CATAGORIES: BEER WINE SPIRITS & SUBSTANCES,PANASONIC LUMIX DMC-LX3,PHOTOGRAPHY,YARBZ LIFE PICTURE DIARY — Yarbz @ 8:25 am

On Saturday I got on the motorcycle and went for a ride with no destination in mind. I ended up stopping at my friends Choo Choo and Choo Choo Spouse. They have a relatively new baby girl and while visiting, I took out the trusty old Panasonic LX3 and grabbed a few shots of her in the thing they call her “office”… It’s an interesting device that allows her to jump about and conduct all the business a baby needs to conduct. I hear that she is already designing a new budget plan for the Choo’s…

My buddy Houston came up from DC for the weekend and crashed at our house. On Saturday we went to J. Tim’s for a beer and lunch. As usual, we sat at the bar. I had the Knockwurst and Bratwurst special which was very good! J Tim’s is only about 3 or 4 miles away so it’s really convenient and always tempting.

Houston’s daughter, Daughteralopogus, lives in the same town I do while she is going to Central Connecticut State University. She is the reason that Houston came up in the first place. We all hung out in the basement bar for a while. Jim and I had some Ipswich Harvest Ale and she had a root beer. She is also hitting the Dean’s List from what I have been told. Good for you Daughteralopogus!

Later in the evening, the Choo’s came over and we watched the Red Sox lose to the Rays in Game two of the ALCS. Choo, Houston and I had a Mortlach which was put out by an independent bottler. Here is the full name: 1993 Mortlach 12 year old, Murray McDavid Bourbon/Guigal Cotes Rotie Syrah Cask, Single Malt Whisky. Because I am not up to the task of describing the nose and flavors of this wonderful singl malt, I will past this description from K&L Spirits: Nose: AMAZING, deep dried fruit aromas that fill your nose with raisins and prunes. It is the smell of a fresh baked pecan pie right out of the oven. Palate: Wow, wow, wow! The whisky first hits the palate with sweet, lush fruit of peach cobbler. Then it moves to the back of the palate to bring you dark, port notes with hints of chocolate. These flavors go on and on and will not let you go. This whisky has perfect balance and will keep you longing for more! (Susan Purnell, Spirit Buyer)

This is Spousalopogus and Ms. Choo with Isla (Spelling?)… Anyway, she (the baby) is officially the youngest human ever to hang out at the bar. The girls had some Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc I think.

Satchmo joins in at the bar every time anyone is over. He grabs a barstool and pays close attention to what’s happening. I am pretty sure he thinks he is one of us. Satch stays the whole time too, not just a visit now and then. Of course, he gets lots of attention from people and gets more than enough head rubs… He will headbutt you when he’s not getting enough attention and he has been known to cause a little spillage when you’re holding a drink. He’s very strong.

Houston, Spousalopogus and I went to the Makris Diner in Newington Sunday morning and had breakfast. I have eggs over medium and corned beef hash with rye toast. Houston had the same… Spousalopogus had potato pancakes. They were super yummy but also super filling. We still have two of them in the refrigerator… I like the light filtering in through the blinds so I pulled out the now ever present LX3.

Here is the project we’ve been working on. Now that the basement is mostly finished, we have the wash room which needed attention. When we moved in just over six years ago, the room was carpeted with green indoor outdoor carpet which was glued down over pre-existing tile. When I originally pulled up half the carpet last year I found the tile. We had to scrub our plans to put down new tile due to the labor factor of pulling the old tile which we didn’t know was there until the carpet came up. We finally got moving on the rest. This is the room in the state that we have lived with for over a year. Ugly concrete floor covered with mats. The washer and dryer, vanity and toilet prevented us from getting the rest of the tile and carpet until we had enough time and money to finish the job. That time has come.

Here is the room just before we removed the washer and dryer. Luckily the wallpaper came off perfectly and all we have to do is wash the walls with hot water & vinegar to get rid of the glue. We’ll to that this evening most likely. Then it’s on to painting the walls and ceiling prior to the tile guys coming in on Thursday. I will be taking Thursday off so I can be there and make sure the job is done like I like. I’ll probably not have to say anything though as we have a well respected company doing the work.

Here is a view of the basement area that is receiving tile. I put the wood down and left this area outside the rooms so it could be tiled. The entry from the garage is our main entrance and in the winter people are always bring in sand, salt and lots of snowy wetness from the nasty winter weather. It would ruin the wood quickly so I decided to have tile leading to the coat closet (far left) and wash room/mud room. It’s gonna be great when finally done.

After Spousalopogus and I finished the work last night, we decided to go to J Tim’s for dinner. We have a burger and some beer. It was very very good as usual. Here, Cathy is sorting through the drink orders that are in a very confusing state… She’s one of the best bartenders there. She does her work fast and efficiently, smiling all the while…