Millstone Cellars

Adam and I have been diverging a bit from out typical consumption and love of beer and wine. Don't get me wrong, we still thoroughly enjoy both, but we have been venturing into the ciders and meads lately, especially with Adam delving into making his own meads and I have been making true ginger beer. For his graduation present, my parents got Adam a bunch of supplies needed to start making mead at home and he is LOVING it. The first batch was a strawberry mead, apricot mead, and a plain honey mead. The strawberry mead was just bottled after months of fermenting and it is delicious. He wanted me to have a "brewing" project as well, to share the experience, so I took up ginger beer. This is not the stuff you buy off the shelf that is the equivalent of ginger ale, but packs quite an alcoholic punch and is amazingly delicious. I am currently on my 4th batch and I think that I am finally getting the process down and the flavoring fine tuned. It really is a lot of fun!
So, back to the point. We have really become interested in meads and small operations that are doing the same thing we are doing. We first came across Millstone Cellars at the Wine Festival at Pimlico in the Spring, and then again last month at a mead and cider tasting event we went to. Each time we came away with a couple of bottles because they are so tasty. Their location is a bit north of Baltimore, just far enough that it was slightly annoying to venture to just on its own, but when we found ourselves up there for Adam's Ferrari driving, we knew we had to go. GO HERE, IT IS AWESOME.
It is a small operation that just started up a couple of years ago run by a father, his son and daughter, and a daughter's friend from high school. That's it, and they produce 7000 gallons of mead and cider a year. The building they are housed in is literally an old millstone (thus the name) and is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. We were given a private tour (we were the only ones there) by the daughter, Sarah, and had an awesome time. We wandered throughout the entire building, her sharing both the history of the building and location, as well as their personal history in the business. After the tour, we did the complementary tasting (the entire experience is FREE), and ended up hanging out and just talking with her and the high school friend for a while...just a relaxing afternoon. While they are still up and coming, still working on renovating the building, you can completely envision them growing with their success, and the tasting room expanding. We told them that they needed an outdoor seating area with some charcuterie boards and fruit trays. Seriously, we could have easily spent all day there.
If you are ever in the area, and this intrigues you, please let us know, we would LOVE to accompany you!

The awesome building

Where the old water wheel use to be

Meads in the making, the old tasting room

Testing mixes for possible future production

So much cider and mead...happy place

Adam learning the trade

Adam and the Ferrari

Who isn't a fan of Groupon or LivingSocial deals? I don't know of anyone who wouldn't want to pay significantly less for something and these companies allow you just that. A few months ago, I was scouting through the Baltimore deals and came across one that allowed you to drive either a Ferrari or a Lamborghini around a race track. Adam was all over this deal!

We have scored some great opportunities through these websites: The Beer and Bacon Tasting, Annapolis Craft Brew Festival, Beer, Bourbon, and BBQ at National Harbor...ok, things that involve drinking apparently, as I review the list. That being said, both of these companies offer wonderful experiences that we are interested in and feeds my desire to be frugal with all things.

I cannot find the article that I read, but it was about how life is most meaningful and most sustained happiness felt when you acquire experiences instead of possessions. This fits Adam and I to a tee. If you ever visit our home, you will find it quite simple, us having adopted a minimalist approach to possessions with our constant need to move. We are all about getting out and experiencing everything that life has to offer and have a wonderful time doing it, not being bogged down by things.

Ferrari vs. Lamborghini...which will he chose????

The Ferrari it will be, waiting his turn

I have to admit, this looks good

Like a kid in a candy store

Pretty car

Unfortunately, the "track" was just a bunch of cones set up around a huge parking lot, so you were not able to go very fast. They also could stop your drive and kick you out if you squealed the tires, thus not as fun as it could be. Despite this, Adam got up to around 80 mph and had a great time. He also came away wanting one...surprise, surprise.

Family and Ocean City

Adam's family was heading down to Ocean City for a week of vacation, with us being "on the way" we were happy when his brother Michael and gf Johnna stopped in to spend the night. We absolutely love hosting people and showing them around, sharing things we love with them...thus why we ended up at Heavy Seas Brewery within ONE hour of their arrival to our apartment. Adam was excited to go back to this particular brewery because he 1.) likes the beer 2.) it is super close to our apt 3.) MOST IMPORTANTLY- MD had just implemented legislation that allowed breweries to fill growlers (think large refillable bottle of beer). Adam was practically dancing out the door. Fortunately, Michael and Johnna also both enjoy beer AND they had never done a brewery tour before, so it was good times by all.

My BELOVED Mayer boys

Brewery SUCCESS!

