Sunday, January 6th, 2008
Today is Sunday. On Sundays, we like to get in the car and go for little trips. I guess you can call us Sunday drivers. We probably drive as slow as them.
This Sunday, we decided to go up to Emmanuel’s Market Place in Stone Ridge again for their delicious Sushi. This may very well turn into something we do often. I had three things in mind that I wanted to get from this store…Sushi, beer and bagels. The Sushi is a given as we always get that. The beer variety is usually pretty good, because it seems like this place likes micro-brews and the bagels were a toss-up.
We got to the store and grabbed the Sushi. Then, we walked back to get some bagels. I was pretty surprised when we found the bagels. They are the biggest bagels I have ever seen. Here, take a look…
There was a sign to the side that said something like they apologize for raising the price to $.79. It’s because of the cost of materials. I thought, “Gee, they raised their prices to the same price Hannaford has, but their bagels are twice the size?” That’s weird. We put four of them into the basket.
Then, we were onto the beer. I was really looking for some oatmeal stout. That is my all time favorite type of beer. I kept coming across this india pale ale stuff that didn’t interest me in the least. I couldn’t find any dark stuff. As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, when I say dark, I mean oozing, dripping dark. We were about to give up when I noticed some beer up above the dairy cases. We walked over and I found two good, dark looking beers.
The first one is called, Dogfish Head Chicory Stout. Here is a pic…
Here is what they say about this beer:
A dark beer made with a touch of roasted chicory, organic Mexican coffee, St. John’s Wort, and licorice root. Brewed with whole-leaf Cascade and Fuggles hops, the grains include pale, roasted & oatmeal.
I opened this bottle first and am drinking it right now. I can’t say I am disappointed, but it didn’t give me the “Wow” that the Sam Adams Double Bock did. I am not sure I will ever get that again. This is a good beer though. It is pretty creamy and tastes “complex,” if I am allowed to use that word.
The second beer I picked up was Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout. This looks like a really dark beer, but I will have to tell you about it after I try it. Here is a pic…
People are saying pretty good things about this on Beer Advocate. One person described it as “3000 mile motor oil.” That sounds nice to me. Others have said the alcohol taste is too prevalent. We’ll have to see about that when I try it.
Here is a photo of the bottles:
Till next time. Adios!!!
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Posted in Food & Drink | 4 Comments »
Thursday, January 3rd, 2008
Ok, like I said, if I go to the dealer, I am coming home with a car.
Today, I took a drive down to Middletown Honda in New York. I guess I made the decision when I woke up. I had already done tons of research online and there were just no cars out there that could beat the reliability, performance, features, safety and price of this car. I compared the 2008 Honda Accord EX V6 against the similar Toyota Camry and the Honda came out on top. The Camry’s base price is lower, but when you add all the features that the Accord comes with, the price is higher.
I went in and talked to a nice sales guy. I am not sure if he was ready for my attitude, but we did OK. I always think that push is going to come to shove in these places and it kind of did today. I got a little ticked off, but we worked it out. At the end, I traded my car in and drove home later on in a brand new one. Good enough for me.
