I am drinking a Vernal Vicissitudes by Troon Brewing. A dangerous "fruit smoothie" ale. No hint of alcohol. No hop bitterness. I drank the pint very quickly. As I said, dangerous!
I am in Skillman, NJ, drinking Vernal Vicissitudes by Troon Brewing. Troon Brewing is a Micro Brewery in Hopewell, NJ. Vernal Vicissitudes beer style is Fruit Beer, with an ABV of 8.9% and IBU of 0. I gave Vernal Vicissitudes a 4.75 on Untappd's 5 point rating system.
A dangerous "fruit smoothie" ale. No hint of alcohol. No hop bitterness. I drank the pint very quickly. As I said, dangerous!
Brewer's notes
Our newest smoothie ale crafted specifically for the folks who don't want any beer flavor when they're drinking beer. This particular version was brewed with lactose before being refermented (I know, we're old-fashioned and don't want to hurt you) with idiotic amounts of pink guava.
WE DO NOT HAVE A TAPROOM AT THE BREWERY BUT 100% OF OUR DRAUGHT BEER GOES TO BRICK FARM TAVERN WHICH IS ON THE SAME PROPERTY. POURS AND FLIGHTS ARE AVAILABLE WHENEVER THEY ARE OPEN, EVEN WHEN WE ARE CLOSED. WE DO NOT SERVE ANY POURS OR TASTINGS AT THE BREWERY ITSELF. WE DO NOT HAVE TAPS AT THE BREWERY, WE DO NOT FILL GROWLERS, WE DO NOT OPEN UNLESS WE HAVE PRE-FILLED, 32OZ CANS OF OUR LATEST BEER. WE RARELY RELEASE MORE THAN ONE BEER PER WEEK, WHICH MEANS THE ACTUAL BREWERY IS RARELY OPEN MORE THAN ONE DAY A WEEK.
Entry created on Zapier time: 2018-07-29T18:32:41-04:00
I found a new Open Space trail in my town that is a great place to relax while listing to the wind in the trees and watch fish swim.
I was clearing out my email when I stopped to read one from the Sourland Conservancy. I learned that a new member of their staff, Carolyn Klaube, had a website detailing her hikes along the Sourland Mountain range trails. Carolyn has been hiking the trails - alone or with assistance from her two young boys - through the seasons, photographing items of interest, and sharing random facts and links to learn more.
Carolyn wrote about her discovery of a new mini-park, Zion Crossing, along Hollow Road on the border with Skillman and Hillsborough. Carolyn’s blog is called Sourland Niche, and I spent almost an hour reading it before I came upon the post that prompted this blog post.
According to the Montgomery Township website, this land borders 300 acres of open space owned by Montgomery, Hillsborough, and Somerset County. These acquisitions will expand the Township's "Rock Brook Greenway" project area (link). Rock Brook, originating in the Sourlands, is Montgomery's highest-quality stream with trout-stocked waters. Preserving these properties and others in the Sourlands safeguards water quality and ensures a continuous forest canopy. Clearing woodland for development creates gaps in the tree canopy, affecting susceptible species, especially migratory birds in the Sourlands, which require contiguous forests for foraging, breeding, and nesting success.
I was excited to visit Zion Crossing. The day before reading Carolyn’s post, Bhavna and I had visited my favourite spot along Hollow Road. A small patch of gravel on the northern side of the road allows access to a clearing in the trees, and a path leads down to the Rock Brook. I told Bhavna about Carolyn’s post and the new park, and we agreed to find it the next weekend.
It was easy to find. Carolyn provided a Google Map link to the location. We almost drove past the entrance. There is a very small sign to the unpaved roadway to the parking area.
Getting out of the car we could immediately hear running water. A trail leads down from the parking area to the Rock Brook. We saw a picnic table with an umbrella. I made a mental note to return with a picnic basket when the weather is cooler.
Bhavna walked down to the water the area while I looked around taking in the scene and thinking through what photographs I might capture. I set up high on the bank just above the rocks but struggled with the camera settings. I eventually gave up and walked down to where Bhavana was. We could see a small waterfall pouring into a rocky beach. I set up there.
I spent most of my time listening to the water, the wind in the leaves, and taking photos. I head Bhavna exclaim in joy at seeing fish in the water. She sat on a rock and waited for me to finish taking my photos. I watched her relaxing.
Photos from the 36th Annual QuickChek Festival of Ballooning pre-festival Media Launch
I attended the QuickChek Festival of Ballooning pre-festival Media Launch event yesterday with a bunch of photographers from the Somerset County Meetup. I arrived around 6:30 AM but due to work commitments, I was only able to shoot for about 45 minutes. I have attended a few of these in the past. I was unprepared for this as my new camera has not yet arrived. I shot the event with a borrowed camera and Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 USM IS-LM lens. It was a bit too "zoomy" for this event but ... I made it work.
What sort of photographer shows up at a balloon festival with a 70-200mm lens?
Thirteen images stitched in Adobe Photoshop using the panorama feature.
Bhavna and I are planning a fall balloon adventure over the Letchworth State Park in upstate New York. We've never done this before, but the idea of being up in the air and being swept wherever the wind may take us, seems exciting.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to using ALL the cookies. However, this website has no interest in selling your information. It does not explicitly use social media cookies from Facebook, Google, Twitter, Threads, Instagram etc. Read More
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.