all things lepard
outside in
March 15th, 2011 chris
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Christmas…part 1
December 22nd, 2008 sallyThe holiday travels began with a trip to Weatherford to see the Lepard side of the family. We spent a lovely day with all the family opening presents and visiting. We left Weatherford for a nightmare of a journey to Big Springs. As soon as we pulled out of the drive and realized one of the dogs had attacked a carcass. So the first of multiple stops was to pick up air freshener, brushes, coat cleaner. This pitstop was quickly followed by: a gas stop; a quick check of Shawn’s oil level; a pull-off to let Krysten know that seatbelts are not an option; another pitstop to deal with Tom’s overindulgence in fruitloops and mayonaisse fruit salad. The four hour trip was over six hours after it began. Tis the season….
A few of Tom’s favorite things
December 22nd, 2008 sallyTom is crazy about: balls; Trish; waffles; the local park; and dancing. His favorite words are: waffle (or gaffle); Night Night; milk; more; no, no, no; dog; woof woof; juice; ball; and mofo (don’t even ask..if it’s good enough for Governor Perry, it’s good enough for Tom). Here you go, a few of Tom’s favorite things:
October
December 22nd, 2008 sally
The hardest part of 2008 was watching Chris’ dad struggle with cancer. It was difficult to comprehend how quickly his illness progressed. We were fortunate to get to visit him in March and again in August. As soon as Chris got back from England, he flew back and forth from Arizona to spend time with his dad. He was there with his dad, Lisa, and his grandfather on October 2, 2008 when his dad passed away. Tom and I flew out to join the family for the funeral. Although it was obviously a very emotional time, we enjoyed getting to spend time with Great Grandparents Lepard—and Tom got his first proper haircut alongside his dad.
England ’08
December 22nd, 2008 sallyIn September, we headed back to England so Tom could visit with his British side of the family. It was a busy two weeks and Tom was a real trooper. He was a star on the journey home and during all our visiting with friends and family. Here are some photos:
July 27th, 2008 – Tom’s 1st Birthday
December 22nd, 2008 sallyAfter spending some time planning the menu for a birthday brunch, we suddenly remembered that the local bar, Nomads, had a Sunday brunch—and luckily, Tom’s 1st birthday fell on a Sunday.
We were joined by Katie, Dale, Larry, John, Julie, Judd, and Ellie for a Sunday morning drink. This was followed by brunch at Nomads and then birthday cake and champagne at home. Tom was engulfed with attention and pressies. He enjoyed being pulled around the yard in his new red wagon.
Here are some photos and a video:
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Tommy mowing the lawn
June 25th, 2008 chrisyoung 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!
