beer – Page 7 – OldPlaidCamper

Sunny small town stuff

Shall we hang out in a friendly small town on the panhandle of WV? Well, ok, particularly as it is somewhere we’ve visited many times over the years. Berkeley Springs is a great place to while away a few hours, and we did exactly that for a sunny day or two earlier this month.

It has a microbrewery or two (nope, not this time, would you believe?!) great coffee shops, an antique mall, and a number of little stores selling arty crafty stuff. If you like cinnamon scented candles, handmade birthday cards, and knitted/quilted/beaded/stitched stuff, then you’re well catered for. Next visit, and if you’re there, I’ll meet you in the microbrewery (‘cos by then they’ll have very sensibly adjusted their afternoon opening hours so I can skip out on the knitted/antique stuff…)

We’re not really leisure shoppers, but we browsed and had a couple of great conversations with storekeepers who couldn’t get enough of those cute accents. “You’re from Australia, yes? No? Texas, then?” Close enough. We usually agree on Canada via Europe. Folks we chat to south of the border always love Canada, which is reassuring and neighbourly. I mean neighborly.

The guy selling Native American beadwork and blankets was a road warrior with hundreds of thousands of truck miles under his belt. He knew of and had driven through most north of the border places we mentioned, east to west and also north, right up onto the ice roads in deep winter. He was now enjoying his warmer retirement years in his often sunny small WV town. I’d love to share his stories about the “cat” that kept him company on many of his trucking adventures. He described what sounded like a small mountain lion, one that scared many a border guard into waving him through rather than get within close up claw distance to inspect any paperwork… (Next time I’m down that way, I’ll visit with him, see if he wants to elaborate and maybe get his permission to tell a tale or two. I suspect colourful isn’t even close…)

The park in the centre of town has to be one of the smallest state parks ever, and is a delightful spot to sit in the sun and drink coffee. In season, there’s a wonderful outdoor pool – Junior PlaidCamper spent many happy childhood hours splashing about on hot days. In and around the park there’s some (civil war) history to the place if that’s more your thing. For something less bloody, how about George Washington’s bathtub? Yup, really:

I can recommend staying at The Country Inn, a friendly hotel complete with dining room and tavern. We had a spacious room overlooking the park, and if an inch of wall was unpapered (a bright flowery design), I didn’t find it.

We scoped out the dining room and tavern to decide where we’d prefer to eat that night – reservations had been strongly recommended by the check in staff. The helpful person taking dinner reservations looked me up and down and suggested the tavern rather than the dining room as we’d be a better fit for the lively crowd found in there. That’s us, always found hanging with the lively crowd.

Good beer – a lively pint for a lively me

We returned at 7pm and it was busy enough already, most of the tables filled with revellers at least twenty five years our senior. Many seemed to be enjoying the local draft dark beer, a stout called The Miner’s Daughter if I remember correctly. After a couple of pints I was tempted to sneak away from the youth set for a moment and peek in at the dining room, but thought better of it – wouldn’t have wanted to startle (awaken) the octogenarians (nonagenarians?) in there.

My brother joined us for dinner, looking relieved we were hanging out in the hipster bar – he might have mentioned it being the hip replacement bar, but relented when he heard about the dining room – and we had a great meal. So great we had to slump, almost comatose, in the nearby and very elegant reception room to allow for recovery before tackling the stairs to bed.

Anyway, I think we’ve discovered why I’ve never been paid or sponsored to write trip reviews… Let’s leave my dreadful ageism aside, and finish by saying if you ever find yourself near Berkeley Springs, WV, you’ll have a fine old (stop it, PC) time.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Warm days, happy trails, cool nights…

…easy hikes, good company, and cabin time in a WV state park!

Healthy road trip fare…(it’s ok, we walked it off later, and anyway isn’t maple almost a vegetable?)

Heading north to south we found ourselves leaving mid/late fall behind, and by the time we crossed into MD/WV, found ourselves shedding jackets and digging out T shirts for daytime adventures that were happening like it was late summer or very early fall.

Gentle hikes on clear trails under blue skies in mid October? Yes please! A few bugs (fooled into appearing due to the temps) aside, these were pleasant days to wander in the woods. Gaps in the trees along a high ridge provided long views across the valley to the mountains opposite. If only I’d taken a decent photograph… next time…

There is some view across here – but I didn’t photograph it!

Staying in a cabin with a sturdy fireplace, it was no bad thing when the sun dropped below the mountain ridge behind us – the swift temperature decline justified a fire, reminding us it wasn’t actually summer. And if we had a beer or two to toast the (relatively) active days, well, that’s a pleasant way to spend cool cabin nights…

By the time this is posted, we’ll be home and looking back fondly on a trip where we caught up with friends and family, discovered some new to us beers, and reacquainted ourselves with a favourite mountain town. More on the last next week.

