Words of Wisdom - Day 3 continued

The words of wisdom that we heard and exchanged at the Gulan school proved to be a topic that we would continue throughout the day. We drove to a restaurant a short distance away and enjoyed a pleasant rainstorm under the canvas of a lunch patio. We reflected on the school and its marvels, right down to the animals who wandered the grounds and lived in peace around each other and people.

Mama and baby peacocks

Duckes and kitens were drinking together from the same puddle.

We drove deeper into Izmir, to the more eastern side of the city to a tiny hotel that only cost a few American dollars a night and wait until you hear the stories that arose from that place, but more to that later.

We freshened up then jumped back in the car for an hour long drive to a backyard restaurant on the rural side of town. The dinner was literally back yard barbecue and our  hosts were a lovely couple who were extremely welcoming and wonderful people. The food that we ate was so well seasoned and incredibly fresh! We ate chicken, beef sausages, rice, a carrot and yogurt dish, fresh vegetables, soup, the list went on and on, but we were most excited about the fresh plate of fruit which included peaches, grapes, and figs. We were all stuffed to the brim, a my grandma would say, but our host kept cutting pieces of peaches and putting them in front of us. Mesut translated all of the conversations and one of the many wonderful stories that we exchanged was from our host. He said that there were Americans at a restaurant once and they were not eating very much, so the owner started to literally feed them. Then, some time later, he went to the Americans' house and he was not eating so much and they started to literally feed him.

We went around the table and introduced ourselves and likely them to us. The hosts and their friends who accompanied us were very impressed with all of our work towards developing global communities, but they were particularly appreciative to Rosemary who after 9/11 developed a Get to Meet your Muslim Neighbor program, (may not be correct word for word) so that people could see and understand that the majority community of Muslims are not extremists. One of the gentlemen who was with our host said this, "Terrorists are not Muslim, and Muslims are not terrorists," meaning that no one who would truly be considered Muslim would be capable of such atrocities. They really appreciated that we all not only understood this, but that we were here with the intent to help our neighbors back home understand this as well. 

Margie described her background in organizing retired senior citizens into a network that would link their skills to non-profits in need, thus helping them and helping the community. I swear that I could see the spark of inspiration in his eyes. He was fascinated in this program that she developed and asked several questions abouot operationalizing this idea in Turkey as he too is involved on a minor scale in such work. So Margie offered to advise as a pro bono consultant because that is why we are here; to do what we can to make the world a better place.

At one point in the night, I started to realize that we were not the only ones eating. Mosquitos had feasted on my legs, so Margie and I began to move our legs around under the table so to be moving targets and not simply complacent sacrifices. We would look up at each other now and then and start laughing because we were tap dancing under the table. One of the hosts' friend asked if I was cold because I was moving around so much and I answered that I was being eaten alive by mosquitos and then we all began a really fun conversation about mosquitos. For me this was one of the most connecting moments between our cultures even though it seems so minute. We are all the same. No matter our backgrounds, our language, our religion, our dress, our moods - we are all mosquito food. It sounds like I'm making a joke, but it is true. At the end of the day, we are all dealing with the same problems. Now we need to come together and fix them in a united fashion instead of wasting our time and resources bickering over nonsense. 

We took photos with the family and they brought us out gifts, which we later discovered were sets of coffee cups. (photos will follow soon).

The drive back to our hotel in Izmir did not seem as long even though we got turned around a time or two on those country roads. I'll tell you that I have NEVER seen drivers better than the gentlemen who have been driving us on this trip. We all are so appreciative to their incredible ability to safely maneuver large vehicles through seemingly impossible spots.

Once back at the hotel, I decided to freshen up and take a shower and more about that wild adventure will follow - we've a whole fleet of stories about this hotel from the lot of us, so I'll wait to tell them chronologically as we didn't share them with each other for another full day.

We've had scattered access to the internet, which is why I'm having a difficult time keeping you all up to speed on our adventures, but I assure you that I've been vigilent at keeping notes to remember it all!

Until quite soon, dear readers!

Your humble author,

S. Faxon

Words of Wisdom - Day 3

Our schedule was considerably more relaxed than it has been in the last few days. In the morning, we received a phone call from Mesut letting us know that we would be enjoying breakfast on the roof. The breakfast style was of a rich, first class buffet and the meal was wonderful, but the view was simply breathtaking.

We enjoyed many plates of food and we learned about the proper way to enjoy Turkish tea. Walt and I had just poured the regular tea and did the traditional cube of sugar and lemon, but Mesut pointed out to us that our teas were twice as dark as his because we didn't realize that one only fills the cup with tea to about one third, the rest is filled with hot water. Once we sipped down the stronger stuff, we were able to enjoy tea the way it is meant to be. 