I have to say, it’s a pretty sweet ride. I have never owned a brand new car before, so this is a treat. Here are the specs:
Standard Features
Technical Features
• 268-hp, 3.5-Liter, 24-Valve, SOHC i-VTEC® V-6 Engine
• Variable Cylinder Management™ (VCM®)
• 5-Speed Automatic Transmission
• 100K +/- Miles No Scheduled Tune-Ups
• ULEV-2/PZEV CARB emissions rating
• Drive-by-Wire™ Throttle System
• Double Wishbone Front Suspension
• Independent Multi-Link Rear Suspension
• Front and Rear Stabilizer Bars
• Variable Gear Ratio (VGR) Power-Assisted Rack-and-Pinion Steering
• Power-Assisted Ventilated Front Disc/Solid Rear Disc Brakes
Safety Features
• 3-Point Seat Belts at all Seating Positions
• Front 3-Point Seat Belts with Automatic Tensioning System
• Adjustable Front Seat Belt Anchors
• Dual-Stage, Dual Threshold Front Airbags (SRS)
• Dual-Chamber Front Side Airbags with Passenger-Side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS)
• Side Curtain Airbags
• Active Front Head Restraints
• Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure
• Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®) with Traction Control
• Brake Assist
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
• Four-wheel Disc Brakes
• Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)
• Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD)
• Daytime Running Lights (DRL)
• Side-Impact Door Beams
• Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)
• Child-Seat Tether Anchor (Rear-Center)
• Emergency Trunk Opener
Interior Features
• Driver’s Seat With 8-Way Power Adjustment
• Power Lumbar Support
• Power Windows with Auto-Up/Down Driver’s Window
• Power Door Locks
• Cruise Control
• Center Console with Sliding Armrest and Storage Compartment
• Tilt and Telescopic Steering Column
• Illuminated Steering Wheel-Mounted Cruise and Audio Controls
• Ambient Console Lighting
• Dual-Zone Automatic Climate Control System
• 160-watt AM/FM/6-Disc In-Dash Audio System with 6 Speakers
• Speed-Sensitive Volume Control (SVC)
• Maintenance Minder™ System
Exterior Features
• One-Touch Power Moonroof with Tilt Feature
• 17-inch Alloy Wheels
• Flat Blade Windshield Wipers
• Security System
• Remote Entry System with Power Window Control
• Multi-Reflector Halogen Headlights with Auto-Off
• Chrome Door Handles
• Body-Colored Heated Power Side Mirrors
• Dual Chrome Exhaust Finishers
• Fog Lights
I took some video of the ride today. You can view them below. Also, I will take some photos and video tomorrow and post.
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Posted in Automotive | 3 Comments »
Monday, December 17th, 2007
There was supposed to be a big wind/snow storm over the weekend here in New York. We heard sleet hitting the windows Saturday night and woke up Sunday to see a nice layer of hard sleet/freezing rain on the already existing snow. This is the kind of snow you can walk on top of. It pretty much sleeted all Sunday. There was supposed to be heavy winds all Sunday into Monday.
Well, it was very quiet all Sunday. I was hoping that the wind missed us. I really hate wind. Of all things, I hate the wind.
About 7PM or 8PM last night, I felt a gust hit the house. I wasn’t happy about this. I looked out the window and noticed everything flying around. Good thing I brought the recycling cans inside the night before. I felt a few more strong gusts, so I looked out the back door onto the porch. I noticed that the tent (set up in the summer and never taken down) was upside down on the table. I thought the tent legs were going to put holes in the screening from tumbling around all night, so I went outside to take it down.
When I went outside, I felt like I was in a vacuum. There was strong wind coming from all directions. It had to be over 50MPH. I thought for sure that the huge oak tree in the back yard was going to take me out. I started taking the tent down. Someone call the “Guinness Book of World Records” for the least amount of time anyone has used to disassemble a tent. I was like Laurel and Hardy in fast motion. You should have seen me scurrying around pulling the tent poles out and folding them up. I got everything apart and threw it in the dining room. There was no time to drink wine, so that wasn’t even on my mind. Well, I guess I thought of it, but there were more pressing issues.
Laura got out of the shower and looked very relaxed. I was sitting there with my clothes all messed up and my hair standing on end. The tent was thrown on the floor. It was like one of those moments…when one person has no idea what the other person was just doing.
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Posted in Trees & Shrubs, Winter | No Comments »
Friday, December 7th, 2007
Today, after I brought the cat to the vet, I ran down to Lowe’s for a few things. I had to get some outlets, switches and face plates. I also had to get some joint compound. When I was leaving, it started to snow. For a while, it was coming down pretty good.
I thought I would get a picture of the front of the Lowe’s in Middletown that I always go to…
The snow got worse on my ride home. I took the opportunity to grab a nice shot on one of the back roads pretty close to the house.
I got a little further with the kitchen walls. Now I have two walls done. Well, they have the first layer of joint compound on them. They still need to be sanded and then another layer. I can’t wait to get them all done and painted.
