Curious Souls

DIY Wort Chiller

2012-01-21T22:10:00.001-08:00

We here at Curious Souls H.Q. are always looking for ways to save a buck or two. So, when shopping around online for a wort chiller for home brewing, we found the following prices:

So, off to the hardware store...

3/8" (internal diameter) Vinyl Tubing (10 feet) = $4.15
Sink to hose adapter (varies based on your type of sink) = $4.79
3/8" X 20' Copper Tubing = $24.13
Vinyl Hose Coupler = $2.49
Hose clamps (x2) = $1.70
Band-aids (x2 or x3 or x4) = $1.00

For a total of $38.26 (pre-tax, no shipping), we decided to roll our own.

Here's how it went down...

(vid link)

And, of course, there is the joy of having made something all by yourself! Priceless & fun!

Our latest DIY adventure... Homebrew!

2012-01-14T21:16:00.000-08:00

After participating in a few different brewery tours around town, the Curious Souls wondered "how difficult can this brewing thing really be?"

Today, with a few beers (for inspiration), a few friends, and an extract kit, we decided to try it out for ourselves. Enter (stage left) End of the World Brewing...

(Vid link for the iPhone impaired)

Easy, right? Just like making stew... or tea... or stewing tea... or something...

And now, we wait (quite impatiently) for the little S. cervisiae to do their job.

A Year Ago, then Snow!

2011-10-25T22:40:00.000-07:00

About one year ago, we moved into our new home in Fort Collins, CO. What has changed since then? Many things! (Details forthcoming.) One of the most visible changes being that the owners painted our house "Forest Service Green" a month ago. Fancy!

And, we went from a high of 77 yesterday, to three inches of snow (and still accumulating) tonight! Crazy Colorado weather... Asher loves it!

Time to break out the snow boots!

Ellen vs. Homemade Soy Milk - part 2

2011-10-22T15:44:00.000-07:00

The soy milk experiment was a success!! From 577 grams of soy beans ($2 worth), I made ONE GALLON of delicious milk!

Here's what happened today:

Turning the beans into a foamy paste: Moderately Easy

I drained the soaking beans and put them in the processor with some water. What made this slightly harder than totally easy is that 1) I have a four cup food processor so I had to do it in lots of batches and 2) I didn't process the first couple of batches long enough so I had to repeat the processing. The goal with this is to make it thick and foamy.

Boiling the soy bean mixture: Easy But Incredibly Messy

I added the thick foamy mixture to some pre-heated water. Even after splitting it into four different pots, it still tried to overflow.

Separating the Soy Milk from the Okara: Easy but HOT

After 20 minutes, it was time to separate the soy milk from the fibrous bean part, called okara. This is done by pouring the whole mixture into a cotton muslin bag and then squeezing the bag to get all of the soy milk out of the okara.

If you are using regular plastic kitchen gloves to do this, I would recommend putting on liners underneath the gloves.

Video

And that is it! We have soy milk. Now to make the tofu...

Ellen vs. Homemade Soy Milk - part 1

2011-10-21T17:13:00.000-07:00

Jon and I have been eating more vegan than not lately which means more soy milk and tofu. After a conversation with some friends of mine and the discovery of this site, I decided that I wanted to try to make my own soy milk and tofu.

This is a many day process so I'm going to blog about it as I go, which means you will get my totally uncensored opinion of how hard or easy it is. Today involved the purchase of the soy beans and the soaking.

Buying organic soy beans: Easy
I found organic soy beans at the Fort Collins Food Co-op. If you live in a town with a food co-op, you should definitely check it out. We buy all of our bulk items at the coop and recently had to shop at a Whole Foods when we were out of town and wow is the Whole Foods bulk section ridiculously small (Take that, Whole Foods! Your bulk food section is miniscule!) Anyway, here are the soy beans in all their organic and inexpensive glory:

You will notice in the instructions that the recipe calls for one pound (or 500g) of soybeans. It is kind of unclear how much soy milk I will end up with but $1.59 for each batch is pretty great.