(This was a photo taken earlier, but I'm including it here so you may see what it looks like.)

Once we had full bellies and well caffinated brains, we collected our luggage and headed back to the van. We were going to drive north to Izmir to visit a Gulan high school. Gulan is a type of belief, which seeks to establish a full, well rounded education for all. There are Gulan schools across Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia. The people who follow the belief system think that we should love one another because we are all brothers and sisters. The color of one's skin and the faith in one's heart should not make any difference at all. The education that the children receive in these schools academically is incredible and the lessons they learn to become well-rounded, open hearted global citizens is unquantifiable.

We met our guide at the lovely tables outside of the caffeteria before our tour of the incredible campus. 

The students of the school have earned countless awards and recognitions for their academics and their sports achievements. Their alumni are found all over the world as physicists, professors, mathematicians, scientists, and atheletes. Many of their alumni teach at the most prestigious universities in the world, including Harvard, Berkeley, and C. For my San Diego/LA friends, zoom in at the bottom of this photo to see where one of their alumni has ended up:

We toured the library, which formerly was a mosque, and these two photos do not do it any justice, but I will upload the video that I took once I am able. 

The school contained many high-tech classroom, but all of us agreed that our favorite was the room of biology. Their facilities were top notch and their collection of specimens was unbelieveable! The pickeled fawn in my bio class was nothing compared to the specimens they had available to them. We found ourselves probably having more fun thatn the students would with the animals on display. 

Walt was singing a tune with the Turkish fox. But here was Walt's view:

After our tour we had a spontaneous meeting with one of the professors who shared incredible stories of wisdom and brotherhood. The conversation was timeless and I wish I could have documented it all, but here are two stories that I wrote notes on to share with you.

A man whose soul was considered very mean and bad walked out from a forest to see a well. The man was thirsty so he climbed over the top of the well, climbed down, took a sip of water, then climbed back up and out again. 

The man was about to leave to return to his wicked ways, when he saw a dog circling the well. It was clear that the dog was hot and thirsty, but there was no way the poor creature could clamber down inside like a man. Without thinking, the man returned to the well, climbed back down, removed his shoe and filled it with water. He climbed back up and gave the dog the water in his shoe so that he could drink. God saw this act and said to the man, "I forgive you all your sins, for you have proven your worth." 

The second story was this: a long time ago, there was a great fire that covered all the hills. Men and women were trying desperately to put out the fire by dumping buckets and barrels of water onto the flames. One man came running out with a tiny glass full of water. Another man stopped him and said, "What are you doing? The glass is too small to make any difference!"

The man with the glass said in return, " I want to help. I may not put out the fire, but this is what I can contribute, and this much will be saved."

The story was to demonstrate that while we may feel sometimes that problems are too big or too drastic for us to be of anny help, any effort can make an impacting difference. 

The professor that we met was of different faith and background and culture from my group and he obviously recognized this too, but he said something that quite nearly brought me to tears. He said, "We are of different nationalities, but our hearts are the same."

I'll leave you with those words of wisdom and I'll write up the rest of this tale in the morning. I am beat!

Until then dear readers!

Your humble author,

S. Faxon

Walks Through Time - Day 3

The evening that we spent with the family lasted late into the night. We did not reach our hotel until after midnight, so I have been unable to keep up these posts in a timely fashion. 

Our early morning began as a race to the airport. We had a plane to catch. The trip through Istanbul to the Ataturk Airport was quick and our experience inside smooth. None of us were surprised to see among the many Turkish shops a Starbucks. The Turkish coffee that we hear so much about in the west is mostly for special occasions where one may sit and enjoy the company of friends, family or guests, whereas tea makes regular appearances throughout the day. In other words, the quickness of Starbucks doesn't exactly fit with the culture.

Our 45 minute plane ride passed in a flash and we landed in Izmir, the third largest city in Turkey. (Istanbul is the first with something like 20 million residents - imagine that San Diego! And Ankara, the capitol, is second). When we collected our luggage, we were collected by our guide, a man named Shercan. Shercan accompanied us in the van and he gave us an extremely detailed historical lesson on the region...it was wonderful and rich, but we were all so exhausted and hungry that it was difficult to pay attention. Luckily enough for us (and for our poor guide) we stopped at a roadside restaurant for brunch. The restaurant bordered a farm and a mountain side and it was absolutely heavenly. Complete even with fig leaves.

