1981 Freelancers

In 1981, the Sacramento Freelancers drum and bugle corps placed 11th at DCI Finals in Montreal, Canada. Unfortunately, that year there were "issues" with the television rights (read: money) and the finals were never aired. What did air was Midwestern Championships. Freelancers didn't place in finals at the Midwest show (ugh). So their show - even though in DCI Finals - never aired.

It was long-rumored that video WAS taken at prelims in Montreal. It was taken from the GE Box on a stationary tri-pod. But no one knew if the video really existed. Until now.

Someone has posted the video on YouTube, saying it was filmed on a beta tape, transferred to VHS, and then converted to DVD. I don't care the quality, I'm just elated! I'm hugely sentimental about this show - if you know me, you can guess that - and it really excites me to no end to see it. I mean, nearly 30 years and not ever seeing it? Wow! Anyhoo, many won't find this entertaining, but this post is just for me. Me and only me.

Here's Part 1:



Here's Part 2:

(Not) Beer in Europe Pt. 3

As you can note from the previous 2 entries, I drank beer in Europe. But I also drank good coffee, weird sodas that I couldn't pronounce the name, and lots of water (I like it with gas!). I also had some "not" beer.

Bulmers is a hard cider that is a staple in Ireland. It's sold here in the states under the label Magners. I'm a fan and was surprised to see they've branched out to different flavors. Lemme tell you, the pear is delicious. Not as sweet as the original apple. I didn't try the berry flavor, but will give the pear a thumbs up. And the neat-o green matching pull tops are a winner!

I'd read about Vienna's Heurigen taverns in the Rick Steves travel book. It's basically a wine garden rather than a beer garden. We never made it to one (but got a close 2nd at a restaurant in the city) and I had been aching to try the Viennese wine. Well, Rick was right when he wrote this in his guide book:

"Many locals claim it takes several years of practice to distinguish
between the Sturm wine and vinegar."

No wonder it cost 89 cents. No wonder it was a screw cap (although I'm not a cork snob). And I didn't drink it in a glass... straight out of the bottle for me. Gave me the true Viennese hobo experience!

Speaking of bad wine, I didn't actually buy this one. But while in a Vienna market, it intrigued me. American style? Ruby cabernet? What the fuck? Should have tried some to compare it to 2-Buck-Chuck. I'm glad I can get REAL American wine from California!

Beer in Europe Pt. 2

Beer is always better from the tap, so when I can get it, I buy what's on tap. My favorite beer from our whole trip was the beer we had at Oktoberfest: Hofbräu. But to be sure, there were lots of good choices throughout the trip.

Take this for example: first beer on the trip. A lovely pils in Amsterdam. Never heard of the brand but I'll admit, it did rival the flavor of Heineken.
Mmm, did someone say Heineken?
I used to be fussy and didn't like fruit in my beer, but on occasion, a wedge of lemon in a hefe is refreshing. Like this beauty in Amsterdam:
Düsseldorf has lots of wonderful breweries, but with hunger pains setting in we didn't take beer into account for our restaurant choice. We ordered the pork platter (what else?) and we were pleasantly surprised when these beer lovelies showed up.
First beer in München: the achingly delicious Franziskaner!
Visiting Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, we had lunch where Sisi would take breakfast. Lucky for us, they serve beer (and wine)!
A late supper in Vienna. A random pedestrian-only street. Bare light bulbs over the outdoor seating. Waiter with an attitude. Perfect! Out came the sky-high pilsners:
Final beers in Vienna. Rather than a known big brand, we opted for the hotel's recommendation: a nifty micro brew. While the hemp beer was a bit "pot flavored", these big bad boys went down easy.

Beer in Europe Pt. 1

Stopping in at the local market usually means more than buying cheese and bread. It means trying a few local beers. I have never heard of most of these. And at the ridiculously low price of about 46 cents a can, it's cheaper than bottled water!

These 3 brands were consumed in Amsterdam. Hertog Jan was quite tasty and Amstel was delicious. Oddly enough, one can't buy Amstel in the states, just Amstel Light. And the beer that says "Pilsener"? Found out later that it was the grocery store brand. Not bad for what was essentially generic.
Two more selections from Amsterdam. Bavaria...hmm, odd choice for NOT being in Bavaria. Was decent and somewhat serviceable. Now the one on the right, Oud Bruin. Truly dreadful. Brown, sweet beer. Like something for old ladies or kids just learning to switch from soda to beer. I asked the guys at the Heineken Experience about it. They personally didn't like the stuff and they didn't even serve it at the Experience. Said it was a special thing for the Netherlands. Come to think of it, it might be good to cook with, but other than that, um, no thanks.

Oddly, I don't have any snaps of bottles or cans from Germany. But here in Vienna, 3 more options. Yea, nothing to write home about (which I didn't), but on the warm Austrian afternoon when I drank these, the Bud Light-esque quality went down pretty smoooooth. For the cheap price, no wonder I kept seeing construction guys gulping these on their walk home from work.

Farmer's Market in the Rain

I did my weekly farmer's market shopping today despite the rain. How could I resist such beauty:
It was pretty dreary outside:
And I got what this farmer told me was, the last of the season. That's good eatin.