New Beer, Old Building and Baltimore

On Saturday, Front Royal was hosting a beer festival, which, since I hadn't planned anything for the day, I thought I should at least check it out. The tickets were $30 though, fine for outsiders, but since most of the attending breweries were an easy drive  for me, I didn't think I needed to spend this. So I cycled around investigating the booths to see if I was in fact missing out on anything.

 Luckily I wasn't, so I pedaled around the streets some more, admiring the town's beautiful hanging baskets, overflowing with petunias, and then I spotted the local ice cream store's owner. C and C Frozen Treats make superb ice cream with some very unique flavors, and they're extremely popular, I've never seen their little shop empty. Nina called over her husband, William, both outfitted for the day in their costumes, and they posed outside their store with their mural behind them. Lovely people!
 The day was beginning to burn and I was getting thirsty, a beer seeming very appropriate right now, so I cycled over to the Beer Museum, who were celebrating Oktoberfest with some new ales, and was welcomed inside. As I sat chatting to some locals, two of my friends, Bill and Jen, walked towards the door. They had been about to text me since they were in town and I was glad I caught them before they spent $30 each on tickets to the beer festival. They would find plenty of outstanding beers here at the museum. We found a shady table and spent a few hours in continuous drinking and conversation. The beers we'd began brewing a few weeks ago at their house were nearly ready for testing and bottling, but they most wanted to let me know about an old abandoned house they'd found, telling me of its sad demise and that I should take a look before the winter. As the afternoon rolled on, it was determined that beer consumption should stop and that coffee needed to be taken. But as soon as we parted to make our separate journeys back to my house, an arm wrapped around my shoulder and I was led to a small group where one of the guys was English. I was introduced and discovered he lived in town with his wife along with another couple of English buddies. I was invited to join them on Tuesday evenings at the museum, a regular event for them. How great that I have some homeland folks in this small town! I clambered upon my bike and rode home, (wobbling only slightly), where Bill and Jen were waiting. Large mugs of very strong coffee went down very well.
On Sunday I decided to go and investigate the old house they had told me about. I threw a bike in the back of Stanley, hoping to go for a pedal along the C and O towpath afterwards. The house was easy to find, standing forlornly under large shady trees on the edge of a horrendously ugly, brand new Ryan home estate, that wouldn't likely be standing for as long as this old majestic beauty on the hill.

Of course it had been vandalized inside but the structure was solid. I immediately noticed the dark wood door frames and trims, like in my house, marveling at how the wood had been curved to fit the beautiful rounded walls upstairs. There were a few wooden built ins but the glass had been smashed, while plenty of bottles and cans littered the floor. It's obviously a hangout for kids. The structure was still sound and most of the floorboards intact. I didn't notice any water damage and hoped that restoration was on the cards for this old home. I did like some of the old wallpaper designs. Out the back were some wooden barns, planks missing, but still standing strong. Hundreds of footprints dented the dusty dirt inside the cow barn, but the only inhabitants now were the deers. Cabbage white butterflies and crickets ruled over the fields here, the former flitting low, swift and silent, above the ground and skimmed over the golden rod, while the latter chose to remain hidden among the stalks, yet singing loudly to ensure their presence was known. Two crows joined in with their chorus, rasping caws as they circled overhead.

