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Yes okay, East Coast Lifestyle is a brand of clothing, you wouldnt have to throw a rock very far on any campus on Walmart in the maritimes without hitting someone with one of the hoodies on but to me and many other maritimers it is more then a $60 article of clothing or a fashion trend, it is an outlook, a way of doing things that makes people from this side of Canada distinctly east coast.
I have come to appreciate this place and these things as I have lived, worked and had a family here.
While i did spend most of my pre-teen and teen years in Ontario, both my mom and dad sides of the family were predominantly in Nova Scotia. So many a summer was spent with an annual pilgrimage to visit our relatives for a couple or weeks or more.
It wasnt until 16-17 that we moved out East to Nova Scotia that I started to figure out all the benefits and amazing things that being associated with Nova Scotia could bring.
My initial reaction at 17 to moving here was not great, the thought of moving and being away from friends at that time in life was tough to handle, they had to bring in my grandmother to break the news to me and admittedly I didnt take it well.
A couple tears, a large hole in a wall, and the circumstances of the day pressing down, it was really the only way to go. So we went.
While that kind of change was hard, it was really the best decision that anyone could have made at the time. There were definately some transition issues in moving from a town of 28000 to a town of 2000 people, but everything positive in my life can be linked to that move.
So now some 20+ years later I feel like i can include myself in what being from the East Coast entails. Anyone from here or visits here for a while loves it. If you can let go of your own crap, and enjoy the moment you are in then you get a taste of the east coast lifestyle. I try and find these moments each and everyday. This is probably why #cigarSunday has become such a thing for me while i have been training. By the nature of #cigarSunday it goes against every thing i am doing training and health wise, but it also allows me to stop, take a breath of non-filtered cigar air, and have a taste of goodness in a glass outside, no matter the weather, no matter the time of day and enjoy that moment. The successes from that week, and laugh at some of the fails of that week.
So this week ( 4 days ago) I got to try a new cigar the Don Thomas Maduro Presidente and i paired it with Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey.
The cigar was probably the largest in length that i have ever smoked at 7.5 inches. It had a great burn time and the draw was very smooth, not quite mild flavor but not quite medium level either. This will be a great cigar for the summer. It did not burn fast either which is a huge plus and the cost was around $7 - which i was worried about when i bought it that it was going to be awful because of the low price point. Glad to say it was a great smoke. Pairing was a little off though.
I really enjoy Bulleit Bourbon, the recommendation to try it came from a friend of mine that really enjoys the brown liquors so I knew i would like it to.
It has a high rye content which gives it a unique and for lack of a better word a strong flavor on the initial taste but finishes really smooth. It has the color of toffy and definately carries those notes towards the end of the taste. The stronger start though with this cigar was not really jiving though.
I probably should have gone with something like a blended Scotch like Famous Grouse or 40 Creek Whiskey.
As i will be trying this cigar again, I will try one of those with it the next time.
All of this though was completely seconded by the beautiful day that last Saturday was. I had all my workouts complete on Saturday as Sunday was going to be a busy family day, and am i ever thankful. The sun was out, there was very little wind and both my wife and I were excited to dig out our deck chairs from the piles of snow and sit on the deck and enjoy the sun. We couldnt have asked for a better day and such a nice break from the litany of snow storms we have endured this year.
To me this sums up perfectly what East Coast Lifestyle means; sitting in a lawn chair, in a snow bank, with a cigar and drink in hand, having a laugh and a chat with a blue sky overhead and the faint smell of salt in the air, even if there is 5-8 feet of snow all around you, letting go of your other cares and enjoying the moment you are in.
Sean"BigBoyRunning" Ryan
I have come to appreciate this place and these things as I have lived, worked and had a family here.
While i did spend most of my pre-teen and teen years in Ontario, both my mom and dad sides of the family were predominantly in Nova Scotia. So many a summer was spent with an annual pilgrimage to visit our relatives for a couple or weeks or more.
It wasnt until 16-17 that we moved out East to Nova Scotia that I started to figure out all the benefits and amazing things that being associated with Nova Scotia could bring.
My initial reaction at 17 to moving here was not great, the thought of moving and being away from friends at that time in life was tough to handle, they had to bring in my grandmother to break the news to me and admittedly I didnt take it well.
A couple tears, a large hole in a wall, and the circumstances of the day pressing down, it was really the only way to go. So we went.
While that kind of change was hard, it was really the best decision that anyone could have made at the time. There were definately some transition issues in moving from a town of 28000 to a town of 2000 people, but everything positive in my life can be linked to that move.
So now some 20+ years later I feel like i can include myself in what being from the East Coast entails. Anyone from here or visits here for a while loves it. If you can let go of your own crap, and enjoy the moment you are in then you get a taste of the east coast lifestyle. I try and find these moments each and everyday. This is probably why #cigarSunday has become such a thing for me while i have been training. By the nature of #cigarSunday it goes against every thing i am doing training and health wise, but it also allows me to stop, take a breath of non-filtered cigar air, and have a taste of goodness in a glass outside, no matter the weather, no matter the time of day and enjoy that moment. The successes from that week, and laugh at some of the fails of that week.
So this week ( 4 days ago) I got to try a new cigar the Don Thomas Maduro Presidente and i paired it with Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey.
The cigar was probably the largest in length that i have ever smoked at 7.5 inches. It had a great burn time and the draw was very smooth, not quite mild flavor but not quite medium level either. This will be a great cigar for the summer. It did not burn fast either which is a huge plus and the cost was around $7 - which i was worried about when i bought it that it was going to be awful because of the low price point. Glad to say it was a great smoke. Pairing was a little off though.
I really enjoy Bulleit Bourbon, the recommendation to try it came from a friend of mine that really enjoys the brown liquors so I knew i would like it to.
It has a high rye content which gives it a unique and for lack of a better word a strong flavor on the initial taste but finishes really smooth. It has the color of toffy and definately carries those notes towards the end of the taste. The stronger start though with this cigar was not really jiving though.
I probably should have gone with something like a blended Scotch like Famous Grouse or 40 Creek Whiskey.
As i will be trying this cigar again, I will try one of those with it the next time.
All of this though was completely seconded by the beautiful day that last Saturday was. I had all my workouts complete on Saturday as Sunday was going to be a busy family day, and am i ever thankful. The sun was out, there was very little wind and both my wife and I were excited to dig out our deck chairs from the piles of snow and sit on the deck and enjoy the sun. We couldnt have asked for a better day and such a nice break from the litany of snow storms we have endured this year.
To me this sums up perfectly what East Coast Lifestyle means; sitting in a lawn chair, in a snow bank, with a cigar and drink in hand, having a laugh and a chat with a blue sky overhead and the faint smell of salt in the air, even if there is 5-8 feet of snow all around you, letting go of your other cares and enjoying the moment you are in.
Sean"BigBoyRunning" Ryan
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