Warm days, cool nights and happy trails – this particular fall has been a most welcome and very kind season!

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

There are strange creatures out there…(photo credit CG, thanks, you stealth photographer you)

Old town wanders

Oh this past week or two! I mostly (mostly!) avoid the political sphere in this blog, but recent political news locally and globally has been something else, hasn’t it? Goodness, the whining and bleating of many of those on the right, the far right and alt-right! Avoid and avoid! What a void… What is it with the never taking responsibility, it’s always somebody else’s fault, and othering whoever doesn’t share their groupthink? Alternative facts, gaslighting, lying, doubling down on a lie and then blaming their supposed victims and targets if they answer back, so terrified of any comeback in case it turns out they have underachieved and are at fault? Don’t they ever stop to look at themselves and listen to what they are saying? Climate change deniers, election deniers, post truth – huh? – fact deniers, “we’ve had enough of experts”, lies on the side of a bus, promising sunlit uplands knowing the impossibility of such promises, putting immigrants on unsafe barges, denying basic human rights, and encouraging a hostile environment if you look or sound different. Painting over cartoon murals for children in immigration centres because that is too welcoming?! Who can support that?! Lies, lies, denials, and more lies! What is wrong with these people? It’s inhumane to behave in such a way. What do they hope to gain or achieve by being thoroughly unpleasant? It is so tiresome…

How to explain it? Perhaps they are weak and very likely personally ineffective, utterly and drearily so… Yikes, try to imagine living such a scared and self loathing life, appeased by fearful cronies and projecting their shortcomings onto others, completely unable to take any responsibility for messes of their own making. Sad little conservative nobodies clutching their pearls if there’s a different opinion expressed… Only feeling like they’ve achieved something if they’ve belittled or lied about someone else. Pathetic. Thank goodness we don’t have, in our very immediate circle, to put up with anyone like that. I feel rather sorry for anyone who does, particularly if they are afraid, and find themselves appeasing these awful people. Being so scared that they might turn on you, being so scared that you condone them, even enable them. Yes, how sad, although, scared or not, I suppose they choose to do so. If you lie down with…

Enough of these dreary people and the bad news they create! No more politics today! On to more interesting items!

Ever since we moved here, one of our favourite activities has been to wander through the Old Town streets. A friend (thanks, JH) recently mentioned how pretty parts of this city are, and she’s right, so I thought I’d share a few more sights and stops we’ve enjoyed the past few weeks. You don’t need a destination; it’s enough just to let your feet point in a direction anywhere in or near the Old Town, and it’ll be interesting. (Most of this past week has been spent in and out of various government offices completing and filing applications for health cards, driver licences, and car number plates – we didn’t take photos of the government office edifices as they weren’t so attractive!)

Found at the end of a cobbled street – worth the potential turned ankle!

People watching spot near the parliament building

Yes, very happy to be here, particularly as the paperwork and other dreary stuff this week is firmly in the rear view. Thanks for reading and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Cooling…

…and thank goodness, particularly after the recent mini heatwave! So, how have we spent these cooler days? (Be warned: bouncing around like a box kicked rugby ball, this post will chop and change more times than a fly half trying to fool the opposition, showing no coherence, like a game spoiled by a fussy rugby referee with a whistle breaking up the flow of a game, or, or, like a…) Yeah, if you don’t like rugby, maybe stop reading?

Let’s try the non-rugby stuff. Falling temperatures and falling leaves helped make the week a pleasant one. Scout has been very happy to get back to the woods, and we’ve enjoyed the almost bug free wandering through the trees. Yesterday morning was cool, close to the point of chilly, but it isn’t light jacket or rugby jersey weather quite yet.

Gentle breezes prompted some light leaf fall, and the photo below is colourful evidence autumn is more or less upon us.

Red leaves seems a reasonable reminder to look out for red ales (it does? On what planet, OPC?), and hats off to Brasseur de Montréal for their splendid red. Autumn in a glass with the cardboard and toffee caramel flavours I like in a red. It tasted far better than I’ve described it…

We spent a couple of mornings mooching about the Old Town, enjoying the slightly slower fall pace compared to the more full on summer visitor business. Shall we stop for a coffee and pastry? Oh, ok!

Almost forgot – rugby stuff! The rugby World Cup is in full swing, but at seven weeks long, I’ll pay more attention after some of the opening phases are finished. My hopes are very high indeed for Ireland, unrealistically high for England, somewhat high for France, but let’s be real – most likely New Zealand or South Africa will win the whole thing.

I recently read a great piece about remarkable rugby grounds in attractive locations, and for me, this place was the winner: (we’ve agreed with friends to watch a game there sometime and go for a pint or two of Guinness after!)

