In this post I will spend a few minutes talking about the equipment.  This may seem like a lot of stuff but really it isn’t and for usually less than $100.00 you can get yourself setup pretty well.

Equipment List:

Primary Fermentation Container – for standard 6 gal Carboys this should be a food grade container that is around 10 gallons in size and has a cover.  Primary fermentation will “foam” as it release CO2 and depending on the juice, the amount of foam varies.  You also want to keep airborne things out of your juices which is why you need a cover.

Carboy – This is the glass (sometimes plastic) container used for Secondary Fermentation.  Usually 6 gallons in capacity.  Narrow neck.  You are going to put an airlock on this container during secondary fermentation to keep out the oxygen.

Airlock and Stopper – These come in various shapes and sizes.  You will want a stopper with a hole drilled in the middle that will accommodate the airlock.  The purpose of the airlock is to allow gasses to escape from the Carboy but to not let any air back in.  Most versions I’ve seen float a plastic “cap” in a sulfite solution over a hard plastic tube that exits the carboy.

Long Handle Spoon – bet you know what this is for.  If you guessed stirring you are absolutely correct.  You should be able to reach to the bottom of your primary fermentation container with this spoon.  There is also a version of a “stirrer” that you can connect to a drill.   This is useful as it takes the work out of mixing things into the wine in future stages and can help to assure that the carbon dioxide gasses are being dissipated.

Hydrometer – You use the hydrometer to check specific gravity.  This is important in determining the sugar in your juices.  You can also use it to tell you the alcohol content.  Specific gravity readings are temperature sensitive.  I like to have a thermometer in my hydrometer as well.

Graduated Cylinder – This is probably not a requirement but I find it the best container to hold a small sample, float my hydrometer and have it at eye level to obtain the reading.

Thermometer – Temperature is important in fermentation.  Too high or low and the yeast will not do their job.  If your hydrometer doesn’t have one you will want to make sure you get one.

Wine Thief – This is a glass or plastic device that will allow you to collect a small sample of your wine.  You will use these samples to check specific gravity or for tasting.  Basically it is a long tube with a hole in both ends… You slide it into the wine and then put a finger over the hole on the end you are holding… this keeps the wine from coming out of the tube… When you place the end over the container you remove your finger and the wine flows out.

Rubber Tubing and Stop – You will do some siphoning as you move your wine from fermenting container to carboy(s) to bottles.  Good quality rubber tubing is a must.  You can also get a stopping device to place over the tubing that will “pinch” the tubing for you to stop the flow.  If you don’t want to use the “mouth suck” method to create the initial suction you can also get devices that will do this for you.

Carboy Brush – You will need to get the carboy clean.  This is basically a big brush with an angle in it that allows you to clean the neck and walls of the carboy.

Wine Bottle Cleaner – In addition to your carboy you will also need to make sure that your wine bottles are clean.   There is a pressurized system you can use, or you can use the good ol’ brush method.

For the most part I think this is everything… You may want to make sure that you save a few smaller glass containers to hold wine that you will be removing from the carboy in later stages, and I like to use the gallon size milk jugs for cleaning solutions.

Home wine making has really changed very little from when I did it then to now.  The basic equipment is still the same, and the chemistry and process certainly hasn’t changed.  What I do find to be different is the availability and quality of wine making kits.

A wine making kit contains all of the necessary juices, flavorings, chemicals and other additives to turn juices into wine.  The kit certainly takes away any of the relatively minor complexities that you would have found in wine making.  You no longer need to worry about acid content, brix (amount of sugar in juices), and pH.  If you can read and follow simple instructions – Step by Step – you too could be an at home winemaker.

The general process involves:

• 1. Primary fermentation – where the majority of the sugars are turned into alcohol by yeast.
• 2. Secondary fermentation – where the yeast continues to consume the sugars and
• 3. Clarifying – get rid of any residual “cloudiness”.
• 4. Bottling – taking your large batch and putting it into individual bottles for further aging and future drinking and gifting.

Since I am renewing my interest and it is late in the year making fruit difficult to gather I decided I was going to make a few different kits over the course of the winter.  Keep in mind that wines, particularly the reds will need a bit of time to age and may not be ready for consumption for many months after you bottle them. You also want to keep in mind that the fermentation of the batches can take varying amounts of time based on many variables.  Don’t try to rush the process!

Over the next few posts I will take you through my experiences with a couple different wine kits… step by step.  My next post will be on Getting Ready – A Wine Makers Equipment.

I had a co-worker send me an email the other day that was about purchasing American made products.   It was actually one of those emails that made me go… hmmmm….