When they were leaving us the next day to head to the beach, they kept saying we should come down and welcomed us to crash in their room. Fortunes be had, I had Tuesday off and Adam's schedule is flexible, so we left after work on Monday and headed to Ocean City. The best part was that we didn't tell anyone that we were coming besides Michael and Johnna. Adam's parents and the Sabols pulled in about 5 minutes after we did, and everyone was super excited at our surprise appearance.
We hung out for a while enjoying some libations and snacks before venturing down to a favorite watering hole for more sustenance and SHUFFLEBOARD. If you are familiar with me, or this blog, you know that I LOVE LOVE LOVE the game. Yeah, it took much convencing to get me to go. Dar (my mom-in-law) and I were partners and owned the table, kicking serious butt. It is such a fun game. We did eventually tire and had to put effort into losing. It was awesome.

Shuffleboard partners and MASTERS

Mother and son, vying for the win

My favoritest brother-in-law, he's pretty FANTASTIC

Adam getting his required dose of Sabol love

Me and my father-in-law, proud of our shuffleboard domination!

Out fun late night out was followed by a really nice and relaxing day spent visiting the Bischof family (Dad Mayer's side of the family) staying up the street and playing in the waves of the ocean. My entire being was jones-ing for sun, surf, and sand. We absolutely needed this trip. The water was ice cold, but it didn't matter and the numbness set in pretty quickly, we just needed to soak up some salt water. Every thing is so much better when you are in the ocean, there is something so indescribably therapeutic and cathartic about it. So it was a quick 24 hour trip to the shore, but awesome and worth it.

2013 Gold Cup Quarterfinals

Adam started playing soccer in-utero (not literally, but almost) and has always been a fan, due to his passion, my enthusiasm for the game continues to grow. Despite this, I really don't enjoy watching it on TV. No worries though, we are making it to the actual games which are so incredible! My obsession started when he took me to the Real Madrid game while in Spain last year, the crowds were just incredible. When we heard that the 2013 Gold Cup Quarter Finals were being played in Baltimore, us getting tickets was a given. United States versus El Salvador.
One would imagine that being in the US, and El Salvador being such a small country so very far away, that the US fans would greatly outnumber the El Salvadorian fans. One would be oh so very very wrong. We knew we were in for an interesting time when had to battle an obnoxious amount of traffic to get into the city, but none of the traffic were touting US flags. Oh no, lots and lots and LOTS of royal blue. The same was with the tailgating parties in the parking lot, and the mass of people we migrated to the stadium with, and then ALL around us. A very represented and proud people, and really fun to be in the camaraderie with.
There was such a HUGE outpouring of support and pride that Adam and I actually felt kind of bad that El Salvador lost...though we were ecstatic that the US won, it was mixed feelings due to the sadness of the majority of the crowd. One annoying feature of El Salvadorian celebration is that they throw their beer when their team scores. I am talking 22oz plastic cups. Full cups. $11 a beer cups. Everywhere. Every goal. Fortunately Adam was spared and I just got a little splashed. Many MANY people ended up very drenched and very sticky.

The blue are not cheering for the US team

Awesome view from our seats

The El Salvador rowdy fan base

The rowdy US fan base

Paul McCartney Concert

I know, just from the title, exciting right?!??!
Adam saw him 2 years ago during one of his ventures over to Abu Dhabi and has been talking about it ever since...rating it THE BEST CONCERT HE HAS EVER BEEN TO. I married a music lover, we have been to so many amazing concerts (hello Willie Nelson live!), so these are very big words. He also vowed that if Paul ever came to the US that we would be going to the show, no matter the cost or location. It could not have been any more convenient than Washington DC than if it were in our backyard, as we love all things DC and love venturing into the city. It is funny now that I think about it, we never have hesitation or reservation about going into DC for things, but any other city...it is off putting. Sure, we love the convenience of where we live, but actually going into the city...meh. It make me think of when we lived in Hawaii, going down into Waikiki (the overwhelming 20 minute drive that it was) was such an ordeal and we preferred to avoid that experience all together.
So a wonderful Friday evening, we escaped work a little early, and caught the Metro into the city. Yes, below you can enjoy my husband in his childlike wonder playing with his geese friends at the metro station. We stopped down on the National Mall at the Iron Horse Taproom (seriously cool place that does NOT do any food, focusing on drinks) to enjoy a decompressing happy hour followed by dinner in Chinatown.
If you are not local to the area, DC would be well worth a long weekend away or even a week long vacation, not matter what you like to do. The city is clean, well organized, super public transportation friendly, and always energetic. If you want a tour, just let us know!

Geese LOVE my husband

Eagerly anticipating our entry

View from our seats

Sold out crowd

The concert was AMAZING. Adam was completely right. Paul McCartney is 71 years old, has been doing this for 50 years, and has still got IT. He is a true showman, thrilling the crowd and giving them what they want, covering the whole stage and NEVER STOPPING. Seriously, 3 straight hours. If you are a fan of the Beatles, Wings, Paul McCartney, or just good music, you should seriously consider tickets. It is now also one of my favorite concerts ever.