Donegal Town Rugby Club’s pitch, the Holmes, next to Donegal Bay in the Republic of Ireland. Photograph: Connor Doherty/Harper Collins

Must leave it here as there’s a rumour our backyard lawn (that’s too grand – let’s say patch of grass) is being laid today, needing my expertise (huh?) and fast developing skill with a garden hose. Nope, I’ve no idea where or why Scout is hiding…

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

*Backyard and him with the hose? You haven’t seen me…*

Followed by a Guinness? Oh, ok… (Photograph: Connor Doherty/Harper Collins)

Festibière

As mentioned last week, Mrs. PC was determined to attend the Festibière. I’m guessing here, but perhaps it was the thought of over 100 Quebec beers presented in one location (plus we could get there by bus) that caused her eyes to light up? Ever supportive, I went along. A bus ride? I’m in!

We went on the opening afternoon, a fairly quiet time, with most attendees seemingly retirees or young parents with small children. The daytime vibe was quite family oriented, very much a tasting and trying rather than big drinking event. Save that for OktoberFest and leave the young ones at home?

It being relatively uncrowded gave us the chance to chat to the vendors and brewers, chew over the various offerings and mostly still end up with IPA or APA. Adventurous, me? No, not with beer. Not after The Gose Incident. If you know, you know…

I did have a maple influenced saison that was really good, and Mrs. PC opted for a Belgian blueberry ale that was way better and more subtle than it could have been. Actually, looking back, somewhat hazy of memory, I also had an amazing stout from a tiny producer that was as good as any I’ve tried. There, not all pale ales!

Tiny (the volume produced, not the brewers – they were on the tall side if you were wondering…)

Aside from chitchatting with tall brewers in Franglais about the beer, we also learned about the small towns where the beer is made. The enthusiasm the brewers from Baie St Paul shared for their region had us looking up the area, and we’ll be heading there sometime in the fall, and not just to visit the brewery. But mostly to visit the brewery.

We tried eight new to us beers, four each, and if anyone thinks we overdid it, the servings were 4 oz, so we had the equivalent of a pint over the afternoon! Quality not quantity, and that’s something my younger self took some time to learn with beer…

Anyway, we spent a delightful afternoon down on the docks, and for the most part the weather cooperated. We (I) got absolutely soaked in a heavy downpour that lasted the five minutes it took from bus stop to venue. (One of us packed a light rain coat. And one of us steamed gently when the sun reappeared…)

Next year, following a better training schedule, and packing another light rain jacket, we’ll aim to taste the other 92+ beers we couldn’t quite manage this outing.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Dog days

It’s been an odd summer, not at all bad, but certainly mixed. We’re thoroughly enjoying exploring our new home, and enjoying securing contractors to complete various landscaping projects a bit less thoroughly. To be clear, the contractors are great – they’ve all been, quite rightly, “en vacances” – but they’re back now and trying to catch up on backlogs due to the rainy weather. Finding contractors? An invisible modern day problem to be sure, and actually the delays have been helpful – we’ve agreed not to go with the Poseidon statue. I was so hoping…

Almost there… perhaps a Poseidon statue?

It hasn’t been all rain and meetings with builders. In between showers we’ve enjoyed picnics in the park. One picnic spot looked like a set from the Teletubbies show. (If you don’t know the Teletubbies, keep it that way. Our daughter loved them when she was a toddler. She probably still does, but don’t tell her I said that…)

Scout has become more used to the heat and humidity, and with all the recent rain has even wondered if we left the rainforests behind? She might have a point:

Agreeable weather permitting, Mrs. PC has absolutely insisted we go along to the Festibiere this coming weekend. It took a bit of arm twisting. I mean, over 100 local beers? OK, yeah, maybe we’d enjoy that… We’ve put in some training:

Thank you if you took a look at the pig photo last week – I was going to write a not so controversial caption connecting pigs to Tories, but decided against it. All those greedy snouts in the trough, who wants to think about that? Instead, and far better, how about this joke from ACI?

A pig walks into a bar and orders 10 drinks. After he drinks them all, the bartender says “Don’t you need to know where the bathroom is?” The pig says “No, I go wee wee wee all the way home.”

That’s still funny after the umpteenth time!

There’s no way it’s going to get any better here this week, so let’s leave it for now. Thanks for reading and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Colour

August already? Where did July go? Mostly in a blur for us, but it was a colourful one…

Colourful and damp! I read a report on The Weather Network noting that July in Quebec had been one of the wettest in recent times, with Montreal and Quebec City receiving more than 200% rainfall compared to the average. Sherbrooke, a small city to the southeast of Montreal, received over 301mm, the wettest month on record. Keep heading east, and the Maritimes was even wetter than QC, suffering floods and record breaking rainfall. Luckily, locally, we have an umbrella or two. Colourful ones at that.

What an ongoing worrying time, climate-wise, that this summer is proving to be. The floods mentioned above, the extreme heat in southern Europe, the wildfires in the north and west. Yikes!

