The Eternal Optimist

A stop in N.C.

May 7th, 2012 | by | trips

May
07

legs

I stopped in Charlotte to visit some friends.

On my way into the state I stopped for the most interesting vista of my trip: concrete legs. Yep, I was looking for random attractions on Roadside America, and I found this in Henderson, N.C. Once I knew it was there, I couldn’t just drive by it. It was in a very rural area, right next to a trailer that had a beauty shop sign on the door (but was closed).

Penguin

I took some circuitous route into Charlotte (thanks to Google Maps), so I passed the Charlotte Motor Speedway and Bank of America Stadium. Once I met up with my friend, we ate at The Penguin, which was featured on Man Vs. Food the next day. Then we checked out some bars, including a cool speakeasy, in the Uptown area. Then next day, I ate at Mac’s, which when I was there was more BBQ than bikers.

whitewater

What else did I do in Charlotte? We drove around to see various neighborhoods, and we also stopped at the U.S. National Whitewater Center. Some Olympic trials were being held there the next few days, so we were able to watch a bunch of Olympic hopefuls practice in the rapids.

Then I headed to Atlanta, stopping on the way to do a little outlet shopping (because the consensus was outlets were the only sight to see on that portion of the route).

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Virginia’s Capital: Richmond

May 5th, 2012 | by | trips

May
05

George Washington statue

George Washington graces the Virginia Capitol's Rotunda in Richmond.

I took a roadtrip to Atlanta in April for my cousin Jason’s wedding. On the way, I stopped in Richmond, Va., (briefly) and visited friends in Charlotte, N.C.

The first day of my trip led me to Richmond. I hadn’t done any research in advance, so I stopped at the tourist bureau and quickly realized I had entered the South. The ladies were so happy to help me and give me every bit of information I could ever want (and more than I could use in my two-hour stop). I have a bit of a fascination with statehouses, especially the tiny old ones that exist in this region (a striking contrast to the behemoths I am used to in Illinois and Missouri). So, I stopped for a tour.

Virginia Capitol

The Virginia Capitol was designed by Thomas Jefferson. It’s old, small and full of history. I was there after the regular session had ended and before the special session began, so it was also pretty empty.

I loved the tile floor (at top) in photos and took way too many photos of the George Washington statue because of it.

Old City Hall

I was fascinated by this Old City Hall building across the street. Love, love, love it from the outside. And the kind guide at the Capitol said it is open for people to walk through, so I stopped there briefly. But I soon realized the inside was, in my opinion, horrendous.

Old City Hall Inside

My tourist bureau friend had insisted I drive down Monument Avenue on my way back to the interstate. She even carefully plotted a route for me, so I decided I might as well give it a try. I don’t have any photos since I was driving, but I definitely recommend a swing through this area if you’re in Richmond. It’s a short stretch of an old road with a wide median down the middle and gorgeous homes along the sides. And the median and intersections have huge statues of notables including J.E.B. Stuart, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and Arthur Ashe Jr.

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A Visit With Lincoln

May 4th, 2012 | by | d.c.

May
04

Lincoln statue

Lincoln and I return home from a long day of work.

I had such a busy month of April that I am waaay behind on posting about the excitement. I just started going through a couple of hundred photos that I collected from my month, so I hope to get some things posted soon (since some happened a month ago at this point).

Lincoln Cottage

It was a bit dreary the day of our cottage tour.

In late March, I visited President Lincoln’s Cottage with some friends. It’s in D.C., but not very well-known. It’s also a newer attraction, as it didn’t open to the public until 2008. At the time of Lincoln’s presidency the cottage was a place to get away from downtown D.C. These days, the area is smack in the middle of a neighborhood. Now (as it was then), it’s located on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home. Lincoln and his family basically lived in the cottage during the summer months of his presidency during the Civil War, and he commuted by horseback to the White House.

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Back in D.C.

April 18th, 2012 | by | animals

Apr
18

Loki

Loki claims my lap.

The cats seemed pretty pleased to see me when I returned from my trip. They seemed to have a bit of separation anxiety to recover from. Loki meowed constantly for the first hour or more (which unfortunately isn’t too out of the ordinary), and they both insisted on staying attached to me all night.

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Beer 6: More kolsch

April 17th, 2012 | by | brewing

Apr
17

A nice, frothy, hoppy boil.

I brewed Beer No. 6 before I left for vacation last week. It’s already well on its way in the fermentation process.

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S’more deliciousness

April 5th, 2012 | by | food

Apr
05

s'mores candy

These treats are simple and delicious. You won’t be able to say no to s’more.

I made Bakergirl’s graham cracker s’mores candy to bring to work. I have a habit of doubling most recipes, so I doubled this one. (Exception: If it makes at least 24 cupcakes, I figure that’s as many as I can carry to work.) I think my co-workers will be happy for the added treats. Plus, I might eat almost half before they make it to work!

I improvised a bit, using the chocolate bars I had (not all Hershey’s), and I threw in some dark chocolate bar pieces with the milk chocolate. I didn’t measure the marshmallows but just split a bag between my two pans. I think I should have used a few more.

melted Hershey's

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Lazy Sunday

April 1st, 2012 | by | animals

Apr
01

cats cuddling

Despite the forecast for temperatures in the mid-60s today, my apartment is cold right now. It makes me want to cuddle up and sleep like these guys are doing.

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Brewing anger

March 31st, 2012 | by | brewing

Mar
31

I checked the final gravity of my latest honey wheat (beer No. 4) twice last week and it hadn’t budged. It hadn’t reached the final gravity number I had expected it to, but the constant number suggested it was ready to bottle and was done fermenting. But I didn’t have time to bottle it last week, so I decided I’d do it today. And while I was occupied, I figured I’d brew the next batch (another kolsch-like beer that I already had the ingredients for).

Blasted beer! I started my sugar solution for the bottles, sanitized the bottles and sanitized the equipment. Then I pulled out a sample to get an official final gravity reading from which to calculate the alcohol percentage. And the gravity had jumped! Meaning fermentation is still happening. I had noticed some bubbling activity but had read brewing forum threads that suggested that wasn’t abnormal and the beer was ready as long as the gravity readings remained constant. But this reading was no longer constant. In the past six days, it had dropped from 1.021 to 1.013 (much closer to what I expected the final reading to be). And because the reading was now close to what I had expected the final one to be, I considered bottling anyway. However, my fear was that the continuing activity meant it still might not be ready. It’s been four weeks, so it should be ready (or very close!), but I weighed my options:

1. Bottle the beer and risk having bottles explode. (I did some research and exploding bottles can lead to lots of bottle shrapnel, the busting of multiple bottles, etc.)

OR

2. Wait and have wasted an hour setting things up but likely end up with better beer in the end (and no shrapnel).

I went with option two, though it was a difficult decision. (Yes, it sounds obvious, but I had everything ready and time set aside to finish this. Now I get to re-sanitize bottles in a week — or so — and have to find another time to brew my next batch of beer.)

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