This week, I’m going to take a break from focusing on loss and politics to write about something more joyous—a trip to Maine Beer Company in Freeport, Maine, to celebrate my son-in-law Mike’s birthday. Even those of us who are obsessed with politics and the state of the nation need to take regular breaks to refresh the spirit. So bring on the birthdays!

Mike and my husband Clif are beer enthusiasts, and Maine Beer Company makes some of their favorite beers. There are also fresh pretzels,

tasty pizza,

and crunchy, utterly delicious cannolis. (Alas, I forgot to take a picture of them.) Wine for Dee, diet soda for Shannon, and root beer for me. In other words, something for everyone.

The tasting room is large with long tables and benches, a bar, and rooms upstairs. But the first thing I noticed was a long, elegant whale skeleton soaring across the ceiling—so long I could only capture a portion  of it with my phone camera.

I wondered, was the skeleton real? As it turns out, it is. The skeleton came from a female fin whale (Finny) with a too-short life—between three and five years old—who washed up on a Maine beach in 2023. With support from Maine Beer Company, Finny’s skeleton was recovered and reconstructed by Whales and Nails. As beautifully described on Maine Beer Company’s website, the skeleton gives “a second life to spark curiosity, and connection to these magnificent animals.”

As Mike pointed out, Maine Beer Company is unabashedly progressive. On their website, they are not ashamed to state openly: “Our commitment to the environment is a core part of Maine Beer Company’s values. We aim to create a company culture of sustainability with projects ranging from our use of clean energy, to our donation of spent grain to farmers, and our work improving our recycling and compost systems.”

Do they have solar panels? Yes, they do. (I guess I can’t keep politics out of any post, even when it’s about a birthday celebration.)

But back to the birthday…We had a wonderful time talking and eating. We are a present-giving family, so there were presents, too. No better way to spend a February afternoon than with family at a business that is trying to make the world a better place. (Whoops, I drifted back to politics.)

A very happy birthday, Mike!

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Listening

Tiny Desk Concert: Billy Strings

Along with being on the same page politically, Mike and I also share similar tastes in music, which we often discuss when we get together and give each other suggestions. Billy Strings came up, and we discovered that we are both big fans of his music, which ranges from bluegrass to Americana to roots rock.

Somehow, most of my musical pathways seem to lead to NPR’s Tiny Desk, and with Billy Strings, it’s no different.