Green Roof Raising

September 11, 2010

Last weekend I helped build two green roofs on campus at American University. Green roofs in Washington D.C. help prevent water pollution from entering the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers and eventually the Chesapeake Bay. Details on the District of Columbia’s green roof incentives are online here.

Channel 9 News interviewed me about the project.

Channel 9 News Living Green

It took about fifty volunteers five days to build 2200 square feet of living roof. It was a lot of fun.

Loads more photos on Facebook.


Baltimore Beer Week 2010

August 30, 2010

Baltimore Beer Week 2010 is dropping anchor in the Land of Pleasant Living from October 7th to 17th.

My favorite event of the week is the Chesapeake Real Ale Festival held at the Pratt Street Ale House on October 16th – more than a dozen breweries presenting their cask conditioned ales.


Bars Across America: Drinking and Biking from Coast to Coast

August 29, 2010

This biking and boozing travelogue begins as author John Greenfield cracks open a PBR and his sometimes travelmate Elizabeth downs a Sierra Nevada at Don’s Beachcomber Tavern in Astoria, Oregon after the two cyclists had dipped their rides in the surf near the coastal town of Florence.

Forty seven bars, ten weeks, and more than 3,500 miles later, John dips his wheel in the Atlantic at Revere Beach in Massachusetts, and ends his alcoholic odyssey in the Shipwreck Lounge, a dive bar filled with friendly drunks who assert that they just do “the usual crap that gos on in any small town bar in the U.S.”

John’s trip is testament to the truth of that humble boast.

John’s taste in beer is decidedly equal opportunity, swaying with unpretentious ease from bottles of Bud Light purchased at a convenience store and consumed in a parking lot all the way to imperial pints of house-brewed E.S.B. sipped while seated at the bar of the Livery brewpub in Benton Harbor, Michigan.

John’s street cred is impeccable, both for his long devotion to bicycles as well as his cheerful championing of draught beer. Check out his VoteWithYourFeetChicago blog for more of the former and hook up with the Garfield Park Draught Beer Preservation Society for more of the latter.

Greenfield’s writing style is easy and entertaining, to be enjoyed over a draught at your local dive bar. Order a copy from your local bookstore or get it from any online retailer such as the independent lulu.com.


National Organic Brewing Challenge

August 24, 2010

The fourth annual National Organic Brewing Challenge is upon us. And this time it is hitting home. I mean really hitting home. For the first time ever the competition will be held somewhere other than the Seven Bridge’s hometown of Santa Cruz, California — instead it will be in Washington D.C.

Er, well, technically it will be Shirlington, Virginia at the Capitol City Brewing brewpub. But I volunteered to receive the beer entries at mi casa in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of D.C.

If you haven’t started brewing yet, now is the time. No time left for delay. Get in the kitchen today or this weekend at the latest and brew a batch of organic homebrew. Follow the instructions below for brewing and entering the contest. We’ll be looking for judges and stewards so stay tuned for details.

WHAT: National Organic Brewing Challenge - this is Seven Bridges’ annual organic brewing competition for homebrewers as well as commercial brewers.
WHEN: October 16, hours tbd but likely late morning to early afternoon.
DEADLINE:
Entries will be accepted from September 1 – October 9. 
WHERE
: Judging takes place at Capitol City Brewing in Shirlington.
COST: Fees to enter the competition but no fee to serve as a judge.
MORE INFO: Check out the Seven Bridges website for details on entering beers in the competition or serving as a judge or steward.


Fig Picking & Fig Jam (a.k.a. FIGJAM)

August 18, 2010

As if solar panels weren’t enough. The day after the solar PV system was completed we picked our first harvest of homegrown figs.

Well, I call them ‘homegrown’ but that term implies that the people in my home did something to grow them. But that’s just not true. All we did is wait and watch to see when the fig tree in our front yard would produce some fruit. Then, once we saw the birds and squirrels chowing down we figured it was time to pick.

So happens we were having a family reunion right when the figs ripened so I had plenty of help from my nieces, nephews and cousins’ children (are they second cousins or cousins once removed?). And fortunately our friend and neighbor Richard was home who came right over with his ladder.

Richard arrives with ladder and handy fruit picking basket.

My youngest nephew Peter don't need no stinkin' ladder. He climbed right up the tree.

Over at Richard and Andrea's, Andrea and Seung cut of the stems in preparation for fig jamming.

Andrea introduces us to the acronym FIGJAM – Fuck I’m Good, Just Ask Me.

The figs stew for about an hour with a bit of honey. Then they go in jars and get called fig jam.

Next year around this time I’ll have honey from my own hive to add to the fig harvest. Can’t wait.


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