Do you take sugar in your coffee? 1 teaspoon or 2?

I remember when I moved up to Olympia, Washington in 1987. There was this incredible and edgy new Coffee Roaster in town, Batdorf and Bronson. This was well before Starbucks became the rage and was situated on every street corner in America.

On my first visit I sat down at the counter and ordered some crazy (at the time) concoction. I think they called it an iced cappuccino, but really, it was anything but that. It came in a large glass, poured so that the espresso and 1/2 and 1/2 separated, creating these wonderful layers, almost too pretty to stir. It was one of the most delicious things I had ever tasted. It was like drinking an adult milkshake, without the guilt. I mean, come on, it was coffee.

Now, loving coffee like I do, I really appreciate the idea behind the coffee house. The gathering place where friends meet and conversation is cultivated. And for many years, it felt that way to me. It was a place geared towards adult and the adult beverage. But slowly it changed. Everything about it changed.

Starbucks and the other large chains became the place to bring your kids. It became the Ronald McDonald playland for the hip young moms and the grandmother's with their little grandchildren in tow. A place where they could get their "coffee" and buy the kids a little something as well. What's the problem with that, you might ask? Well, for starters, what we are now calling "coffee" is really just a major sugar high in disguise. Actually, it's not even in disguise, and it's not coffee. It's in a cup called a "Grande"~ it is filled with caramel, vanilla or chocolate syrups and topped with whipped cream and another helping of caramel, or . . . yes, yes, I know, everyone loves them.  And what's wrong with giving our kids a little treat?

Only about 15 tsps of sugar!

But they are not a special treat anymore, not a once in awhile delight.  They have become a part of our daily lives.  They say most people now average spending $90 a month on "coffee" ~ the drinks we buy outside the home. And the cost is much larger than the dollar amount we are spending.

Now I must admit, years ago, during the winter, I got into the habit of getting a Starbucks "tall, non-fat, 2-pump mocha" on my way to work, at least 4 times a week. Later in the summer, I would treat myself to a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Vanilla Blended. A small one. Oh, how much I loved them! I haven't had one in a long time and the other day I felt I wanted to treat myself. It was the first time I ever asked the barista how much sugar the small Vanilla Blended contained. He didn't know, so he went to look it up. He came back over and said "not too bad, it has about 44 grams of sugar." 44 grams! That comes out to about 10 teaspoons of sugar in that one small drink!  I ordered an iced coffee instead.

What we have started here is an awful habit and for some, addiction, in our young people. I see teens with these monstrous sugary "coffee" drinks and I can now see that it's no wonder we have such an obesity and early childhood diabetes problem in this country, and spreading quickly to many more I might add. We have got to get our sugar addiction under control, as consuming sugar only leads us to craving it more and more. (And just an FYI ~ Starbucks Grande Caramel Frappaccino comes in at a whopping 59 grams of sugar.)

I was really sad to learn about the sugar content in my favorite Iced Vanilla Blended. One more item on my "never to do" list. I don't see it though as deprivation, but more, a new found appreciation and dedication to my health. There are other ways to treat your taste buds and get that warm and cozy feeling without harming yourself in the process.You can recreate many of your favorites. For example, when this fall, Starbucks re-introduces their crowd pleasing, Pumpkin Spice latte, do yourself and the ones you love a favor, and make a healthier version of it at home.

Basking in your warm sun

Towards the Sun, Follow the Sun, Sunshine on my shoulder, we all crave the sun, need the sun, run away to vacation in the sun.  Why then, would I even be considering a move to Portland, the land of gray skies and little sun? No doubt the sun warms our skin, warms our souls, gives us a healthy glow, and nourishes us with necessary Vitamin D.  But my sunny life here in Napa is depleting me of many other nutrients, like laughter, love and the energy to jump out of bed each morning, excited to see what each day will bring. I don't think I am in need of a prescription for Zoloft or Lexapro, nothing that drastic, but it is obvious that I really do need to examine my life, decide what is important, what inspires me and in general, how I want to live the rest of it. I think it was a Cheerios commercial on TV, where the man makes birdhouses and wants to keep his heart healthy so he can continue doing what he loves, and he loves making birdhouses.  What do I love?  Hmm.  My interests change as often as spring turns to summer, or sometimes as quickly as day turns to night.

