Scattered Thoughts . . .

W e arose at 6:30am on the first morning of the train show so we could get some breakfast at The Cracker Barrel restaurant (which was nearby but due to toll roads and a crappy neighborhood that is very difficult to navigate through required an extra 15 minutes...  tolerating this little detour, however, is always a better option that trying to stomach the free inedible breakfast the hotel serves in the lobby).  Getting up at 6:30am allowed us time to get to the show by the time the doors open for the day.   All the doors to the show open to the sound of a loud steam whistle that can be heard from miles away and we were at the ticket booths   when the whistle blew.  We also  managed to avoid the long lines of cars trying to enter The Big E so our timing was good and the route we chose was good. While at the ticket booths purchasing our tickets I was shivering uncontrollably.  Nobody else around me seemed cold but I was visibly shivering.  I kn...

M y health has deteriorated enough in recent years that I rarely even have one beer but, when we plan for some travel or a special occasion, I load up on extra medications in the previous week so I feel a bit better than usual for our trip or special occasion.  Our weekend out of town for the train show last weekend was one of those times that I spent the previous days pre-medicating and, fortunately, I felt well enough to have a few beers over the long weekend! Unlike the masses clamoring for overly hoppy, sudsy IPA swill, I go my own way when it comes to beer, just like for everything else.  I rarely move in mainstream lemming circles.  When it comes to beer, I prefer a pilsner that is on the smoother side.  For me, the best pilsner was Piel's...  that was an incredibly smooth beer!  Unfortunately, I haven't seen Piel's in many decades.  For me, the smoother the beer, the better.  Most pilsners aim to be crisp and dry but I don't care for those ...