Souvenirs from RI

Back home in CA, and oh does it feel good to be sleeping in my own bed again! There are many things I miss about living back east (long, cold winters would be the least of them), but I make an attempt every year to visit the folks and 1 brother who still lives in RI. He's a big Sox fan as well. Since the folks wouldn't take out a second mortgage on their house so we could go to a game at Fenway, we decided to catch a PawSox game. Details of our trip to that game will be coming next week, as I recently went through a 54 hour period with only 5 hours sleep, travelling in cars, buses and planes; and crossing three time zones, taboot. Today is brain dead/jet lag day, and will resume more cognitive thinking and acting tomorrow, but I wanted to tell you about some of the items I came back with.

My brother is a yard sale and flea market wizard. He can find something for sale for $1 knowing full well he can resell it for $100. He amazingly picked up a Red Sox jacket for some ridiculously low price that he knew was too small for himself and gave me that, a Red Sox pennant, and a talking bottle opener. I brought home a couple of packs of Fenway Franks from the local Stop 'n Shop. They had Red Sox market umbrellas there too, but I wasn't about to try and fit that in my luggage. (I live in a shady area, so it wouldn't get much use anyhow.) This gets better.

While at the PawSox game, I got a big frig magnet and press pass (my first) with lanyard. Earlier in the week though, was probably my best score of the week. While walking through the package store looking for Sierra Nevada beer (the consensus at the family get together), I found... Green Monsta Beer! Holy Golden Hops, Batman! I grabbed six packs of both the Sierra Nevada and the Green Monsta.

Green Monsta beer is a big pale ale brewed by the Wachusett Brewing Company in Westminster, MA, and was enjoyed by all who imbibed. The six packs were all gone and my return trip date was looming, so I grabbed two more to take home. Would've taken more, but those heavy suckers would push my baggage over the 50 pound limit (they even charge you for your first checked piece of luggage now!)

Last year, I brought home a bottle of Kevin Youkilis Sauvignyoouuk Blanc. Not being much of a wine drinker, that one remains unopened until the 1st game of the next World Series the Red Sox are in, later this year.

You guys back east now have New Belgium Fat Tire & Skinny Dip Ales, and since RSN is everywhere, how about Wachusett sending us some out west?!

Lastly, speaking of beer (mmmmm, beer....), to my disbelief, I see Narragansett Beer is back! "I have to buy at least one six pack of that", I thought, so I did. Back at the folks, I pop one open, take a sip, and say to my father, "Now I know why they went out of business."