Three Beautiful Things 03/15/15: Back to St. Andrews, Bagel Place Dreamin', Stout at Fenwick

1.  I hadn't been to church since December 7, 2014 for any number of reasons having to do with being in Kellogg and getting settled back in here in Greenbelt.  Nothing spectacular happened this morning at St. Andrews, College Park.  I simply entered into the liturgy and experienced the familiarity of moving through the words of Moses, Jesus, Paul into a sermon and eventually to the Communion rail. I don't long for spectacular worship.  I long for familiar structure and the knowledge that what I am a part of in College Park is happening on Sunday morning across the USA and around the world as we celebrate the Eucharist together.  It's profound to me, but not spectacular.  It's what I long for.

2.  After the Eucharist, I popped over the Bagel Place just a block or two away and sat quietly with a cinnamon/sugar bagel with cream cheese and a cup of lukewarm coffee and a copy of the Washington City Paper and read about all the goings on in the D. C. area:  plays, musicals, exhibits, movies, concerts, and more.  I imagined myself going to hear Leo Kottke or Tom Rush in Arlington or going to plays at the downtown Shakespeare Theater or at the Ford or hearing concerts of Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms, not to mention Grieg and Schubert being played, smiled wistfully, and stumbled upon an ad for a beer shop in Silver Spring I didn't know existed, featuring, they say, hundreds of beers. The exterior looked kind of like the House of Records in Eugene and I decided I would go there later today.

3.  The trip to Fenwick Wine and Beer in Silver Spring was a success in couple of ways.  First, I familiarized myself more fully with what I find the baffling intersections of streets and roads in downtown Silver Spring.  I also spotted public parking garages to use when I return to go to movies at the AFI Cultural Center.  The trip to Fenwick was a success, albeit a bit expensive -- no problem. The Deke really likes both Rogue Chocolate Stout and Yeti Imperial Stout (from Great Divide).  I huge plus was that Fenwick sells Yeti Imperial Stout in 12 oz bottles, great news since it's ABV is over 9%.  Since I haven't seen much (if any) Yeti in Maryland, I justified paying the high price I paid and also enjoyed how happy the Deke was when I brought these two favorites of hers home.