HoCo Fair - Baby Animals and Deep-fried Oreos

On Sunday, Mrs. P90 and I took the kids to the Howard County Fair. There really is nothing like the fair to remind you of the diversity of Howard County. It’s the great equalizer. And it’s so much fun to walk the kids around, show them the animals, let them play in a vat of feed corn, and then dine on deep-fried Oreos.

Yes, you read that correctly, Deep Fried Oreos. Oreos in their “natural” state do nothing for me. However, if you dip them in dark chocolate or deep fry them, they take on a new life. And deep fried Oreos are a treat best consumed warm and only once a year.

If you’re a fan of Oreos and funnel cake then deep fried Oreos alone are worth the price of admission to the fair. There’s just something about the crispy exterior, the way the Oreo itself melts, and then the way the icing melts even further.

Aside from the Oreos. You can’t go wrong looking at all of the animals, especially those in the Kids Barn. Baby pigs, baby ducks, baby cows, baby bunnies, you get the idea... And then of course, there is the giant vat of feed corn for the kids to play in. We made it into the Kids Barn just as the deluge started yesterday afternoon. 1. You haven’t heard rain until you have heard it beating down on a tin roof. LOUD! 2. Kids can spend an inordinate of time rolling around in feed corn. Who knew? My kids spent about 20 minutes playing in the corn and we found no less than nine kernels in the washer and or dryer last night after we washed their clothes.

The fair runs through Saturday. Go. See Animals. Eat deep-fried Oreos. And figure out just who this HoCo Mystery Sheep is. hocoblogs@@@

Mystery Sheep of Howard County

Who is this mysterious sheep? Why the need for the disguise? I doubt we'll ever know.

New Belgium Beers in Maryland!

I've been doing some sleuthing over the last few days and it appears as though we should have New Belgium Beers (Fat Tire et. al.) in HoCo by the last week of August.

As reported previously, at first we will only have 22 oz. "bombers." It's expected that kegs will follow a few weeks later, and 6-packs and 12-packs of bottles should be in our market by the new year.

As for the exact beers we'll be seeing, I.M.Wine is expecting Fat Tire, Ranger, 1554, and a few from the Lips of Faith series. I would add Hoptober and Mothership to the list of beers to expect. I'd also guess that the Lips of Faith beers will be Super Cru, Clutch, and Kick.

And I'll take this as my cue to hurry up and drink the bottle of Super Cru I smuggled home from Colorado...

Maryland Beer Month

August, for me, is going to be Maryland Beer Month. For some reason, I don’t drink a whole lot of Maryland beers. I’m not sure why this is, but I seem to drink mainly beers from CA, DE, and CO. But I’m switching things up - my goal for the month of August is to drink only beer from MD (aside from drinking Dogfish and Evo when I’m at the beach).

A few months ago, I wrote a post about Wine in the Woods and suggested that maybe we should have a complimentary event called Beer in the Bushes. The name not withstanding, I think it’s a great concept. Maryland’s wines are certainly miles ahead of where they were 10 years ago, but they still pale in comparison to West Coast wines and even a lot of East Coast and Midwestern wines.

But our beer, our beer is great. When I came of beer drinking age, we had Oxford, Clipper City, Wild Goose, Blue Ridge, Baltimore Beer Company and maybe one or two I am missing. I’m just old enough to have had quite a few delicious pints at Sisson’s in Federal Hill prior to it closing. In my “early professional years” while living in Baltimore, Brewer’s Art was my bar of choice. Heck, when I lived in Burtonsville and worked in Halethorpe, I would drive the wrong direction in order to go to Brewer’s Art for happy hour!

And today, our locally produced beer supply is even better. Hugh Sisson is still turning out great beers through Heavy Seas. Brewer’s Art is bottling and canning their beers, and while I still think the Resurrection in a can tastes different, it’s still a great beer. And I can’t leave out Flying Dog since their Bier de Garde has a visual that resembles a cross between Cujo and Daisy (my loving dog).

So, in August my plan is to stock the fridge with Maryland beer and visit the Heavy Seas and Flying Dog breweries. And it won’t hurt that the first few batches from my return to homebrew will be ready to drink!

My Daughter had a Black Tooth (or How I Learned to Stop Being Over-protective of my Kids)

I wasn’t always crazy and obsessed with safety and risk management. I’m blaming it on parenthood and working at various public health nonprofits. However it started, by the time my daughters had turned one and three, I might as well have bought the entire stocks of One Step Ahead and Whole Foods. I was a helicopter parent – making sure to feed them the right foods, stepping in to catch them before they fell, saying “be careful” when I caught them jumping on the couch.

And then one night after dinner, preparing to take the girls to the neighborhood playground, I “indulged” my then 3.5 year-old allowing her to wear her orange Crocs rather than securely laced sneakers. Two minutes later we were standing on the front porch fumbling for the keys while blood was pouring out of my daughter’s mouth. Somehow, between the front porch and the driveway, she had managed to face-plant and smash her front tooth into her gum. My wife wiped up blood, comforted my daughter, and I freaked out calling the dentist and the urgent care center.

It was the blood bath to end all blood baths - a cross between Fight Club and True Blood. My daughter was fine by the next morning. But I woke to realize that no matter what we do, we can't protect our kids forever and the last thing I want is for my kids to turn out like the millennials... Btw, remind me to tell you about the book I'm writing entitled "The Worst Generation." Hint, it's about the millennial's parents.

So a few weeks ago, as my two year-old was repeatedly climbing in and out of the pool and ignoring my requests that she stop, I didn't make a big deal when she smacked her tooth against the edge and took out a big chip. What could I do? No matter how careful and protective I am, my kids will do stupid things and they will get hurt. The best I can do is provide a nurturing environment, teach them right from wrong, and hope they listen to 10% of what I say.

Oh, and about the blood bath, my daughter's tooth turned gray, then bluish gray, then dark gray, the pink, and is now normal again. Apparently, kids have extremely resilient teeth.

Vintage Skateboards

These are for sale. Feel free to comment if you are interested in purchasing.

Swampocalypse Now

Swampocalypse Now! Is there any turn of phrase to better describe the feeling that smacked you in the face as you walked out of your door this morning? And I can’t imagine what it will feel like this afternoon.

At 7:30 AM as I tried to coax the dog out of the door, she just turned to me as to say “are f***ing kiddig me? The air out there feels like a hot tub and you expert furry me to go out there. Whatever dude, I’ll learn to use the potty seat!”

No, Daisy (the dog) didn’t really say this, but her body language did. As did mine as I soaked through my shirt just trying to drop the girls off at pre-school.

Thank god we’re going to the beach this weekend. I think I’ll bring a mask and snorkel and try to remain submerged until the temperature and dew point drop!