We Make Beer etc.

So I looked and the last time I updated my blog was ages ago. More specifically December 2010. I am sure I have had plenty to say just not enough time to write, or have just been lazy. So this might take a while. Since December we finished off a very successful Ski Season in April, needless to say we had one of the best winters in years. We were very lucky to spend the snowy winter with these peeps:

We are going for round two this year. Different Condo, same complex. Hopefully the snow will be just as good. Keep your fingers crossed.

After ski season Mel and I decided to do a 1/2 marathon which we trained for all summer. I figured out I really do not have a runners body; short legs, big boobs. This equals a lot of gross chaffing. Not pleasant, especially when you hop into a hot shower right after running 10 miles. Ouchie! After all that training we ran the whole 1/2 Marathon along with our running pals Ashlee and Michaela, in the pouring rain. Yes, 2:20 minutes of unrelenting rain. It sucked, but I finished and was happy with my time and Mel was a superstar by beating her time from her first 1/2. Michaela was not so lucky, she fractured her hip from the stress of running and she is still laid up, poor thing.


Before we completed the 1/2 we had our usual summer of fun activities, which included but was not limited to:

Visiting Camden Yards to see Red Sox, and checking out a Ph.d. program for Mel.


Visiting Martha's Vineyard and buying summer hats. Smashing.

Driving/sailing a duck boat with the Femmes in tow.

Attending Red Sox Games with a handful of peeps





Watching this little one grow, OMG she is so cute and brings a smile to everyone




Pops rehearsal picnic for 4th of July

Watching HC continue to be a crazy pants

I visited New Orleans for the first time and met Mel's family, they were great and the city was so much fun. Definitely need to go back when it is not July. I was told to embrace the heat but no one wants to see me walking around in a wife beater, even if I am carrying a beer OUTSIDE!(See my FB pic)
We stayed in a wonderful B&B, The Green House Inn with a salt water pool. We would recommend it to anyone(it is pet friendly.) We went to Mel's Family reunion at a park on Lake Pontchartrain, visited the Aquarium with Mel's Mom, had a wonderful dinner at Commander's Palace, listened to live music, had beignets and coffee at Cafe Du Monde and bought some art. We packed a lot in a short trip.





And of course we sill make beer. We took a break for the winter but we are back on the band wagon and brewing beer again, this time from separate ingredients instead of kits. Our Pale ale came out really good and we just bottled a Trappist style ale. We are keeping our fingers crossed for that one. Mel said that it will be great because a lot of love went into it.



And now thanks to our friend Sarah we have official Beer labels, which capture the two namesakes of our brew company. HC(Hell Cat), and Quimby(Ramona Quimby). We love them.


I need take a queue from my friend Fran who updates her blog in a timely manner. Mel and I have even made and appearance or two, being fools, on it a couple of times since I last updated my own blog. I will try not to be as lazy and focus, but as you can see I am a busy gal.
So until next time, "Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow"

Greatest Gift

I have had many great Christmas gifts in my life full of family, friends and great gifts: tickets to Annie, Ski's, the first season of Buffy. This year took the cake, Mel and my sister Jennie arranged for my 15 year old nephew Trevor to visit for six days by himself. After being laid up all last Christmas weekend with a bad back this year made up for it completely. I have been looking forward to the time when he could come up and I could show him the city. Once I found out he was officially coming, Mel and I have been planning for weeks. We had a well deserved week off to spend with Trevor and we kept him busy trying to be the best aunties ever.

Sunday
We started with the 5K Jingle Run in Somerville. I was pleasantly surprised when I turned the last corner toward the finish line and there was Mel, Trevor and our friend Laura cheering us on. It was a fun and festive run with this crew. The medals are bottle openers, of course.


That night the Patriots were playing and many of the Violent Femmes and friends headed to our place for football and pasta. We had a great time cheering on the hometown boys to a close win.

Monday
We headed out into the city and to our pleasant surprise it started snowing. Trevor was so excited he got to see some actual snow while he was here.




