• coffee life,  coffee shops,  Humor,  People/Portraits

    One of the regulars

    This is my reflections on Sunday morning from Starry Night. A young man sat against the south wall, phone in hand and a latte sitting on his table. He was not familiar to me. Sitting next to him was a couple who come here often, what we call regulars. A couple men sat in the lounge chairs near the front window deep in conversation, more regulars. Then Lucy came in who is one of the solid regulars. I see her almost every time I come to this coffee shop. She usually is out walking and stopping here is part of her routine. Sometimes she meets up with friends and sometimes she reads the paper. The baristas know her, as do us regulars. I asked if I could take her photo today. So meet Lucy!

  • coffee life,  coffee shops

    The Baristas

    The Baristas: Isaac, Justin and Stephen

    Met with the surgeon this morning and everyone is pleased with what they saw in my latest echocardiogram. A couple of numbers are higher than we want but for now we are pleased with them. Now it is my responsibility to eat healthier and exercise rather than just think physical activity will do. We’ve had snow/rain most of the afternoon with temperatures in the high 30s. Tonight’s low expected to drop below freezing. I stopped in at Starry Night this afternoon to write and read and enjoyed a cortado1 a cortado is a beverage consisting of espresso mixed with a roughly equal amount of warm milk to reduce the acidity. Just after I arrived it got very busy and these three Baristas2 a person whose job involves preparing and serving different types of coffee. handled it very well. Happy Friday and enjoy your weekend!

  • coffee life,  coffee shops,  latte art,  musings,  writing/reading

    Isaac’s work of art…

    “A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.”

    George Bernard Shaw

    This morning at Starry Night Isaac crafted me this delightful latte art. A pretty good way to start my day. I headed home after an hour or so of journaling as I needed to make a couple of phone calls. Also had a friend bring over potato and ham soup which I ate a bowl of for lunch. About 1:00 pm I headed to Reservoir Ridge Natural Area to soak up the sun and the quiet offered in that sanctuary. While the sun warmed me, I listened and watched as the mysterious wind danced with the meadow’s grass, rabbitbrush and the cottonwood tree branches, which now offer their new buds of delight. The wind gently blew against my face, it’s cool touch bringing healing energy to my body. In the quiet surrounding me I listened to a magpie but never saw them. And in the distance I heard a woodpecker hammer on some tree but never saw them. Each was music to my ears. I felt within me the excitement for the arrival of the songbirds, anticipating the concerts that will fill the air while the wind sends them out across the meadow for all to hear. After a couple hours clouds began to move in, blocking the sun’s warm rays. Without the warmth of the sun’s rays I became chilled and began to make my way home. After quiet time at home I put a few words together for this post, sharing with you my day, along with an image of Isaac’s work of art. When I look at this latte art I wonder how many failures it took to hone his craft and how many more failures still to come. After pressing the publish button I’m gonna grab a Dove’s dark chocolate to reward myself. Hoping you had another good day to celebrate!

  • coffee life,  coffee shops,  Food,  lifestyles

    Thank you Alyssa!

    To continue with the coffee shop theme from yesterday’s post I thought I’d mention one other factor that entices me to coffee shops. At most of the shops I patronize there is usually some pastry, breakfast sandwich or breakfast burrito as part of their menu. Almost every morning the Starry Night Espresso Cafe has a tray of freshly made scones on the counter. The aroma from these fresh out of the oven lemon cranberry scones filled my nostrils as soon as I walked in. They place them on the counter right in front of you so when you order you have no choice but to make eye contact with them. (Yes, they do stare.) And, they’re warm enough you can watch the icing dribble down the sides! Yes, there are other factors to my coffee shop excursions besides a mocha latte. Thank you Alyssa for baking the scones and making my mocha latte this morning!

  • coffee shops

    Goodbye My Friend

    Chai Tea Latte at Starry Night

    Today is the funeral for a good friend of mine. Over the past few days I’ve had time to reflect on his impact on my life. I am amazed at how big that impact has been on me and hearing others say the same. I will miss our conversations and the guidance he offered me. I am grateful for the impact people have on our lives. Thanks, Wayne!