When purchasing Made in the USA I am one of those that has this preconceived notion that whatever the item is will be more expensive.  After all, our labor force here is expensive, insurance, etc… but you know what?  American made products are NOT always the most expensive. (Can’t help but wonder what the manufacturers are doing with the money they are reportedly saving by manufacturing out of the country?)

Anyway I thought I would share the email with you all.   Read through it, let me know your thoughts and maybe some of your experiences while reading the labels… (I don’t think I will be giving up my Hershey bars.)

Good idea. One light bulb at a time .

Check this out. I can verify this because I was in Lowe’s the other day for some reason and just for the heck of it I was looking at the hose attachments. They were all made in  China . The next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked the hose attachments there. They were made in USA. Start looking .

In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else – even their job. So, after reading this email, I think this lady is on the right track . Let’s get behind her!

My grandson likes Hershey’s candy . I noticed, though, that it is marked made in  Mexico now. I do not buy it any more . My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico now.  I have switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything .

This past weekend I was at Kroger . I needed 60W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets . I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off brand labeled, Everyday Value. I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats , they were the same except for the price. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in Mexico and the Everyday Value brand was made in get ready for this – the USA in a company in Cleveland,  Ohio.

So throw out the myth that you can not find products you use every day that are made right here .

So on to another aisle,  Bounce Dryer Sheets . yep, you guessed it, Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada . The Everyday Value brand was less money and made in the USA. I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for years and at almost half the price.

My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA – the job you save may be your own or your neighbors.

  Local community theatre in Spokane is alive!  My wife and I have been doing a little volunteer work at the Spokane Civic Theatre this year and recently had an opportunity to watch a dress rehearsal of the competition version of the production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.  So what is a competition version you might ask?  I know I was asking because I had no idea.

The AACT (American Association of Community Theatre) holds a biennial festival where community theatre groups participate in state, regional, and ultimately a national competition of one of their productions.  There are some strict rules and guidelines that are followed and you can find the details on the website link above.

Some of the guidelines include:

The production can be no longer that 60 minutes in length.  For “Cuckoo’s Nest” this required that the play be shortened.  An interesting thing in doing this revision is that the lines can not be changed they need to be removed.  This meant that the original “F’enheimer” and “GDs”, as director Yvonne A.K. Johnson referred to them, were reintroduced after being removed from the mainstage production.  The actual performance time turned out to be close to 57 minutes after the script revision.  Timing starts at the first sound cue.

The entire set, props, etc.. must fit into a 10′ square.  For me this was the most intriguing part.  When we entered the theatre there was a “box” on the stage.  It wasn’t really a box, but all of the backdrops, folded into a square. 

The cast has 10 minutes to setup and tear down the entire set.  For this production that 10′ “box” opened up and there was everything from the gurney, table and chairs to the TV and the ward overhead lights.  When they are prepared to begin all of the cast and crew were on the stage and they all had to be touching the box.  Once they were instructed to begin, the stage came to life, and in a matter of about 7 minutes we had a fully operational and tested set ready for the actors.  The teardown went even faster.  I think someone in the audience said it was something like 4 minutes to put the entire set back into the 10′ square.

It was a very enjoyable experience and it was evident that everyone really worked hard and took pride in the accomplishment.

So how did they do?  Of the 11 groups in the competition only 2 were are chosen to compete in the regional competition coming up in Coeur d’Alene.  Spokane was not one of the two… Those distinctions go to the Bremerton Community Theatre for the production of Overtones, and the Driftwood Players of Edmonds for their production of Minnesota Moon. 

The Spokane Civic came away from the festival with the following accolades:

• Stage Manager’s Award for Technical Excellence – Costume Crew
• Outstanding Achievement in Set and Lights

Congratulations on those achievements!!  You can see the complete list of awards on the WSCTA website.

I would encourage you all to get involved with your local community theatre.  You don’t have to be an actor, or even a volunteer.  Your attendance at the productions supports the continued efforts of your theatre groups.   If you happen to be in Spokane I would encourage you to check out the website for the Civic.

I have been spending quite a bit of time on eBay lately.  And while I can still say that I am NOT an eBay fan these days I was able to find a couple of really good deals on geocoins as well as a couple of study aids for my PMP adventure.

I hate getting caught up in a bidding war on eBay and what I find typically happens is that as soon as there is a bid on an item, or as soon as you outbid someone on an item you end up in a bidding war and the price of the item keeps increasing above what you really want to pay.  And now that you have a “vested interest” you don’t want to be the loser.

Gixen has helped me solve this problem… When I see an item that I would like to bid on I can logon to the Gixen site and place my maximum willing to pay bid.   Since it isn’t recorded on eBay there are no emails telling me I was outbid and that I really should bid again, I don’t get emails about similar items, etc…  A large part of the emotion involved in an auction is removed.

