Archives for the ‘Blog Entries.Local’ Category

Saturday Night Rabbit Hole Heigold and Foundation Olmec

Author: From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Dec 27th, 2023
   Category: Blog Entries.Local
After shooting the IDPA match in the morning, I was looking forward to winding down the day with a good cigar and beverage. As is usual after a day on the range, I was tired and ready to relax.

After opening each drawer in the humidor multiple times I finally decided on the Olmec from Foundation Cigars. Olmec is a 2022 release from Nicholas Melillo, and as with many of his cigars, pays homage to tobacco history. The cigar pays tribute to the Olmec civilization which lived the tobacco-growing San Andrés region of Mexico. The Olmec are believed to be early partakers of cigars. 

This 5 x 50 Robusto has a dark chocolate San Andrés maduro wrapper, with binder and fillers from Nicaraguan. The filler tobaccos are said to be baled and aged for three years after fermentation. The wrapper leaves also undergo a low temperature slow fermentation process preserve the oil content and enhance their flavor.

A strong flavor profile of espresso, charred meat and pepper great the palate. That is balanced by sweet molasses and dark chocolate. I've smoked several of this and they have all performed well, and remain flavorful with no bitterness right down to the warm nub.


The selected bourbon accompaniment was Rabbit Hole Heigold Bourbon. Heigold is a high rye whiskey with a mash bill of 70 percent corn, 25 percent malted rye, and 5 percent malted barley. It is bottled at 95 proof. Caramel, ginger, and brown sugar waft from the glass. Sipping brings a sweet combination of brown sugar, gingerbread, and cinnamon. It's almost like a glazed cinnamon pastry. The rye influence arrives in the finish with a pleasing spicy heat. I first tried Rabbit Hole products a few years back during a work trip to Louisville. We've since started seeing the products more in Virginia, but supplies are sporadic and limited. This is definitely one to look for.

Cheers!


[ This content originated at Musings Over a Barrel ]

Last IDPA Match of the Year

Author: From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Dec 26th, 2023
   Category: Blog Entries.Local
I was happy to close out the year, and kick off my Christmas vacation, with a morning of IDPA with friends at Cavalier range.

Leaving the house on Saturday morning I questioned my sanity as the car thermometer started out showing 30°, which I watched tick down to 27° as I drove on. Fortunately, when I arrived at the range, with the sun doing its work, the temperature was up to 37°. The day would at least creep up to the low 40° range. 

The crowd was smaller than usual, and we were divided into two squads of around 16. For this match I again shot my Compact SIG P320. In deference to the cold, and simply for practice, I used my winter carry setup of OWB carry holster and a winter jacket, instead of the competition holster and vest.

Our first stage was a fun field course that started with two close targets in the open. Moving through the course of fire we engaged targets at varying distances. 


The second stage our squad shot was also a field course. This time the unloaded firearm and all magazines were placed on a table. This was my second best stage with just two points down. 


The next bay we entered held two short standards stages. The first had three close head shot-only targets, a target that required a wide swing to the left, followed by swinging back right and engaging a target downrange partially hidden by barrels. All targets required a minimum of one hit. Despite taking two shots at the far target I managed to hit the barrel with both. 


The other short course involved just three close targets. One, a head shot with a non-threat over the rest of the target required one shot first, followed by two shots to each of the others. This is one of those stages that can tempt you to go too fast. To my delight, I came up shooting fast and smooth, completing the challenge -0 and finished 10th of the 33 shooters in all divisions.


This next stage created a bit of confusion during the stage briefing. It was, in the end quite simple, but the directions given complicated the matter I thought. From a seated position, there was an array of five targets with non-threats and vision barriers obscuring much of the target area. There were also four targets to the sides, located near and far. Due to the rules of priority, both of the outer two closer targets had to be engaged prior to engaging the rear two. The line of targets in the center could be engaged anytime. Most shooters simply went left to right across the front and middle, finishing with the two back targets on either side. 


