Puppy trance

There has been a radio silence due to the fact that I have been in a sort of puppy trance.  They are cute, but they can  suck up all of your time.  Not that I am complaining.  All of my money seems to be sucked up as well.   Sucked into everything related to properly raising and spoiling a puppy.  Well, yesterday I was returning a dog bed when all of that changed.  Something caught my eye.  How could I rationalize this purchase?  Oh, it would be my belated birthday gift to myself.  That'll work.

 

 

 

 

Isn't she beautiful?  Alessi, I love you.

 

She is even pretty on the inside, too.

Stump

 

 

Yes, I did go to Stumptown coffee while in NYC.  I guess I really should not have gone to a Portland joint while there, but hey, I was meeting someone nearby.  Besides, it is connected to the Ace Hotel that was designed by these two and I really like them.

 

 

Roman & Williams from The Scout on Vimeo.

 

There are no pictures inside of the hotel lobby because frankly, it is really dark in there. 

 

 

Look at that light fixture.

 

 

 

There was pretty much a constant line. 

 

 

Hipster heaven.  There ain't nothing wrong with that.

Civilized

  I think I may have found my new favorite cafe in Chicago.  It is Julius Meinl.  The Lincoln Avenue location in particular.

The space is so inviting and unpretentious.  I love to go there.  I do not care that I have to drive to get there.  It is worth it to me.  There baked goods are delicious, too.  The Ravenswood location has more variety, but this location still suits me just fine.

I hate to say it, but Americans are just plain uncivilized when it comes to coffee places.  This is how it should be.  I get my coffee on a silver tray with a glass of water and individually wrapped cookie.  There is even a teeny white ceramic creamer with it.  This is what going out for a coffee should be.

Elkhorn!

This is going to be a long post about a long walk around a huge flea market.  The day ended with a case of raccoon eyes.  A person of color with raccoon eyes is not an attractive look.  On Sunday I drove up to Elkhorn for their flea market.  It opens at 7 a.m., but I did not make it until 7:30.  I guess it was not too bad since I made the drive in about 1 1/2 hours.  It has been awhile since I have driven through farm country.  I forgot how enjoyable it is to see all of those working farms and those wonderful animals. 

This is a bad mosaic of the outside of the market.  I could not figure out how to get a higher view of the actual market.  Trust me,  It is huge.  Over 500 vendors.  I was there for almost 5 hours and I almost covered all of the outdoor stalls.  I never even made it into any of the buildings.

 See how nice and overcast it was in the beginning? Perfect weather. It kept it cool...well, until later when I thought I was in flea Hades.

  So much stuff to look through.  I believe that you can find just about anything you are looking for.  Well, if you have a list of items you are looking for there is no way that you will leave without at least one thing that you are looking for.

Stuff, stuff and more good stuff.  This is one of the aisles before it started to get crowded and hotter and I started to get cranky.

 This guy had some good stuff.  I found some nice mid-century stainless serving pieces and candlesticks.

 I bought some sacks earlier from another vendor, but this guy had a good selection.  He also had a nice range of prices.  Later on I discovered that several other vendors had sacks at a much higher price. You really have to know your prices going in or you have to shop awhile to figure out who has the best deal for you.

Salt, beans, chicken feed, flour, potatoes, seeds.  All were packaged in some pretty neat cotton sacks.

I love the color on this one.

 This is a great piece of old luggage.  Look at that wood detail.  It was only $15.  No, I did not buy it.

Late in the morning and early afternoon, the clouds cleared to make way for bright sunshine and 90 degree weather.  My focus switched to cold water and sunglasses...resulting in raccoon eyes.  All in all I had a good day.  I ended up making some very nice small purchases as well as one of my nicest discoveries thus far (to be posted later this week).  I have to admit that I also had one of my biggest regrets.  A nice antique 8 x 10 view camera.  I originally passed on it and spoke to the vendors who gave me their phone number.  (Plus, I did not have that much cash on me).    Then I started fantasizing about all of the beautiful work I could do with an 8 x 10.  I decided to go back and see if they might consider a check.  It was too late.  It was gone.  I should have bought it  when I had the chance.  So, I regret it, but I have to keep the faith that there is another one out there for me.

On the way to Elkhorn we passed through the town of Burlington, WI.  It was nice and quiet on a Sunday.  I love the older architecture here.  As I drove through I noticed a more modern coffeehouse.  I had not had my morning espresso so I knew that I wanted to stop here on the way home.

The Coffee House had only been open for two days when we stopped by.  What a pleasant surprise.  Inviting, relaxing interior, friendly staff and good coffee.  Plus, you are way off of the beaten path so finding this place is like winning the java lottery.  They are trained by Intelligentsia from Chicago.

It was great to be able to find a place like this instead of the usual Starbucks or chain coffee joint.  Kudos to them for thinking of bringing this to their town.  If you are going to Elkhorn to hunt for treasure I would highly recommend that you stop here for a break in Burlington.

 I had missed my morning espresso and breakfast.  At this point I had only consumed ice water and some peanuts.  I suppose I could have grabbed some food at the flea market, but I was too busy being on a mission.  There is no substantive food offered at the Coffee House so I opted for an espresso and a blueberry scone.  It only took a few minutes for all to be right with the world once again.

Joe Science

I suppose that most people refrain from purchasing something that they do not know how to use.  I, on the other hand, do not let a little thing like that stop me.  Why?  Well, mostly because I can be pretty stupid.  I will buy it just because I like the way it looks.  Let me introduce you to my new old siphon coffee maker.  I have never had one before...never used one before either.  You know, something bright and shiny caught my eye.  I have learned how to use one via an online tutorial.  My question is for any of you out there that have used one before  What type of filter should I use?  Cloth?  Metal?  I need suggestions.  Also, would you use one of those Nordic Ware Heat Tamer/ Burner Plates over the gas flame?

Espresso Backsliding

I have not purchased anything brand new for ages. That is the way it goes when you have a minuscule income. I rarely go shopping for new things. I recently headed out because someone requested that I look for an espresso maker for them. As usual, no good came of this. How cute are these Bodum espresso cups? Glass and porcelain with those rubber grip middles in ridges and dots. No, you did not read it wrong. She did not ask for espresso cups. She asked for an espresso maker. These ended up being for me. I got a pair of each. They were marked way down so if you want some I suggest you head out and get yourself some. They are cheap.

Oh, wait. It gets worse. I also bought a pair of each of these as well. These are various designs, colors and sizes of the larger sized cups. Well, at least my coffee will look good.