Chilled Liquor and Hot Liquor

While in London, Mum, Jeff, Tina and I all took a trip to Turnham Green to check out the Griffin brewery where they make Fuller's London Pride beer.

We got to check out all sorts of awesome modern machinery like these giant kettles, but we also saw the old stuff they used to use way back in the day. Well, not way back in the day - the place has only been a dry brewery (no drinking on the job) since 1993. Up until that point, workers got beer tokens with their wages and they could use them on the job. People with icky jobs like shovelling grain out of mashtuns got more beer tokens, so those jobs were actually quite popular. Now they've got fancy shmancy machines to do those jobs, so only the tour guides and the tasters get to drink during the work day.
I was surprised to find all sorts of signs, pipes and machines that referred to "hot liquor" or "chilled liquor", but our tour guide explained....(and I double checked with Oxford Dictionary and Webster's Dictionary)
If you look up "liquor" in the Webster's Dictionary (for Americans), you get this definition: a usually distilled rather than fermented alcoholic beverage. So why do they have all sorts of liquor in a brewery?
The answer can be found in the Oxford Dictionary (for Brits). One of the definitions: water used in brewing. That's why you find pipes and storage tanks full of chilled liquor - it's just brewing water, not something you mix into a Cosmo or a daiquiri.
Did anybody who knows more about brewing than me know this already? I was happy to add it to my list of useless, but somewhat interesting facts.

Gotta Love the Brits...

Why do you have to love them? Because they are so polite, of course! Check out this sign outside "Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Pub". It is a POLITE NOTICE. Isn't that sweet?

They are also very funny. This place is called Bung Hole 57. The name just makes you want to go in - who doesn't want to go into the Bung Hole shop or restaurant?

Germany or Washington?

I love the city of Leavenworth, Washington. What I love most about Leavenworth is that it has a theme. In the 1960s, the whole town got together and decided to band together to make their town into an alpine Bavarian Village to attract tourists.

Check out the 76 gas station sign - true Bavarian style.
Even the McDo in Leavenworth is Bavarian themed - how cute is that building?!? Doesn't exactly scream dollar cheeseburgers, but it fits with the rest of the town.
Of course, you can't totally change the golden arches, because otherwise people wouldn't be able to find it. Just put a pretty backdrop behind those classic arches and you'll get a Bavarian McDo.

BTW, if you ever get a chance to drop by Leavenworth, stay at the awesome campgrounds at nearby Icicle Creek and don't miss out on Tube Leavenworth!

Really, America?

Misspelled signs are hilarious when you're travelling outside of the country. My birthday cake this year said "Happy Borthday", which was pretty awesome and original.

Did you know that in America, there are bad spellers, too? How awesome is this sign found in the airport in Missoula, Montana? Since when was the plural of "woman" womens?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, STEPHANIE!

Let me tell you about my awesome friend, Stephanie, who has turned another year older today. In her Upper School Math class, she teaches her students to sing songs like "I'll Simplify" to the tune of "I Will Survive". She also really gets excited about teaching things like Calculus. I think I'd like Calculus in Ms. Lacher's classroom. I am a huge fan of the poster that she put up her on her classroom wall this year - how clever.


Luckily, when Stephanie bought her pretty new Suzuki Swift last week, I was able to score myself a spot in her carpool to school. That's right, folks, no more Blue Bird bus for me! Instead, I get the great company of Stephanie, Amy and Rohan each morning on the way to school. Oh, and I get to be a passenger in this hot ride. It's time to start planning road trips in Morocco!

Road Trippin'

There are so many things that I love about road trips. This summer, I spent quite a bit of time on the road.

By far my favorite road to travel is the I-90 Interstate. I pop on I-90 in Butte or from the cabin and drive all the way over to Seattle, often stopping in Spokane on the way. All through Montana, Idaho, and Western Washington, there are stunning roadside views. Mountains, lakes, rivers and farmland all have a place in the beautiful landscape. They even have wildlife - horses and cows out to pasture.

There are so many amazing places to stop for a break along the way from Montana back to Seattle - here are some of my faves.

• Rock Creek Road is located between Butte and Missoula, Montana and it is known for the "Testicle Festival", which takes place each August. If you're getting a bit tired, the restaurant makes a mean grilled cheese and you can browse through all sorts of Testicle Festival souvenirs. If you are really brave, you might even choose to order a plate of testees. :)

• 33 miles from the Idaho border, there's another souvenir option - the St. Regis Travel Center. They have a 360 degree fish tank for your viewing pleasure and clean restrooms. You can also shop for huckleberry candy, lip gloss and the like.

• Tacky souvenirs are most plentiful at the Silver Express stop at exit 16. You can find everything from kitties in a basket to mood rings to redneck books. Another set of clean restrooms and a casino make this a nice little break from the road.

