Greetings, Coffee Lover!

The calendar says April, but it feels like May. We are about two weeks ahead of normal weather, which nicely offsets a few years ago when we were a month behind. What that has meant is several days so far in the 60s and 70s, which sure creates a lot of smiles around here. March was one of the sunniest I can recall, and therefore it was warmer. We could use some rain, and had a little on Saturday, and there is more in the forecast.

The NCAA Basketball Tournament was a topsy-turvy thriller, and it was great fun to watch Michigan State advance for yet another time. Still, it is spring, and the Tigers open their season today, and those of you in other locales may not know how excited everyone is about the Tigers this year. I think we’re second only to Cubs fans in the hopefulness category.

Last weekend saw many of you celebrating Passover or Easter, and in a few conversations with customers I noted that all of Leelanau Coffee Roasting’s coffees are certified kosher by the Chicago Rabbinical Council. Some folks asked about the Rabbi blessing the coffee, and that is a common misconception. While certain meat and dairy operations require a rabbi’s supervision, in our case it means that all of our ingredients (coffee beans and flavorings), equipment, and processes (such as Swiss Water Decaf) conform to kosher law. Our coffees do not have any meat or dairy derivatives in them, so they are neutral or “pareve,” (PAH-ruh-vuh). If you’d like to read more, please go here. Bottom line: not only do we pass Department of Agriculture and Organic inspections, we are also inspected by a rabbi from CRC, and certified Kosher.

Word around the Chamber of Commerce is that reservations are “up” and “stronger” than in the past few years. Fortunately, Glen Arbor really hasn’t been down, but reservations are a good barometer of what is to come, and when the calls were coming in late, it was a little scary. If you did phone late the last few years and found your dream property, it might be gone this year. So, plan accordingly.

Thanks to all of you who joined Facebook and Twitter. I hope you’re enjoying the updates and specials. Please feel free to post comments and photos on Facebook, and if you ever have Leelanau Coffee photos to share you may also email them to me and I’ll put them up.

I’m fresh out of contest ideas.  Please send me your suggestions.

Time to clean the pond and sweep the patio!

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!

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.

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

Winter began with gigantic dumps of snow which took us through the Holidays.  Then, in mid-January, we had a long, milder spell during 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.

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.