Measuring out the beans, cleaning and soaking them: Easy

I used my kitchen scale to measure out the beans and kind of half-ass rinsed them since they looked pretty clean and there were definitely not any stones.

Here are the beans before rinsing and soaking:

And here they are in their water:

So far, so good. Tomorrow the real fun begins.

Flashback: Hamburg, Germany

2011-07-31T19:27:00.000-07:00

Just over a year ago, Ellen and I decided that it was time to escape the oppressive heat wave in Berlin. (This year the high for the upcoming week is a lovely 76. Time to go back?) Ellen had looked up several old friends, including one in Hamburg, Germany. This was our next destination. When we arrived, Anke, our hostess, already had big plans for us. Our first order of business was to travel downtown... by canoe. We learned that Hamburg has an extensive canal network, including more bridges than either Amsterdam or Venice.

Vid Link

That evening, we were taken to the very swank hotel-top bar: 20up. My favorite part was the view from the restroom...

On the way back home we took a stroll through the Reeperbahn past Herbertstraße and learned that you can identify a prostitute by the fanny-pack that they typically wear - not in back - but in front. It's important to keep an eye on the cash.

The next day, we decided to learn a bit more about the city and so we jumped on another free tour from Sandeman's. The tour stopped at some churches, including St. Peter's which housed the oldest art work known in Hamburg: these door handles from 1342...

We also stopped at St. Nikolai, which was nearly destroyed by air raids during WWII...

In a darker part of German history, we passed by the Meßberghof, which housed the company that manufactured the Zyklon B pesticide used in the gas chambers of Auschwitz. The figures on the outside are original... and extraordinarily creepy.

On a happier note, here is a poodle...

Hamburg has a huge port and was part of the Hanseatic League. This puppy sits atop the shipping house originally owned by Carl Laeisz. His "pet name" for his wife Sophie was "poodle." Now that's love. Other shipping houses along the tour also had some pretty interesting architecture.

We ended the tour in a modern area of town being heavily developed next to the new Symphony Hall, presently under construction. It should be pretty cool when completed. Watch its progress here.

We wound down the evening with a wonderful meal prepared by Anke and a few glasses of wine. The fresh ravioli she had picked up at the local market that morning was better than any we had in all of Italy. Absolutely.

The next morning (very early), we said our goodbyes to Anke and headed out to listen to some organ music and then wandered over to the fish market.

As to be expected, lots of vendors...

And, fish!

I wasn't ready for the cold slab of skin-on fish, so I purchased the Americanized version. Not too bad.

This guy could wield a butcher knife like it was his job. Wait. It was his job.

Anybody want to buy a pigeon? Hamburg has you covered.

Finally, here are a few miscellaneous pictures from around the city that you should see:

This was not a handicapped person. Just a dog in a department store. Love it.

Interracial gay marriage card in the same department store. How times have changed in 60-odd years. Good job.

Specialized tools for brautwerk. Serious business.

And.... that's a wrap for Hamburg! Thanks again to Anke for being such a wonderful host to us!

A Year of Firsts: Fort Collins Urban Assault!

2011-07-19T13:42:00.000-07:00

First the bike camping and now our very first Urban Assault - we are on a roll with firsts! We participated in this city wide bicycle scavenger hunt last weekend and boy was it fun!

One tip if you do attend: there is a prize at the end for "style." There were lots of good contenders this year.

The ride started and ended in the New Belgium Brewing parking lot and, as is to be expected, involved copious amounts of BEER!

Some "activities" at the ride stops:

Diving for cans of New Belgium beer:

Video

Slip and Slide!

Video

The best ride end ever: a wet bounce house on a hot day!

Video

Convinced yet that this is a good time? Sign up next year and ride with us!

Our First Bicycle Backpacking Adventure!

2011-07-04T12:18:00.000-07:00

Guess what we did last weekend? We went bikepacking! Or, perhaps more accurately, we embarked on our very first sub-24 hour overnight bike camping trip, also known as an S24O.

Video

We started from our house in north Fort Collins with our bikes loaded up with gear.

