Beer Tasting - 2021

 

According to the official paddle (below) we've been doing Beer Tasting since 2009.  Subtract out 2020 - the year COVID won, that means we've been doing this 11 years now!  I wish we'd kept a log of the winning beers.  

While we don't have that, I can say that the way we purchase beer has certainly changed over the years.  I remember when we first started out Jamie and I were pouring bottles - we wrapped them in paper bags to disguise the contents.  Then there were quite a few years where the entries were very growler focused.   One year nearly every entry came in a growler.  Now, fast forward, we're much more can heavy.  This year we had 1 growler entry, 1 bottle, and the rest were cans.  It'll be interesting to see where the trend turns next!

Justin won this year, with a 21st Amendment beer - which, quite randomly is brewed in San Francisco and on the very night we were doing beer tasting at Apple Canyon, Ryan was in San Fran and made dinner plans at the very brewery that won the beer tasting.  100% random - he even had the winning beer on tap that night.  Not quite the same as being with us in person, but at least he got to be a part of it in some way!

The campground didn't do trick or treating the same weekend as beer tasting this year, the kids were bummed to not have the opportunity to wear their costumes an extra time, but Mom picked up these super cute Halloween outfits for the kids and gosh darn it, I hope this girl gang lasts forever!  Look at their happy faces!

We have SO many traditions in our family and I'm thankful for everyone that is willing to play along and keep them going year over year!  We sure are lucky to have so many amazing friends and family around us.

Anniversary Camping

 

A few weekends ago we sold, and bought a camper!  In a very Ryan McGrath move, we bought a new camper on a Sunday morning and then sold our old one a few hours later that afternoon.  It was a wild ride - typical McGrath.  So, we decided we wanted to plan one final, last minute camping trip so we could try out our new toy.

Believe it or not, Columbus Day weekend, just as the fall leave are turning, one of the last nice weekends of the year is a VERY busy time to camp...(Trust me, I already knew this) but we were able to score some sites at a small private campground near Starved Rock state park, just about 1.5 hours from our house.  If I had it to do over again, we'd have planned well in advance, and we'd have gone somewhere different, and stayed at a different site, but, sometimes being spontaneous comes at the cost of having everything fully planned out in the most perfect way.  And, you know what?  At the end of the day we still had a great time with our friends, and that's what matters.  

I took exactly zero pictures for the weekend, so these are all courtesy of Jamie and Chris who did a lovely job - especially since Jamie edited these all.  They look great.

Also - why does Abby look so big here?!  I think between this picture, and one further down where she's sitting in a bag chair, I can see a peek into what she's going to look like as a teenager.  Lord help us all!

These pictures make it look much sunnier and warmer than it was when we started out for the hike in the morning.  It was cool and drizzly - maybe even really raining.  I think we all considered just skipping the hike, but I'm glad we stuck it out.  The afternoon turned out beautiful!

OMG!  This girl squad is going to be something to contend with! I can't wait to watch them all grow up together.

See??  Teenage Abby right here!