Our squad ended with a minimally Christmas themed stage, where our magazines started in a wrapped box. Our firearm was holstered and unloaded. Copious fault lines through the course fire gave us plenty of movement to multiple positions of cover. It also gave me the opportunity to completely skip engaging one target and earning both two misses and a procedural error. Sadly, being the last stage I didn't get to wipe that from my memory by shooting another stage.


All in all, it was a fun match and I was happy to have the chance to get to the range, shoot a bit, and visit with friends. I finished way down in the overall standings, but was generally happy with how I shot, barring some mental errors with the game part of the sport. Any day on the range is a good day. Besides, I was on vacation and there were good cigars and drinks ahead.

Cheers!


[ This content originated at Musings Over a Barrel ]

Merry Christmas

Author: From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Dec 25th, 2023
   Category: Blog Entries.Local
As we begin the celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord, I wish all of you a peaceful and blessed Christmas season. May the joy of Christmas remain with you all the year.

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus
that the whole world should be enrolled.
This was the first enrollment, 
when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.
And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth 
to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, 
because he was of the house and family of David, 
to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
While they were there,
the time came for her to have her child, 
and she gave birth to her firstborn son.
She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, 
because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields 
and keeping the night watch over their flock.
The angel of the Lord appeared to them 
and the glory of the Lord shone around them, 
and they were struck with great fear.
The angel said to them,
“Do not be afraid;
for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy 
that will be for all the people.
For today in the city of David 
a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.
And this will be a sign for you: 
you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes 
and lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel,
praising God and saying:
    “Glory to God in the highest
        and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
 -- Luke 2: 1-14


Also, as I frequently remind people, the season of Christmas only begins today, December 25. This joyous celebration continues until the Feast of Epiphany on January 6. The birth of Our Savior is an event worthy of more than a single day of rejoicing. 


 ? Merry Christmas To All! ?



[ This content originated at Musings Over a Barrel ]

Larger images with the gThumb web albums feature

Author: From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Dec 25th, 2023
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

gThumb, an image editor and organizer that ships with most Linux distributions, has been a favorite tool of mine for many years. It has a neat feature that outputs static web albums from within the application. I've used the feature off and on for years.

Example Album

Recently, I decided I would like to standardize on it for sharing photos here. However, it defaults to outputting a 650px wide image in the web album, which is a little small for today's larger monitors. Because it is open source, there is nothing stopping me from fixing the application.

Using Google, a few Reddit posts plus a blog post by somebody that made their own theme, and some help from the Gnome gThumb Discourse, I found the theme files at /user/share/gthumb. I poked around the theme files and found this in the index.ghtml file for the theme. There is also a container for the image in the style.css that you'll want to update to match your new file size.

<% set_var preview_width="750" preview_height="750" if="image_description_enabled || image_attributes_enabled" %>

<% set_var preview_width="650" preview_height="650" unless="image_description_enabled || image_attributes_enabled" %>

The numbers may vary based on the theme, but increasing those numbers is how you get a larger output image. I increased them to 1000, resulting in the album I linked above.


And the Sun Came Out

Author: From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Dec 23rd, 2023
   Category: Blog Entries.Local
A gray weather week capped off by a sunny afternoon.


Not much more needs to be said.

Cheers!


[ This content originated at Musings Over a Barrel ]

Heineken Zero

Author: From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Dec 23rd, 2023
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

We were at a concert and I was thirsty but did not want any more alcohol, and they had Heineken Zero on the menu.

It has been years since I've had a Heineken. I think the Zero tasted like the original. I don't want another Heineken Zero, and I don't like Heineken in general, but I don't have a super clear memory of what a Heineken should taste like. I remember a watery, skunky taste. And that is what the zero delivered.

So if you like Heineken, I think you'll like it's non-alcoholic version.


Five O’Clock Friday: Vacation Edition

Author: From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Dec 22nd, 2023
   Category: Blog Entries.Local
It's vacation! Fun times ahead.


I'll be over here . . .

Cheers!