The 10.5 miles to Lory State Park involved 6.4 miles of lovely separated bike lanes over relatively flat terrain and then 4.1 miles of almost completely uphill roads with no shoulder. We arrived at the park hot and sweaty to find, coincidentally, my Mom and Dad and some much needed ice water. They claimed they were out looking at houses but we think they were spying on us... :)

We pedaled into the park, locked our bikes at the picnic site across from the trailhead and loaded up our packs. Did I mention that we had to backpack in to our campsite?

We started the entire trip kind of late in the day so we had to move pretty fast to hike the four miles in to the backcountry sites before dark.

We made it just as the sun was beginning to set and were able to get our tent up before it got dark. We went to sleep pretty quickly after dinner but not before a moment of mild alarm as we heard a strange noise that sounded like a bear. I am proud to say that we didn't panic although in retrospect our plan to throw our trail mix at the bear and flee the scene screaming might not have been the best. Fortunately, we realized after a little while that the sound was probably coming form a bird. A weird bear-bird.

In the morning, we had a quick breakfast, broke camp and headed back down the mountain along a different route.

The trail we took down was way more scenic than the way up and we enjoyed views of Arthur's Rock and sweeping vistas of the foothills meeting the plains.

Once back on our bike, we flew down the road (4.1 miles downhill this time - wheee!) and stopped at the totally adorable Bellvue Bean for some lunch. We had a pleasant time relaxing on their back patio and hanging out with one of Asher's very elderly cousins.

The remaining after-lunch miles were a piece of cake and we arrived home sweaty, dirty and happy. We're already planning our next trip - anyone want to come with us?

Leather is Delicious!

2011-06-22T13:19:00.000-07:00

At least Asher seems to think so.

Vid

He usually has a much longer lick of his favorite COWtch, but I think he got stage fright when we pulled out the camera.

On Top of Old Copper

2011-06-18T13:39:00.000-07:00

I wanna tell you about a really fun weekend that we neglected reporting on here on the blog. Back in early April, some friends of ours invited us up to their family condo at Copper Mountain. Three stories tall with huge windows facing the mountain. Hot tub out back. Super swank. So, thanks again for the good times, Hammies!

And here's a little video of our time on the mountain...

Vid

Flashback: A New Series Recapping the Missed Adventures of the Curious Souls : Part I

2011-06-14T14:50:00.000-07:00

It was about this time last year that the blog started getting a little patchy. We would post when we could, but we left some holes and we missed sharing a lot of fun stuff with you! We always had the intent to go back and review and now, this is our chance.

Flashback to Southern Maryland: The Souls were taking some time off from the road and being treated to garden-fresh meals, VIP art tours, and fancy drinks. We even had some spa treatment!

(I highly recommend the entertaining show.)

One of the things we missed talking about was our water-borne adventures. In addition to some paddling around St. Mary's River/Bay in kayaks, MB and family took us out for a spin on the St. Mary's College boat.

Vid

Later on, we had some personalized small boat sailing instruction and even took one of the smaller boats out on our own for a spell. The fact that we managed to stay dry the whole time cemented our love of wind-powered vessels. If anyone has an extra sailboat, we'll gladly take it off your hands!

--------------------------

* Cultural Reference for Sailing Video

Ask and Ye Shall Recieve

2011-06-08T22:29:00.000-07:00

It was only yesterday that Ellen posted this on her Facebook page...

And then, tonight, this happened...

Vid Link

I guess hail is a little bit like snow, right?

End of an Era

2011-06-02T12:50:00.000-07:00

Well, we've had some fantastic adventures in the old Eagle. But now, 497 days later, the time has come for us to go our separate ways.

Yes, two vehicles in the household turns out to be just one too many for the Curious Souls. And our new (to us) Honda Element is proving to be quite the utilitarian "mini van" in its own right.

And so, we bid you adieu good friend...

Video link

Here is the Craigslist Posting for those that are interested. We'd love for her to go to a good home.

Happy Save Money Day!

