Today is my mother’s birthday, and the fifth one we celebrate without her. I can’t wish her Happy Birthday in person but I’ll still celebrate her memory today; recalling her smile, reminiscing about her bear hugs, and even enjoying a smile over her joy…

We headed into the District of Crime Columbia Wednesday evening to watch the Hokies play in the ACC Tournament. Arriving early, we opted for dinner at the Green Turtle in the Verizon Center. Since I had plenty of time before the drive home, I hope…

One of the latest “things” in craft brewing is the “habanero IPA.” It’s not a trend I object to in the least. Recently I’ve mused over offerings from Starr Hill and Ballast Point. Now Flying Dog Brewery has gotten into the act with their own habanero and mango flavored IPA.

Fever Dream Mango Habanero IPA is a new addition to Flying Dog’s year-round lineup. I received a sample bottle from the brewery and couldn’t resist trying it out the same day!

Fever Dream pours a dark orange color with a robust and persistent off-white head. The aroma is tropical fruit and earthy malt. If I concentrate it’s possible to pick up some faint pepper aroma. The flavor starts out with a tropical fruit and bready malt base, followed with a citrus rind bitterness. Rising up from those initial flavors is a capsaicin warmth. The hot pepper aspect starts out quite subtle, the heat building with each sip. After a few sips, a warm tingling sensation remains in the mouth — present but never overpowering. The habanero pepper creats an unmistakable tingling on the palate. Along with the lingering warmth, there’s a hint of bitterness left behind as well.

I enjoyed this beer quite a bit. The heat was enough for this spicy food junkie, but it’s not overwhelming at all. Fever Dream is a permanent addition to Flying Dog’s offerings, and we should be seeing it show in the stores soon.

Flying Dog is also releasing a series of seasonal warm and spicy beers in their Heat Series. I’m looking forward to those as well. I have a bottle of the February release, Oaked Chipotle Ale, waiting in the wings for review so stand by for news on that one soon.

Recently I came across this “Establishing Your Baseline” drill from The Tactical Professor. This 50 round drill can be done with a wide range of targets, and is suitable for shooting at an indoor range. The general drill is you load your magazines to f…

Here’s what Catechism of the Catholic Church has to say about aid to immigrants.The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in…

This week’s email update from Adventure Brewing grabbed my attention with the mention of Hop Hash on tap at the brewery. Checking further, the beer’s description read, “This experimental IPA uses two experimental hops from OregonValley and a special “hop hash” that is a gooey, resinous and super concentrated lupulin punch.” That was enticing enough for me to drive up to the brewery for a growler fill to enjoy over the weekend.

Arriving at the brewery, I decided that it would be prudent to try a pint before getting my growler filled.

Hop Hash IPA pours a bright and clear amber orange, with a moderate off-white head.  A fresh citrus and sweet malt aroma greeted my nose. The flavor is a west coast-style citrus hoppiness, with a “juicy” and resinous mouthfeel. The finish is mildly bitter. There’s a fresh hop feel to the light bodied beer.

The trial pint being found more than acceptable, I had my growler filled. Not being one to let the brewery-freshness wane, I cracked open the growler shortly after arriving home, just in time for some exciting Hokie basketball.

I grabbed this screen shot just 13 minutes after the polls closed in Virginia on Tuesday. The editors at The New York Times wasted no time in standing behind their endorsement.Click to embiggenBefore ANY precincts had reported results, Hillary Cli…

This is winter’s last hurrah (we hope.) After a few days of nice weather one more snowfall is coming, but we still managed to get out to the range for a bit of shooting on Thursday.

I was looking forward to this week’s outing as I just had the factory SIG Night Sights put back on my “usual” gun and wanted to check them out. The other pistols I shoot regularly all have night sights or white dot sights, and I’ve been noticing those sights were getting easier to see than the fiber optic setup on this gun. I don’t think my aging eyes are working as well with the extra thin front sight.

No sooner did we get to the range, I realized I forgot to load the supply box with the staplers into the car. Once again range improvisation came into play — a roll of pasters found in my range bag provide a means to mount the targets.

The “new” sights worked out well, and we had a fun and satisfying couple hours of shooting. Just a little over an hour after we started, there was a distinct drop in the temperature and the sky was turning grey. Indeed, the snow started falling not too long after we arrived home to relax with a post-shooting craft beer, in a fitting logo stein naturally.

It’s been a low-key, lazy kind of week around the homestead. (Hence the dearth of musings.) We had plans to visit Capital Ale House for a Bell’s Hopslam tapping last night, but instead decided to simply relax at home. Turning on the VA Tech basketball …

The last weekend in February saw a wide swing in the temperature from day to day, and was also filled with opportunity to enjoy time on the range. Given that the first weekend in March may bring more snow to the area, these days were most welcome.On Sa…