THE FATHER BLOG

Yes, they sure do! I was looking back at the last full family vacation we took which was just 2 years ago. Not really that long ago. I came across some pictures of all of us at dinner during our last night on St. Kitts. I had to look it up on Google Maps but it was at Boozie’s on the Beach on Frigate Bay. Great memory and great little restaurant if you ever find yourself down on that island.

I looked at this picture of Mary and Emily and thought they haven’t changed much in two years. Emily being way more mature maybe but looks pretty much like she does today. Then I saw what the other side of the table looked like:

Besides the fact I need to be better at applying sunblock to my face while in the Caribbean, I was shocked that Mikey doesn’t even look remotely the same. In two years, he literally went from little boy to full grown teenager. Straight hair? Not anymore. He has a curly mop on his head. He’s probably only an inch or so shorter than me now. I just had to buy him new hockey skates for this season because two years ago he was wearing a size 2.5 skate and today he’s in a size 7 skate.

So every vacation picture tells a story for sure. These just happen to tell me a story that kids grow up fast and you better take the time to notice! As they say….the days move slow but the years move fast. Couldn’t be more true.

Weird topic for a Wednesday…but Deke is acting a little strange lately. This seems to go beyond his normal separation issues from me that he has on occasions. For the record, this is not a concern….more of making people aware that dogs can have some seasonal changes or issues too.

When you live somewhere that has seasonal changes like in NJ where we do experience the 4 seasons, it can affect a dog just like a person. Deke just wants to be outside all the time now. Sometimes where he couldn’t care less that food is waiting for him inside (Deke has never been food motivated…unlike Delaney). He’s a good boy and just likes to chill outside so we see no issue with it. Maybe he likes the smells of spring, maybe the cool grass under his belly makes him feel good. But he definitely refuses to come in and when he is inside….he has no desire to be there most times. This is especially during the day. When I had to run out the other day, Mary said he climbed inside Delaney’s little crate and just laid down. I guess that was comforting to him.

But on the other side of things, he is eating, playing, pottying, and sleeping like he normally does. Once he has his full of the outdoors during the day, he does settle down by me on the couch at night like normal. So maybe he just prefers being outdoors? Who can blame him when the weather is this nice!?

Does anyone else have a dog that acts this way come springtime?

Lately it has been quite hot here in NJ and we’ve been fortunate enough to get in some nice pool days. I’m not going to say I haven’t fired back a few high ABV double IPAs while swimming in the sunshine, but lately I just haven’t wanted anything that heavy in the heat. I definitely adjust my beer consumption based on the weather. This past weekend, I was looking for something on the much lighter side. The beer store had a variety pack of Kona Brewing and I figured “Why Not?”

It had Kona Big Wave and Longboard Lager as expected. Both solid standard pool beers and easy drinking. They also had the Kona Light Blonde Ale (which I’m not proud to say I could probably throw back a dozen of these with no ill effects). And they had Mai Time (which isn’t even currently listed on their website). Kona Mai Time is a light American Pale Wheat Ale brewed by Kona Brewing Co., inspired by the classic Mai Tai cocktail. It’s known for its refreshing, citrusy, and tropical fruit profile, with real pineapple, orange, and lime notes.

This one didn’t’ really do it for me. Don’t get me wrong, it won’t go to waste and I’ll choke it down. Maybe the flavor profile just wasn’t what I expected. Either way, they were all under 5% ABV and enjoyable enough on the back deck after swimming or yard work.

Here is the list of the current beers offered by Kona. Has anyone had them at the actual brewery in Hawaii? Curious how the flavor differs as our Kona beers are likely brewed up in New Hampshire. Let me know if you have! Aloha!

Our Brews | Kona Brewing Hawaiʻi