Bernard NA Beer & Greg

My nephew Greg lives in the Czech Republic. When he comes back to the states, Greg likes to bring his old Uncle Pete some of the Czech beers he samples over there. One time he brought a bottle of the original Budweiser Budvar, not that stuff from St. Louis. Much better.

This year he brought a couple of new (to me) brands. The Gambrinus Premium I had the other night was very good. I haven't tried the Radegast Original yet. It's not the type of thing you want to just slug down with a bowl of popcorn. Better to make a good meal of it.

He also brought a bottle from the Bernard brewery. It is a no alcohol brew, but he said there was another reason he picked it out. The label translates to "...with a clean head, nonalcoholic beer". He says the intent is "...for a clear head", meaning you won't get drunk.

I'll go with the "clean head" translation. You be the judge.



Thanks, Greg!

http://www.gregstrock.typepad.com/

UPDATE: The Radegast Original was pretty darn good, too.

Big Bird & Beatles

unknown photographer

This photo was taken in the late '80s back stage at a shoot for Vee Corporation. It was a commercial for the live stage version of Sesame Street. I was on the lighting crew and got to meet the biggest of big celebrities, Big Bird himself.

I was reminded of this picture because I recently saw Bill Carlson, the shoot's director, for the first time in many years. Bill did an event at Barnes & Noble Highland to promote his excellent new book, The Beatles! A One-Night Stand in the Heartland.



The book features stories about the day The Beatles came to Minnesota and the photos 17-year-old Bill took that day. Bill & Denise have put together a great document of The Fabs visit. A must-have for all Beatlemaniacs. For more info, see these links:

F-Stop Productions

Barnes & Noble

Birthday

On this day, where the key number is 56, I offer one of my favorite snapshots of myself and Mom. I was all of 10 weeks old. Mom was 34.

A copy of this picture is with Mom now, and always will be.

A Scary Halloween

I sent this one around in an email last October 31st. I guess I'd have to call my 1962 costume "Nerdy White Suburban 5th Grader". Not a great costume, but still kinda scary.

I rediscovered this photo in the picture drawer of the dining room buffet. It's kind of amazing this 45 year old Polaroid has survived. It seems the fixer "goop", even hastily applied at a school carnival, did it's job well.

Polaroids were so cool back in the day. It's not the same with digital. Too bad Polaroid itself didn't survive.

The Northern Oregon Coast

Or a small part of it, anyway. May 7-8, 2007



After a terrific weekend in Bend for a cousins reunion I headed out for the Oregon coast. It was my first time viewing the Pacific Ocean that far north. I only saw a small part of the coast, but it’s fantastic. I must go back soon!

An extra bonus of the trip was having just enough time before my flight out of Portland to get together for breakfast with Jody, one of the friends I met in San Miguel de Allende in January.

(Click on the arrow in the picture to start the slideshow,
or click HERE to go to the photo album.)

Cousins Reunion in Bend, Oregon, May 2007

The Barber/Gardner Cousins reunion was tons o’ fun in the friendly surroundings of Bend, Oregon, on the first weekend in May 2007. Hosted by Scott and Carmen, with able assistance by Tracy, Drew, Todd, Shan, Krista, Chris, Brooke & Eric, we all agreed we should do this more often!

I started my second visit to Oregon with some time in Portland, and the required stop at Powell's Books. I made it out of there with "only" six books. I then hit the road for the 3.5 hour drive to Bend going past Mount Hood. Unfortunately, the mountain was totally obscured by clouds and snowfall.

(Click on the arrow in the picture to start the slideshow,
or click HERE to go to the photo album.)

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, January 2007

I had a great time in beautiful San Miguel de Allende. To quote my friend Linda K, “...where stop signs are mere suggestions, people are warm, streets are bumpy, sidewalks are narrow, weather is embracing, vistas are splendid, food is delicious, prices--in general--are cheap, and culture and history are everywhere.” San Miguel is an old colonial town, founded in the 1540’s. It is over 6000 feet up in the mountains of central Mexico, four hours north of Mexico City. The entire central core of San Miguel has been preserved as a national historic monument.

This was my first trip to Mexico, not including the day-trip to Tijuana when I was about 8 while we were visiting relatives in Los Angeles. I met some great people who became friends. I went to a classical chamber music/jazz/traditional indigenous music concert, took a bus tour to three surrounding historic towns, visited Diego Rivera’s birthplace and museum, attended the opening of a Frida Kahlo exhibit, witnessed the spectacle of the birthday celebration and parade for revolutionary war hero General Ignacio Allende, saw a lot of interesting old architecture, walked my tail off, ate some (mostly) great food, took a few pictures, and enjoyed myself very much.

Muchas gracias to Maggie & Charlie!

Peter Barber

Send me an email at sanmiguel@petebar.com

San Miguel de Allende Photos

Everywhere I wandered, there was a photo opportunity. Thank goodness for digital photography. Otherwise, I’d go broke.

Click on the arrow in the picture to start the slideshow,
or click HERE to go to the photo album.

Guanajuato Bus Tour

On Saturday, I went on a great bus tour of three nearby towns, Guanajuato (wanna-WAH-toe), Dolores Hidalgo & Atotonilco. All three, in addition to San Miguel, are historically significant to the 1810 revolution for Mexican independence from Spain. The tour was sponsored by el Instituto Allende. Cesar, our tour guide, was very knowledgeable and explained everything thoroughly. Guanajuato is also the site of the birthplace home of Diego Rivera, which is now a museum. Many of my tour-mates became friends that I encountered around town during the rest of my stay in San Miguel.

Click on the arrow in the picture to start the slideshow,
or click HERE to go to the photo album.

San Miguel Allende Day Parade

General Ignacio Allende was one of the main instigators at the start of the 1810 revolution for Mexican independence from Spain. He was captured early in the struggle and beheaded by the Spanish in 1811. On January 21st, his birthday is celebrated in San Miguel de Allende with a big parade and many festivities to honor his memory.

Click on the arrow in the picture to start the slideshow,
or click HERE to go to the photo album.

Quinta Graciosa

While in San Miguel I stayed at Quinta Graciosa, la casa de mi amigos Maggie y Charlie. With city bus or taxi service nearby, it was only about 10 minutes to the center of San Miguel. Several times I walked down the hill into town which was much more interesting. The walk UP the hill was also interesting but a bit more strenuous.

Quinta Graciosa is available as a vacation rental.
See the website www.quintagraciosa.com for more info.

Click on the arrow in the picture to start the slideshow,
or click HERE to go to the photo album.

iPod Photos

Here are some of the photos I keep on my iPod.

Click on the picture to go to the album.