Just a few minutes ago, I brought the floor cabinets out to the front porch for Paul to take in the morning. He wants to use them in his basement for a workshop. I then took the last wall cabinet down. Things are pretty messy upstairs right now. I brought that cabinet downstairs to use for my stuff. Now, I have a nice wall’s worth of cabinets down there, hanging from the ceiling. It’s good to keep things off the floor.
There is only one more cabinet in the kitchen and that’s the one with the sink in it. It’s a long sonofabitch, so I am not sure of my plan yet. I have to move it out to get to the wall. Maybe tomorrow, I will move it out, do the wall and then move it back.
Just for giggles, I thought I would show you the wallpaper that one of the previous owners decided to put on the walls.
Can you say, “crack head?”
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Posted in Home Improvement | No Comments »
Saturday, November 24th, 2007
Ahhhhh…this is my last one.
I am trying to upload all my old videos and this is it. Thank freaking goodness. Now, I can erase this from my todo list. One of these days, I am going to get rid of that list altogether.
One summer long ago, Laura and I decided to visit the Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz. You know, it’s part of the ridge. Anyway, I took some video in the back part, near the lake. That’s the best part anyway. That’s the part everyone comes to see. One of these days, we are going to paddle around in one of those canoes.
Here is some video…
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Posted in Hiking, Travels | No Comments »
Friday, November 23rd, 2007
Remember that time I told you about me going up in an ultralight at Randall Airport in Middletown? Well, I have a short video clip of the ultralight pulling out of its parking spot and starting to taxi towards the runway.
I remember this event well. Hmmm…
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Posted in Flying, Travels | No Comments »
Friday, November 23rd, 2007
Remember this post from a while ago? Well, in my continuing effort to post some video on this blog, I uploaded the one video that I had to YouTube. I took a nice panoramic video from the big field next to the lake.
It really is a nice place to hike up in the ridge. If you get a chance, make a day trip of it.
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Posted in Hiking, Travels | No Comments »
Friday, November 23rd, 2007
Wow, what a night. Laura and I had a great Thanksgiving dinner at the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, MA.
This is becoming quite the tradition with us. I while back, Laura and I decided to start a new tradition of going out to eat at different inns and restaurants located in different parts of…the area. Apparently, we have developed a few favorites.
I remember the first one we went to. It was New Year’s Eve. We went to the Hudson House in Cold Spring, NY. Since then, we have been to the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, MA, the Village Inn in Lenox, MA, Old Drovers Inn in Dover Plains, NY, Fife’n Drum in Kent, CT, Bar, Barnaby’s in New Paltz and a few others I can’t remember. We really like the tradition.
Last night’s dinner was great. I was so nice to see the entire dining room full of people all dressed up. Of course, Laura and I looked marvelous, as usual.
Here’s a picture of the Inn at night…
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Tuesday, November 20th, 2007
I continue to play with the video portion of my camera. I took a few more videos of the cats and dog, but I didn’t think any were worthy of the blog. I did get 18 views of the fat Simon cat one so far on YouTube.
I was going for a drive the other morning and I decided to take out the camera. I thought it would be neat to get a video of me crossing the Newburgh/Beacon Bridge. I am not sure why I did this…perhaps someone will think it’s cool. Either way, placing videos on YouTube is a great way to promote your website.
Here she is…
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Posted in Travels | 1 Comment »
Thursday, November 15th, 2007
I went to the auto parts store yesterday to get some oil, an oil filter, some windshield washer fluid and an air tank. I have wanted an air tank for some time because I am getting a little sick of filling things up with a bicycle tire pump.
I went to AutoZone in Beacon, NY because it was pretty close to where I was. They had everything I needed, which was nice. I grabbed everything and the last air tank.
On the way home from work, I stopped off at the local gas station to get some air. I used the self-service air pump off to the side of things. I guess I got about 55lbs of fresh, clean, clear stuff into the tank. That’s ok, but the tank can handle 125lbs. I lost a little because I was fiddling with the attachments. Oh well.
It seems as thought I got this tank just in time, because I arrived home to see two tons of wood pellets sitting in the driveway. Yeah, I would need the wheelbarrow for that. I used my new tank to fill up the tire and went to work.
Adiós.
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Posted in Automotive | 1 Comment »
