We didn’t enter this year, preferring to enjoy the chilis and the hospitality. Here’s a little video of some of the participants. Music by my friend Adam Ahrens, who can be heard all around Austin, Texas.

Meet some of the participant/judges of this year’s Chili Cookoff in Glen Arbor, sponsored by the Glen Lake Chamber of Commerce.

The event is hosted annually on the Saturday of President’s Weekend, starting at noon. Hosted by Boone Docks Restaurant, Glen Arbor.

Proceeds from this event support college scholarships for Glen Lake High School students.

The storm that might have skipped us rewarded Glen Arbor with a lovely, fresh blanket of snow overnight.  It’s only a couple inches, but it covers up the woods, invites cross country skiing, and of course makes everything look wonderful.  More snow may fall, and then the weather outlook for the weekend is outstanding:  partly cloudy, highs in the 20s–perfect skiing weather for the long weekend.

Greetings, Coffee Lover!

February is kicking off the month with a day of radiant sunshine. It’s still really cold outside, but the sun is lovely and welcome. January had a mid-winter thaw, and it melted some of the snow on the trails, but much of the woods have been refreshed with new snowfall (except here on the lakeshore). More snow is in the forecast.

February is a fun month as there is plenty of great skiing, and many of you visit for at least President’s Weekend. And that weekend features the Perch Fishing Contest and Chili Cookoff on Saturday. I will not be entering a chili this year, having been robbed of any prize. After all, coffee chili should have won hands down, right? I sense tea-drinking forces at work.

Big Glen Lake froze over on Saturday morning, and that means it’s time to find out the winner of the contest. Three people actually chose January 30, so my next step is to look and see who first chose the date. Well, two people chose that date, and both did so on the same day. Fortunately, the time is listed there, and I could see that Mary Anne Kenerson logged her guess at 5:57 a.m. (the clock on the computer server out west). But wait! Mary Jane Newell logged her guess at 5:58 a.m. In other words, they were both submitting their guesses at the same time. Since I can’t see the seconds, what if only one second separated them? What if their guesses took wild routes on that interweb thing? It’s February, the month of George Washington and Honest Abe, and I can’t help but call it a tie in all fairness. So, you each get half a prize. Okay, okay, you each win the full prize, so you’ll both get $25 online gift certificates to coffeeguys.com. Sorry Donna, you guessed a day later.

How many of you like positive economic anecdotes? I can’t really be certain that this is a trend, but as you know, people just weren’t investing here in Michigan in 2009. While we added a number of new customers at existing businesses, only a smattering of new cafes opened, and we did not sell one espresso machine all of last year. Suddenly it’s January 2010, and I’ve already sold and installed one new machine; installed two new restaurant customers; will be hooking up a third large restaurant in a month; and a new cafe will be opening downstate in March! Inquiries have been coming in. I really feel business and excitement picking up, and I do hope this keeps going!

The new espresso machine is at Schakolad Chocolate in Birmingham, and if you’ve never had their real chocolate mocha, you owe it to yourself to try it (and their chocolates). Birmingham joins the other Schakolad shops in Ann Arbor, Northville, and Rochester Hills. Next, check out Sammich ‘n Sudz in Boyne City for our great coffee, and some incredible sandwiches. And, if you’re by Pellston, go to their sister restaurant Smokey’s Grill in the Pellston airport for those same great sandwiches and coffee, plus a robust menu of other fare. I’ll tell you about the others as they open.

Thank you for the wonderful feedback on the newsletter. By and large you all like the once-a-month and chatty nature of it, but we might add the option of a second newsletter that many of you would like (it would be a separate subscription), and we may jazz up the coming editions with a few photos. Oh, and the contest winner? Linda Rockwood was randomly chosen, and your year-long, all-you-can-order 10% discount is online and ready for use

Here’s a link to a photo of the very pregnant barista Carol Brinks, eating gobs of ice cream in her kitchen. Meanwhile, baristas Kelsey Emeott and Micah Manikas (yes, they’re an item) are on a year’s journey in New Zealand, and here’s a link to their blog. Long time employee and Production Manager SaraJane Grierson is attending NMC to work on her degree to become a music teacher (I know! Why would she want to leave the exciting world of coffee?). And this morning we learned that barista Kristina Griffard has been accepted into the University of Michigan’s School of Social Work for her Master’s Degree. Kudos, all you kids!

Here’s to a great February, and a 2010 with more great surprises.

The thaw has continued a little, mostly creating icicles around our homes, but not really melting the snow. Today like yesterday is bright and sunny, and apparently it is going to warm up, rain, then the temperature takes a dive and snow will move in mid-week next week. We surely need a fresh coat, and I like when the pines are snow covered. Here is a meadow near D.H. Day Farm this morning.

After once again denuding my holly bushes, now the deer are digging deep, looking for acorns.