On Saturday, we went to the Ales and Trails Brewfest here in Shirley, MA. It was small- only three breweries, a hard cider maker, a local restaurant serving wine samples, and a couple food trucks, along with several bands for entertainment. It was fun, in spite of the small size, and we found a few new brews to like, and a new ale house to try. One of the breweries is still in the building stage, but we’ll be looking out for them to finish up and open. They had a coffee milk stout that was really good. If you know my beer taste, you will be aware that I am usually not a big fan of dark beers. I find them to heavy and the dark roasted malts leave a burnt taste in my mouth that I find unpleasant. But this one was really good. So good that after tasting the Bald Man’s sample, I went back to get my own.
The event was a fundraiser for the restoration work going on at the Old Town Hall in the historic center of Shirley. The old Shirley Meeting House is there, as well. The Meeting House has been restored, and the work is ongoing at the Town Hall. Both buildings were open during the brewfest. The Town Hall isn’t much right now, but the Meeting House is lovely (that’s it in the header picture). We were lucky to get in on a tour going on, and got to see a lot neat stuff. The hall itself has a lovely pipe organ, and I got to play it a little bit! That was cool! We got to see the inside of the organ, as well as the walls on the stairs leading up to the hand pump that drove the pipes where the people who operated the pump would carve their name and date into the wall. The first Shirley library is on the second floor and has a children’s section as well as adult books. The books had covers hand sewn onto them to preserve them. I also got to ring the bell in the bell tower. It was fun and I learned a lot.
Here are a few pictures:
This is the main room with the pipe organ. The acoustics are beautiful in there. Reminds me of a couple of the same sort of meeting house rooms and small churches I sang in with the chorale. I plan on attending the Christmas Vespers in December.
These are pictures of the library on the second floor.
It was a fun afternoon, and we will definitely be back next year!
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Coming in December 2018: Two’s Company, a sci-fi novel in the space opera tradition.
Medusa “Deuce” Grainger is smart, confident, and as good a pilot as she is a poker player. A freelance shuttle jockey working for an independent terraforming company, she’s left her former life, and her father, behind. Mostly.
Now, her AI has downloaded another Personality off a wrecked ship, and he’s acting oddly ever since. Someone wants to sabotage her friend’s company out of business, evidence of tampering is being corrupted, and people have died. With an investigation looming that could shut down the company and cut off her main source of income, Deuce needs to figure out what’s going on. And she needs to do it fast, because there’s more at stake than anyone realizes.
Two’s Company is listed on Goodreads. If you like what you see above, I’d appreciate you adding it to your Want To Read list. Thanks!
Available now :
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And So On... 