Greetings, Coffee Lover!

We are in Michigan, so the weather is always the hot (or cold) topic. In April and May we were getting ahead of ourselves with unseasonably warm days, and just after I sent out the update Mother Nature put on the brakes, and we coasted through the month with cool weather. But as Memorial Day approached the warmth returned, and we had THE BEST Memorial Weekend in at least a decade. Folks actually ventured into the lakes for a dip, cyclists were all over the place, and Crystal River Outfitters had a record weekend of canoe and kayak rentals.  You can always check the weather at our website.

At the cafe most of the weekend’s action was on the patio, as cold drinks and ice cream were giving hot coffee drinks a run. It is always good to see our friends return, for the weekend or for the summer, and we were able to visit with several of you and hear of all the great things going on in your lives.

Our landlord painted our building, and we kept the white with green trim. We don’t know when it was last painted, but sunglasses are in order: it is as white as Antarctica in sunlight. I haven’t made too many changes to the garden and grounds as we’re in nice shape and have plenty of outdoor seating.

When you make it up north you’ll meet our fantastic staff. We have some new guys (Heather, Tori, Dave, and Karoline Griffard (our third Griffard!)), lots of returners (Kristina, Sean, Mara, Kelsey Keaton, and Devon), and the biggest surprise: Micah and Kelsey Emeott have decided to cut short the year-long New Zealand trip and return! And Kelsey’s twin sister Kayla is also back after an internship away last year.

A few local gardeners come over and collect our used coffee grounds for compost. I had heard that they are great for acid-loving plants and shrubs, but Science Friday debunked that myth. The acid in the coffee brews out and into the cup, and the pH of the remaining grounds is 6.9 (neutral water is 7.0).

Looking ahead to the Fourth of July, it falls on a Sunday this year, and is also the day for the Glen Lake Fire Department pancake breakfast.  To better accommodate the crowds, church services, and the parade, the breakfast will be earlier (7-11), and the parade will be an hour later (line up in Glen Haven at noon, depart at 1). I don’t have any word on the Boat Parade.

Finally, back in April a gentleman named Liko Smith announced that he was acquiring Sugar Loaf Resort, and that it would be open by today. Well, we didn’t want to get your hopes up, and we’re pretty sure that at sunset he still won’t have the deed. Today was his declared drop-dead date. It’s been a polarizing event, and full of intrigue, and you can read about it at GlenArbor.com.

Best wishes to all the graduates, and we’ll see everyone up north soon enough!