all photos courtesy and copyright 2012 Larry Wagstaff
Archive for April, 2013
AHA Big Brew Day 2012 Flashback
Posted in Brewing with tags Barley Legal Homebrewers, homebrew on April 26, 2013 by Verge Trick Basketball Shots With Craig
Posted in Good Times on April 16, 2013 by VergeTwo months ago I twisted my ankle roller blading and have been using that as a great and very handy excuse to not get off my lazy ass. To be fair (to myself), I did go to a doctor, had x rays done, and was told I tore either a tendon or ligament, so it was actually pretty painful, and to this day still bothers me and is still swollen.
But, Spring arrived and my beer belly wasn’t getting any smaller, so I decided I needed to start to working out. I wanted to do something easy, and fun, and I had a basketball I hadn’t used in over a year.  Me and craig headed down to the local courts, which are actually really nice, hidden in a park in the woods where no one ever seems to go. So, we can get away with hijinks.
My Day Eactly Two Years Ago; The Sixteenth of April, Two Thousand and Eleven
Posted in Friends and Family, Good Times with tags Beer, philadelphia, philly, Road Trip on April 16, 2013 by VergeWe had decided on a guys night out. First was Yards Brewers in Philadelphia. We took a tour with a delightfully drunk tour guide who worked on the bottling line, and didn’t know a whole lot about how to actually make beer. then we headed to Triumph Brewery on Chestnut Street for some beers and dinner.  The up to Mahogany, the cigar bar, where we enjoyed cocktails and cigars with other city folk, and ended up at Franklin Mortgage and Investment Company for some late night classic cocktails.
Barley Legal Home Brewers Adventure to Troegs Brewery
Posted in Brewing, Good Times with tags Barley Legal Homebrewers, Beer, Road Trip on April 13, 2013 by Verge
As always, my home brew club’s all day party/brewery tour started in South Jersey and at an awful time in the morning.
It barely matters how long the journey will last, it’s divided in to three distinct parts, at least for me: This is part I – THE JOURNEY THERE…
…Part II – THE FEATURED DESTINATION. We arrived at Troegs Brewery early, and slightly buzzed from the “tasting” on the way. The staff had not yet arrived when we gathered aimlessly in the parking lot. The new pub/brewery destination lives in a shell once owned by the Hershey Corporation, whose history in this area have literally put the address of the new Togs location in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Once we got in and started the tour, we got the “special” tour. Normally, regular folks get the run-of-the-mill, scripted plaque, this is kind of how we make beer tour. Not us! This is in their grain storage room, which is pretty boring to 99% of people, but for us nerds, this is where the action starts.
fermentation tanks, also behind the scenes, because, there’s nothing to see, except it’s like every home brewers dream to have this setup.
a view of our group.
this is a shot of Monika, taking a picture of their fancy prototype Randalizer/Hop Rocket. I would like here to an explanation of what that means, but none exists, so I guess that is my next Wikipedia project.
damn straight a craft beer brewery still uses the real thing.
well, before they transfer it to the practical things
Mad Elf a little hard to come by? Not here. They might have told everyone it was sold out, but I call Bullshit. They’re holding out.
Perennial favorite Nugget Nektar, a lovely little beer.
a good ol’ bottling line, make me reminisce about Strange Brew!
their aging and sampling room, which we did not get access to, but I hope to return to someday to sample some of their experimental creations.
this is at the end of the tour, which for most people, is the beginning, with our gracious tour guide in the background.
and Part III: the ride home, the part where I sleep because, at the end of a long day, I have to drive home!
New Year’s Day Mummers Parade in Philly 2013
Posted in Daily Pictures, Good Times with tags holidays, philadelphia, philly on April 8, 2013 by Verge
Okay, so we had a hell of a party at our house New Year’s Eve. But, for the first time in my life, we decided to try to make it to the Mummer’s Parade in Center City, Philadelphia. It was a groggy morning, but we made it to the train, and made it to the parade.
I’m glad we did, even though it was kind of shot lived. We were a bit hung over, but really, who wasn’t. We got a spot right on the parade line, and tried to hold ourselves together, with the help of a flask.
It truly is iconic, being only a few blocks away from City Hall. I’ve lived in NYC before, but I’ll always feel like Philly is my home.
