Author: Mike
New Shower
For two weeks now, the workmen have been tearing out our old shower and installing a new one. Here it is without the glass installed. The glass comes on Tuesday.
The original shower has been leaking for several years and has responded only temporarily to my occasional caulking efforts. Gradually the vinyl flooring was getting darker in the leaky spots, so we decided to replace the shower and tile (done but not pictured, here) the floors.
We are pleased with the outcome, but can’t wait for the glass enclosure so we can shower in our own bathroom again. How spoiled we are.
Great Weekend
On Saturday, Dave Erickson, ran a 1/2 ironman triathlon. A half ironman consists of a 1.2 mile swim, followed by a 56 mile bike race, followed by a half marathon (13.2 miles) run. He completed the feat in 6 hours 40 minutes and 37 seconds. Well done, Dave!
Dave’s long time friend, Jon Scott, came up from the Miami area to encourage Dave. It was great to spend some time with Jon. We haven’t seen him since he moved south many moons ago.
It had rained most of the day for the previous two days, and it was raining at 4:30 when Dave arrived to check in and get his number (004 by the way). But by the time we got to the venue at 5:15, the rain had stopped and by the time the race started there was a cloud cover but no rain. The clouds stayed most of the day and the sun peeked through a couple of time during the race. The high temperature was 81.
Needless to say, I’m very proud of Dave and his accomplishments. The half ironman is a great feat for a 42 year old who hadn’t done much strenuous physical exercise since his stint in the Marine Corps just after high school. Dave has become a generous, industrious, man of integrity. And I’m proud of him.
Two Summer Brews
Here are the latest from The Major’s Brewery.
The first is a Belgian style Trappist ale commonly called dubbel. It’s a meal in itself. Yummy.
The second is an Irish blonde style. This is light and refreshing beer with a smooth mouthfeel from the flaked barley. Although this label says 4.0% alcohol by volume, it’s really 5.9%. I added extra malt after making the label. The labels on the bottles have the correct alcohol percent on them.
New Beers
I brewed these two beers last November and December respectively. I just got around to making the labels. I had them both legged (they still are), but bottled a few later to share with The Villages Homebrew Club and a few friends. I was expecting a blonde ale instead of the amber, but I guess I ordered darker malts than a blonde calls for. So I just brewed a blonde ale last week and a Belgian Dubbel a couple of weeks ago. I just bottled the dubbed yesterday, so expect labels soon.