The climate of Ephesus, where we were driving through, is MUCH like California. We've seen a number of similar plants that grown in Southern California, including, get this, eucalyptus trees. (Yes, I am aware that these are native to Australia.) But see for yourself how similar our two chapparels are:

From lunch, we went the famous tile shop in Turkey to have a demonstration on the ancient art of tile making that has been a part of the Ephesus culture for centuries. The blue tile in the Blue Mosque (hence its name) are actually from this small town and it was incredible to see a master tiler at his art. We learned that his family had been making these pieces of art for seven generations.

He made a masterpiece in under two minutes. 

Margie, a gal in my group, gave it a go and alas, she was not able to make a masterpiece, but we all had a good laugh. From that room, we explored the building some more and were able to see the master artists who draw the designs on the pottery at their art.

After viewing masterpieces and glow in the dark pottery, we all browsed around the unbelievable shop and purchased goodies of our own. 

I purchased a pair of beautiful coffee cups and I will be only too happy to bring those out for special occasions.

After our tour we embarked once more in the van down a long, lovely road, bound for a very special destination.

This photo is from the drive up to an absolutely incredible historical and religious site: the House of Mary. We were able to visit what is believed to be the place where Mary, the mother of Jesus, spent her last few years on Earth. 

The site has been restored, but it was a miracle that the place was found to begin with. The house sits alone on top of an impressive hill, tucked among a grove of olive trees. Regardless the amount of loud and pushy tourists, there was a peace there that will stay with me a long time. Walking through the blessed Mother's house was truly a moving experience. 

At the site, there was a cistern that had been redirected to run through faucets. It is a part of the experience to drink the water, so we all enjoyed our sips from the refeshing spring.

I wish we could have stayed longer in this peaceful place, but Shercan had more scheduled for us to see, so after parousing the shops, we hopped back in the van and drove off to the ancient city in Ephesus.

The site was so large that only a shot from far up above could capture it all, but here are a few of the highlights:

As shown by this next photo we are being accepted by the locals.

We've seen hundreds of wild cats and dogs, and this one decided to curl up with Carole after we sat down.

I will post more photos of this incredible place later along with a video of my lone hike to the top of the theater in the last photo. To tell you a bit more about this place, it was a city that lined the seaside, although today the water has receded substantially and it was one of the largest locations of active commerce. Shercan described it as the ancient version of a combination of Washington DC and New York City. It had been occupied by the Romans, early Christians, and numerous other cultures before being swallowed uup pby sand, dust and time. 

Today, much of the site has been uncovered, but the archeological digs are likely to continue for another fifty years.

If you zoom in really closely, you can see my group waiting for me to finish my journey about midway in the photo on the right side. 

I'm very glad that I made the pilgrimage to the top. The view was unlike anything I've ever known. Had the group not been patiently waiting for me, I could have sat up there for hours feeling the wind in my face and seeing the ghosts of the ancients come to life on the stage beneath me.

There was a real sense of eternity there. Though there were no reproductions or living history demonstrations happening, it was almost as if you could still hear the laughter in the theater, or the running water in the Roman baths. The place may be in ruins, but the tales of the long gone have not been forgotten. 

Sweaty and out of breath, I rejoined my group and we continued on to the end of the road to return to the van that had luckily driven to the otherside of the enormous site to meet us.

The drive to our next stop was not terribly long, but we dropped off Shercan with many expressions of thanks for his exccellent tour.

Our next destination was the seaside town of Kusadasi. Our hotel was directly across the street from the beach. We all quickly freshened up then hit the streets to find dinner.

The sunset stroll beside the Agean sea was marvelous.

Our dinner, just like everything else, was a lot of fun. We ordered kebobs and a variety of appetizers. The beef, lamb and chicken kebabs came with spicy peppers on top. I sat with our trip leader Mesut, our driver, and the driver's company manager - the latter two were very impressed by my immersion into Turkish culture. I was mirroring the way they were eating, practicing my basic Turkish words, and I was chomping down the spicy pepper as if it was nothing. One of the guys asked Mesut where I was from and they found my latina heritage to be fitting for my enthusiasm toward the peppers. I think I really shocked and awed them when I spoke Russian to the manager who too spoke Russian. I think I may be a positive example of globalization kinda like these Coke cans:

What would dinner be without a follow up of icecream? And Turkish Icecream is unbeatable. They make it out of goatsmilk and it is SUPERB!

I'm afraid there may be no going back to American icecream after this trip. My group and I enjoyed a wide variety of flavors, the three of which featured in the above photo were vanilla, pistachio and black mulberry. Two words: mind-blowing.

This whole trip has been exactly that. It's difficult for my mind to wrap itself around the fact that I am in Turkey, the grounds that have played so large a role in history throughout man's existence. It is an incredible trip and I fell humble and honored to be a part of this wonderful group that is with me. 

