Dragonfly Ranch

This is from September at Point Isabel. Chester had just discovered the link between squirrels and trees. For several months afterward we had to walk in the part of the park that has no trees; otherwise he would run from tree to tree and be in the next county before we knew it. (That’s almost literal; the distance from Point Isabel to the Alameda County line can be measured in yards.) He’s matured enough over the last few months that we’re gradually returning to the trees. He still inspects the trees for squirrels, but he comes when called — with fair regularity. Squirrel!

As I told Betsy, it was only a matter of time before everyone found out how special she is.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/12/27/knitting_group_for_homeless_intertwines_therapy_with_social_support/

From Betsy Anne:

At Point Isabel this morning. We met Coby again — he came running from 50 yards away — and stole his frisbee.

Coby is a two-year-old Labradoodle. We see him and his humans fairly
often at Point Isabel. He seems to be a lot more Lab than poodle, and
he reminds me of Moka (let’s just say that he’s more good-natured than
bright).

Yesterday about sunset at Point Isabel.

The beer goes from the priming tub into the bottles, then we cap the bottles. The red thing that looks like the Flying Nun’s headgear is the bottle capper.

The bottles will sit for two more weeks while the yeast feeds on the sugar we just added. The yeast creates carbon dioxide that has nowhere to go, so the beer will become carbonated (it’s been tasty but flat up to now). Theoretically, the flavor will also mellow, and we’ll have finished beer around New Year’s Eve.

Transferring the wort (unfinished beer) from the fermenting tub to the priming tub. A slurry of yeast and hops stays in the fermenting tub. Now we add a little sugar (this is “priming” the yeast). The yeast that’s still dissolved in the wort, which had gone dormant after using up all the wort’s nutrients, wakes up and starts making alcohol and carbon dioxide again.