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A trip

This country of ours never ceases to amaze me.

Like many of you, I’ve traveled around this country of ours and have seen a wide variety of landscapes, water vistas and seascapes — the absolute beauty of this part of the continent is breathtaking and needs to be honored and preserved.

But it’s not only the land that needs honoring and preserving. We need to pay homage to the person who ventures into a new business venture, who takes on a new profession or who steps into the unknown — that scary uncertain area of life.

We recently went to New York City to see our new grandson and while there, I met some interesting people and saw magnificent scenery.

Of course, it’s an awesome moment when you first see a new grandchild. The child is a bundle of hope for the future and maybe we can use some of our accumulated wisdom and experience to guide her/him. The child is also one’s legacy — in the kiddo’s form, you continue. The child brings joy and fills one’s heart with emotion — you know, that emotion called love!

While in the Big Apple, we also did a lot of visiting and tasting of new foods and beverages. Along with my son-in-law, I went to a Macallan Single Malt Scotch tasting event at a neighborhood clothing store and while there, got to taste a rare 18-year-old Macallan that was fantastic.

My son-in-law knows scotch and when the two of us tasted the dram, we looked at each other and simply smiled. It was so tasty — smooth with a nice caramel flavor and so easy to sip. It was special.

On another day, we were visiting a farmers market and came across a vendor from Brooklyn who recently started distilling whiskey. The Brooklyn Distillery vendor gave us samples of their wares and, while the whiskey was a bit stringent, I must say they were quite interesting. I honor those folks who reach out into unknown territory — good luck to them!

And, speaking of good luck, later that night we opened a bottle of Krug Grande Cuvee Champagne. It was chilled to perfection and the crisp acidic taste was outstanding. It doesn’t get much better than this champagne and we honored the icon by emptying the bottle!

It was time to have a birthday party for my sister-in-law’s daughter so we had dinner at a local restaurant. The food was delicious and I felt like paying my respects to an old friend — Goose Island IPA. This Chicago beer is a staple among IPA drinkers and I really enjoy the citrus aroma and taste of this well balanced beer. It paired nicely with my curried chicken wrap.

We had been invited by our daughter’s in-laws to visit Pittsfield, Mass., so we hit the parkway to go to that upper Massachusetts town. As we drove through the Berkshire Mountains, I was struck by the awesome beauty of the magnificent green mountains. They’re so gorgeous and my mind wandered and wondered how the first settlers every found their way around those hills.

People seeing the wide open prairie for the first time probably had the same wondering.

While visiting Pittsfield, we went to a museum called the Massachusetts Museum of Current Art. The artwork is so creative and I loved the way the artists voiced their thoughts about social issues through their art. That creativity should always be honored but what really caught my attention were the buildings that house the museum. The buildings are over 200 years old and as I walked through the renovated spaces, I could imagine the sounds of the long forgotten workers hauling wagons of industrial goods around the grounds.

Outside the museum was Bright Ideas Brewing and I just had to taste a local brew. As I searched the beer menu, my eyes fell upon an ale called Fruit Cup Pale Ale. Having never tasted one of those, I bought a large can of it and that night we tasted the ale and enjoyed its peachy aroma and taste. To those folks who started that brewery, I raised my glass of their ale to them. Good job!

While flying back to Minnesota, I looked down at our rolling green prairie and thought back to the green mountains of the Berkshire’s. Our land is precious and needs to be protected, preserved and honored. Just like those folks who start new ventures and reach for the stars.

To our country and to those adventurous people who take the big step into the unknown, I raise my glass of Bronx Brewery’s Belgian Style Pale Ale to you!

Never be afraid of a trip –there are too many wonders to wonder about and wander through…

As always, eat and drink in moderation but laugh with reckless abandon!

Cheers!

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