But now, it is nap time. I've still another day to write about and a whole afternoon of activities to fill!

Until later my dear readers.

Your humble author,

S. Faxon

Comforts of Home - Day 2

When one adventures away from home, they tend to look for things that remind them of the special place they call their own. Though I am on the other side of the world from my sunny San Diego neighborhood, there have been many comforts here that make me feel like I'm strolling through neighborhoods well known.

And it all starts with breakfast. 

Eating with my family has always been a large part of my upbringing and when we all sit down together on this trip we learn things from one another and we get to enjoy a deep part of Turkish culture: food and hospitality, both of which have been absolutely excellent!!

The people of Turkey take great pride in their hospitality (and their food), belieiving that guests do not have to bring anything physical to the table, but that they always leave something more substantial. Guests are treated so well here that we have constantly felt extremely welcomed.

The first adventure on which we embarked today was to the Jewish Museum, which was tucked in the back of a long, skinny alleyway.

This was a prime exampe of the importancce of not judging a book by its cover. The alley may have felt as if the walls were about to cave in on us, but the Suleymaniye Museum was absolutely pristine.

The musuem displayed the many different ways Jewish people have long been involved in the history of Turkey. There were numerous influential Jewish folk throughout Turkish history, particularly after the Muslims and the Jews were forced out from Spain during the Spanish Inquisition. These religious and ethnic groups needed a place to call home and many of them settled in Turkey, where the Ottoman Empire was significantly more tollerant. They were able settle down and establish themselves comfortably. 

While at the museum, a heavy rainstorm graced the streets of Istanbul, bringing down the temperature and bringing smiles to all of our faces.

From the museum, we drove across the bridge to our next destination, the fish market. The market was bustling like a busy bee hive. Everywhere you looked there was movement. Young boys were trying to sell us an assortment of items and men were hollering at us to come eat at their fish sandwich spots. We ended up going to what was the equivalent to a fast food restaurant right beside the water. The kitchen itself was a highly decorated vessel that bobbed up and down in the water about four feet up and four feet down. As experienced as I am becoming on the seas, I don't think I'd be able to cook and successfully stand in that amount of constant movement. 

We sat on little barrels that stood no higher than our knees and we ate our mackrel sandwiches. All of us left a healthy pile of bones on our wrappings and while the experience was great, I was glad to be out of that packed and bustling environment.

Behind me in the above shot is the market. The golden domes in the center are the floating kitchens. Far back on the hill is a dome with minarets. That was a mosque that we visited later in the day. The infamous grand bizaar is also in this area. In that small space behind me, there were easily 800 people. It made me think a bit about Time Square, but this market was somehow less stressful.

From there we walked to our next appointment - a boat ride across the Bosphorus. Being on a boat made my feet feel right in their element once more. For those of you who may not know, my growing passion is for sailing. I feel more sturdy and comfortable on ships than I do on land. 

While not the best photo of me, it shows the type of ship that we were on over my shoulder. We took this ship northward bound to gaze at the incredible sites along the Bosphorus. One thing that was absolutely amazing was how close the roof of our ship came to the bottom of the bridge. We easily could have reached up and touched the bridge, but for the speed that our ship was moving. I value my fingers and had no desire to leave my digits for the fishies. 

Two enormous bridges connect Europe to Asia over the Bosphorus. On the left side of this photo is Europe, on the right, Asia. The Asian side of Turkey is called the Anatolyan side.

Along the banks of the strait were countless historical sites. Once I have my laptop in the States, I'll update this post with more photos, but here are two of the highlights.

This photo does not do this titan of a castle justice, but it was smack in the middle of a neighborhood. Imagine having towers and turrets in your backyard!

This was the second bridge and it shows how the contemporary meets the ancient. That is a running theme here in Turkey. The people in Istanbul are very "Western," yet still very much in touch with their cultural heritage. It is proof that there can be a balance between worlds.

After our lovely boat ride, we hopped back into our bus and drove up the thin, winding streets of the neighborhood. We could not believe how great our driver was. His license deserves to be guilded. The seemingly impossibly tight corners, the traffic, the pedestrians, random holes in the ground - no video game or training could prepare you to drive in Istanbul successfully. We have seen quite a few car accidents so far and traffic can become quite literally a parkinglot. 

Our struggles up the hilll led us to the most impressive building I think I've yet seen (that's a highly subjective comment.) The mosque was built in the late 1500s over the course of 8 years and the architecht was an 85 year old man (think on how incredible that is for a moment) who lived to see his projecct complete. Our leader Mesut said that this was not considered his masterpiece, so I cannot begin to imagine how beautiful that one is.