But what never changes is my love of home life, family, friends, and for me, Napa seems to have a shortage of all of those.  With my family and friends scattered across the country, I'll admit, the number one reason I'm thinking of a move to Portland is because my daughter lives there.  And as corny as it sounds, she is my external and internal sunshine.  I wasn't one of those mothers who had a baby, reared them until the ripe old age of 18, and then kicked them out the door, so that I could be off and running to live the second half of my life on some cruise ship to the Caribbean or some retirement community in Florida.  I still want to be part of her life, and really, I'm not a stalker or a helicopter mom, I just want to attend her performances, take an occasional early morning walk in the park, meet for lunch, have tea at the Tao, once in a while snuggle up together and watch a movie, and lucky me, she wants that too.

Olivia and Bryan - aka Suckerforlights

I've always believed that it is the people that make a place.  I've said it before but maybe I need to hear it again, you can live in paradise, but if you live there all alone, your little paradise can become your own little run down strip mall. To me, Napa is like the great *pretender.  I have lived here for the past 20 years and watched the wine industry take over the valley, completely.  We now have over 400 wineries.  We have some of the countrys' most upscale restaurants and sought after chefs, Thomas Keller and his French Laundry, Iron Chef Morimoto and the new Morimotos on the Riverfront, Richard Reddington of Redd in Yountville, Tyler Florence, Michael Chiarello and Cindy Pawlcyn are just a few others that staked a claim in the Napa stew of celebrity chefs.  From the newer architecture to the popularity of Bocce ball, Napa is a mix of French and Italian wannabes.  It can be a wondrous place if you own a vineyard, a winery, an upscale restaurant or work in an industry that profits from tourism.  Napa is definitely a small town that caters to its visitors and not the local residents.  An upscale Mayberry, all polished and perfected, for all the world to see, an image to uphold.  Food carts are few and hard to find, we have about 4 total and for those 4 I'm sure the permits and licensing were a nightmare to get.  They are located off by the railroad tracks, out of sight.  In Portland they occupy it seems like most every corner, giving the people who live there the opportunity to eat great food at a great price, at perhaps a small bistro or picnic table next to a trash can.  Ah, please, Napa would have to give their eyes an eyewash of antibiotics after witnessing that!  There is a great little book out about the food carts in Portland that my daughter bought me last Christmas, http://portlandfoodcartsbook.com/

And yes, in Napa there is the sun, the weather definitely makes life easier.  No ice to scrape from the windshield, no snow to blow out of the driveway, only seasonal rain fall that makes you remember, Yes Virginia, there is a season called winter.

Food carts in Portland - gotta love em

People in Portland seem to be satisfied earning enough money to get by, but truly value their free time much more than a large paycheck and a substantial savings account.  They love to meet up with friends, eat out, drink wine and beer, attend festivals, listen to music, get involved in the community and in general live a kick back, unpretentious lifestyle.

Of course for me Portland has more than great food, it is home to the neighborhood coffee house. Coffee, coffee coffee.  You have the Stumptowns and the Starbucks, but you also have a multitude of home grown coffee houses and roasters.  On our outing to Sellwood last weekend, a neighborhood in the Southeast, we came upon the Blue Kangaroo.  Best mocha I ever had, with Red Square on Belmont coming in a close second.  This has truly become one of my joys in life.  Trying every coffee house I come upon and rating their product and baristas.  And I have met some of the happiest and seemingly content baristas around in Portland.

So far, our favorite and happiest Barista in Portland!

To sum it all up, we can get all the sun and shine we need from that actual bright burning star or we can get it from people, places, things, family and friends.  You might get it from a friendly barista serving a great cup of coffee, a little schnauzer excitedly taking you on a walk, an awesome dinner at a cheap Thai food cart, acknowledging what is important to you, or just plain relaxing, simplifying and enjoying your way through life. Finding whatever it is that lights and warms you up inside, and it might be something as simple as making birdhouses, but once we find it, it can be like a strong dose of pure sunshine.

Little David Bowie waiting patiently outside Blue Kangaroo in Sellwood while we grab a coffee- best mocha ever!

Jackson Browne - The *Pretender
I'm gonna be a happy idiot
And struggle for the legal tender
Where the ads take aim and lay their claim
To the heart and the soul of the spender
And believe in whatever may lie
In those things that money can buy
though true love could have been a contender
Are you there? Say a prayer for the pretender.

Back on Track (except for the lighting)

Okay, things are back on track. We got ourselves a house to live in, movers are lined up, the cleaning lady is coming in to help with the big stuff on Saturday, sold the washer and dryer this morning., came up with a killer sandwich idea, pretty much finished my press release and made a massive to-do list for the upcoming week. With only 7 days left until the actual move it seems daunting.

