Farewell Summer

Since global warming or El Nino or the Nobel Prize Committee has conspired to turn northeastern Oklahoma into Seattle, I'm shivering in the foggy gloom and remembering the hot, bright, shiny days of summer. When I was a kid, it seemed like summer weather lasted from the beginning of May to the middle of October. Now, summer lasts from July 15th to August 15th. Did Oklahoma move north without my knowledge? Did Congress actually compromise on something and cause hell to freeze over? We may never know the answers to these questions but I will always have my summertime memories.

My summer started in April with the yearly trek to Dallas to see Jimmy Buffett in concert. We sat under palm trees, barely escaped from a potential mass murderer on a shuttle bus, and danced the night away with strange women. We really know how to kick summer off in style.

In June, we took the family to Destin for a week of fun on the beach. We went fishing and para-sailing. We went snorkeling in an area where there were more snorkelers than fish. We ate way too much seafood and found the best beer store I've ever seen.

In July and August, we spent the majority of our time around the pool. As I mentioned above, the hot, summertime weather has been compressed into July and August so we had to take advantage while we could. To make our nights as tropical as possible in Oklahoma, we turned on our electric palm tree. I don't know how the neighbors felt about this twinkling bit of wishful thinking but I certainly enjoyed sitting poolside with a cold drink and watching the lights reflect on the water. Besides, my palm tree isn't nearly as annoying as someone playing Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash at high volume in the early morning hours. The neighbors can just deal with it.

Even though it got cool and wet in early August this year, summer ended the same way it started - with a concert. We saw the Peter Mayer Group play at Blueberry Hill in St. Louis and had Fat Tire on tap. We also know how to close down the summer in style.

Farewell, summer. You will be missed but not forgotten.

Some time back, Carol mentioned that she would like a drink based on a candy apple when the weather turned cooler. This past weekend, we invented this drink and named it appropriately.

Carol's Candy Apple
Color: Red
Ingredients: 2.5 oz. pineapple juice, 2.5 oz. cranberry juice, 2 oz. apple rum, 1 oz. cinnamon liqueur, splash of grenadine
Instructions: Shake all ingredients well and serve over ice.
Comments: Just like with a real candy apple, the subtle apple flavors complement the stronger cinnamon flavors well.

Over the last week or two, Dale and I have also had a few beers.

Chimay Grande Reserve
Color: Dark Amber
Skunkiness: 0 skunks
Comments: We didn't actually rate this beer, although it is very good. We will come back to this one in the near future.

Ayinger Oktoberfest
Color: Golden Amber
Skunkiness: 0 skunks
Taste: Hoppy with a smooth, honey flavor. Buttery and well balanced.
Comments: Ayinger Oktoberfest was the Pint Night special at McNellie's this week.
Girl Rating: The girls didn't get to try this one - we don't always share.
Rating: 4 pints out of 5.

Kostritzer Oktoberfest
Color: Amber
Skunkiness: 0 skunks
Taste: Hoppier than the Ayinger Oktoberfest with a hint of caramel. Very fizzy.
Comments: Not quite as good as the Ayinger Oktoberfest.
Girl Rating: 1 on a scale of 1 or 5.
Rating: 3.5 pints.

I didn't take pictures of the beers we got at McNellie's. People would think I was a bit off if I spent the evening taking pictures of pint glasses. My goal is to make sure that only those who know me well think I'm weird.