to the Royal Wedding were fantastic... dazzling; there are many photo websites for you to review (just Google the subject) illustrating this year’s popular spring colours. They are simply beautiful creative works of art... to wear.

The whole thing about British women and their hats is beauty, the hats we find on offer in the UK today are beautiful. Yes, some women wear them to make a “fashion statement...” to try to outdo other women... she is colorful and beautifully adorned...it is all about elegance and grace... they want to look pretty.

It is recommended by the Church of England for women to wear a hat to all Royal events. Let's face it, the Royal family... and all their relatives have the access and the money to afford the finest milliners, and it would be silly to think their “Hats” and “Fascinator’s” (Google “Fascinator’s” if you don't know) were anything but of exceptional quality and craftsmanship and beauty.

English women are reserved in manners, dress and speech... except when it comes to the subject of their Hats! She would never wear an outfit for a wedding without including a hat.

All men know women want to look good... that's a given. I would like to know why hasn’t this trend caught on in the United States? I read somewhere... “Even American women who have never worn a hat in their life... will immediately access the hat gene when exposed to the Kentucky Derby. There are more hats at Churchill Downs on Derby Day than anywhere else on Earth... except in the Queen's closet.”

British wedding guests select their outfits based on style rather than traditional codes. Weddings are an opportunity for a women to wear a fancy hat and not be thought of as unusual in doing so...

In British fashion today we find women from all walks of life adorned with carefully chosen attire and elaborate headdress. Hats have feathers, beads, flowers, ribbons, and sequencing. Some are brightly colored or very large... all are eye-catching. In British fashion they are not only a fashion accessory but also a sign of status and respect.

With the sun doing such damage as it will to skin, especially the face... one would think it makes good sense to keep your face away from the harmful rays of the sun... in other words large hats help to prevent sunburn or heatstroke while attending weddings outside which seems to be the Vogue... the thing to do for these occasions in the United States these days... The last two weddings we attended here in the States... were held outdoors... one we have coming up in July will also be outdoors... it makes good sense for our women to sustain good health and beauty by wearing a hat and it may very well be for this reason alone woman's hats will return to the United States as fashion in the years to come... you would think.

I think it is a simple desire to have fun that compels British women to wear those gorgeous, beautiful very feminine hats... hats from the very elegant to outrageous... and from my personal experience... of the British women I know... attending weddings... they do their very best to have the most catchy hat of all... I hope the trend will catch on over here... you just never know!

So as for the men... "Hats off," to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge... and as for the ladies... "You are wearing a beautiful hat?"

Next Post... "back to the Ale!