The building was absolutelly breathtaking. On the main dome, the detail was awe inspiring. There were numerous bunches of flowers painted into the dome and beautiful golden patterns that were so discrete, that a quick glance would miss them.

My group and I sat and lay down on the floor to marvel at what looked like windows into heaven.

And this was a small piece of what we saw. 

The half circle design on the right side of the screen was a sunrise. These pictures do not do this mosque justice at all - this is one of those places that you just have to experiencce to fully appreciate.

We were all so at peace inside this place. My group and I were talking about how important it is for man to have a quiet place to sit and reflect on life, its wonders, its blessings. To unplug from our electronics and our distractions, and just breathe. 

Most of us started to nod off, so we got up and explored some more. Mesut actually fell asleep and we couldn't find him for the longest time, but he was only about 20 feet away from us on the otherside of a wall. 

The mosque was not only built to support the soul, there was also a hospital, a Turkish bath, a school, a hospice and a market. It was constructed to support all of the needs of an individual and the community at large. 

We walked through the market and I made friends with more local kittens. One of the shop owners tried to get me to take a kitten that had really taken to me free of charge and boy was it hard saying no! But I don't think Bella Tuna Todd would be terribly happy if I brought home a fluffier mini version of her.

After our nice afternoon stroll through the market, we got back in the van and embarked upon a one hour car ride to the house at which we were to have dinner. The unfortunate detail was that the location was less than two miles away, but the traffic situation was down right diplorable! Our poor, but wonderful driver kept trying different routes and eventually we made it to the gracious family's home.

It was a wonderful immersion experience. Several people from the family's network came to meet the Americans and we all had such a wonderful time. This is the point of this adventure. We are not only learning about Turkey, her culture her history, and her people - we are here to engage with the Turkish citizens so that they may learn about us as well. 

We all had pictures of our family, our homes, our city to show the people what our lives are like. Everyone thought the photos of my cat were hilarious. They were amazed by how beautiful California is. They were really impressed with the three Turkish words that I was able to use. Honestly folks, if you're going to another country that does not speak the same language as you, do your best to try to learn a few words. You'll be delightfully surprised how much it means to people that you are trying. It is a demonstration of respect. You don't have to be fluent by any means and if you mess up the pronunciation, they'll likely laugh right there with you and help you to figure it out.

While looking at these photos and exchanging jokes, questions, and comments with one another with the wondeful help of Mesut's translating, we ate an enormous meal. The food was phenominal. I do have photos, but again on my camera, which I will post. The whole experiene reminded me much of my mom's family. Our Mexican culture insists that everyone eats (even if they're not hungry) and that everyone feel welcome. I expressed the similarities to the host family after they served us tre lech cake, which I kid you not is the exact same as tres leche cake. 

And yes! I finally had a cup of Turkish coffe and ooooohhhhhh baby was it good! 

Alright my traveling companions, we are currently waiting for our flight to our next destination. I probably won't be able to post this for a while, so some time may pass before this post is actually up. Where are we going next? You'll have to tune in next time to see!!

Your humble author,

S. Faxon

The Adventure Begins

A light rain and a gentle lightning storm are cooing my companions and me to sleep here on our first night in Istanbul.

My four companions and I departed from sunny San Diego on a fine Tuesday morning. I spent the last hour before my flight sipping coffee with my parents. 

After having my hair clip successfully inspected by security, I met my group on the other side of the gate. 

Aside from the typical chorus of screaming babies on an overnight flight, the flights were relatively uneventful. I spent most of the traveling time reading a new book, Team of Rivals. Several hours of screaming babies later, we touched down in Istanbul! 

We made it through Turkish passport (or passaport, as they would say) customs just fine. And I received my very first stamp in my passport! 

Once we had all of our luggage, we found our leader who had flown in ahead of time. We boarded our bus then headed off to dinner. At the cafe we were able to enjoy a wide variety of traditional Turkish food (photos will follow) and sip fine teas. 

While on the Turkish air flight, I discovered a computer game on their TVs which taught a variety of languages, so I decided what better way to spend time on a twelve hour flight then by learning some Turkish. So now that I have about 40 new words under my belt, reading the menu at the restaurant was slightly easier. ( I could at least tell the difference in the descriptions from beef and chicken.) Still working on how to say thank you, but I'm sure that it'll come in time. Speaking of time, I've been awake for more hours than I can recall! It is time for me to go to sleep.