[ This content originated at Musings Over a Barrel ]

Hibiki Whiskey and Room 101 Send Nudes

Author: From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Dec 22nd, 2023
   Category: Blog Entries.Local
A mid-week opportunity to enjoy a cigar and a drink arose somewhat unexpectedly. Despite the cold temperature outside I couldn't resist taking advantage. I grabbed a Room 101 Send Nudes smoke from my humidor, and grabbed the bottle of Hibiki Harmony Japanese Whisky I've been eyeing.

I've actually had the whiskey sitting on my shelves for a couple years. Despite the fancy attention-getting faceted glass bottle, it had not been visited recently. I've been wanting to drink it again, but newer bottles kept getting my focus.


Hibiki Harmony checks in at a mild 86 proof. The golden liquid has a pleasing floral and honey aroma. In the sipping, the whisky comes alive. It's light, and flavorful at the same time. Fruit, honey, cinnamon, and a host of other notes blend into a palate pleaser. The finish is clean with a touch of sweetness and heat.  I'm a jaded bourbon lover, but the bright, mild Japanese whisky was most delightful. 

The unbanded Room 101 Send Nudes cigar was included in the November Luxury Cigar Club monthly shipment. I knew Room 101 by name, but that's about the extent of my familiarity. The only description provided was of Nicaraguan binders and fillers. The Toro sized stick appears to have Habano wrapper of some ilk. I admittedly was not expecting much excitement from the stick, and figured it would be worth the risk of lighting it up in the cold.

Immediately upon lighting it, I was hit with a burst of pepper. Wow, I was not expecting that. As the cigar progressed to the halfway point, the spice diminished. It was still there in the back, but balanced by black coffee and woody notes. It remained a flavorful smoke until I had to put it down. While at the start the smoke overpowered the Hibiki a bit, the combo developed into an enjoyable pairing.

One of the banes of cold weather smoking is occasionally a wrapper will crack and explode from the cold, dry air. About the midway point of this cigar I noticed some minor flaking of the wrapper, which the burn easily passed by without any issue. Along about the start of the last quarter, the wrapper developed more significant cracks along its length. At one point I actually heard a "pop" as the wrapper split. It was below 40° at this point, and I was leaning over the propane heater, which may have compounded the issue.


Ah well, my glass was empty and my hands were cold, so I didn't try to salvage the last bit. It had been a surprisingly enjoyable break, and I felt no disappointment with the either drink or the cigar.

Cheers!


[ This content originated at Musings Over a Barrel ]

Entrepreneurship

Author: From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Dec 22nd, 2023
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

Carnival and Entreprenuership


Cappuccino and Southern Draw Brimstone Lonsdale

Author: From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Dec 20th, 2023
   Category: Blog Entries.Local
Saturday afternoon provided the perfect time to enjoy a smoke on the deck. Enough chores were completed, and we'd returned from a fun, and filling, lunch out. I brewed up a couple cappuccinos and headed for the screened porch with mine. I opted for a Southern Draw Jacobs Ladder Brimstone in Lonsdale format to accompany the milky coffee.


Southern Draw Jacobs Ladder Brimstone is a full bodied cigar. It sports a USA Broadleaf wrapper and binder. The strength is enhanced by a triple ligero filler blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos. This Lonsdale vitola is a 6 x 44 stick.

The smoke is a robust blend of dark chocolate, roasted coffee, dark fruit, along with a pepper spiciness. The burn needed just one touch up, due to my inattention. The boldly flavored smoke was smoothed by the creamy, slightly bitter coffee drink. The two flavor profiles complimented each other to perfection.

Most of my smoking time is accompanied by listening to music, most often blues selections. I'll turn some classic jazz frequently, especially during afternoon smokes while relaxing with coffee. This time, within a few minutes of lighting up, no less than three neighbors fired up their leaf blowers, which served to drown out any musical enjoyment. The cacophony of small engine noises provided a less than ideal background. However, I did give me a pleasurable satisfaction knowing that my own yard cleaning chores were completed and off my list.

Cheers!


[ This content originated at Musings Over a Barrel ]

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