New Hampshire

This, unfortunately, was a quick trip to New Hampshire to celebrate my dad's birthday with him, a bit early, but celebratory none-the-less. When my parents were down earlier to visit us earlier this spring, they enjoyed the winery and brewery tours and tastings so much that they wanted to do it again...so we did. My dad and Adam bond over tasty beer, and my mom and I enjoy the people watching and learning new things. We also enjoy watching the boys revel in their beer.
Smuttynose Brewing Company was a really cool brewery, along the same size at Heavy Seas here in Baltimore, but with a nice yankee flair to it. Who doesn't love a bit of yankee flair? You get some "wickeds" thrown in with a nice dropping of anything involving an "r", and a dash of speaking REALLY quickly. That and beer. The men were happy and the women were entertained.
That being said, Throwback Brewery was second on our list to visit, and first on our list of breweries ever visited. If you are looking for fancy, or formal, or anything resembling a large formal operation, you should skip this place. If you are looking for AWESOME, down-to-earth, local, engaging, and relaxing...well, this should be the top of your list. It is in the middle of an industrial park (as we are learning most breweries are), and is a single large room with a bar and tables at the front with the brewing operation at the back. We all could have easily spent the day here, even if not a beer drinker like my mom and myself. It is the honor system, take a token for each tasting and pay at the end. You sit a few formica tables recycles from the 50s and 60s with mismatched chairs (I had an awesome barbers chair re-appolstered in velvet) and enjoy the relaxation of the day. It was absolutely amazing, and still my FAVORITE brewery to date. I seriously wish this outfit all the success in the world, they truly deserve it.

Tasting before the tour

Cases 

And kegs

Love

More love

Throwback Brewery = AWESOMENESS

We are on the bridge in from of an apt. complex, this goes under the complex!

The remainder of the trip was spent catching up with family and relaxation. We spent an awesome morning at Panera with my Aunt Rita and Uncle Pete, and Aunt Gretchen and Uncle Steve (actually my dad's aunts and uncles, but my pseudo-grandparents) as traditions foretells (we do this EVERY time we visit as Panera is my vice and reserved for NH trips), and then an afternoon with my cousin Sam at Harpoon Brewery after checking out his new and awesome house that he and my dad are renovating. It's funny how much time can pass between visits, but how, when you are all together, it is as if no time has passed at all.

Laurel Highlights Trail Hike

I know,  I know...it's been a while. Life has been full of fun activities and time not spent at home, now that the weather is nice, and this time of year is extremely conducive to traveling. And we all know how addicted we are to that...
One of our big fetes for the year was to hike the Laurel Highlands Trail in western PA. It starts in Ohiopyle State Park and ends in Johnstown, where Adam's parents live, so it is extremely convenient. The trail is approximately 70 miles, but a fairly easy hike after the first 10 miles, so we were excited. We thought that 4 days over the July4th holiday weekend would be enough to complete it, since we could easily average 15-20 miles a day on much more difficult terrain. It was a beautiful, absolutely gorgeous actually, hike.
This being our longest hike we have planned, combined with my propensity for self-injury with my volleyball-ruined ankles, I decided the smart thing to do was to actually wear my ankle braces (that I am suppose to wear with any activity with unstable footing, but NEVER have). Well, that was the end of it. After the end of the first 18 miles, my left knee was KILLING me on the declines. I thought it was just the fatigue of the hike, since it hit at the end of the day, and thought a night of rest would cure it. Wrong...oh, so very very wrong. I think wearing the braces changed my gait and my knee was not tolerating it, there was no injury otherwise. We needed to average ~18 miles a day to complete the hike in time. The second day was slow going, but I could keep going. The declines were excruciating, but I could fly on the flats and uphills. Unfortunately, there was a lot of downhill and I was only able to accomplish 12 miles. For this reason, we knew that I would not be able to complete the trail in the time that we had allotted, and Adam was have trouble dealing with me in pain. Me, I was just mad and frustrated and wanted to keep going. We bailed on the hike the morning of the third day because my knee was definitely not okay. We did manage to knock out 35 miles, so I was glad for that, and I really did enjoy the hike...it was just so beautiful and serene.

At the Ohiopyle Trail Head

Night 1 shelter

Seven Springs Ski Area

Seven Spring

Not all was lost by bailing on the hike though and we had a fantastic weekend with Adam's family. We were able to make it to the 5th Annual Studer Beer Olympics for a few hours to hang out and watch the festivities, enjoy some wine with the neighbors and help them plan their trip to Hawaii next month (oh how we LOVE reminiscing and sharing everything we loved about living there!), and venture down to Adam's dad's high school reunion (I know, I thought it sounded odd to go, but it was a really great time with lots of people we already knew). That and my awesome mother-in-law kept cutting me up watermelon to consume...I probably left there 5-10 pound heavier in watermelon....I LOVE WATERMELON. Seriously, it's a problem. I won't even buy it for myself anymore.