1. Do the Spit Bridge to Manly walk
2. Volunteer at 4 Pines Brewery for a brew day
Since we moved to Manly, everyone told us we had to make the Spit Bridge to Manly hike along the coastline for the amazing views. I figured I'd better go this weekend, because if I put it off any longer (as I have been for the past 10 months), I wouldn't do it. Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day to make the 3.5hr, 10km coastal trek, and I was able to convince a couple of friends do it with me.
I think Mere attempted to do the walk while she was over here, but I think she said she got lost at some point - so I tempered my expectations.
Well, the dividends paid off pretty quickly as we passed Clontarf beach - a dog friendly spot that had a bunch of them running and swimming.
The hike is littered with beaches and inlets along the coast. We found a nice rock cliff to stop and have lunch
A panoramic of the harbor
Overall, a nice way to spend a Sunday
Also this weekend I went to 4 Pines Brewery in Brookvale (a suburb of Manly) to help out on a brew day. 4 Pines has a restaurant in Manly where they still brew small batches. Their production brewery is in Brooky (local slang for Brookvale) which opened last September. Fun fact on how they chose the name 4 Pines:
During WWII, 4 pine trees were removed from the Manly shorefront to install machine gun emplacements. A plaque on the stump of one of the 4 pines read:
“This and three other trees were removed for defence purposes in December 1941 when these shores were threatened with invasion. Their absence is a reminder of the many greater sacrifices made to preserve this fair land for the people of Australia”.
I joined the head brewer and an assistant brewer at 6am to brew 6,000 Liters of their Kolsch (a German pale ale). It was a pretty hands off experience other than emptying some grain sacks and measuring out the hops, but all of the brewers were super friendly very helpful explaining all of the processes and equipment.
Picture of the Kettle where the grain goes to boil after stops in the Mash and Lauter Tuns.
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My joystick for the day...just kidding. Obviously they wouldn't let me touch any of the buttons for good reason
A view of the Brite Tanks where the beer conditions for a couple of weeks before it is bottled/kegged
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In further preparation for my return to Boston, I watched the original Thomas Crown Affair (not the one with
The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
A debonair, adventuresome bank executive believes he has pulled off the perfect multi-million dollar heist, only to match wits with a sexy insurance investigator who will do anything to get her man.
Starring the badass Steve McQueen himself (from such masterpieces as Bullitt and The Great Escape) as Thomas Crown. Also starring Faye Dunaway (of Bonnie and Clyde and Chinatown fame) and some guy named Biff McGuire who I wouldn't know from anything, but wanted to point out his actual name is Biff. A name made popular by a chum of the Hardy Boys and nearly destroyed by Back to the Future.
I'd like to give this movie a higher rating, but it is extremely outdated. The music, especially the opening song, is terrible. Wait, what's that? It won the Oscar for Best Original Song, and nominated for Best Original Score?????? (not making this up) Click this link if you want to make your ears bleed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAGGTVft5Lk
Even with all of the great shots of 1968 Boston - which especially hit close to home (Mass Pike, Beacon Hill, the North End, South Station, The Charles, Mt Auburn Cemetery, BELMONT COUNTRY CLUB!!!!!!!), I liked the remake better, which, ironically, had great music. Maybe it's because Talib Kweli used it in his hit Get By :http://vimeo.com/63362637 (editorial note: I was still into my hip-hop phase when that album dropped).
Countdown to Mote's Reunion: 47 days
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