from beers to hurricanes

Had a great time at the Abita Brewery yesterday...evidently, I'd missed the memo explaining that the tour, which includes endless free beer on tap is FREE!!  So, no need to flash my tour guide license this time, just my license to prove that I'm over 21 years old.  The tour itself is short, you watch a few informative videos on the beer making process & all of Abita's efforts to be green (very impressive, BTW).  The rest of the time, you hang out in the Tasting Room & mingle with the crowd while filling your Abita cup with as much beer as you'd like...and every Abita beer they make (other than the off seasons) was available on tap.  So, I highly recommend schlepping across the lake for this "tour", although I think "experience" is a better way to describe it.  Of course, you need a designated driver.  My big idea is a Lake Pontchartrain ferry...takes us across both ways, Abita could pick up & drop off from there on a small shuttle bus (which they could charge for since the tour & beers are free)...I think that's more than reasonable.  I'll have to get my people in touch with their people.  I guess I should also investigate whether there are tour companies that already provide bussing from downtown nola hotels to Abita.  But if the tourists can make it there, I'm certainly gonna recommend the extra excursion.  I also had lunch w/my friend at the Abita Brew Pub after the "tour", descent LARGE burgers, po'boys, etc.  Food was essential after all that free beer.

When I finally got home & turned on the local news yesterday evening, all I hear about are the possible hurricanes brewing in the tropics & perhaps headed for the Gulf...ugh!  I'm fully aware that it's that time of year (& just 9 days away from the 6th anniversary of Katrina), but I'm still soooo NOT emotionally prepared for the real threat of a hurricane to nola & the ordeal of packing up the car & evacuating (not knowing what will be left to come back to).  It's terrifying, to say the least.  So, for now, since I don't pray, I've got all my fingers & toes crossed.  Hoping we "dodge the bullet" this year.  Isn't the biblical heat enough to contend with?!

I'm headed to the quarter this afternoon to meet up with a close friend & my primary tour guide mentor to do one last official practice tour before my big "critique tour" for FOC tomorrow afternoon.  Of course, there's a chance of rain this afternoon, so I'll be schlepping the whole bag of gear, including umbrella & rain slicker...god forbid I get rained on, I might melt!  Other than the heat & possible rain, I'm looking forward to it & feeling good about the critique tour tomorrow.  I just hope that tourists show up for tomorrow's afternoon tour, I hear we've been very slow for the 1:30pm tours, especially over the weekends.  So, cross your fingers for me faithful followers & pray to the tourism gods that it's a good day for FOC & nola Leah!