A Day In The County

Specifically, we went to Kingsville, billed as Canada's most southerly town.  Tuesday and Wednesday were both sunny days (but cloudy nights), but the wind was too strong to lure me outside much.  Some yard clean up continues, though nothing too strenuous.  Thursday was a lovely day, so we finally had an outing in Essex County.  It has been postponed since early September.  I have a beer passport (purchased for $25) that gets me a flight of samples from many breweries in the city and county.  Three of them are in Kingsville, so I managed to get one new stamp.

We ate lunch downtown there at a cafe with several vegan options.  We had soup, and split an order of gnocchi.  We had enough gnocchi to bring home for dinner.  Next we went down to the lake, where the town has a large, beautiful park right on the lake (Erie).  We walked around a bit, took some photos, enjoyed the beautiful weather and hazy sunshine, then headed back downtown for coffee (and beer).  The Banded Goose Brewery is also home to a coffee lounge, so we hit two geese with one stop.  Kingsville is the home to Jack Miner, which is now a bird sanctuary, so there is a lot of goose related stuff in town.

I had a four serving sampler.  It would normally have cost around $12, nearly half of my passport price.  But the flight was complimentary.  Their samples are 7 oz imperial, so there was a lot of ale to drink.  It took me awhile, but I managed.  I also left the premises with a very large can of one of their offerings I hadn't yet tried.  I'm saving it for Samhain.

 Two shots of Lake Erie, into the Sun, from Kingsville.

Different location.  Same lake, same Sun.

One of three craft taprooms in downtown Kingsville.  The Banded Goose is also a cafe, serving Chance coffee.

Looking out.  Another brewery taproom sits right across the street.  A new one is opening soon nearby.

Our table overlooks the brewing tanks.  French press coffee has arrived; the beer is on its way.

Two of my four samples:  the ginger beer, and the coffee one.

Tap list.  I had Kicka Ginger, Purple Haze, Brain Damage, and Cool Beanz.  I took home an enormous can of The Quaker Oatmeal Stout.  

We have a trip to Detroit planned next week, to visit a brand new brewery, as well as a viewing of the Day of the Dead exhibit at the DIA.  The excitement never stops around here.

Deb's movie pic this week was a 1968 cult movie called Girl On A Motorcycle.  Marianne Faithful isn't hard to look at when she was 22 years old.  Neither is Alain Delon at 33 years.  But there isn't much more to do than that when watching this film.  Marianne rides her motorcycle a lot, and we see her get up early, sneak off from her teacher/husband, and go to Heidelberg to meet her lover.  Since she has flashbacks on her journey from France to Germany, we often see her travelling there, over and over.  Some of the photography is quite lovely.  But then comes the inevitable psychedelic patterns over scenes of her riding, making love, and even skiing.  Though it is a drug-free movie (except for alcohol and tobacco), I'm guessing that the director expected lots of high audience members, so he tried to accommodate them.  Or something.  Well, anyway, Marianne sure is pretty, and Alain is really handsome.

One of many posters for the film.  Now showing on Criterion.  

And speaking of Criterion, this is film festival weekend!  My choice this time, and I have picked three Val Lewton b & w classics.  More later.

Mapman Mike