Things I've been meaning to blog about:

There have been a lot of things happening and not a lot of time to blog about them lately, so here it is...just lots of pictures and short descriptions.

Chris and I spent a weekend at his Grammy's beach house. We spent most of our time surfing on our new boards and eating unhealthy food with lots of dark new beers.


I spent the night in a Chik-Fil-A parking lot with my parents and Brain and Jacinda for Chik-Fil-A's opening. Jessica came out to visit but couldn't stay the night with us crazy people. We did this in order to receive a free meal, once a week, for a year. It was actually pretty fun, but 5 grown adults in a 3-4 man tent was a little crammed. There was definetely some spooning. "My minds telling me no...but my body, my body's telling me yes" (<--R Kelly)


The Armstrongs took Jess and I to the Chihuly exhibit in SF. It was amazing! We had a great time just walking around and laughing.



We had a beer tasting with some friends. Don't worry, we didn't drink all of that! The winners ended up being the Golden Gate Park Porter and the Downtown Brown.

Chris turned 25 and we celebrated at PF Changs. Congrats old man. Again, lots of laughing.

E Rock turned 21. We tried to take him out to buy something at midnight but they said they couldn't sell to him because they didn't know what time of the day he was born! How lame is that?! We went to Las Vegas later though, so I guess we can't complain. Stay tuned for that post.

My dad and I staring down the biggest watermelon my garden produced. It was a weird variety that was yellow instead of red.

We went to the fair twice this year. One time Jess couldn't go, but that didn't stop Jen and I from betting on the ponies. We were so confused on our first race when the horse we bet on was a donkey! That race was a mule race...whew! FYI, in the programs, they list the jockey's weight...not the horses.

Last, but not least, Chris played in a tennis tournament (which was for all the winners of previous matches/tournaments)at Copper River and won the whole thing! That a boy

Beach Chalet: Delicious brews with incredible views!

We recently had an awesome offer from the Armstrong’s to go with them to SF and see the Chihuly exhibit at the De Young museum. When we made definite plans I tried my luck with our newfound friend...aka: The owner of The Beach Chalet. We were hoping to be able to meet him and thank him in person for all of his hospitality, but he wasn't going to be in the country during our visit. However, he did let one of his managers know that we would be arriving Saturday night. That little bit of information transformed into a phone call to me, offering reservations on a Saturday night (Conversation taking place the morning of because I waited too long) and inviting us to take a tour of their brewery. We were very happy, excited, and we were starting to feel like some kind of celebrity with special treatment.
When we got there later that night, we were given, in my opinion, the best seats of the house: right next to the windows facing the ocean, so we could watch the sunset and bonfires on the beach after that. We also had a great view of most of the restaurant including the bar. The bar is significant to me, being that is where we sat the first time we visited the Beach Chalet and it was the first time we had their beer.

We had their food for the first time, which I must say was very enjoyable. Larry and I both had fish-n-chips and Dawn and Jessica split salmon and seafood pasta. Larry had the Riptide Red Ale and Jessica and I split a sampler of all of their beer, topping it off with a glass of my favorite Golden Gate Park Porter. And even though the owner wasn't there, he picked up our beer tab. How awesome is that?! After dinner, their manager, Grant, took us on a tour of the brewery and was patient enough to answer all of our questions even when their restaurant was crazy busy. We couldn't stop there though. We went downstairs to the Park Chalet (Pretty much the Beach Chalet, but more casual) and had more beer with some family that lives in SF (Uncle Scott and Judy Judy Judy). It was a great time.
If anyone has happened to stumble across this on accident or is looking for somewhere fun and great in San Fransisco, I highly recommend the Beach Chalet. Check them out whether you want food, beer, history, or just a nice time. You can't beat the awesome combination of the delicious brews and the incredible views. Best beer in San Fransisco.
Last, but certainly not least, we left with 3 "Growlers" of beer: 2 Golden Gate Park Porters and 1 California Kind Ale. I'm not sure where the word Growler came from, but it does hold a half-gallon of beer. Anyone thirsty?

The Beach Chalet...

...is amazing! If you're an avid "What The Hale Man" reader(Or if you have talked to me in the last week or so), then you may have noticed some recent posts and comments regarding The Beach Chalet and the Golden Gate Park Porter. I'll try to explain this as quickly as possible while still keeping all the important details:
Chris and I brewed some porter, which reminded me of my favorite beer. I posted a small section about Golden Gate Park Porter and I received a comment from the owner of the Beach Chalet, where the beer is brewed. We exchanged a couple of emails telling eachother about our favorite beer and how we came to drink it. The owner also told me that I would be receiving a special package in the mail. I was so freakin excited! First of all, I think it is cool that someone would take the time to send a nice word out to a complete stranger, let alone do something generous and unforgetable to make them happy. I mean, come on...how rare is it for someone to make a complete strangers day?! This all leads up to when I got home from work today. There was a package at our door and I felt like it was Christmas and my birthday all at once.
Without patting myself on the back, I have always tried to put the golden rule into practice daily. Helping someone else or doing something for a friend, family member, or stranger gives me the reward of seeing the appreciation on their face. Perhaps it will inspire them to do the same for someone else. I believe that if everyone were to do it, then people would start becoming a lot more optimistic, happy, and trusting. I just think it is the right thing to do and it continues to make me happy. (Sorry, this could have been a side post, but it will tie in later.)
Upon opening my present...I mean package, I found some really cool stuff that just made me smile. It made me so happy. I kind of wish the owner and brewer (Aron Deorsey) at the Beach Chalet could have seen me open it. Perhaps they practice the golden rule daily as well. If they happen to read this, I would just like to say Thank You! You have given me proof that the golden rule isn't merely a childhood fable told to children to keep them in line; it's a lifelong priveledge. Thanks for making a stranger feel like a friend.
Now, I encourage all of you, whether you're my friend or a complete stranger, to go to the Beach Chalet (Here's the google map) and give them plenty of business. Make them feel like a friend and show them the reward to the golden rule. Trust me, you'll not only enjoy the food and beer, but the atmosphere and the view; great service too and a historical building worth sight-seeing.

Quick Post

I (Dave) stayed home today from work and last night from a dodgeball game. I wish I could have gone to both but I have the weirdest headache. I feel like my head is going to explode, while at the same time feeling like I have whiplash and that someone head-butted me. I'm sure I'll be fine soon, but it just sucks.

On the other hand, what doesn't suck, and is quite cool, are some recent conversations I've had with the owner of the Beach Chalet. His restaurant brews my favovite beer (As mentioned in "Just Curious." If you ever go to San Fransisco, I recommend going there. I'll explain more later, but for now, I am going to go lie down.

Just Curious...

In regards to the Make Your Own Beer post...What is your favorite beer? Mine is the Golden Gate Park Porter from the Beach Chalet in San Francisco.

If you ever go and bring me back some, I will love you for life!