We headed through the Public Gardens and over to the Frog Pond to do some skating. Mel and Trevor did not make it too long on skates but they got around the rink a couple of times.




We walked all through the city and ended the night with a Bruins Game! First we stopped at Boston Beer Works for dinner and when you are on vacation with your aunties and want nachos for dinner, that is what you get.

I have not been to a Bruins game in so long. I think the last time was when they played at the old Boston Garden. Though they lost, we geared up and had a great time. A very fun night.

We had great seats too, 1st row balcony.


It was a long day but so fun.
Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday
We headed up north to the ski house so Trevor could try out some snowboarding. I was a little concerned he might be frustrated but he took to it really quickly. We put him in a lesson the first day and he actually wanted to go back for a 2nd day. He caught on so quick. It was so great being on the trails together riding down the mountain. I was completely impressed with how fast he learned. I was also so happy he had a great time and really loved it. The ski house was perfect, we played games, had a fire, an amazing beef stew, watched movies. We did not want to leave.

He even went to the top of the mountain with us a couple of times and made it all the way down.


He even went up the chair lift by himself for his last run.

Lucky for us the half pipe opened at Loon that day and we got to sit and watch some cool tricks while enjoying our apres ski.

We were sad to leave the ski house after a wonderful couple of days, but we headed home. When we got home we put Trevor to work helping us make labels for our holiday gifts from H.C. Quimby Brew Co.

HC wanted to help.

He is going home with two hats, one Bruins and one from our friends at Wannagoout.


Friday
The week flew by and even HC was sad to see Trevor leave.

We had a wonderful week. It was everything I hoped for, and cannot wait until he comes to visit again. A Christmas to always remember.

Goodbye Old Lady

Tonight we said goodbye to my old lady Ramona. It has been a tearful month and day at the H.C. Quimby Brew Company. It was a really hard decision to make, but we worked with a wonderful vet at Angell Memorial who guided us through our decision making process. As many of you know, her health has been deteriorating for the better part of a year. It was important to us that we made the decision at the right time and wanted to remember her as a happy dog- which she was to the last day. She got bacon and a run in the park with a tennis ball.

Most of the people in my life who know me have known Ramona. She has been with me since she was 8 weeks old and in a couple of weeks she would have been 14 years old. She has been my constant companion throughout all these years and as I joke my longest relationship with a lady. She was loyal, happy, crazy, and co-dependent. She saw me through 5 major relationships, the death of my father and graduate school. If you knew her she probably has either licked you, barked at you, head butted you, slept on the bed with you, or farted by you. She was a sweet dog who was never as happy as when she was:

Chasing tennis balls

Swimming

Rolling in the snow

Cuddling on the bed

or playing with her friends:

Stella Louise, one of her best dog park pals

Finn, who was in love with her

Her roommate Izzy, who I still miss to this day

Bear (or as I like to call her, Bacon)

Miggs and Rosie, the best Cockers ever

and of course Henry, who I think will miss her too

I really got lucky with Ramona, she was a great dog who loved being around people, especially babies, whose heads she especially liked to lick.

Even though saying goodbye is really hard and we never think about these things when we get pets, the sadness is worth the unconditional love you always receive and the great stories you get to tell about them. One of my favorites is when we were walking with a bunch of our friends at Peter's Hill, it was pitch black. We decided it was a good idea to put those flashing red bike lights on the dog's collars to keep track of them. Well, my roommate Gayle's dog Stutz came back to the group missing his light. About 5-10 minutes later we saw this bouncing red light coming over the hill and were like, "What the hell is that?" As it got closer we saw that Ramona picked up the light and brought it back to us. It was one of her best true Lab moments.

I want to thank all my friends and family for all the support they have shown Mel and I these last couple of weeks. We really appreciate knowing that you understand how hard it is to say goodbye to a beloved pet. You all are the best. I will miss my girl, but I know it was the right time and that she in a better place probably chasing an unending supply of felt covered green spheres in and out of the water.

Goodbye my beautiful lab, you were the best, and on this Thanksgiving Eve, I am most thankful you were part of my life the last 14 years.