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At the Trivia Night debut of Team Zardoz (this incarnation of it, I’m sure) and the first-ever trivia night for several of the team members, we came in second place and won a $15 gift card!

This bunny has been sitting in this spot, between our patio wall and fence, for the last hour or so.

On this afternoon’s nature walk: this raven was being yelled at by crows. I was lucky to get a couple shots before it flew off.

I also saw about 100 mallards taking advantage of the open water on the river.

 

Evidence of beavers along the river in Stowe. And from the size of the tree they’re working on in the background, quite ambitious ones.

Some other photos from this morning:

After a hard day of skiing, my plan for the evening is sitting in front of the fire with my book & a beer.

We had breakfast at The Octagon, ski lodge at the top of one of the Stowe lifts. The food was good (and the coffee necessary) but the view was better.

We have what I think is a praying mantis egg case in one of our bushes.

A local brewery is moving in to a new space right across the street from my train station. They soft-opened their taproom this week and I stopped in for a beer on my way home this evening.

Today I’m recycling the cans/bottles from my Beer Advent Calendar, but first I wanted to go through them and see if I learned anything. Here are the beers in rough order of how much I enjoyed them, taking into consideration not only deliciousness (of course) but also comparison to expectations. Favorites in the top row, least favorite on the bottom.

Some notes:

• The Focal Point lager I already bought more of
• All three New England IPAs are in the top 10, surprising no-one
• The lagers did better than I expected
• All the beers (and the cider) on the bottom row disappointed me in some way, mostly for being too sweet
• The only over-the-top beer I might buy again is the Allagash Day’s End, but I would need to be in the right mood to drink it
• The sole hefeweizen, and the honey saison, would have done much better in warmer weather

Beer Advent Calendar day 24: Anchor Brewing Our Special Ale 2022. Subtle winter warmer (spice) flavors atop a very competent brown ale. This is the last beer in the calendar, and it’s been fun! I hope you enjoyed following along with me.

Sadly, I won’t be able to get this calendar again next year because the Newton franchise of Craft Beer Cellar is closing! I was able to go in one last time to thank him for the calendar and wish him well — and pick up some heavily discounted glassware.