Pie and a Pint

It's been a busy second day after our return from Virginia. Enjoying the warm autumnal sun, I did my usual volunteer photo rounds at the farmers' market this morning, purchasing lots of fresh vegetables, cheese, and yogurt.

At lunchtime Phil and I went to the Whatcom Museum, where the Bellingham Beer Lab (BBL), a new community-supported brewery, was having a membership kick-off party, complete with a homebrew demonstration in the museum's beautiful courtyard. It was one of the many events that have been part of Bellingham Beer Week, now winding down.

CheeseMeat(s)Beer, the splendid small bistro operating in the museum's Lightcatcher Building, offered special food and beer pairings, and both of us opted for the handmade English pork pies and a shared salad of apples, greens, blue cheese, and loads of hazelnuts. Yum!

We also had a flight (4 oz samples) of the six beers available, which the Bellingham Beer Lab brewers had made by another local brewery, since BBL is still a dream and doesn't have a brewery yet.

That's where folks like us come in -- we each invested a modest amount in this start-up today, and hope many more people do likewise. There are several member categories at higher amounts, offering additional benefits.

Our nation seems increasingly to be dominated by huge, faceless, multinational corporations who care only for the bottom line and ever-increasing profits, and buying elections. It felt very satisfying this afternoon to help a new local business make a start and to be with other area residents who share that view.

Speaking of views, today's blip is layers of reflections from the museum's front door to the glass wall onto the courtyard. If you look closely, you might see another blipper behind the smiling man in the blue shirt -- and you can read his take on the event here.

(Hops and malt must be in the air -- take a look at Ceridwen's and bookygoatherd's journals!]