2011-04-22T16:22:00.000-07:00

Saving the Earth is all well and good. We certainly need a hospitable environment in which to live out our dreams. But it turns out that most things that benefit the planet can also benefit your wallet.

In the spirit of Earth Day, we're going to share with you some of the things that we Souls have done around the casa to save a bit of dinero and, perhaps, a bit of our big, blue mama. We hope some of these will work for you, too!

Taking away the trash bin.

Recycling: A no-brainer if your community offers it. Where we live, our waste management company offers free recycling. The more we recycle, the less we put in the trash (which we pay for).
Composting: You would be surprised at what you can compost. Everything organic goes into the bin in the backyard. We keep a smaller, air-tight bin in the house to avoid frequent trips outside. Not only does this reduce what goes into the trash but it will also give us nutrient rich soil for our garden.
Trash Reduction: We used to have a 35 gallon trash bin that we only put out once every four or five weeks. Just this week, we decided to get rid of it completely (pic, right). We now pay for exactly what we throw away by paying per 33 gallon bag versus the monthly fee for the old container. Inspired by this family who produces almost zero trash, our next goal is to produce only one bag of trash every two months.
Garden: Free veggies! Yes, we need to pay for seeds and water but, given the price of produce in the supermarket these days, we're hoping this is a money-saving win. This is our first year with a garden, so wish us luck!
Air Drying: Ditch your dryer. Your clothes will last longer and you'll save on your electric (or gas) bill.
Big Blankets, etc: At the beginning of winter, we invested in some nice down comforters. Staying warm with them was easy and allowed us to click the thermostat down a couple notches. Ellen also took a tip from a friend and made her own foot/body/bed-warmer.
Walk: We are lucky to live within walking distance of our local grocery store and so we usually combine a dog walk with a trip to the store, saving gas.
Bulk: After a few trips to the Co-op, and comparing receipts, we've determined which items are cheaper to buy in bulk versus buying at the grocery. Less packaging ends up in the trash.
Bike: For longer trips around town, biking saves gas. We recommend investing a a good set of pannier bags or a bike trailer so that you can easily transport your Co-op or brewery purchases back home.
Cloth Napkins: While paper napkins are recyclable, cloth napkins (after the initial investment) are free to reuse for a long time. Tip: these are really cheap at garage and estate sales.
Craigslist / Goodwill: Do you really need to buy that item new? Underwear... yeah, sure. But what about a couch, a set of glasses or a computer desk? You will certainly save some bucks if you buy second-hand. You'll keep used stuff out of the landfill, too. But we're talking about saving money here, so forget about that. :)
Telecommute: If you're lucky enough to have the right kind of job to do this, do it! Ask your boss. The worst s/he can say is no. Save gas and lunch money by eating at home.

These are some things that work for us but we are always looking for new ways to save. What tips do you have for saving green?

Let's Talk Politics.

2011-04-01T16:02:00.000-07:00

No, we're not going to talk about corporate tax breaks or unions or health care. We're going to talk about something that hopefully everyone can agree on.

Yet another reason to love the City of Fort Collins came in the mail a few weeks ago...

Citizens of Fort Collins have proposed Preferential Voting!!! Yay!

Ranked voting is a great way to give third-party and independent candidates a chance without the old "you're throwing away your vote" problem. Read more about the advantages using the link above or the link below.

Also, it is difficult to see in the picture, but our candidates don't have a little (R) or (D) behind their names. Guess what? You actually need to go research the candidates instead of voting straight down the party line. Great job, Fort Collins!

More info from those that put the initiative on the ballot.

One year ago...

2011-03-20T16:31:00.000-07:00

...we were packing up the van for our great adventure; deciding on what to take with us and what to leave behind. (ProTip: Much more should have gone in the 'leave behind' pile.)

We were all full of excitement at the possibilities that stretched out before us. And, yes, we certainly did have some adventures. (Many of which we *still* need to post about! Don't worry, more to come in the near future.)

But what has become of the Curious Souls since then, you ask? What is so 'alternative' about our living now?