Tomorrow we will be exploring some of the historical sights, so many more updates to come! Until then my dear readers,

Your humble author, 

S. Faxon

Craft Brew Caper V

Wow, as I'm sitting here in Istanbul writing out my blog, I came to the horrid realization that the following didn't post! I'm so sorry about that dear readers. Please excuse this slight deviation from the Turkey plot.

(Intended for last Monday)

Due to a slight miscommunication between my blogger profile and me, I accidently deleted last night's intended post...And that's why I should stick to hand writing everything. SO to spare my hands of typing too much, I spread out writing this piece into last night and this morning. 

On a slightyly different note, I just returned from my orientation for the big Turkey trip that is coming up next week! Can you believe it? The time has come so fast. In the orientation we learned about the itinerary and about the different items we will likely need. I'm getting more excited by the day and now after the orientation it finally feels real. None of this would have been possible without the support of my friends, family and network! Thank you all so very mch for belieiving in the cause of citizen diplomacy! I will be blogging and posting updates from Turkey, so please keep your eye on the Weekly Read over the next few weeks!

Speaking of the Weekly Read - ready or not, here comes the exciting concluding chapter of Rodger's tale!

Craft Brew Caper, Part V

The story that Roger produced was a stretch to believe. However, not a trace of beer influenced this man's tail. If there were any truth to be found in this world, it was reflected in the light of Rodger's eyes. The story was far too grand for the head security guard Dennis. He told Rodger to hold on for a moment while he fetched the powers that were.

"Sir," Dennis respectfully called to the brewery master, the owner of Hornblower brewery.

"What is it now, Dennis," the stout middle aged Jack Pilot asked as he swiveled his chair around to face a senior employee. Though Dennis was not one to waste the time of another man with the doldrums of his post, the cigar between Jack's fingers was particularly fine and deserved attention.

"I've got a guy downstairs that you will not believe," he shared not bothering to take a seat. The man with the dog seem to deserve all the time available. "I really think you should hear what he has to say."

"Dennis, I'd prefer to not be disturbed by the drunken flimflam rambles of our clients, however dear to us they are." Jack said as he took a long drag from his cigar.

"I respect that sir, but this guy, he isn't a standard sipper." The tone that Dennis used was one that Jack had not yet heard. Keeping the end of the rich cigar between his lips, Jack mumbled, "Alright, alright. You win. But this guy gets two minutes. Tops."

Those two minutes became twenty minutes, which quickly grew to two hours. The plot that Rodger conveyed was not only one worth listening to, it was one worth seeing through.

All of the work that Rodger had put into this Friday night's event was finally coming together. As the commotion at the judge's table concerning the to-be-named Golden Hopp winner arose, Rodger inhaled deeply to appreciate how fortunate his life had turned. 

The head of ceremonies at the Crown Ball cleared his throught and nervously said over the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, a moment more of your patience, if you please."

There was confusion among the judges draped in black robes at their elevated table. It would not take them long before sorting out the unexpected anomaly that had occured right under their noses. The tasting had been blind until the final decision of the winner was reached, and now that the judges were aware of the identity of the brew, they were confounded and confused. Nothing like this had ever happened before. They did not yet know what to do.

The delay caused the crowd to stir. People began to whisper among themselves generating ideas of what happened and guessing at the possible scandal.

Rodger spoke to no one. He watched the beautiful Wilhemena standing in her group of fellow black boots from their brewery Sir Hops A lot. There was a line of excitement about her features, but directly beneath that was a hint of loneliness. The idea that she felt in the slightest out of place or without company even though she was surrounded by colleagues hit Rodger like a clapper to a bell. He could not stand for this.

The judges began to make their conclusion as to what was to be done with this delightful anomaly and Rodger made his way through the crowd. Rodger cut through the people too entwined in their conversations about what was happening to notice his presence splitting through theirs at all. His world was mute to their gossiping clucks. All he could hear was the rushing beat of his heart. This was what his dying soul needed most. 

"Wilhemena," Rodger heard his voice say to her shoulder.

The men in her group looked at Rodger with raised eyebrows and cocky foreboding stares. But Wilhemena turned to the call of her name with a soft and curous expression, which lightened upon seeing Rodger's face. 

The slight transformation of her gaze that only Rodger noticed filled his soul with the fire he needed to say, "Wilhemena, no matter what happens tonight, I want you to know that to me, you are the most beautiful girl in the world."

Before Wilhemena could build a response to the complement and before the other black boots could heave snide reactions out from their shock, Rodger slipped away. The cloud that he was floating upon was far too pleasant to be spoiled by the men in her company.

 "Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, if you please, gather 'round," the head ofceremonies called out above the crowd. A series of "shooshes" echoed throughout the hall as people quickly quieted to hear what had been decided. "We have an extra special delight here tonight folks, an extra special delight indeed!" 