We got to hang out with my friend Chris, whom we hadn’t seen in a very long time, and it was a great time to reconnect with old friends. Sam decided it was high time to be reckless, jump barriers, do shots, and climb lamp posts. That’s how you know you’re doing it right.
This was after I freaked, and told Sam we were going to get arrested. In reality, we probably weren’t the most drunk people on the parade route, but those bands really know how to party. Eventually, we crawled back to the train and back to Atco. First parade in Philly ever, and I think we should do it again next year. We must gather redemption.
Christmas Day 2012 Hike with Friends
Posted in Daily Pictures, Friends and Family, Good Times, Hiking and Camping with tags Hiking, holidays, Rail Road on April 8, 2013 by Verge
We went exploring on Christmas Day, after opening some gifts we had gotten each other. Two of my favorite local abandoned places.
This is inside one of the abandoned trains down at Winslow Junction. Since I’ve been coming here, the amount of cars has slowly gone down, I assume because they are being scrapped. there was once at least a hundred cars, but now there’s maybe a dozen.
Monika, Ehsan and Sam, who had “found” herself a hell of a walking stick.
And, the inside of the other abandoned location, a former recycling plant. It used to be filled with garbage 25 feet high, but it’s now cleared out, so something is happening there, although I have no idea what yet. We had to cleverly gain access.
You can see all four of my hiking companions in this photo. Looks like it should be the cover of an album, in my opinion. Christmas Day with friends, hiking. Nothing I wanted to do more.
Julia Nunes Live @ Philadelphia Living Room Concert Series 12-10-2012
Posted in Concerts, Daily Pictures with tags concerts, philadelphia, philly on April 4, 2013 by Verge
it was dark, and a bit difficult to take pictures sitting Indian style on the hard wooden floor of what seemed to be a rented row home that some University students lived in. But, the lighting was a bit better when Julia signed shirts with Monika and Maya.
And, the videos came out a bit shitty, too, but I’ve included them here for anyone who is a fan. It wasn’t the smallest concert I’ve ever been to, but it’s gotta be in the top 3. Catch her next time she’s in Philly if you like the songs below. The shows are always very lighthearted and fun, and tickets are usually under twenty bucks, something you don’t see very much anymore.
Hannukah 2012 @ The Shanfeld Lounge
Posted in Daily Pictures, Friends and Family, Good Times with tags holidays, music on April 3, 2013 by Verge
we had a family get together for Hanukkah 2012. Most of it took place in the newly remodeled Shanfeld Lounge!
What respectable lounge is without a piano?
We had wonderful entertainment, courtesy of Eddie “Silk,”
and Yvette doing a duo!
2012 Philadelphia Marathon
Posted in Daily Pictures, Sports with tags philadelphia, Race, Running on April 1, 2013 by Verge
back in November, I think, Monika ran the Philadelphia Marathon for the first time. The day before, we visited the Philadelphia Convention Center for race packet pickups.
I really love this building. It’s a shame not many people get to see it. I always thought this main room would be an awesome venue for a low key show of some sort. the acoustics are amazing. It used to be a market, and rail lines used to run right through here. Their location is still marked on the floor with parallel lines the whole length of the room.
It serves as a sort of art gallery, also. Arching ceilings really give you the feeling of being in a huge hangar.
a shot of downtown Philly from the steps right on Market street. I always love the site of the Philly skyline. It will always remind me of growing up here in South Jersey, watching the skyline morph over the years.
this is a random corner on Market Street. Not sure what it means, exactly, but interesting. I’m always looking down when I walk in the city, usually looking for Toynbee Tiles.
next day was race day. Monika got an super early start, and Craig and I headed in after a few hours to meet them at the finish line.
Mayor Nutter gave high fives as people crossed the finish line, 26.2 miles and 4 hours after starting the run.
Monika, the champion. okay, maybe not the most flattering picture she’d like me to post publicly, but hey, she just RAN A MARATHON. Give her some slack. Notice the cel phone still firmly in hand. I taught her well. Water and cel phone, the two necessary things to survive in life.
This is Monika and her friend, who was only going to run a half marathon, but Monika convinced her to run another half during the race. She really has a way with convincing people to do crazy things with her.
Kat made it too, her first marathon as well. We were both super proud of them. And, glad we finally got our wives back. They had been training non-stop, everyday, for like 6 months, so yeah, we were looking forward to this whole thing being over already. I’m sure they were also!
On The Verge of Tears 