The List

I was supposed to travel to the Grand Canyon yesterday with my friend Shelly.  We were to drive the four hours, stay overnight and return sometime later today.  Unfortunately for both of us, something came up at home, and she was unable to make the trip.  There are some people in my life that believe Shelly is my imaginary friend, so her absence will only lend more credibility to their belief!

I debated about traveling to the Grand Canyon by myself.  But another 8 hour drive (although not all at once) did not sound particularly appealing after all the driving I had done lately.  I opted instead to lounge by the pool in this 100 degree weather.  

Tough, I know, especially for you New Englanders where your highs for the days are the overnight lows here.

Last night I ventured out and visited the Gordon Biersch brewery in Tempe.  

There is a closer location, however, seven years ago when I traveled to Tempe for business I recall wishing I could spend more time in the area.  Tempe is home to Arizona State University and has a typical college town feel to it.

I needed to go to this brewery so I could knock off some beers on the list.  I was able to accomplish this task by ordering the Pilsner.

A few minutes before I was about to leave, a college professor also sitting at the bar, struck up a conversation with me.  He had a Spanish dictionary in front of him.  I inquired further.  He indicated that he was teaching himself different languages as a hobby.  Having just brushed up on my Spanish the night before at karaoke, we exchanged a few niceties in the foreign language, before I headed back to the resort.

It occurred to me as I sat there, however, that some of you may not know what the list is, despite the fact that I have somehow convinced you to send me money towards it!  (Why work, when I have that kind of talent?)

Several years ago Lennie came across this website called "My Life is Beer."  It was a challenge to consume hundreds of beers from breweries in the United States and Canada.  As proof of your consumption, you needed to keep the labels from each beer you drank.  If you were having a beer with no label or a draught beer, you needed to keep the receipt.  I do not recall all the details of the challenge although I am sure there are a few of you reading this who do.  Unfortunately the website no longer exists.  Lennie, as with many things, was meticulous about keeping track of the beer he consumed even creating a book with all the labels and the dates on which he consumed each one.

My family and I have decided to continue on with the list, hoping someday to complete the task that my brother once started.  We also hope to have a website and will send it to friends and family asking them to help us finish the list.

Here are some of the labels I have collected on my travels.  Not all of these beers are on the list. Lennie, in later years, began to add his own beer to the list from local breweries he visited that he felt were worth of this honor.  I have elected to do the same.

This morning I received a text which woke me out of a sound sleep.  It was from my cousin Alan who said "wake up and write on the blog, I am bored at work."  I texted him back and said "I don't understand....what's work?"  Alan by the way will be flying in tonight to visit for the next few days.   To get him back for waking me up, I've decided to introduce Alan to all of you using my most recent picture of him.....

It ought to be an interesting few days!