Milestones

One of my oldest and best friends recently got engaged. I've known D for nearly two decades and it's kind of amazing to see how things have changed in that time. D and I are really similar in a lot of ways, but just as different in others. It's been great to see how he and I have grown and changed (or not changed) over the years and having him meet and be able to start a life with someone is a happy thing. E is kind, spunky, and a great dancer. The wedding next year is going to be a lot of fun.

The above is from a small get together we had to celebrate the occasion and D and E told us all the story of how the proposal went down. Below is a few random shots of them in Washington Square Park when I went up to New York a couple of weekends ago.

D is actually the first male friend of mine to get engaged. It seems that the rest of my friends and I are unmarryable. Get it together, guys.

Scenes from Catoctin Creek

This past weekend I was invited to spend some time at a local whiskey distillery in Virginia. Less than an hour drive from DC, the Catcoctin Creek distillery is the first in VA since Prohibition out of which Scott and Becky Harris have been churning out small batch, organic gin, whisky, and brandy since 2009. A small group of DC food writers and I were treated to a four-course "still to table" dinner in Catoctin's tasting room. Converted from an old car dealership, the bar-cum-tasting room is gorgeous-all vaulted ceilings, huge windows, and exposed brick.

Dinner was courtesy of the local Bluewater Kitchen. Themed as a "Shenandoah Showcase," the meal was sourced almost entirely locally. A fall vegetable salad, hen of the woods and blue oyster mushroom soup, and a braised flat iron steak from the nearby Oakland Green Farm. Not only does Oakland Green supply beef to Bluewater and other local restaurants, Catoctin provides the spent barley used in the distilling process as cattle feed. It's a symbiotic relationship. Cocktail pairings included a superb Sazerac, of which I had two. Or three. Maybe more...

I've been to press dinners before and have received my share of parting favors, but one of the ones Scott snuck into the gift bags may have been my favorite to date. A flask of Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye. All dinners should end with complimentary flasks.

The next morning Scott gave us a tour of the distillery and a basic tutorial of how his spirits are distilled from the kettles to the fermenters to bottling. All while wearing an authentic Scottish kilt. The trip ended with a short drive through thick fog and a light drizzle to Oakland Green Farm to see where the beef from dinner the previous night came from and where Scott's mash goes.

It was a tasty and informative weekend. It's common knowledge that VA has an abundance of wineries. Next time I consider a drinking road trip (driving and drinking, mutually exclusive of course), I'll have to include distilleries as destinations.

Older Rag

Old Rag is a hike that I've done at least once a year for the past five or six years. Last night I went out to Old Rag for a sunrise hike for the fourth time with my friend N. I recently upgraded my camera for the first time since 2007, so I wanted to break it in. Yesterday was perfect for it. Mild, foliage bursting with color, and a mostly clear sky. One of the best parts of going out to Shenandoah at night is the blanket of stars visible overhead. There was no moon last night and the sky was sufficiently dark, save for the subtle orange glow of the sun two hours below the horizon. I took a few long exposures, but I still need get a hang of processing these kinds of shots. 

One thing I realize every time I hike Old Rag is that it gets harder every year. My bum ankle starts bothering me earlier up the mountain and random cramps strike at a moments notice. My body is failing me. 

Unrelated note: I'm switching to a project in Timor Leste at work soon. Despite flights taking over two days to get there, I think it would be really cool to spend some time over there and do some island hopping in Southeast Asia. Perfect opportunity to take advantage of having a current generation camera.