I was a little sad as I left the house, and hope that in the near future Bill and Jen will tell me it's being restored. I drove to a nearby small town by the bike path and, standing outside of my car in the blazing sun, stood for less than a minute before deciding that it was way too hot and humid for any kind of exertion, so turned for home and a cold shower.
I took Monday off to visit Amazon's  huge fulfillment warehouse in Baltimore. Being a regular customer I was curious to see the workings of this company, especially after reading so many worker complaints. This is the biggest warehouse of its kind in America, the length of 28 football pitches, and it felt expansively massive as I walked along its length to the visitor door, as if the walkways had no endings, the conveyor belts rolling forever.
Although we could take our cell phones in we weren't allowed to take photos. Frustrating but understandable. Bob sent us this link afterwards showing how the robots work inside the warehouse; we saw all that's shown here except the larger robots moving huge stacks. He also informed us that 11/2/2018 an EF-1 tornado entered the facility, tearing down a wall, flooding the premises and sadly killing two of the staff.
Interestingly, I found this article from a Washington Business Journal reporter, his visit only a couple of weeks prior to ours and with the same tour guide.
Our tour went the same way as the WBJ reporter's, and we got our water bottles at the end also. There was a horrendous smell just outside and inside, like plastic chemicals, but no one could tell me what it was. The noise was deafening. I'd arrived early and gone into the reception area to wait for the others but the assault on my nostrils and ears propelled me back outside. My ears actually hurt with the constant slamming of plastic totes on conveyor belts and the metallic clunks of the machinery. We couldn't hear ourselves talk throughout most of the tour. That must wear the workers down during their 10 hour shifts.
The warehouse was so vast it was impossible to see the end walls. Apparently China is paying to enlarge the harbor so they can send bigger ships. Currently they arrive full but return empty, so no exports from Baltimore then...
The tour mainly focused on the robots which work in an automated area with a barcoded system on the floor which acts as a road map. Staff entering the area have to wear repellent vest so they don't get hit. The robots can lift 1500lbs and are moving continuously. I was kind of disappointed to see they didn't have arms or heads, they actually resembled huge Roombas with a palette stacked on top. Everywhere around us was bright yellow industrial shelving, yellow support poles and over 40000 yellow plastic totes whizzing past us or overhead. The place was immaculate. I did look around for any kind of trash on the floor but saw none. We didn't see that many staff, certainly not the numbers required to output the infinite packages that were endlessly being shipped. I inquired about an area we weren't entering, with more conveyor belts and grey totes, but no people, and was told that was secret. He wouldn't supply any information. Even though our tour was only an hour, just the constant busy activity and noise volume was abrasive and I was glad when we returned to the quiet of the reception room.
As we were about to leave one of our guides looked away and momentarily dropped his guard, his face looking worn and drained, but seeing me watching him, he suddenly smiled hugely. Poor guy. As we had walked around, some of the staff smiled and said hello, or waved, and I wondered if they'd been told to do that. I'd also noticed at the STOW and PICK stations there were only a couple of people working, and not at a rushed rate. I noticed the same at a PACK area, 8 stations with only 4 people working, and again at a relaxed rate. Yet, with the 936 packages being shipped a minute, and we were constantly in view of these racing conveyor belts, loaded with packages, I knew there had to be hundreds of workers elsewhere, out of sight. I have to admit although Amazon seemed to run like a well oiled machine I was grateful to leave the building and its non stop noise and activity. I had certainly gained a new respect for the workers.

Wedding Joy and Painted Bliss

Saturday evening meant a long drive for me from Front royal to Maryland where one of the women at work was getting married. most of us employees were attending and I, for sure, wasn't going to miss out. I was a little late at arriving as I'd been driving nearly two hours, but was relieved to see quite a few other guests pulling up in their cars at the same time as me.

The building was rather disappointing from the outside but as I pushed through the doors I stopped, thousands of crystal beads were suspended from the ceiling, twinkling and sparkling as they swayed, while a Mariachi band were in full swing by a table. The tables were covered with gold and white tablecloths, golden napkins and crystal column centerpieces hung over the center of each table from the ceiling, colored lights illuminating from below. I looked around and saw some hands waving. My work mates were all around a large table and had saved me a seat. As soon as I had settled a plate of food appeared in front of me and Celso brought me a drink. I was starving so the chicken and BBQ pork went down well, although I was informed that the banana leaf under my food was for decoration only and not to be eaten. I was glad of the warning as I'd been about to fold that up and demolish it also. The band came over to our table, serenading us with a Spanish song. They were fabulous.

Olga and Eric were married quite a few years ago but not in a church, so today they were reaffirming their vows along with a full traditional wedding and reception. Olga was beautiful in her glittering dress and Eric certainly scrubbed up well too. Olga is Mexican while Eric is from Salvador. I had never been to a Latino wedding, or any other event before, so was looking forward to experiencing their traditions. Everybody was so friendly, I felt like I fit right in, apart from the fact that I couldn't speak any Spanish and so had no idea of what the compere was yelling into his microphone, a feat I admired tremendously, since he kept it up all evening without any signs of waning.

Olga hit the dance floor and soon all the guys from work had spun around the floor with her, and then us girls had a go too. It felt strange to be able to suffer the worry and anguish of a groom dancing with his bride and trying at every step to avoid putting a foot down on her glorious dress. I had every sympathy with the groom afterwards, those few minutes of hopping back and forth had worn me out.

A few more work colleagues posing at their table, and looking very dashing, dressed in their finery instead of the usual ink stained t-shirts and jeans worn on the production floor.
After the Mariachi band had finished playing to each and every table and folks had had a few dances it was time for the games.

