The Coffee Shop: A place to relax and hang out.

EOS Man wrote: Spiced up my coffee tonight with a little brandy in it. Going to make some short bread cookies now! 

Brandy is sooooo good in brandy.  Years and years ago Gary used to purchase coffee bean that have been soaked in brandy.  Gary can't find those beans now ... he thought about soaking his beans in brandy ... then it hit him that there's no need to soak and dry the beans, one can skip the middleman and simply pour brandy into the cup. (duh!)

Chase Audate wrote: Just got back from a great coffee shop here in town, french press delight 

French Press makes a great cup of coffee.  

Matt Nguyen wrote:

GaryA wrote:

Cory J wrote: Wait till you get to season 7 Fess!  Best season ever.  


Hey any of you on a wine a month program?  

Gary belongs to six wineries (down from a high of 12 wineries) which ship out quarterly cases of vino.  Additionally, he is a member (Angel) with Naked Wines, and he gets a few cases a year from them. (And Gary grows Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Merlot and Pinot Noir in the backyard). 

 

Silver Oak Wines!  We love their wines.  Are you going to be there in August for their 2015 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon?  

Silver Oak is amazing.  Maybe, August is a long way away.

Finn wrote: @Gary,

You have any tips on pizza maker?  We have decided to pick up one and I'm looking for good recommendations.  

Let me know .  Thank you! 

Nope, Gary uses his oven or the Kamado (with the grille rise up). Gary has found that for breads, heat is heat.  Personally, Gary thinks there is no difference in flavor between a wood fired brick oven and a regular gas heated oven. He has a friend with a wood fired brick pizza oven, while it looks great, it cooks the same (end product tastes the same) as Gary's kitchen oven or charcoal Kamado.

GaryA wrote:

Toby J wrote: Long day, my mind is toast.  Any of you move to electric car yet?  With all the tax credits and fuel savings, is your bank account happy?

We are thinking about getting a Tesla 3.  Starting our research.  

Gary's neighbor just received his Telsa.  He loves it and it's a fine automobile. Gary has given long and hard thought to an electric vehicle.  Presently Gary and Mary Lou drive Volvos, (the SUV and the convertible), there is nothing affordable (at least affordable for us) and equal to the SUV and nothing to equal the convertible. Electric cars are very commonplace out here, all kinds. We used to say "Look, a Tesla!" ... but not anymore.  Tesla's are everywhere out here.  Gary's main concern with Teslas is the viability of the company. 

PS- But, Gary and Mary Lou are planning to toss up some solar panels for the house.

You mind me asking who's solar panels are you looking at?  We have been considering however haven't started the research side of things yet.  

Pete Franko wrote:

GaryA wrote:

Toby J wrote: Long day, my mind is toast.  Any of you move to electric car yet?  With all the tax credits and fuel savings, is your bank account happy?

We are thinking about getting a Tesla 3.  Starting our research.  

Gary's neighbor just received his Telsa.  He loves it and it's a fine automobile. Gary has given long and hard thought to an electric vehicle.  Presently Gary and Mary Lou drive Volvos, (the SUV and the convertible), there is nothing affordable (at least affordable for us) and equal to the SUV and nothing to equal the convertible. Electric cars are very commonplace out here, all kinds. We used to say "Look, a Tesla!" ... but not anymore.  Tesla's are everywhere out here.  Gary's main concern with Teslas is the viability of the company. 

PS- But, Gary and Mary Lou are planning to toss up some solar panels for the house.

You mind me asking who's solar panels are you looking at?  We have been considering however haven't started the research side of things yet.  

Looking at the complete solar packages, hardware and installation.

A) Sunrun
 Solar Max
C) Semper Solaris (American made hardware)
D) Sun Lux
E) Renew Financial (a financing company which specializes in solar loans and provides recommendations and only finances hardware which meet or exceeds state and national standards) 

Hey your back Gary!  What sort of adventure have you been on?  

Any of you getting good fresh beans from coffee of month club that is worth looking at?

Hey Ian.  Gary's been pretty busy ... getting the house painted (outside), a new roof (Energy Star), new gutters (they work) the restoring all the stuff that was destroyed getting the house painted. Mary Lou, Maggie and Gary took a quick trip up to Salinas and Monterey for a funeral.

Monterey is beautiful. (iPhone)


Along the way we hit a few wineries. (iPhone)



Purchased some new patio furniture. (iPhone)

Next there was a wedding down in Temecula, then two LA based graduations ... a few plays/musicals ... and Gary has been working his fat little tail off processing photos (Whitney High School's production of Beauty and the Beast and now he is working his fat little tail off processing a production of Grease.) Last night we entertained guests (including dogs) for Chinese.  The new patio table worked out perfect.  It was a very cool and drizzly evening, but we fired up the table and it easily put out enough heat for us to eat out side. (Gary had to turn lower the output to about 50%.)  A very enjoyable evening comfortable sitting around the table, sipping wine, nibbling on Chinese watching the dogs play and chase an opossum across the yard ... for dessert a berry tart with Colombian Supremo.  

Temecula has some great wineries!  I was out there a number of years ago.  Speaking of California wines, did Napa Vally recover from the horrible fires from last year?  

Tim Wiener wrote: Temecula has some great wineries!  I was out there a number of years ago.  Speaking of California wines, did Napa Vally recover from the horrible fires from last year?  

It will be years and years for a recovery.  The fires not only affected the wineries but also entire communities.  Homes and businesses were also leveled to ash, not just farms/vineyards. 

How did that fire start anyway?

JaneK wrote: How did that fire start anyway?

There has been a number of large and destructive fires up in NorCal.  Napa Fire, which had the greatest impact on vineyards and wineries, was caused by tree limbs falling on PG&E power lines.  

Ohhhhh, what a shame.  Aren't those grape roots that are in those vineyards like very old too?

JaneK wrote: Ohhhhh, what a shame.  Aren't those grape roots that are in those vineyards like very old too?

Some are and some are not. Many California vineyards are constantly in flux, keeping some vines and replanting other vines.  The oldest grapevine is actually in Los Angeles at the Avila Adobe. The adobe is located on LA's very first street, Olvera Street.

The first Europeans to descent into the Los Angeles basin/valley was the Spanish explorer/colonist Portola. Portola was accompanied by Father Crespi, his Franciscan chronicler/diarist. Crespi noted that his first impression of the LA basin was that it was a vast vineyard of wild grapes.  In 1769 the first Californian wine grapes were planted by Father Serra in San Diego.

Info/history of Napa's grapes is Here.