Finally made it to my bro's house. They have lived here for a while, but this is the first time I've made the trip and I can't believe it took this long. He and his wife live in the gorgeous mountains of southern New Hampshire. It was a great drive from West Hartford and it really brought me back to the time of my life when I lived in Boston. I've cruised these roads many times. The rolling landscape and thick forests I passed between are quintessential New England. I can feel the difference in the geography here, from the hills of SF, all the way to my core.

The way up here took me through Brattleboro, VT and that meant there was a stop I had to make. McNeill's Brewery is a longtime favorite of mine, but I haven't had their delicious beer in many, many years. I selected a tart, hoppy concoction called Dead Horse IPA (cask-conditioned) and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I first heard about this nanobrewpub years ago and it became a tradition to stop there whenever we were heading to Bread and Puppet in Glover, VT. Today I grabbed a few bottles on the way out, and I can't wait for my bro to try them. His very pregnant wife will have to wait!

It's quite wonderful to have a chance to see Melissa only days away from giving birth to my first nephew. I'm a little freaked out that soon I will have a new title. I can only imagine their feelings about becoming a Mom and Dad.