These past couple weeks have seen Tez and I hanging out with musical sorts and/or food and pub owners and enjoying their skills and crafts.
That鈥檚 worked out perfectly since during the next couple months I plan to write numerous restaurant and craft beer pub reviews for tourists and locals to pick through.
Last week started early with being spoiled by music. My good friend Jim Ripley invited me to the Mary Irwin Theatre to hear some top-shelf blues and jazz 鈥� and that鈥檚 exactly what we got.
Russell Jackson slapped out some wonderful blues and jazzy tunes on his standup bass.
A Memphis trained and worshipped blues man, Jackson is iconic in his southern United States fan base having spent many years working with Chicago Otis Clay and seven years with the B. B. King Orchestra.
Jackson, who has numerous original albums, was joined by his superb keyboardist Leo Ilomin Jr. from Vancouver
Midway through the first set, Jackson introduced well-known smoking hot guitarist James Wilson to the stage and anyone feeling a tad mellow because of the great blues got some in your face lead guitar.
Apparently, Wilson has decided a new vernacular image is needed so he鈥檚 changed his stage moniker to James Wilson from what I鈥檝e always known him as 鈥� Jimmy or Jim Wilson.
Regardless, he was the same if not better guitar player than music fans have admired for decades. Jim ripped through numerous songs to the crowd鈥檚 great pleasure. Great to hear and see you again Jimmy!
In the second half the blues show returned largely to a blues genre with Okanagan harmonica icon Sherman Doucette.
The diminutive harp monster and his dynamic personality took control of the Mary Irwin stage capturing the crowd with his spellbinding, breath-holding abilities.
It truly was a wonderful evening of fun, well worth the time and money.
Great show, great idea Jim Ripley.
My week just kept getting better as the following evening was Beers with Brian time and the wily beer taster had a delectable menu of craft beef facilities for us to taste.
First on Brian鈥檚 tour suggestions was the highly entertaining Jackknife Brewing at 727 Baillie in our north end area.
Naramata Jackknife offers yummy pizza sustenance like most of the craft brewery locations. I also enjoyed their bright double Nordic hoppy lager.
Brian was then brilliant in suggesting our next tour should include Craft 琉璃神社, a special place for memories.
The interior of this facility is of brilliant design as a brewery showing its inner workings and dining area on the inside and a fabulous, comfortable seating area on the balcony.
Indeed, the upper outdoor area hosts 200 and boasts a fun large shuffleboard for those who want to do more than just sit and enjoy the wonderful view of the lake and downtown. Top notch place to dine and or drink.
Tez and I ended that food frenzy when we revisited one of our regular favourites 鈥� Brandt鈥檚 Creek Pub.
I thoroughly gorged on the halibut and chips as it鈥檚 hard to find halibut in this town.
Tez once again had to be dragged away from her seafood linguini loaded with smoked salmon, crab, prawns mushrooms.
And how can one go wrong when you wrap up a two-week splurge like that by spending a day fishing at Echo Lake fishing with your best fishing buddy?
Curtis (best saxophone player in the land) and I thoroughly enjoyed numerous hours on our fishing adventure including time spent just travelling to the lake.
What a fabulous valley we live in. We caught four fish and released all four.
On the way home, Curtis and I felt compelled to do more research for HodgePodge Beers with Brian readers, even though Brian was not there to advise or guide us.
Curtis and I selected the Packing House Pub in Rutland, a popular local hangout (and convenient for someone hauling a fishing boat).
We both destroyed our beef dip 鈥� which tasted even better than when we ate it (which was yummy) by the fact that a friend bought our food for us! Thank you, Ryan.
More Beers with Brian and HodgePodge next week.