 I watched with great interest as this 'dance' unfolded. The women circled the bride, who stood on a chair, in a protective manner, while the men did likewise with the groom. Olga and Eric held a long twisted wedding veil between them which seemed to serve as an arch. The music began and the 'protectors' proceeded to dance in a figure of eight around them. When the music stopped the men circled around Eric while the women then knocked against them, seeming to try and jostle Eric from his chair. When the music began again they continued their snaking dance and this time when the music stopped, the men pushed against the circle of women protecting Olga. This went on a couple of times until poor Olga was toppled from her chair. I found out later that this was 'La Vobora de la Mar', or the Snake Song. While the dancing matched the descriptions I found online, I didn't see anything about the 'knocking off' the chairs of the bride and groom. Maybe that was a family tradition added in, but it was fun to watch.

Then followed the traditions you'd see at a westernized wedding. Olga stood on a chair to throw the wedding bouquet over her shoulder, and then Eric was blindfolded as Olga sat on a chair. But once his eyes were covered she switched out with one of their men friends who proudly presented a bony knee, his trouser leg rolled up so Eric could feel it. Poor Eric then stumbled from man to man, the whole audience laughing uproariously, until he found his bride. From beneath her froth of petticoats he managed to snaffle her garter which he then held high. Then he climbed on a chair to throw the prize to the bustling boys behind him, shoving each other aside with their shoulders to claim the best position for catching.
The atmosphere that evening was amazing, so lively and raucous,and friendly and fun. There were few Caucasians, but to be honest by the end of the evening I felt like a Latino, and wanted to be one. They know how to party. Our work crowd was fading fast, poor Heron with his chin resting on his chest, struggling to keep his eyes open. I desperately wanted to wait for the cake to be cut but this energetic crowd showed no signs of slowing down, and my longing stares at the pretty white icing with golden bows brought no one bearing a knife and plate...

Our motley work crew with the beautiful bride. Very few of us drank any alcohol since we'd all got long journeys, but I barely noticed its absence, we'd had such fun. Alas, soon after 10pm I decided to leave with a couple of others. We'd toasted the bride and groom, yet there had been no indication of the cake being cut. We found out that this would be done about midnight and the party wouldn't end until about 4am. All through the evening guests had been showing up later and later, but none had seemed uncomfortable about it, and the caterers had simply walked out and put plates in front of them, so we assumed these late night affairs were a traditional occurrence and people would show up later so they could last until the end. Not this lightweight, I needed my bed, and I later found out that the last standing in our crew had only made it to midnight.

I was up early on Sunday so I could finish decorating. Last weekend I'd started painting my kitchen, simply because a couple of the women at spin class had been talking about painting their homes, which started me thinking. I was reasonably content with most of the colors in my house, but hated the acidic sherbet lemon in the kitchen and the drab mushroom beige in the dining room. I love color! And so I had got on the bandwagon with my cycling buddies, trotting off to Lowes to select my paint colors, my brushes and roller.

I wanted tranquil natural colors so went with a Meadowgrass green for the kitchen. It didn't take me long to paint that room and I was eager to start the dining room. But doing an hour each evening after work didn't get the task done so I completed the job on Sunday, which worked out much better as I was painting in natural light.
I loved the look of the kitchen, it had an old farmhouse feel, the dark wood of the doorways and cabinets looking warm and natural, the room reminding me now of fields and trees. Since I had a big arch leading into the dining room I decided to carry the green through, but in this room, I broke it up by painting the fireplace wall a Teal Lake blue which really popped with the white brick surround.

I painted the inside of the arch the teal blue and soon had the room completed. I couldn't believe that I'd found the energy to decorate these rooms simply because my spin class pals were doing theirs, but I was so glad I did. The rooms feel so tranquil and serene now, it's like walking through a woodland. I was going to originally select an apple green but that would have classed with my curtains. Yet standing and admiring my handiwork I love how these colors work with each other and compliment everything else in the room. As I visit antique stores and flea markets in the future, I'll be hunting for a large painting to hang on my last bare wall, along with tall red, blue and orange vases to stand by the fireplace, plus some brightly colored cushions for the chairs. I expect later down the road I'll paint the rest of the rooms in the house in other greens and blues, but for now, I'm content to come home to my country kitchen and cozy dining room. I just need my wood stove in the fireplace now!