Loading up on Colgate

My daughter has been on a swim team for years, but this year she has really been putting her all into her practices and meets.  So this weekend I volunteered for some father/daughter time by taking Jess to her meet at Colgate University in Hamilton, NY. It is only two hours away, and she didn’t need to be there to after lunch, so we got off on the road after breakfast, taking the back roads through some beautiful countryside.  So we made it to town just in time to visit the town’s Farmers Market, where we picked up some maple syrup and some crepes (‘tis tasty!), before heading over to lunch at Rusch’s Bar & Grill.  A sports bar with a basic menu, it did have penne pasta for Jess (she swears by it for her meet day meal) and I had a salad that we shared.  The waitress also told me that they had a brewery in town (lucky me), so I enjoyed a Good Nature IPA on draft before we headed over to the University.

Colgate is one of the country’s best liberal arts colleges, and it is absolutely gorgeous.  The chapel has a beautiful golden dome, and is located up on a hill.  There is a duck pond (reminded me of Virginia Tech) that was lined with daffodils.  We walked around for a while, but Jess had to check in so I took her over to the Natatorium (i.e., a building that contains a pool).  I had a few minutes to kill, and found out that Good Nature Brewing recently opened a tasting room in the middle of town.  So knowing that Jess was in good hands, I headed over to check it out.

Good Nature Brewing features all natural ales with local ingredients (at least that is what the website said).  What impressed me most was that a ton of locals came in from the Market, and that the brewer was there doing the pouring (as well as his partner/wife?).  Very personable, they received an award for their IPA at the Hunter Mountain beer fest.  I got a flight and really enjoyed their Chicory Mocha Porter and their Rabbit in the RyePA.  A cool place and a pleasant surprise, but I needed to get back for the meet.

Jess did great, taking off time in 3 of her 4 events.  She was flying in the 50 Fly, coming in first in her heat and taking 4 seconds off her best time.  She was in the last heat (i.e., best swimmers) for the 50 Breast, so the competition was really tough.  She looked determined on the blocks, but was a bit thrown by longer pool.  She did 7 seconds better in the 100 Back, and 4 seconds better in the 100 Free.  The last race did her in, and she was physically exhausted afterwards, so we headed home.  I am so proud of her dedication and hard work, and was glad that I was able to share the day with her.

We counted cow farms on the way home, and enjoyed a fine dinner at Subway.  It was a great day, and I can’t wait to do it again. - 6324/14130

 
“Beer is an improvement on water itself.” – Grant Johnson