Favorite Coffee Cafes

Growing up, neither of my parents drank coffee. (When I was about 9, we got a coffee maker, but one day my mom left the coffee grounds in the pot for a few weeks. Sadly, it got all moldy and nasty so she threw it in the rubbish.) However, my granny would drink about eight cups of coffee a day. When we'd go to Granny's house, she would make us kids little cups of coffee that consisted mostly of cream with about a tablespoon of coffee. I was never crazy about that stuff until the summer I went to camp when I was 17. Over that summer, I got addicted to coffee! Now I have an amazing coffee maker (thanks to my neighbor) and bags of freshly ground coffee (compliments of my sister and brother-in-law's roasting company.) Unlike most people, I drink my coffee black- no cream, no sugar. Cream and sugar just ruin the real flavor of the coffee.
Here is a list of some great places where I've gotten coffee, mochas, & cappuccino:

Harmony House (Dayton, TN) Small town coffee house with a comfy atmosphere. Has amazing iced coffees and chocolate covered coffee beans. The owner is really friendly. Every time I've been in there, he's always working. He seems to know everyone in town.
http://www.harmonyhousecoffee.com/

Croissants de France (Key West, FL)This small cafe is located on Duval Street in Key West and has reasonably priced coffee and mouth watering pastries. I got a cup of coffee and a raspberry pastry. Absolutely delicious! The pastry chef is French and one of the workers was Mexican, so we enjoyed speaking French and Spanish with them!
http://www.croissantsdefrance.com/

Ocracoke Coffee Co. (Ocracoke Island, NC) The coffee is strong and is some of the best I've ever had! They also sell healthy smoothies, teas, espresso and pastries here. This is a great place to meet the locals.
http://www.ocracokeisland.com/ocracoke_coffee.htm



The Bar (Riomaggiore, Italy) Little cafe in Italy with outside setting. Best cappuccino in the world - they're very bitter! They also sell fresh pastries which are great for breakfast or a snack. In the evenings when football (soccer) games where on, a tv was set up where the outdoor seating was. The locals and tourists alike would gather around, blocking the street, intently watching the games.

Oh, the Artsy People

My older sister has an amazing artistic ability. She's into photography, painting, and making collages. I love the collages she makes- they are beautiful! Her big collage (which is the main piece of art in her living room) is my favorite. It consists of a black and white picture she took while in Paris. Around the picture is an array of colorful pictures she cut out of magazines. Framing that is a thin black poster fame. Here is a picture of it:

Nature's Symphony

Recently, my family took a camping trip to the Appalachian Mountains. Our first evening, we took a hike to watch the sun slip behind the mountains. There was a symphony composed of nature's sounds- the chorus of the trees rustling in the wind, the occasional hum of a cricket, and the music of the wind in your ears.

It's evenings like that that make me wish summer would never give in to fall.

Salad Anyone?

My family is all into gourmet salads. We experiment by adding everything from blueberries, apples, and grapes, to feta cheese, olive oil and sunflower seeds.

For some odd reason, I've never been a fan of salad dressing. One reason is because it adds calories to your salad, has MSG and/or partially hydrogenated oils. But another reason it it totally takes away the fresh taste of the lettuce. Instead of salad dressing like Ranch, I use olive oil. Olive oil helps bring out the fresh flavor of the lettuce and is totally natural. You should try it some time! When you shop for olive oil, get the darkest kind you can find. The kind we currently have was given to us by our Greek friend. He buys it from the island of Crete where he's from. He claims it is the best olive oil in the world- and I agree!

Island Life

I'm in love with island life. Waking up at sunrise to a hot cup of coffee. Grabbing my surfboard, strapping it to the roof of the van and driving to the beach with the windows rolled down, Jack Johnson blaring out of the speakers, the wind blowing my hair.

Carrying the board over the dunes and up the beach. Waxing the surfboard, then heading out to the sandbar to catch some waves.

Sunrise on the East Coast

Hot and Humid

Hot, humid, and sunny- that sums up the south in the summer . The past two days I noticed this film in the air that made everything look hazy. It turned out to be the humidity. The humidity is so dense that you can see it in the air. To top that off, it's been around 98 degrees and sunny. Not good weather when you have to sit outside in a lifeguard stand for hours at a time.