Well, this trip changed our lives. The time we spent traveling, reading, reflecting while not working, helped us define what we want for our lives now and and in the future.

So what is it that we actually want?

To Work For Ourselves
I won't lie: in the beginning, we were afraid (well, Ellen was afraid). Not having a regular paycheck was a bit of an adjustment for two people conditioned to expect one. But it turns out that it was unfounded fear. Now that we're used to it, we love being self-employed. Jon is currently working on his second software contract through his company (AvieTech) and Ellen recently started working as a consultant to her old employer. For us, the impact of this control over our time on our state of mind cannot be overstated. Not only does it fit more closely with our personalities, but it fits with the plans we have for our future. Do we make less money? Yes. But do we also work less, have more time for personal activities and are we happier? Absolutely.

To Live Slower Lives
Part of why we are happier is because our lives are slower. When possible, we bike instead of drive. When our washing is done, we hang dry it. We cook more, take more walks, sleep in. We are also consuming and wasting less, buying many of our groceries and household items in bulk and composting (summer will show us how successfully). I know, it sounds totally hippie-obnoxious but it really is rewarding.

Freedom From Possessions
Part of consuming less has included learning to differentiate between what we need and what we want. The temptation to consume is strong but there is a psychic toll to owning stuff. We want to stay free. Beside, there will be more travel in our future. We need to stay fleet of foot!

By all of our measures, our Experiment in Alternative Living has been, and continues to be, a success story. We are committed to continue to grow and change and look forward to sharing that with you!

(Pic: Last night's Super Mooooooon!!)

A Sip of Serendipity

2011-02-10T21:46:00.000-08:00

Remember, back in January, when we toured O'Dell and New Belgium? No? Here is a reminder.

It just so happens that, tonight, on my way home from Ignite Fort Collins, I picked up some beer to restock our fridge. It also just so happened that Mighty Arrow was on sale.

Unpacking the beer at home, I was ready to utilize my new knowledge of decoding the New Belgium time stamp to see when these particular brews were born. Wait for it...

Yep. The 12 pack I just purchased was bottled exactly 4 hours 20 minutes after the beer that we pulled off the production line on our tour! Ain't life funny sometimes?

Car-Free in FC

2011-02-09T10:58:00.000-08:00

We are officially car-free at the moment* so our breakfast plans this morning involved a combo of biking and busing.

Who needs a stinkin' car? :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*The (new in September) radiator in our van broke. Booo! Since it is fairly new, it appears that we can exchange it for a new one but that will take some time as it has to be shipped out and then a new one shipped in. Looks like we'll have plenty of time to get the hang of being car-free!

2011-02-07T07:38:00.000-08:00

Since I am on the topic of finance, I have two excellent documentaries to recommend.

"Inside Job"

'Inside Job' provides a comprehensive analysis of the global financial crisis of 2008, which at a cost over $20 trillion, caused millions of people to lose their jobs and homes in the worst recession since the Great Depression, and nearly resulted in a global financial collapse. Through exhaustive research and extensive interviews with key financial insiders, politicians, journalists, and academics, the film traces the rise of a rogue industry which has corrupted politics, regulation, and academia. It was made on location in the United States, Iceland, England, France, Singapore, and China. imdb

Video

"Maxed Out"

When Hurricane Katrina ravaged America's Gulf Coast, it laid bare an uncomfortable reality-America is not only far from the world's wealthiest nation; it is crumbling beneath a staggering burden of individual and government debt. Maxed Out takes us on a journey deep inside the American debt-style, where everything seems okay as long as the minimum monthly payment arrives on time. Sure, most of us may have that sinking feeling that something isn't quite right, but we're told not to worry. After all, there's always more credit! Maxed Out shows how the modern financial industry really works, explains the true definition of "preferred customer" and tells us why the poor are getting poorer and the rich getting richer. By turns hilarious and profoundly disturbing, Maxed Out paints a picture of a national nightmare which is all too real for most of us. imdb

Video

The Post You Have All Been Waiting For!

2011-02-06T17:35:00.000-08:00

Wherein I reveal the impact of short selling our house on my credit score!