There’ll still be plenty of desperate-for-power politicians pretending there’s nothing to see here, being bankrolled by insatiable-for-more-wealth billionaires, and often voted for by (gullible – maybe?) folks wishing it all away, but c’mon! What more do you need to see before accepting we’re in trouble?

Anyway, with July done, here’s hoping August isn’t too extreme (either way) for rain or heat. Selfishly, I’d settle for the low 20s, and lengthy periods of sunshine and blue skies after frequent (but not too frequent) rain showers. The days where a shaded pint seems like a good idea…

Keeping it brief. Youngest brother unexpectedly required and survived a lifesaving operation earlier this week. Mightily relieved is an understatement. Our plans to share a pint or two have been put on (temporary) hold. I’ve always told him no good ever comes of cider. Now beer, however…

Thanks for reading, and here’s wishing you comfortable conditions for a wonderful weekend ahead!

Leaves on the ground – the merest hint of fall ahead?! No…

Cleaning up

Cleaning up or coming clean – this one might be a bit of a confession. Where to start?

Love this place – could easily stay here

We were wandering around in a very humid forest the other day, one of those grey days where you can feel the cloud cover just above your head providing a roof or ceiling for the mosquitoes – they were happily buzzing and humming around my ears, oblivious to the high strength bug spray applied earlier. They seemed almost disappointed. Haven’t you got anything a little stronger, sir?

As we walked, sweaty shirt clinging to and emphasizing my (admittedly very attractive) mid years physique, it occurred to me I was running low on clean clothing, and eau de repellent wasn’t making things any better. Being away from home comforts like a washing machine, you soon realize how they’re taken for granted.

“Yeah, you’re great and all, but if you could drop the leash, I might just run on ahead? I can find you – I’ll follow my nose…”

I don’t mind my reputation going before me, but when monuments, museums and public buildings are closing up as I approach, even I can take a hint. We (I) needed to find a laundromat. Mrs PC, fragrant as ever – and better at packing the essentials in sensible quantities – pointed out where the campground laundromat was, and all was well, at least for a few days.

“Where are you all going? Is it something I said, or something else?”

Yes, inevitably, what with the weather and my much vaunted “packing light” skills, it was back to the laundromat once more. Hmm, not fun, but at least I wasn’t being refused entry at historic sites, and Scout and Mrs. PC had stopped pretending to not know me.

This issue needed to be cleared up, or even cleaned up, and we managed to do just that. We purchased our very own washing machine. In fact, we went crazy and threw in a dryer. At those prices (eye watering, but not as eye watering as my special fragrance) it seemed like a good plan. Even better, the new appliances had a home attached! Huh? A home? That’s right, we’ve moved, and we’re now happy, fragrant, and almost settled residents of Quebec City.

“You’ve done your laundry? I like you again! Is that cheese?”

I know, I know, this entire post stinks. All that preamble just to say we’ve relocated for the next little while… For how long? Who knows? Until the beer and cheese runs out? Mmm, cheese, especially those blues ones, with that very special aroma…

Shout it from (and across) the roof tops – we like this city!

I think the new washing machine is beeping at me, so we’ll leave it here for now, all fresh and ready for whatever comes next. Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Until the beer runs out? We may be some time…

Rainy day celebration

It will likely be a rainy day Canada Day tomorrow and we’re ok with that, as Scout has discovered some nearby forest trails that she’ll be happy to explore all weekend – we will too, provided there’s enough bug spray…

Many places are desperately needing significant rain to help douse wild fires, so fingers crossed for those locations, and a damp Canada Day would be very welcome.

Canada Day! I’ll repeat myself – now that’s never happened before on this blog, oh no – and say how much I love Canada and being a Canadian citizen. As a nation, it’s a work in progress, like anywhere, and there are faults and things to fix, but I mostly believe, to borrow a phrase or two, we’re paddling in the right direction, and the journey is the destination.

So, rain or shine, we’ll be wandering some eastern woodlands and delighting in the day. Might be too wet for outdoor eating, although the mosquitoes don’t seem to mind the rain and will doubtless have a bite or two, but when we reach beer o’clock, we’ll be happy to raise a glass and celebrate Canada!

Thanks for reading, and happy Canada Day tomorrow if you’re Canadian, almost Canadian or just like the idea of Canada! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Ongoing research

It’s been hot this week, and we’ve used that as an unnecessary excuse to conduct some important research. I’ve attached photographic evidence and some explanatory notes.

If the weather cools down and/or we can access better internet in the coming days, I’ll post something a little more detailed next week.

In the meantime, hello summer, thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

	Maria on A short trip…
	plaidcamper on A short trip…
	Maria on A short trip…
	plaidcamper on Striding out…
	plaidcamper on Winter mountain hush