keeping up with the lepard
young cowboys
June 25th, 2008 chris
Tom seems to like pointing to this picture… I like to think that it is because he recognizes me, or sees himself in me… but I am sure that it is because he would like to eat the picture.
Coffee Roasting Experiment #1
June 15th, 2008 chris
This is not my first time doing my own coffee roasting, but it is the first time in over 4 years. I bought a Popcorn Pumper (TM), and had good success with it those years ago so I thought it would be fun to try again. This time, I have allotted myself a full 8lbs 16lbs of a good mixture of different ‘green’ beans to play with. Also, I have given myself the strict rule that if I buy, I gotta drink it and not spend money on starcrups. Besides the occasional excursion with my co-workers, I have managed to stay away from the latte. I buy the green beans from Sweet Maria’s who has a quite a good selection of coffees, and has gone the extra mile to test and write about each of the beans they sale. Not just a broker of coffees, these people actually love what they do. Sweet Maria’s also provides tons of documentation to help the newbie roaster along.
I have to admit that I have had a few that I did not care for, but I won’t mention those. Instead, I will list the ones that I have tried and liked. I still have a lot to try, but I have found a few that I would love to get a back up supply of. My favorite regular coffees (non-espresso) are:
- Rwanda Duhingekawa Women’s Cooperative - First time I had this was from a ‘clover’ coffee maker. Ever since having this delicious cup of coffee, I have been in search of it. Drinking this coffee gave me the ambition to start roasting again. I am glad I did. It has a distinctive aroma & flavor that is hard for me to describe other than great. It is best roasted right to a City Roast. Not taking it to a Full City + roast means that it doesn’t get the oily & beautiful finish to it, which is so visually appealing to me. Roasted a bit lighter, it keeps the caramelized sugary taste and offers a wonderful fruity aroma. City Roast definitely doesn’t mean a lighter taste or lighter in caffeine, just an altogether different taste.
- Colombia Cauca -Finca El Roble - I have never been quite fond of Colombian coffee, mainly because it is so abundant. However, this coffee is delicious. It basically has a the classic coffee taste, but with a little something extra to it. Great morning coffee. Roasted to Full City+ gives it that lovely sheen, and opens up the deep flavor.
Here is the list of coffees I have that I have not yet tried:
- Ethiopia Organic - “Menno’s Misty Valley”
- Panama Carmen Estate 1800+ Meters
- Guatemala Organic Finca Ceylan Maragogype
Anyway, it’s been fun making it again. I have made a few batches for the neighbors, all of which have enjoyed the free coffee. I am not sure that I am ready to start a mass roasting business, but I enjoy making and sharing it!
Happy 1st Father’s Day
June 15th, 2008 sally
So Chris get’s to celebrate his first Father’s Day today–after he opened Tom’s gifts (a tie, a knife, a blender/chopper, and a new coffee carafe), we made coffee and went and sat in Trish and Sandy’s ‘cold-tub’. A perfect Father’s Day morning. Chris liked all his pressies–Tom went a bit overboard as he felt bad that Chris only get’s to celebrate once a year whereas I get to celebrate both British Mother’s Day and American Mother’s Day. After coffee in the cool-tub it was back to reality. Chris has just finished mowing the lawn and cleaning the kitchen.
I haven’t posted for a long time so I’m trying to think of all the things that have been going on in the past couple of months. Tom has started to cruise around the house like a pro. He’s pulling himself up on everything: the sofa, the coffee table, Jack and Mickey. He’s also blabbering a lot more but the only words he consistently says are ‘dog’ and ‘Jack’. Anything with four legs is a dog or “Dack”. He attempts to mimic words so Chris and I are trying to cut down on the naughty language–I don’t know why we bother as a certain relative (on Chris’ side, of course) gets great pleasure in trying to get Tom to say bizarre stuff. I really don’t want to have to report on this website that his first words were “numb nuts”.
On the minor accident front, he’s had his first big bruise falling from the window seat in his room and head-butting the floor before I could grab him. We put him in the England Rugby shirt that Katie and Dale brought back from their trip home and he looked like a right bruiser. The photo I sent to Grandma to thank her for a shirt was received with a mildly panicked reaction. When I talked to her on the phone she admitted that her first thought of seeing the photo was “Oh God, I’ve got a cock-eyed Great Grandson”. She was rather relieved when she read the note that told of me dropping him on his head.
