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March News & Special

Greetings, Coffee Lover!

February just flew by. I recall that years ago it would seem to drag on, with lots of grey days, but not lately. Cross country and downhill skiing, events like the Chili Cookoff, and riveting nights watching the Olympics really kept me busy. March is a time when most of us get our vacations in, and that also makes the month go quickly. Add to that the NCAA Basketball Tournament, and it will be April before we know it.

We’ve had another great, normal winter up north, and it was excellent for winter sports. As always, if it didn’t snow too much, I began to get lax in blowing off the driveway, so now it has about 6” of hardpacked snow on it. However, we are beginning to get daytime temperatures above freezing mixed with some sunshine, and that will (hopefully) take away the snow. Then again, last year we had that 15” dumped on us March 9th, so I would never bet against Mother Nature. Cherry Blossoms aren’t until around May 8th, so we have a little way to go until true Spring.

Our Cafe Manager Randy is having shoulder surgery this Friday, and we wish him well. Guess he won’t be able to report to Spring Training with the Tigers this year (should they call).

You liked the free Trail Mix back in January, so for the March Special we’re going to get out of the Irish Cream rut and offer you a free 3-ounce bag of our Coffee Peanut Brittle when you order 3 or more pounds of coffee online. Simply order your coffee, add a Brittle to your cart, and during checkout type in the coupon code    brittle    and you’ll see the discount appear.

For those of you who like Twitter, we now have an account! Follow us there. And I know that hundreds of you have Facebook, and we invite you to join our Fan Page (and invite your friends). We keep you apprised of the northern news, and sometimes have specials or post photos. Oh, that reminds me: post your own photos, testimonials, and recommendations to the Facebook page—we’d love it!

The final big news is that the James Beard Foundation announced the sem-finalists for Best Chef. Of the 20 Great Lakes region nominees, two are right here in Glen Arbor: Guillaume Hazaël-Massieux of La Bécasse, and Randy Chamberlin of Blu (who serves Leelanau Coffee!). We’re excited for them and hope for their advancement in the selection process.

See you in April!

Chili Cookoff 2010

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.

Ready for the weekend

This weekend holds so many possibilities!  With our recent snow, cool (but not bone-chilling) temperatures, and sun in the forecast, all outdoor activities are looking fantastic.  Add to that the President’s Day long weekend, Valentine’s Day, WinterFest in Glen Arbor, and the Olympics on TV, and there is plenty to do and see up north!

WinterFest in Glen Arbor on Saturday features the Perch Fishing Contest (check in with the Sportsman Shop), and the Chili Cookoff on the deck at Boone Docks at noon.  Down in Empire are the Polar Dip and several other events.HomesteadSki11Feb10

Stopping by The Homestead this morning I saw this freshly groomed hill awaiting skiers.  The lifts open at 1 p.m.

I heard that the cross country trail on Alligator Hill is in great shape, so will be working off my chili there, before I finally settle in and catch the Olympics with friends.  Have a great weekend, and drink coffee to stay warm :)



















Fresh Snow :)

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.

A Beautiful Winter’s Day

Winter began with gigantic dumps of snow which took us through the Holidays.  Then, in mid-January, we had a long, milder spell 100_0798during which some of the snow melted, and we even had some rain one day.  Usually we are then repaid by frigid temperatures and another snow dump.  While the cold weather returned (and Glen Lake froze about two weeks behind its average date), we’ve had lots of blue skies and sunshine, and very little snow.  Here along the lakeshore I think we’ve had about an inch since the thaw.

The good news is that there is snow in the forecast for today and tomorrow, so hopefully we’ll get the woods freshened up for snow shoeing and cross country skiing.

When Big Glen Lake froze, it froze amazingly clear, and here is a shot.  The ice is about 6″ thick, and those apparent ice floes are just little patches of wind-whipped snow.

February 2010 News

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.

Big Glen is ready to freeze

With the sudden drop in temperature, Big Glen Lake is ready to resume it’s freezing. Last night ice pushed out about 50-100′ from the western shore, and the next two nights will have temperatures in the single-digits. I’d figure it to freeze Thursday night, except for the wind predictions. It needs cold and calm. Tried for a photo, but it came out looking flat. Maybe when the ice is out I can try again.

Sunny!

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.
100_0774

























Mid-winter Thaw

At 6 a.m. the temperature started rising above 32°, and shot right up to 38° now (at 11:00).  We’re in a warm bubble for the coming days, and that will hopefully dry up some roads, and clean up some driveways and parking lots.  It feels balmy, but we always know that in a few weeks we’re likely to get either single-digit temperatures, or a blizzard, as payback.

I went down to Glen Haven and took these shots at the Cannery.

CanneryDune14Jan10 CanneryPier14Jan10



















The deer are rooting in my yard

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























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