February 4, 2010 (just before the short sale hit my credit):

Note that this was a scale of 830. I used the same company to get my scores both times (TrueCredit) and today they gave me my scores using a scale of 990. Why??? If they thought to confuse me, they FAILED! I know how to do math, yo.

February 4, 2010 in percentages:

February 6, 2011:

February 6, 2011 in percentages:

Comparison:

So my credit score dropped an average of 12% as a result of short selling our house (with one missed payment at the end of the short sale process). I have no idea if this can be unilaterally applied to other people in the same situation; how they calculate credit scores is something of a mystery and predicting what the effect would be was one of the larger irritations during the process. NOBODY could or would tell me. But hopefully this is a general guide of what to expect for those of you going through (or considering) the process.

Discussion:

What do these numbers really mean, though, when translated into our reality?

I have spent my entire life hearing about the importance my credit score. What I failed to fully appreciate at the time, however, was that my credit score really only mattered if I wanted to borrow money.

So for someone who is now allergic to borrowing money, how has my less than stellar credit score affected me? To address that, I will go over a few of the scarier predictions:

Myth: You will have a hard time renting a place to live.

"Oh crap, we will have to live with my parents!"*

Fact: Not only did we have no problem getting approved to rent our current place (which is a very cute little house in a great part of town), they did not require any additional deposits and even accepted that we were self-employed (i.e. no predictable, regular paychecks).

Myth: Your credit card could be cancelled.

"Oh crap, how will we reserve plane tickets?!"

Fact: This was actually told to me by a credit repair company. As you might have guessed, our credit card was not cancelled. Why in the world would they do that?

Myth: When you move to a new city and set up utilities for your new rental, they will charge you a deposit to set-up the service because your credit isn't good enough to waive the fee and you don't have a history with the company.

"Oh crap, we'll feel looked down on by the customer service rep!"

Fact: This is the only way we have been impacted by our credit (and was actually not one that we were warned about in advance). But it was only about $100 and is refundable so...not really a big deal.

And now for the disclaimers...I am not an attorney or a certified financial planner; our story is factually correct but obviously anecdotal. That being said, I hope it helps those of you in similar situations feel more positive about the future!

~~~~~

* Just kidding! Love you, Mom and Dad! :)

I Just Had to Share This

2011-01-21T10:31:00.000-08:00

I have figured out how to remove the shell from a soft boiled egg WITHOUT removing half of the white part of the egg along with it¹!!

Check out this beautiful specimen from my breakfast this morning:

Gorgeous, isn't it?!

Are you ready for the secret? Here it is: Leave the eggs out on the counter OVERNIGHT² so that they are at room temperature³ when you cook them!

Et Voila! Perfect eggs!

In case you are interested, my soft boiled egg technique is as follows (modified from Nigella Lawson's always fantastic advice):

Put room temperature eggs in a pot and fill with enough lukewarm water to cover the eggs by about an inch or so.
Put pot on stove and turn heat to high.
Bring to a boil and keep boiling for 45 seconds.
Remove from heat and let sit for 8 minutes.
Remove eggs and put in another bowl full of cold water.
Peel and eat!

UPDATE:

Apparently, this technique works only for store bought eggs and not fresh eggs fresh from the chicken. Boo!! For those of you with chickens (or who eggs directly from people with chickens), have you had success with peeling and, if so, can you share your technique with us?!

~~~~~~~~~~
¹Actually, I didn't figure anything out...some friends gave me the tip. Thanks, ARS!

²Yes, the overnight part is extremely important. I tried leaving them out for a couple of hours and then cooking them. Didn't work. I also tried using ice water to cool off the eggs after cooking and varying the amount of time in the cold water. Didn't work.

³This obviously assumes that your eggs are refrigerated.

Fun With Beer!

2011-01-20T12:47:00.000-08:00

The other big (and super fun) thing we did with our friends when they visited this past weekend was go on factory tours at both Odell Brewing Co and New Belgium Brewing.