Rodger resumed his hiding place where he could see everything. And though most eyes were locked on the stage and the presiding announcer, Rodger continued to watch Wilhemena. Much to his delight, while the majority of her attention was on the raised stage, her eyes would dart here and there throughout the room. She was looking for him.

"Would the brew masters of Hornblower and Sir Hops A lot join us up here, please," the announcer called.

A strong look of confidence filled the being of Tony Alessi as he walked forward to take his place by the stage. He thought at last his time had come to be recognized against the formidable talents of his cousin, the owner of Hornblower. Jack Pilot too had a certain look about him because he had a fair idea of what was to come.

"Thank you gentlemen for coming forward and for bringing to us something that will likely never be forgotten," the master of ceremonies said proudly. He was pleased that something so momentous would occur under his jurisdiction. "Ladies and gentlemen, due to the profound ingenuity of these two brew masters, we have a first here at the Crown Ball, one which will certainly go down in history." Turning to the table to grab his stein full of the best beer ever tasted, the head of ceremonies raised the glass high above his head to toast this spectacular feat. "Ladies and gentlen, I present to you the talents of Mr. Alessi and of Mr. Pilot - the spiced ale, Culmination-U. Congratulations gentlemen, your brilliant mixer of flavors will proudly wear the Golden Hopps award!" 

The crowd was mostly silent from bewilderment. They could not understand what had happened. Never before had a mixer been entered, and none would have ever before thought to blend two styles of beer from two different breweries. And that the two biggest rival breweries would come together to make a Golden Hopp award winning beer only added to the reasons for peoples' mouths to be agape.

"What?!" Alessi asked, flabergasted from the whole scenario. With an exception of a handful of black boots from Hornblower, all the other members of the two boasted brewing groups were equally as astounded. The small team that Jack had enlisted from his staff to help see Rodger's team through glowed with pride knowing that they had hands in this historical event.

"Y-yes," Jack started, patting Alessi on the back, hoping to cover before Tony ruined the beer that represented everything good. Turning to the crowd, Jack explained Rodger's plot just like they had rehearsed; "The Cumination-U represents the ingenuity of both our breweries and the brining together of old rivals into one unified beer. Culmination-U is the product of good hearted, hard working people who depend on each other to make award winning beer. And that is why both my brewery and Alessi's will be serving Culmination-U as our regular pours, representing the goodness of both our teams, and of the broader fellowship that exists here in our island. None of our achievements would be at all possible without every man and woman what calls himself a citizen here. We have our differences, our different positions, different styles, whatever they may be, may Culmination-U be the daily sipped, hopefully daily, reminder that here on our island, we are united by our crafts."

That was exactly it. The message that Rodger had been hoping to get across this whole time. Any enterprise had a team worth recognizing and particularly here on his home-island where position and title determined one's status in society. The mix and label that he had designed for this beer sought to keep the people in all tiers of their island in everyone's hearts and minds.

The largest smile Rodger had ever before borne in his life lighted his face, but it was not from the glory of his triumphantly successful plot. In his distraction of watching the frustrations of his employer being hidden behind a mask of stymied pride in a beer that he had no idea was his own, something wonderful had occured. Standing sweetly at his side was the beautiful Wilhemena. She too was pleased that her brewery had somehow become involved in this incredible, albeit secret, alliance, but there was a greater victory or her tonight. The man that she had secretly admired from afar since the day she saw him had admitted that his heart also longed for her.

"Rodger," she called to him sweetly. The cheers and claps of the crowd in the Crown Ball room could not have been loud enough to have stifled her voice to Rodger's ears. "Would you care to dance with me?"

A laugh of disbelief and of utter hope escaped from Rodger. This night had turned far better than he ever could have planned. "Oh yes, Wilhemena," he answered as his trembling hand took hers for the first time. "Tonight, and any other night that you please." 

As Culmination-U was distributed to the crowds, met with nothing but delight from the tasters, Rodger and Wilhemena danced to the tune they created. The pair swung together sweetly on their very own euphoric cloud. As Rodger held her for the first time, he reflected on that depressing visit to his physician when the doctor told him, "I'm sorry, you're dying. If you don't do something significant with your life, your soul will simply give up on you." His body had been in perfect health this whole time, but the lack of change, excitement and love were killing him. 

However, tonight, as everyone raised their glasses to toast the brilliant message of his creation, the Culmination-U, and as he danced with Wilhemena, Rodger's enlightened soul came to see that this indeed was the night his soul had been living for. 

