Clear Skies, Brilliant Sunrise, A Chill In The Air (Picking Hops)

6:28

7:02

Up at 6:30, to a cloudless sky, 56º out, fleece weather and I wonder if its true: the hottest August ever, and beginning of September, summer is over and Autumn like weather has arrived?  So far, so good as yesterday and today both look like the kind of Fall days we love, clear skies, puffy clouds, a chill in the morning, warm but not hot afternoons, a calm lake.  We love it here during these months.

Yesterday was just the kind of day I described above.  Our morning went quickly, as I went to yoga and Evie enjoyed a leisurely morning.  When I got home around 11:30, she was out on the dock ready to jump in the lake for a swim.  I don't know anyone who loves swimming in our lake as much as Evie.

A Circle Of Hop Pickers

We did not tarry once she came in but got on our 'hop picking outfits' and drove over to Jack's farm, sixty acres of it, sitting on a hill north of the lake, with a view of Lake Erie.  This was the final day for picking as the hops needed to be at the brewers by noon today.  About eight of us sat in a circle, some in shade, some sun, with a vine of hops on their lap, picking the soft kernels, letting them drop into a tub.

The Results Of Eight Hours Of Hop Picking

This variety was called Nugget, a fairly popular strain; they picked the Chinook the previous week.  We got there just about noon, and with only a brief time out for lunch, cold cuts, salads and vegetables, Evie and I picked until 4:00, the last two standing.  Time went quickly as we talked with neighbors and friends, all micro beer aficionados, some we had met last year when we picked hops.  We ended up with four large tubs of hops, ready to travel and I think Jack and Diane were happy to see this part of their hop growing was over.  We picked 85 pounds of hops that day, starting at 8:00 in the morning.  Later in the day, Jack drove the hops to Portland, where Cornell had lent an Oase, like a large dehydrator.  Jack put the wet hops in it for 9 hours.  The Oase keeps the heat at 105º and a large fan blows air through it.  When all is said and done, Jack left with 25 pounds of dried hops, to be used immediately or ground up, heated and pressed into pellets by another machine.

Jack's New Solar Panels

An Amish Neighbor, Ready To Plow

We were home around 4:45, time to relax and enjoy the rest of the afternoon.  Evie, however, quickly put together our dinner, one of my favorites as always, lemon chicken with corn on the cob, salad, and rice.  We relaxed with a  glass of wine in our living room, as it was getting too chilly to sit outside until it was time for dinner.  We ate watching a few more episodes of the Spanish series, THE TIME IN BETWEEN.  It's a bit slow moving but will fill our evenings for another few days, so we don't have to listen to the political talk, mostly about Trump negatives, if you listen to MSNBC, about Hillary's sins, if you listen to Fox. Fifty five more days!!!

Another Kayak Morning