A Trip to the Fountain

 

It is actually very rare that JUST Maira and I do stuff together, and it is even more rare lately because of the fact that I cannot lift her up into her car seat--Callum can just climb up herself, but to put Maira in her seat, I really need to use both arms....which I cannot do. BUT, with the help of Amanda AND the owner at Oak Pond Brewery (where I am 'somewhat' of a regular....haha) I was able to take Maira on a 'date' last Thursday to go get my growlers filled up with fresh beer.............and, I convinced her to go because I promised we would see lots of cows.....as you can see, she was very happy (and she brought her little puppy named BROWNIE with her)

 

 

The brewery itself is about twenty minutes away; it is technically in Skowhegan...but everyone just says Canaan....like it makes a difference. It is literally two hundred yards away from Lake George, where the Goldsmiths LIVE in the summer. The ride is quite nice, as the road hugs the east (or west...depending which of the two roads you choose) bank of the Kennebec River...it meanders through beautiful fields and dairy farms (hence the promise of cows), and there are a couple of bridge crossings over the river that the kids like



                          

It is the reciprocal of pretentiousness; you would definitely miss if it you did not know it was there....it exists in a refurbished old chicken coop....isnt that funny? And the sign is smaller than a campaign poster.....

But they dont need to be fancy, because they have the best beer around. The slogan is "try it cuz it's local...drink it cuz it's good." And that is exactly right. They have about seven beers on tap. None of this cute little 'seasonal' malarky (except for one....and it is worth the wait). A glass half gallon growler of full beer cost nine dollars for the INITIAL INVESTMENT....and then each time you bring the empty ones back, you can refill them for six bucks. What a deal is that!!!

It was pretty darn windy ( as has been the case all weekend). And, for your Mass people (except for my mom, who doesnt read this blog because it isnt on FB) notice how we still have some snowbanks hanging out around; in fact, we still have a bit in our yard! But Maira and I had fun filling up four growlers: Storyteller Dopplebock, Dooryard Ale, Oktoberfest, and Nutbrown Ale. Fantastic stuff.

Then Maira and I took our time going home, taking the "River Road" through Benton, pulling over at the Cavalry and Flood farms to take in the cows grazing along the riverbank. A nice little trip on a Thursday afternoon.

Can you believe that today and yesterday--'almost' halfway through April--I ran wearing a face mask? That is how cold and windy and miserable it has been. RIDICULOUS winds. And the woodstove is still crankin away......