End

I certainly hope you all enjoyed the exciting adventure of Rodger! If you have a glass of a golden brew or of a chocolatey stout in hand, feel free to raise it to the message of Culmination-U!

See you all next week at the begining of our traveling adventures in Turkey! I've got a lot of packing and preparing to do!

Your humble author,

S. Faxon

Craft Brew Caper IV

Good morning everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I got to spend a couple of days up in Northern California, catching a bit of fresh air and peace. But this is not the time to share that adventure, this is Craft Brew Caper time! On with the show!

Craft Brew Caper
The crowd of attendees at the Crown Ball gathered around the main stage. Nine black robed judges sat at a long table with a satin table cloth covering its face. The glasses laid out across the table told the tale of the choice brews consumed. For the expert judges to remain impartial, the tasting was blind. No one knew which brew was which.

The contenders were divided by style for ribbons marking top in their class. But only the best of the best would rise to bear the coveted Golden Hop award. The ribbons would be distributed at a later event. Tonight, the people gathered solely for that ultimate achievement.

Rodger too positioned himself closer to the stage that was erected in the back of the dimly lit hall. However, he remained on the outer rim of the crowds, a shy yet confident smile on his face. The position he chose was perfect. From where he stood by the thick concrete column, he could see both the stage and the beautiful Wilhemena. She looked exquisite. Her auburn hair sat on her head like a crown upon a queen's brow. Just seeing her in this way made Rodger feel so full of life! Of course, the terrible pains in his back also reminded him of his mortality.

As the main speaker on the stage began the opening announcements for the closing events leading up to the revealing of the Golden Hop winner, Rodger tenderly stretched his back. The tightness in his muscles was not from the strenuous labor of pushing his squeaky trolley with a barrel as its load. It was instead from his momentary experience of flight.

For what felt an eternity, Rodger parted from the weights of the earth as he completely departed involuntarily from the ground. With the unhelpful assistance of two enormous security guards, Rodger was hoisted from the ground by his shoulder and knees, to be thrown back first onto his landing pad, an unforgivably sturdy table. This Thursday had turned so horribly wrong so quickly.

The force of the impact knocked the wind from his lungs and made the stars that appeared before his eyes so clear that for a moment he thought he was in space.

An odd sort of sound murmured, but it sounded to be miles off in the distance. As the sound continued it began to take the shape of a voice speaking in a slow, mono-tone. The brightness of the hanging lanterns above were the primary detail that entrapped Rodger's attention. It wasn't until the sharp pains ringing throughout every inch of his back and shoulders brought him to fully functional condition.

"-thinking?!" the final word of a winded rant filtered through Rodger's conscience.

Rodger squinted his eyes. It was so bright and it appeared as though a man was inquiring something about his thoughts. "Wha'?" Rodger's lips slowly formed the word that this voice box could not.

The thick jawed security man that addressed him shook his head and opened his eyes dramatically. This would not be the first time that his boys had knocked the sense out of those he was interrogating. The notion that he would have to repeat himself was quite infuriating. Sucking in a deep breath, the guard repeated most of his original dictate: "You pay off and con several people, you hide some dumb, annoying trolley full of our brew, and you lie to us by not telling us anything! How can you even pretend to be upset with us?"

Rodger was not pretending anything. He was genuinely upset that his plan had been thwarted by some gabbing gusses. The emotion that pressed most of his heart was the fear that Francis, his companion and dearest friend, would be offended by these heavy handed buffoons. "Look, I'm not," Rodger's voice strained to produce these words. His dying soul felt more broken now than ever before. "I'm not feigning anything. I will tell you absolutely everything if you swear that you won't hurt my dog."

The strong jawed security guard turned his hazel eyes down to the dog in his arms. He too had a large faced, four pawed friend at home and he realized how he would feel if a stranger were doing the same with his pup in hand. With a sigh, the security guard named Dennis recognized that his approach was a tad too threatening. "Alright," he grumbled. "Here," Dennis handed Frances to Rodger. "But I ask that you give us every detail of your intended shenanigans."

Holding his dear friend close made all the wrongs and disclosures in his life whole and right. The unconditional love and loyalty that reflected from Francis' eyes was all that Rodger needed to feel alive. "Alright," he conceded, ""But you must believe everything that I say no matter how mad or far fetched it may sound."

Dennis grabbed a wooden chair and flicked it around so that he could straddle the back. Sitting comfortably directly in front of Rodger, Dennis said, "Try me."

~*~*~

What will Rodger say?!?!? Find out next time at the Weekly Read!

Your humble author,
S. Faxon

PS - look, it's me at the J.B. Fletcher house from Murder, She Wrote!

The tale of that adventure will come...