In the past few days I’ve won 6 auctions in the last 6 seconds and in most cases it was for far less than I was willing to pay.  I am convinced that had I been caught up in a bidding war I would have paid much more.

Gixen is free but does have a “mirror” site that you can pay for. (Six bucks a year.) There are also a couple of additional functionality things you get but certainly don’t necessarily need.

If you’re wondering if a FREE snipe site works I encourage you to take a peek at gixen.com.  You can also check out my original posting on Gixen – HERE…

 

The holiday brought us a lot of snow!!!

I thought I would attach a few pictures to this post to give you an idea of just how much snow we are dealing with.

As a new “front” comes in tonight we are expecting to get another 10-12 inches and of course there is no end in site.

You can check on the webcam periodically to see the progress.  Notice that the benches around the fire pit are no longer visible.  You also can’t seem

much of the bench that is normally in front of the spruce tree.  We did put lights in the spruce again this year but thee is so much snow on the tree that they are hard to see. 

I’m ready for some global warming.

You can also see the last 40 webcam images here…

When buying a telescope, get the best possible one you can afford. Don’t go out and buy some $100 telescope that is going to fall apart or not be worth using. Telescopes have a really good resale value, so buy the best telescope you can, and if you don’t like it, you can go sell it online and make some of your money back.

The power of a telescope is not as important as you might think. Get a telescope that has large aperture, which gives you a bigger field of view and makes it easier to find stars, which is very hard by the way.

Remember, if you can’t afford a telescope, go get a decent pair of binoculars. There are many binoculars out there that make it much easier to enjoy astronomy than when using your naked eye. Binoculars are also much easier to use and find things with, and another nice thing is that they can be used for general observing during the day (so can telescopes btw).

I suggest buying a refractor telescope because it is much easier to use and maintain. A refractor telescope uses lens to to make the picture. The major advantage to a refractor telescope is that it does not require a lot of time to get set up and running. Another advantage is that it is a lot more reliable. You can expect to pay a lot for a good refractor telescope.

Guys, stay away from reflector telescopes unless you know what you are doing. They are not really that hard to use but I would suggest that you get a refractor telescope for a beginner. A great advantage is that the reflector telescopes are a lot cheaper and you can get a really nice telescope with a really big field of view for a good price.

Another great kind of telescope is the catadioptric telescope. These are a combination of the refractor and reflector systems. A good catadioptric telescope can be very costly, but you can sometimes get lucky and find a decent one for a good price.

You need a pair of binoculars when using your telescope to help you find stars easier. Binoculars are a great way to learn how to spot stars, and they build up your ability to spot things with an instrument. That is why you should get binoculars if you don’t have a telescope yet. They are cheaper and can be used to learn how to look at stars, and since you need them anyway, you might as well get them first before you drop a ton of money on a telescope.

So again, if you are just starting out, get a good pair of binoculars and then when you get better at finding stars go out and get yourself a really nice refractor or catadioptric telescope. If you are low on money, consider getting a Used lx200 Meade Telescope.

About the Author

Jason Heff owns http://www.telescopesgonewild.info and is binocular and telescope fanatic. He enjoys using his telescope for astronomy and plane watching.

I received the video at the bottom of this article from a co-worker and I just couldn’t help but laugh.  As a frequent business traveler, the holidays are probably one of my least favorite time to travel due to the large number of people that are traveling, but even more important than that, the number of people that are infrequent travelers that seem to make the experience even worse.

Don’t get me wrong… I have nothing against the infrequent traveler!  I just wish there was some way that they could be better prepared for the journey on which they are about to embark.   Things that would make the journey more pleasant for them as well as me.

Be prepared for Check-In. 

• If you are checking baggage know the piece count and weight limits for your airline.  Each airline has their own policies so check! 
• Have all of your bags tagged with identification tags before showing up at the airport.  Its also a good idea to put some ID inside the bag.
• Know what fees are being charged for baggage and don’t argue about paying them.
• Proper ID is required – no a credit card is not good enough and your your gym membership doesn’t count either.
• Don’t use the airport as a place to weight balance your bags so that you don’t have to pay extra fees.   Do your weight balancing at home!  Surely you have a bathroom scale that you can use to approximate baggage weight.
• Make sure liquids and gels over 3 ounces are IN your checked baggage.  This will include the jams and jellies, and the bottle of Scotch you got from your family for Christmas.

Be prepared for TSA Security Check.

