Flurry of Activity

It is always so much fun to hang out with Paul and Gwen.  There is such a flurry of activity.  They are currently deeply involved in the Society for Creative Anachronism.  Although I had always associated that with battlefield reenactments (and Paul, with his sword and shield, is involved with that), it is so much more.  Gwen has created stunning costumes for both of them.  I still don't know why I did not take pictures, but here is one I stole from Gwen's facebook page.

Gwen at Fall Coronation, as stolen from Facebook

She showed us some of the intricacies of the various costumes, including how the hoop on her hoop skirt had to be modified so she could go through a standard size door.  She also explained how she designed and fitted Paul's garments he wears into battle.

Here is Paul outfitted for battle in a photo I stole from Facebook.  He did show us some of his sword (is it called a sword?) moves in the backyard.  I was impressed with the many planned moves.  It was not random slashing.

Paul (on right) preparing for battle...stolen from Facebook

Among the other activities related to SCA, Paul is also a bard (meaning lots of poetry) and a herald.  Gwen is heavily into various period crafts, including various types of weaving.  Some of the needlework is stunning.

They are also both into wine, mead, and beer making. These beverage preparations were the focus of much of the activity while we were there.  Unfortunately, I have only spotty photographic coverage of the whole process and I don't remember what was happening in each of the pictures. However, this gives a sense of the process.

Washing (sanitizing) a bottle that will serve as a fermentation vessel

Here is the premeasured grain (barley, malt, and oats) purchased online for "stubby oatmeal stout" homebrewed beer, the beer du jour.

Premeasured grain purchased online

And this is how it is done, although they removed the grain from the sock rather than merely dipping it into the water.

page 1 of instructions

10:09 am

11:44 am -- Cooling the wort

12:08 pm

Although I do not have pictures (what was I thinking?!), the beer went into a fermenter with a bubbler on top and was placed in the shower to allow the yeasts to do their thing.  That process is described in the instructions below.

page 2 of instructions

Beer making was not the only activity.  This was one of Gwen's creations (cranberry mead, I think) that had been fermenting for some time and was now ready to be transferred into bottles.

Siphoning from the fermenter into bottles

I am afraid we may have been a distraction, especially with all of our questions, but it was lots of fun seeing all of this in person.  Of course, all of this activity was in addition to the wonderful gourmet meals we had throughout our stay.

Westwad Ho

This was such a super trip.  It was so wonderful getting to visit our kids whom we rarely get to see.  I have been procrastinating about posting about it (it is now 2-12-14) because anything I can post about it now does not do it justice and tends to make me homesick to see them again.  However, I need to get this done soon or it will not happen, so here goes the first of several posts to cover this great trip. 

We celebrated Christmas among the three of us.  Here is Alex with his Christmas present, a "Drinkwell Zen Fountain" watering bowl.  He has always preferred drinking from the faucets in the bathroom, so we hoped this filtered, flowing water would be cat approved.

Alex drinking from his Zen Fountain.  The water is filtered through a charcoal filter and flows onto the metal ledge rather than dripping, the latter to cut down on noise.  We thought the low noise feature was just marketing hype, but it is actually quiet once the water flow is adjusted correctly.

We got everything packed, left plenty of dry food and water (both in the new fountain and otherwise) for Alex, then headed west about 7 am on December 26.  The plan was to get to at least El Paso and take 2.5 days to get to Santa Barbara.  With very favorable weather and the addition of an hour due to the time zone change, we made it all the way to Deming, NM.  This is about halfway and has been a common place for us to stay, whether in a car or in Silver, on numerous trips back and forth across the Southwest.  We ate dinner at the Rancher's Grill steak restaurant.  The food was just ok, but we had fun looking at the many cattle brands on the wall in the lobby. 

We headed out early the following day with continued great weather, although cold...in the 20's.  The trip was uneventful, but it is always interesting to see the saguaro cacti along I-8 south of Phoenix in the Sonoran Desert National Monument.  

Picture is from this site:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoran_Desert_National_Monument

Another highlight is the "valley of the wind turbines" in California, the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm, near Palm Springs.  We had passed multiple wind turbines the day before in west Texas, including many near Sweetwater, TX and Big Springs, TX.   In fact, Sweetwater makes claim through its large welcome signs along the interstate to being the Wind Energy Capital of North America.  I guess that is better than only being known for the world's largest rattlesnake roundup each March.

Once we turn west and start driving across the 210 west of San Bernardino, it feels like we are getting close.  We know it is not really true, but it always feels that way.  At that point, through the miracle of cell phones, we checked in several times with Gwen to let her know we were on our way.  Despite heavier traffic in areas north and northwest of LA, we made it to Santa Barbara in time for dinner.