Tom’s also become quite the regular at our local bar, Nomads. It’s a nice little neighborhood place that reminds me a bit of the atmosphere in a pub–local neighbors and friends hanging out without the express intention of getting drunk (not to say that it doesn’t happen unintentionally).
Tom is still having a blast at his daycare. His best friend is Mark and he’s really into his teachers, Deanna and Donna. They are down to earth and really easy-going. The only time they complain is when Tom eats all the fries in their Happy Meals. Talking of food, we have yet to find anything that Tom does not like to eat. He has tried Mexican, Thai, and Indian curries and doesn’t even flinch. We’re going to try him on black pudding and luncheon tongue when we go to England in September–surely he won’t like that.
Chris and Tom
June 15th, 2008 chris
This was my birthday… We were at South Padre Island with our friends Debbie, Carl and their two little girls. We had an absolute blast, eating, drinking, swimming, and sleeping!
Tom and Sally
June 15th, 2008 chris
I’ve long thought (well, for at least the last 11 months) that Tom and Sally share the same profile. While not exactly the same, it is nice to look at. I think Tommy and Sally like each other.
Tom Swims, reads, and more
April 28th, 2008 chrisOn Friday, Sally and I packed up the dogs, the cat, and Tom and headed for Houston for a weekend with Katie and Dale. Tom does good in the car, rarely cries or moans… we think so anyways, as we wouldn’t really know given the volume of the radio. We usually listen to podcast versions of This American Life, it makes the time fly.
In Houston, we enjoyed a lovely weekend of relaxation and laziness. Drinks by the pool, followed by a dip in the pool. Tom squealed with delight as I spun him round and round in the pool. On Saturday evening we went to the Grand Lux Cafe to celebrate Katie’s birthday. Katie and I kept Tom happy by feeding him star shaped baby cereal. Dinner was great. Sunday was much like Saturday, but with an inching conclusion that we would need to go home at some point.
On Saturday, I spent some time making another video… while Katie did some photography. Here’s some of our work:
Sally pulls a tommy face
April 20th, 2008 chrisTonight, after hanging out with our family, Uncle Larry mentioned how sometimes Tom gives him a disdainful look that reminds him of the look Sally gives when she’s not amused. Katie and Dale sent us this photo and we think he may be right.
The Marine Crawl
April 1st, 2008 chrisGet the Flash Player to see this player.
Tom’s been working at this for sometime, but now he has finally gotten the hang of it and is moving fast towards crawling, walking and running. First thing we realized was that the most interesting thing he could find was the dog bowls. Oh, and if you have your speakers on, you can hear what has happened to this old marine as he has turned from a salty-leatherneck to a dorky-dad.
The writer strike is over…at lepard.org
April 1st, 2008 chris
There is lots of Tommy news to share with you all since the last post. Here is a quick wrap up of his last 4 months…
• Holiday in sunny San Diego, California + bonus trip to the zoo!
• A total of 5 baby teeth
• Holiday in Las Vegas, Nevada
• Long weekend at Granddaddy Lepard’s in Scottsdale, Arizona
• First accident report from school ;-(
• Marine crawl across the living room
• 2 mullet trims
• 2 ear infections + 3 visits to the Doctor
• First Easter egg hunt
• Visit from Grandma & Grandpa Johnson
• Hanging out with Uncle Shawn
• Trip to Houston to see Katie & Dale
• Becoming a regular at the new local pub, Nomad
• Eating real, human food
• Drinking from a sippy cup & the dog bowl
• Told ‘No’ for the first time
Seems as thought we have enough to write a novel, but since I only pay my writer only a warm home cooked meal every now and then, I guess I get what I pay for. Well, it’s a new month and now that I have started to cook again I am hoping I can get the writer back at it! There are lots of pictures, videos, and funny stories to come. In a few weeks, my lovely cousins from Albuquerque are coming to Austin to pay a visit. Come May, us Partard’s are heading down to the beaches of Padre with Trominski crew. July it’s wedding time in Albuquerque for my little sister Brittany, and loads of birthday parties!
For now, all I can give you is this little rant, and few photos… until next time!
