San Juan Brewing

Home brewing is becoming more and more popular among baby boomers with a little extra cash and a lot of extra time. Here are a few tips about the easy ways you can get started tomorrow with a home brewing operation of your own! First, pick up a book about brewing at a local bookstore or online. Something simple will do such as “Home Brewing for Dummies” and will help familiarize you with brewers terms. After you’ve read up on the subject, seek out a home brew store in your area. For the most part, these stores are Read the rest of this entry »

You may scrapbook. You may know someone who does. You may even know someone who hasn’t tried it yet. Whatever the reason, here are a few ideas that might help you decide exactly what to do and what to give.

Themed Paper

When we think about the word “Holiday” images of a jolly old elf and decorated trees may spring to mind. Scrapbooking paper could be for a birthday, a baby shower, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, a wedding, Valentine’s Day, or any of the various Read the rest of this entry »

Scrapbook Cover Designs for New Moms

Scrapbooking has become a popular hobby, going along with rubber stamping, sticker art and stencils. A scrapbook is for the purpose of displaying your favorite photos, usually on a special theme, such as the arrival of a new baby. A scrapbook would be a wonderful baby shower gift, and you could start it out by making a beautiful cover, leaving the inside pages for her to fill in.

It would be helpful to know Read the rest of this entry »

Memory books are important pieces of childhood memorabilia. They are perfect keepsakes for babies, toddlers, and children, and they are special treasures for parents.

Scrapbooking is also a great bonding activity for families. Creating a book together is a fun way to preserve childhood memories and relive them later on.

Part photo album, part journal, and part scrapbook, kids memory books share and preserve the important events in a child’s life. Photographs, personal stories, and memorabilia keep special memories alive, leaving a lasting legacy for Read the rest of this entry »

When discussing San Juan Island, it’s important to make sure you’re not missing an ‘s’ at the end. You see, the San Juan Islands are part of the San Juan Archipelago, located in the northwest corner of the continental U.S. There are more than 450 islands in the chain, but only fifteen are accessible by ferry. Of these, nine are part of British Columbia, and six are part of the state of Washington. Of those six, San Juan Island is the second-largest and the most-populated. It has an area of 55.053 square miles and recorded a population of 6,822 at the 2000 census.Friday Harbor is the only incorporated town on the island. It was named after Joseph Poalie Friday, a Hawaiian sheep farmer who worked for the Hudson Bay Company in Cowlitz County from 1841 to 1860, and then moved to the island. In the early 20^th century, the harbor was a regular stop for the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet of steamships. These ships carried goods such as apples, pears, strawberries, chickens, salmon and more back to the mainland, but this trade diminished starting around the time of the Great Depression and continuing through World War II. In the 1960s, a tourism and retirement industry started, and the harbor remains the center of San Juan Island to this day. Read the rest of this entry »

Washington State is home to a number of different breweries, all of which are sure to reward thirsty travelers. The Washington Brewers Guild was founded to educate people about the variety of beers in the area, and to give the companies a voice in the local community. For more information, visit the Washington Brewers Guild to learn about member brewing companies, or visit the website of one of the companies listed below. Safe travels, and happy drinking! Read the rest of this entry »

As with wine-tasting, the art of beer-tasting has been studied and analyzed to produce some basic tips and concepts. However, that doesn’t mean you have to follow any of them, since the purpose of beer-drinking is enjoyment, and if any of the tips below conflict with your pleasure, drop them. On the other hand, you may find that they lead you to a new understanding of your beer tastes, and perhaps even a new favorite brew.1. Be aware of the bias of appearance.You might be surprised to find what an affect appearance has on your tasting enjoyment. People often taste their beer differently when they can’t see it, as shown by blind taste tests. The conflict between bottle- and can-drinkers is also largely aesthetic, since cans contain a plastic lining that prevents the metal from affecting the taste. Read the rest of this entry »