Need to get all of the utility companies to disconnect things here, get the utility companies to turn things on up there, return the cable box, put in a change of address, call all of the creditors and take the cat to the vet, just to name a few of the items waiting to be crossed off my list . We need to get a sedative from the vet for the cat (and perhaps he can throw in an extra one for me). Driving for 10+ hours with Ellie the cat will only be possible if she is knocked out for the entire trip. This cat hates being in the car and if she only knew, I hate having her in my car. She does that continual meowing that never eases up. Hopefully drugs will do the trick!

And then of course, I have a few social obligations. Lunch tomorrow with Larry, coffee with Cynthia, a day trip to Tahoe to see my parents, an art opening on the 27th that I would like to attend. Have to keep this in balance. Try to make moving a bit enjoyable, not sure if those two words (moving/enjoyable) should even be in the same sentence but let's try it. Anyway, the real reason for tonight's blog is to get your opinion on the following:

What to you think of these light fixtures?

I love them! Keith hates them. I think they have just the right amount of urban grit that I am looking for. I wanted these three to hang over the pastry case. He doesn't think of the graffiti as artistic, he only sees it as if it is in its real state, dirty and destructive, and it bugs the hell out of him. So far, this is the first thing that we have strongly disagreed upon. We usually agree on most things, from the name of the cafe, the products we want to carry, the hours we should stay open, etc. But the design of the place should be left up to me. At least that's what I think. :)

I would appreciate any comments from my readers on these light fixtures, do you like them or not?

Making our dreams a reality

Tuesday, February 2nd 2010 - Groundhog Day - My introduction

Everyone entertains the idea of owning a coffee shop at one time or another. Why? Because everyone loves going to a coffee house, whether it's the local Starbucks or a small quaint hole in the wall, with mismatched chairs, local art, heads hidden behind laptops and that feeling that you belong. I'm no different. I love the coffee house scene and even more than that, I have that entrepreneurial spirit - it runs in my family.

Now at this point in my life it is time to take the plunge, never mind the bad economy or all the doubts that keep entering my mind, the fear that pricks at my skin every chance it gets. Something about this feels right. Even the timing. Here we are in Napa, California. I've lived here for the past 20 years and I'm ready to move on. Moving to Portland Oregon, where in one breath someone will say, "Oh what a great city", and the next breath, "oh, but how are you going to stand all of that rain?" I was born in California but have had the opportunity to live in some other locales, even places without ideal weather. North Dakota for example. Denver, Colorado for another. And what I have found is that it is the people, the sense of community which draws me to an environment, over the weather. You can live in paradise, but if you don't have any friends, any real connections, even the sunny perfect days can get very depressing. So, with that said, I'm ready to try and endure the endless days of wet and gray.  But maybe you should check back with me in a year's time and see how I'm faring with my new Hunter rain boots, raincoats, and frequent visits to a spa where they have that special sunshine lighting, I might be singing a different tune.

I started searching Craigslist for businesses to buy mid year last year. I searched the entire Bay Area, too expensive, Napa, too expensive. I started to lose hope. It seemed like every place I would choose to live would either cost me as much or more than where I already lived. We thought about Portland and took a quick 3 day trip in December to check it out, look at a little real estate and get a feel for the place. I wasn't that impressed. I was happy to be home three days later. I put Portland out of my mind. For a short time. But it keep nagging at me, this obsession with a coffee house, and a city like Portland seemed the perfect place. They have hundreds of coffee houses already, this I know, but the people there really embrace their local shops, they all have their favorite, it is almost a form of ownership for them. They get involved. So, after my daughter left L.A. and moved to Portland we went up a few more times, still happy to return home after each visit.

I kept scouring the ads on Craigslist and responded to a few of them. Eventually finding the one that would become ours. It just looked like too good of an opportunity - we could afford to get into it. After checking out the space, the inventory, the neighborhood, doing some market research and just hoping for the best, we decided to throw caution to the wind and put our hearts and soul into opening this incredible little place that would be ours. Artistry Cafe. A real test as to what we were made of. The stamina, patience, fortitude and love that would be required would be a challenge, but we were ready. Notice was given at my job, to our apartment, and now the work begins looking for a new place to live, packing, finding movers, getting into our shop by March 1st, getting it in shape and ready to open by April 3rd. Exciting and overwhelming, this is going to be great. It is actually going to be all kinds of things, but I'm confident that the good will out weigh the bad, and we will be successful in bringing forth a space that not only serves great coffee, pastries, and other wonderful edibles, but nourishes so much more. The creative spirit that we all have. So, here we go, our adventure begins and I will document it all. The little boring details, like signing a lease to our opening day to a realistic account of what it will be like running a coffee house. Stay tuned.