summer strolls

There are times when things work out for the best.  I have the tendency to have a knee jerk reaction to the terrible eating habits of my children, and it infuriates me.  On a rainy day in Maine this summer, we decided to explore Portland and see what it had to offer.  In my younger days I spent a lot of time in Maine, and had been to Portland several times, but it was nothing like it is now.  It seems that Portland is going the same way as a lot of other cities in the country.  I don't know if the current incarnation is the "hipster" or some variation there of, but Portland is loaded with the bearded and tattooed.  Wool hats and flannel in the dead of summer.  The 90 degree heat in the first weekend of August doesn't seem to be the best time for flannel and wool hats, but whatever.  I miss the outdoors.  I miss the life of sailing and hiking and backpacking.  Being in Maine made me think of all of the things that I used to do, and made me nostalgic for my youth, a time when almost everything was new.  everything was exciting. this was the time when i was first experimenting with drugs, and learning how to deal with alcohol, all while being responsible for myself and a crew of people on a 40' sailboat that was going off daily into the vast atlantic ocean. totally vulnerable. totally in the hands of the almighty.
But I digress...  We strolled the streets of Portland, looking in the shops and enjoying the day.  When it came time to pick a place for lunch, I had my heart set on fish.  Any fish.  Fried fish sandwich, lobster roll, clams, oysters...  anything. But, my children and their poor eating habits prevented that. After a period of intense whining, it was decided that we would go to a pizza joint.  Actually, it was a flatbread joint, and as far as i was concerned, that was pizza.  I was unhappy about the turn of events and sulked as we passed several fish spots that looked delightfully rundown. When we got to the flatbread restaurant, we put in our name and waited patiently for our table.  When we sat down, I looked over the beer menu, and saw an interesting selection.  Bissell Brothers. This beer blew my mind, and distracted me from my previous irritation. The beer, known as The Substance was unreal, hopped just right, with loads of citrus fruit on the nose and pallet. hazy and unfiltered, and made me smile. I have since become a huge follower of this brewery.  If you ever have the opportunity to try it, you will not regret it.