• You will have to take your shoes off!!!
• They aren’t joking about the quart size bag with items of 3 ounces or less.  Don’t make them find the items you’ve tried to hide in your carry-on bag.  It doesn’t matter that you just paid $80.00 for that moisturizer if it is over the wight allowed you can plan on leaving it behind.   Make sure you have it OUT of your carry on and in a scan “bin”.
• Computers and large electronic equipment like video recorders and DVD players should be taken out of the bag they are in a placed in a separate “container” to go through the X-Ray machine.
• Hold on to your boarding pass… don’t send it through the X-Ray.  They are going to check it when you pass through the metal detector.
• Coats, hats, scarfs and sweatshirts have to go through the X-Ray machine.  Don’t make them ask you to take them off.
• Take off your jewelry, belts with metal buckles, cell phones, coins, etc… These are going to set off the metal detector.  Unless you are an authorized tester for the government you can be assured that these machines work and you don’t need to help with the testing process.
• Gather your things from the X-Ray belt quickly.  There are usually places past the belt to put your shoes, jewelry, coats, etc… back on.  The X-Ray scanner will hold up the line while you get dressed and there are other people waiting.

Be prepared for Aircraft Boarding.

• Everyone has a seat assignment (unless you are on Southwest)  Milling around the gate just slows up the boarding process as people try to get through the herd of people
• Frequent fliers get to board first.  It’s a perk for dealing with this hassle trip after trip after trip.  (If nothing else it assures us that our carry-on bags are going to have a place in the plane.)
• Most roller bags fit into the overheads lengthwise.  Depending on the plane it will be wheels out or wheels in.  The overhead doors are designed to allow for those wheels in most cases… Please try to fit your bags in this way first.
• Under the seat in front of you space should be used!!!  If you brought a computer bag and a roller bag one of them belongs under the seat in front of you.
• Wait to put your coats up into the overhead until everyone in the rows around you have had an opportunity to put their large items overhead. 
• Fragile items overhead?  I don’t think so just ship them!  You have a better chance at getting them there.  I was just on a flight where someone had a “very valuable” rolled up “poster” in the overhead.  When the passenger in the row across from them started to use the overhead space for a bag we were close to a fist fight because they might “crease” the poster.   The flight attendant made them “hold” it at their seat the entire flight and of course the customer complained the entire way – all 4 hours.  If I had to hear about this valuable poster one more time I think I might have had to “snap”.

Remember folks that those of us that do this week after week get into a routine and know the ins and outs of the process.  We get just as frustrated as you do but for different reasons.   The real trick is keeping your cool through the process.  Be pleasant, be tolerant, be understanding.

Now without further adieu the video:

There is something particularly rewarding about being presented with a special bottle of wine. And because it can be a very personal thing, choosing the right wine to give to a friend or loved one, will show them just how much you care.

But with so many choices out there, the task of picking the right wine as a present can prove a bit daunting. But there are a few simple tips, which should help you steer clear of any pitfalls. First of all think about the person you are buying for. That may sound simple, but just because you like sherry, don’t assume everyone else will. If in doubt – it’s often best to stick with tried and tested favourites.

If you’re buying something for a man, whether it’s a work colleague, your father, or husband – there’s always something particularly grand about a bottle of Port or whisky. Both are excellent options especially around Christmas time and, as they are not an everyday item, they have an added ‘treat’ factor. Classic wines such as reds from Bordeaux or crisp, dry white from Chablis are good safe bets. The 2005 vintage was one of the finest in Bordeaux for a long time, which improved the standard of all the wines from that year. So if you spot any – they’re worth snapping up.

If you are buying something for a woman then Champagne is almost guaranteed to raise a smile. And if authentic Champagne is looking a tad expensive, there are plenty of top-quality sparkling whites to get that are great value. If you’re looking for something a bit different then Sparkling rosés are becoming increasingly popular. As well as a refreshing vibrant taste there is something deliciously elegant and romantic about a flute of bubbly rosé. If the lady in question prefers red wine – a Pinot Noir from New Zealand or, if you’re feeling flush, red Burgundy has a unique celebrated red-berry complexity that sets it apart from all other reds.

These are a just few suggestions, but it is worth visiting the website of a reputable wine merchant to find out more. Many will offer sound advice on what to get as well as delivery direct to your home or whichever address you choose. Decanter Magazine’s Wine Merchant of the Year – Laithwaites is a good place to start laithwaites (dot)co(dot)uk. The have an extensive range with interesting mixed cases for simple ‘thank you’ wine gifts as well as fine wine for when you want something truly impressive.

With expert advice at your fingertips making the right choice becomes a lot easier as does making that special someone feel particularly appreciated. Happy hunting!

About the Author

Mark Hooson is a professional writer for the wine trade. For more Information visit at Laithwaites.Co.Uk