Friday morning, I wake up from a great night of sleep in the Old Lantern Inn. I have no plans for the day but I know that there will be a rehearsal dinner in the evening. Lisa had set out a nice continental breakfast. I made my own cup of Green Mountain coffee using the Keurig machine. I tried the Vermont Greek yogurt with fresh fruit, cantaloupe today. A small bagel with cream cheese. Another cup of coffee and some orange juice. I was ready for the day.
As most people who have attended a wedding, or have participated in one, knows that the day before the wedding is to get a few things done. Most of the major work has been completed and now it is time finish the "Honey-Do" list. Since the bride and groom were the only others staying at the Inn, of course I was the first to see them on Friday when they came down for breakfast. Izzy said Kayla needed to be brought to a spa appointment off of Williston Road in Williston. They asked if I wanted to ride along. Of course, I said yes!
We got Kayla to her appointment in time and Izzy said he was waiting for a call from the Tuxedo place in South Burlington. He said we had some time so I said lets go see the UVM campus, both Izzy and I are alumni, and then maybe go down to the lake. That is what we did. And we got to chat....I realized this was almost the first time ever that just the two of us were talking without other relatives around. It was wonderful and I will always cherish this conversation.
When we got into downtown Burlington we parked at a parking garage that allows an hour free. In the alley toward Church Street, there is a large mural painted of the history of Burlington and Vermont. Izzy, being a HS history teacher, started pointing out all the interesting people and places the mural contains.
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| Izzy pointing out the characters on the alley mural in Burlington |
The mural is very long and contains tons of stuff. Grace Potter looks like a man, which being a fan, I know she looks better than Izzy. If you ever visit Burlington, I recommend seeking this mural out. Hey, you may even learn something!
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| Izzy and the Mural in Burlington |
We got to the lake and it could not have been a more pretty day. Most people who know me know that I love photography. Taking pictures of animals and pretty much anything is just a joy for me. I took a panoramic but my stitch program did not do a great job, but you get to see a 180 degree look, with Izzy in the photo.
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| 180 degrees of Burlington Harbor |
There were metal versions of the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz, plenty of birds and boats.
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| Flying Monkey |
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| Vermont to New York Car Ferry |
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| Seagull taking off |
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| Sparrow with nesting materials |
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| Duck |
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| Ethan Allen III |
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| Some baby Flying Monkeys |
Finally, the tuxedo place texted Izzy, they were ready for pickup. The tuxes were suppose to be in on Tuesday but they got left in a warehouse for a few days. Shipping company mistake. The owner of the place said there was not much time to replace any that might not fit, we had until 4 PM.
As we were driving back to the Inn on Route 7, I told Izzy we should have stopped for a beer. He says we could turn around but I said we were almost home. Let's leave the tuxes at the Inn. While waiting for Izzy I saw a bird with something large in it's mouth. It was a moth.
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| Bird with moth at Old Lantern Inn |
Izzy had asked Lisa if Roland would be interested in getting a beer or two with him and his Uncle BJ. She said he would probably love to be asked so Izzy did and Roland accepted. I told Roland about the bird with the month and he pointed on the porch a nest. Yep, mama was feeding the family...
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| Bird in nest with chicks |
Roland said we could take his vehicle and asked Izzy to drive. I said I could sit in the back. They had to stop at the local Aubuchon's in Shelburne for some items.
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| Roland's vehicle at the Aubuchon |
I was taking photos of the pretty flowers when I saw this cute sign....
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| "We Doo Moo" |
Errands run, now on to a microbrewery. The first place Izzy took us was the Burlington Beer Company in Williston. Kind of out-of-the-way locale, but Izzy had no problem finding it. We entered the small tasting room which is just an extension of the brewery.
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| Girls checking out Groom-to-Be Israel |
Izzy ordered two flights, all the beer they currently had on tap...
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| Our two flights at the Burlington Beer Company |
We just shared each glass and drank them in the order presented. FG is "Future Glow", a Session IPA (3.9%). LW is "Light in the Window", a Rye IPA (5.9%). W is "It's Complicated being a Wizard", an Double IPA (8%) and Izzy's favorite. EC is "Echo Chamber", a robust cherry porter (10%). CH is "Chunky", a robust Peanut Butter Porter (12%). CJ is "Chunky & Jelly", Peanut Butter & Jelly Porter w/ Raspberries + Cherries (10%). Con is "Coniferous", a Bourbon Barrel and Cedar Aged Imperial Spruce Stout (12%).
I know it don't look like much beer for three people, but I was smiling as we left!
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| Israel, Uncle BJ and Chef (Roland) at Burlington Beer Company in Williston, Vermont |
The next place Izzy drove to was the Zero Gravity Craft Brewery on Pine Street in Burlington. Izzy and Roland were happy too, soccer was on the big screen, and I have no idea what we drank (but thanks for my photos)....
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| Roland and Izzy at Zero Gravity Craft Brewery on Pine Street |
I was learning that Roland is a well known guy. Even in this small tasting room, people were coming in and yelling over to him. No one recognized me.
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| The beer list and taps at Zero Gravity Craft Brewery |
We ordered a single flight here. Izzy made the selections and I trust him. What did I care, I had just drunk a Peanut Butter and Jelly Porter at 12% abv....
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| Our Flight at Zero Gravity |
The first glass is Old Ale, a 7% Strong English Ale. The second glass is Little Wolf, a 4.7% Pale Ale. The third glass is Bretthead, a 5.5% IPA with Brettanomyces. The last glass is Choice Made Good, a 8.3% Double IPA. All great stuff!
The next place to go was the Queen City Brewery. It was just across Pine Street. Of course, it is two lanes of traffic but I was seeing four lanes of cars. We made it with nary a scratch.
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| Sign for Queen City Brewery |
Well, I took a picture of the taps, but the list of beers is on the far left, cut off in my photo. I have no idea what was in the two flights we drank. I told Izzy that "I would rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy!" Izzy probably remembers but he is in Rome!
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| Taps at Queen City Brewery |
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| Two flights at Queen City Brewery |
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| Roland and Izzy at Queen City Brewery |
I know we were having a great time, but now we needed some lunch. Roland wanted to go to Splash on Lake Champlain. That is where we headed. We sat next to the bar and I ordered a beer and a hot dog. I have included a picture from their website for historical purposes.
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| Splash Photo from web site |
Now back to my photos....
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| On the Deck at Splash (from my seat for lunch) |
The car ferry I took a picture of this morning was returning from New York.
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| Car Ferry returns from New York (as seen from Splash) |
This ends Part IV of my adventure. It is early afternoon on Friday, the wedding is just about 24 hours away.
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| Life is good |
I apologize to my brother John for not thinking of inviting him to this beer trip. I just wanted to have a beer, who knew I would try 20 new ones! Thanks to Izzy for knowing the places so well, and thanks to Roland for tagging along!
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