Odell

Tour stats:

Approximately 30 minutes long
About 25 people in our group
Knowledgeable and laid back tour guide
Small operation (62 employees, one building) and unfortunately not running since it was a Saturday

I love Odell beer. Love, love, love it. And not to be too melodramatic, but it has changed my relationship with beer. Before moving here and falling in love with them, I did not like IPA's or stouts. But their IPA's and stouts? Ah-mah-zing. Obviously, their recipes have something to do with it but I learned on the tour that they don't pasteurize their beer. I actually have no idea whether or not this actually affects the taste (they say it does) but it's sounds cool, yes?

Every time we've been to their tasting room, they have different beers available to try out. Turns out that they have a crazy number of experimental beers going at one time. They have an adorable little mini set-up where they can brew small batches of new recipes and several bourbon barrels (Makers Mark!) where they make one of a kind batches that can never be reproduced (because each barrel is different).

This is where they keep the small batch beers they are working on (each box had writing all over it describing the recipe and details about the beer).

Bourbon Yum!

Summary: Straight up tour of a small factory. The tour guide was great and the beer, although not free, was delicious. Recommended.

New Belgium

Tour stats:

About an hour and a half long
Only eight people in our group (although she said it is normally around 25)
Knowledgeable and cool tour guide
Pretty extensive facility (300+ employees, three or four buildings?) with lots of machines that were running
Free beer!

This tour was a truly a treat, not only because it was quite extensive and they gave us a crap load of free beer, but because we didn't think we were going to be able to go on the tour at all. They accept reservations for their tours and when I went to sign up, every single available tour that day was filled. So we were surprised and delighted when we walked into the brewery and were told that a large party had just canceled and that we could go on a tour starting right then!

I have been on a many factory tours all over this country but I have to say that this tour was the best I've ever been on. The highlight was when we all got to take a beer directly from the conveyor belt. Don't believe me?

Video

7 minute old beer!

We got to go down the slide in the employee area...

Video

...and try out a type of beer that is totally new to me: Sour Beer. It's aged in wine casks from France...

...and may be the most unique beer I've ever had. I definitely want to spend some more time "evaluating" this new beverage.

We ended the tour taking some silly photos and drinking our last, free beer in the tasting room.

Summary: New Belgium definitely puts a lot of effort into interacting with their customers and reinforcing their brand. They gave us plenty of free and quite unique beer and the tour guide was wonderful. Watch your head on the slide. Recommended.

Fun in the Snow!

2011-01-19T13:30:00.000-08:00

We had some friends come visit us this weekend and guess what we did?

We went sledding!!

Want to guess where we went?

Video

Rocky Mountain National Park!

We rented two different types of sleds...

...and ripped up the slopes (as much as we could rip up a not very steep slope covered with small children).

Video

Thanks for the fun, ARS!

How to Catch a Wild Christmas Tree

2010-12-25T10:56:00.000-08:00

1. Load up your hunting party and head out to the field.

2. Dress appropriately for the conditions.

3. Be sure to keep your equipment in top shape with proper cleaning and lubrication.

4. Keep the younger members of your hunting party entertained.

5. Stalk and learn the patterns of your prey.

6. Identify your target and move in quickly for the kill.

7. Field dress your take.

8. Haul the kill back to your vehicle.

9. Be sure to take a few photos with your prize so that you remember your day with pride.

10. Load 'em up. Move 'em out.

11. Mount your prize in a prominent place in your home. Celebrate your triumph over nature.

What Do You and Pizza Have in Common?

2010-11-25T10:00:00.000-08:00

Today, Thanksgiving Day in the US, happens to also be our four year wedding anniversary.

We are obviously thankful for each other, blah, blah, blah. But here are some other things we are thankful for:

Pizza
Asher
Google
Beer
Hot baths
Money
Down comforters
Fleece
Central heating

And, most importantly, YOU, our family and friends who we love so much!

Here at Curious Souls Headquarters, we wish you a very merry thanksgiving! Kisses!

~~~~~~

Thank you to the fabulous D'Lynn for the photo of us!