Pic(k) of the Week: Fallen

Fallen, 

The tree in gloom. 

Forsaken,
Its erstwhile matins.

Dense morning fog in a woodland.
Legacy Park: Decatur, Georgia, USA. 2 December 2023.

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Happy Samichlaus Day!

This image and post were originally uploaded to Flickr, in 2014.

Samichlaus —aka Santa Claus or, more 'properly, Saint Nicholas— is the Roman Catholic patron saint of brewers. His 'feast day' —St. Nicholas Day— is celebrated annually on 6 December.

Samichlaus is also the name of a potent doppelbock (dark lager) of 14% alcohol! Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg —a family-owned brewery founded in Austria in 1681— brews the beer once a year on St. Nicholas Day, ages it for nearly a year, and then releases it for sale.

Eggenberg also produces a special version of Samichlaus —Samichlaus Barrique, pictured above— which, in addition to a year's maturation, is aged five weeks in oak wine barrels. Those barrels come from the Anton Bauer Winery, also in Austria.

A happier St. Nicholas Day!

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Pic(k) of the Week: October(fest) beer discussions

Because a blog called "Yours for Good Fermentables" should contain images of such!

Beer discussions (Marvel vs. Munich?) at the S.U.D.S. Beer Festival, in Decatur, Georgia, USA. 28 October 2023.

S.U.D.S. (i.e, Simply Us Doing our Share): "an afternoon of curated craft beer tasting, live music, local food options, and more in beautiful Legacy Park, minutes away from downtown Decatur. 25+ curated craft breweries, hand-selected by the founders of Brick Store Pub; quality local eats; live music from local artists; plus a collectors S.U.D.S. souvenir tasting glass. S.U.D.S. will help support ten non-profits at Legacy Park; we are a locally supportive, community involved, full-service festival.

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Pic(k) of the Week: Washington W. King Covered Bridge

A historic covered bridge (open to light vehicular and pedestrian traffic) crosses a narrow channel of Stone Mountain Lake.

Stone Mountain Park: DeKalb County, Georgia, USA. 15 November 2023.

The Washington W. King / College Avenue Covered Bridge was designed, engineered, and constructed, in 1891 (at a cost of approximately $2,470), by Washington W. King, the son of a freed slave. It is one of only four remaining structures of the many created and constructed by King. Several members of his extended family were prominent African-American businessmen for decades in multiple Georgia cities.

The covered bridge —using a 'Town Lattice' design that allowed the wooden bridge to flex, expand and contract with the seasons— was built by King in Athens, Georgia, to connect the downtown area with outlying farm lands across the Oconee River.

The bridge served Athens until two severe floods, in 1910 and again in 1963, severely damaged the bridge. Soon thereafter, the covered bridge was replaced with a new concrete and steel crossing, and the original bridge was set aside on the banks of the Oconee River.

In 1965, the Clarke County Commission donated the bridge to the Stone Mountain Memorial Association (SMMA). The bridge was partially disassembled and transported sixty miles to Stone Mountain Park, where it was re-assembled and re-installed atop new cement and granite piers. It now connects the park to Indian Island, a picturesque 17-acre island on Stone Mountain Lake.

— Stone Mountain Park.
— Decaturish.

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Pic(k) of the Week: Verboten off-piste

A trail heads off into an autumnal woodland. A trace of light kisses the canopy.

But...stay off, a sign cautions.

Nature Preserve Guide Hikes Only.
State Law 12-3-10B
Violators Prosecuted!

Why the ominous warning? The park's brochure reveals the answer:

Because of the rare species of plants that live on Panola Mountain, a guided hike is required to enter the conservation area and go on top of the mountain. While both Stone Mountain and Arabia Mountain are similar geologic features, Panola Mountain has never been quarried, making it one of the most pristine monadnocks in the southeastern United States.

So, respecting the environmental concerns (and the law!), I took this photo from the (legal) Rockdale River Trail, a paved hiker/biker trail that follows the South River for several miles in Rockdale County, Georgia (an outlying suburban and exurban county in the greater Atlanta metropolitan area).

But, oh, off-piste looked inviting!

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