• Lookout Mountain Pass sits on the Idaho/Montana border and is a beautiful windy road that leads up to this Welcome to Idaho sign. There's only 70 miles of driving through Idaho, where you can stop in places such as Smelterville and Pinehurst and beautiful Cour d'Alene!

• Soon after this Welcome to Washington sign, you start the most boring part of the drive - Eastern Washington. There's really not much to say about that 3.5 hours of driving.

• Luckily, to break up the monotony of Eastern Washington, there is the lovely town of Ritzville. I stop in Ritzville on every road trip through. It's got everything I need - a Chevron station close to the freeway and well...there's a Subway and a McDo as well. I guess there's not a really awesome reason to stop in Ritzville, except I always do.

When others are with me, there's the joy of Mad Libs, the Alphabet Game and the Geography Game. When I'm on my own, I make sure the beauty of the drive and the exciting stops along the way keep me awake. Either way, I have a blast! Since I don't drive in Casa, this summer of road trips was extra special bonding time with Pox! :)

Anaconda Traffic

When you drive to Georgetown Lake from Butte, you pass through the beautiful city of Anaconda, Montana, more commonly referred to by Markoviches as "Canooch". You also drive past a tiny town called Opportunity - I've often wondered what actual opportunities are available there.
Anaconda is known for the Old Works Golf Course and a ridiculous speed limit. Here's what it looks like cruising through town. 2 lanes each way and only a couple of cars moving on the road. This is pretty much the extent of rush hour. You may think that a sleepy little town like Anaconda would be a find place to speed above the 25 mph speed limit. However, it is crucial to drive the speed limit in Canooch. To avoid getting a speeding ticket and signing up for years of teasing by my family, I set my cruise control when driving through.

There's only one way to avoid getting pinched in Anaconda. The first number on license plates in Montana tells you which city/county the car is registered in, so having a car whose plates start with "30" are pretty much a free pass to speed without fear of getting pulled over. In contrast, having a license plate that starts with "1", the code for Butte, is a guarantee for the police in Anaconda to look closely at your speed and pull you over.

On your way back out of town, you get to speed up to 35, then 45, and eventually the 70 mph speed limit of the highway. The big pile on the side of the road is mining waste known as "slag". Oh, how I love the beauty and inconvenience of driving through Canooch!

Team Efforts

Planning a successful wedding is a ton of work. I spent the evening after I got back to the States helping with the wedding of the century. A month before the wedding, Aunt Jane still had a 4 page to do list, so I has happy to lend a hand.

Wrapping candy bars was a team effort. Tom took the Hershey's bars out of the 6 pack boxes and distributed them to Erin, Aunt Jane, and me. We were in charge of using double sided tape and an intricate folding process to put Erin and Ryan's picture over the Hershey's logo. Check out how focused we were!!

Uncle Kev played an integral role in the process. I bet you're wondering what his job was. If you know my Uncle Kev, you could probably guess - drinking beer and keeping the conversation going. He was the entertainment to spice up an otherwise mundane task.

Things I Love About America: Part Deux

Here are a few more things that I love about the United States of America:

1. Variety: It seems like every other week, M&Ms and Doritos come up with new delightful flavors. Here in Morocco, you get Nacho Cheese, Sweet Chili, or Sweet Barbecue Doritos. That's it. There are regular and peanut M&Ms. That's all. In the US, you can find delightful treats like Doritos Collisions, with flavors like Ranch/Pizza or Buffalo/Bleu. M&Ms aren't slackers on the variety front. Dark Chocolate Peanut M&Ms are totally my new favorite candy. I'm also really interested in trying the Limited Edition Coconut M&Ms.


2. Pork: There are places like Rib City in the beautiful town of Glenwood Springs, Colorado. They serve all sorts of delicious ribs in a variety of sauces. Yum! Thanks for showing me the wonders of Rib City, Mikey!

3. Really Low Calorie Beer: My new fave - Miller Genuine Draft Light 64. Only 64 calories per beer. The best part? They are so watered down that you can drink all night and still stay hydrated! Ont was a real trendsetter when she introduced everyone to 64, my new drink of choice!

4. Scenic Views: I really do love the convenience of living in a big, dirty city, but I totally miss these kinds of views. This picture of a sunset with trees, the Puget Sound, and the Olympic Mountains was taken at beautiful Carkeek Park. Located in Northwest Seattle, it's a great spot to have a barbecue with good friends and enjoy the scenery. It's not even like it's a huge trip to get to.

5. Lunch Special: This one is definitely my fave. The cheapest lunch in town, the Costco polish dog, comes with a refillable soda and only costs $1.50. In Washington state, where there is sales tax, the grand total for lunch is $1.64. The price definitely makes it grand, which only gets better as the polish dog burps continue to remind one of the yummy flavor for the rest of the day.