Stumptoons

Why I don't post on the local newspaper forum

2009-09-30T14:00:00.000-07:00

Wednesday. The first day of the Stumpjack week...our Monday really. Lots of little and big online tasks to try to get done today (updating blogs and sending out a newsletter), along with the usual in-shop duties like making cold brewed coffee, getting groceries, making a quiche (Kim does that...mmm, mmm, good) and making gelato. Made a yummy cinnamon vanilla, peach, raspberry, and a darn hot and spicy chocolate gelato today. That one is definitely not for sissies, little children or certain online forum participants.

I continue to get asked why I no longer participate on the newspaper chat forum. I don't think I've posted anything other than a couple posts pertaining to Pato Banton's gig at Ethnic Fest last week. The simple reason is that I just don't care for the negativity and stupidity that is now so rampant on the forum. The newspaper's forum has pretty much become a cesspool of negativity largely inhabited by bitter sourpusses who seem to think they possess some special level of wisdom or insight (and worse, who also seem to believe that other people actually want to hear their grumbling dissatisfaction with the world). The forum didn't used to be that way. Of course there are/were always a few grumblers who complain about almost anything. But they have become the overwhelming majority nowadays. There used to be more of a sense of humor, some level of mutual respect and even actual dialogue between opposing views on any particular issue. No longer. Cynicism, rudeness and the desire to yell the loudest and have the last word are the order of the day on the forum now.

People hide anonymously behind screen names and snipe cowardly without accountability or any sense of courteousness. They appear to take pleasure in other people's misfortunes. Gossip has replaced genuine conversation.
I just don't care for that low level of dialogue, where precious few intellectuals are so outnumbered by ill-mannered churls. Conversations that might begin thoughtfully enough become peppered with rude and outright stupid interjection by the unwashed mass.

Thanks but no thanks. I'm generally not interested in even superficially scanning what's on there anymore. Hope that puts the question to rest now. Onto better things...

First homebrew and good news for Dad

2009-08-11T11:46:00.000-07:00

Look at that gorgeous color! And the taste was just as great.

Cracked open my first homebrew yesterday. It was freaking great! Brought a bottle up to the cottage. Very tasty and a beautiful color. Enjoyed it with an equally tasty John Bull cigar. Both were great and doubly so because we just got a call from my Mom that my Dad qualified for insurance covered OT and speech therapy. He was happy and we we happy.

Everybody takes a taste.

We're at the cottage, about a half-hour from the hospital in Green Bay, taking care of their dog and their stuff at the cottage before going back to GB tonight to see how he's doing.

The beer and cigar were a nice way to cap the afternoon and enjoy the good news of his being able to get therapy that would be covered by the insurance. The downside is that one of his qualifiers is that he has lost some sight in his right eye.

More on that later. Kim wants to get on her laptop here and I don't want to sit in a coffeeshop too long - it's too nice outside.

Spam, one of the funniest foods on the market.

2009-08-04T13:54:00.000-07:00

We took a day trip to Door County last week. Kim asked me to get a little something for her to munch for our drive into Peninsula State Park for a siesta. Jesse and I went into the local Piggly Wiggly and got some Spam and a little jar of Gerbers oatmeal and pears baby food for her. Needless to say she didn't partake of those treats. Jesse and I thought it was pretty funny (how can Spam not be funny!), but Kim just looked dismayed and exasperated. So I got her some cheese curds, which made her happy.

The Gerbers was actualy pretty tasty, if you ask me.

My latest favorite youtube vids

2009-07-20T07:23:00.000-07:00

First, a funnier than hell video by Punks Not Dad doing "In Me Shed." "Stirrin' up some paint!" "Havin' a quiet fag!" "Cleaning a spark plug!" "Sortin' out me cherry jars!" "Where a bloke can be a bloke!"

This vintage cigarette commercial featuring the Flintstones is classic Americana. Too funny and too bad stuff this cool could probably not be broadcast today (you can broadcast animated cartoons swearing, engaging in vulgar talk and overt sexual naughtiness, but showing tobacco is verboten!).
"They sure work hard, don't they Barney."
"Yeah, I hate to see them work so hard."
"Yeah, me too... Eh, let's go around back, where we can't see 'em."

And this one where Jerry, of Tom and Jerry, rolls a smoke like no one else, to impress a pretty female cowgirl cat. 30 seconds of animated beauty.

Some cottage pictures from this past week.

2009-07-08T08:03:00.000-07:00

A few pics from the July 4th extended weekend up north.
A number of Wisconsin lakes still feel like Canadian shield lakes.

Jesse and Andrea meet a camel near Lakewood.

This camel was unusually friendly.

Kim wants to take him home.

Turtle pancake...the end.

Some recent cottage visits

2009-07-03T16:04:00.000-07:00

Still Life with Nature's Medicine

Is it really the 3rd, and almost the 4th, of July already? I mean is it really? Truly this is one of the seemingly fastest moving summers in memory. We've made up our minds that this year we are no longer going to be putting in the 85-hour work weeks, and we're going to take those days that we're closed for some hopefully quality "up north" time for ourselves. The aromas of pine, campfire and wet earth combine with the sounds of crickets, loons and bullfrogs to make us feel the way God intended human beings to feel. Sleep is more peaceful and the days more adventurous. Hell, the beer even tastes better.

Made that bench out of an three tiered branch and weathered board.

Here are a few pics from the last couple of "weekends" (weekends for us run from Sunday afternoon to Tuesday evening).

If I'd run across this old gal a month later she'd be dinner.
But it was egg laying time and out of season.

A couple of odd ducks at the Shawano Park beach.

That's what I'm talkin' 'bout!

Another day in the pines.

2009-05-22T07:14:00.000-07:00

Cheyenne making smores.

We hit the cottage again this past Monday and Tuesday. Even more gorgeous out than the week before. Kim worked on her mosaic mirror. I field tested the hammock. The girls did some painting and walking. We took a walk down a trail through the woods, afternoon sunlight streaming through the trees at an angle, and hundreds of shiny little black dragonflies fluttering up from the ground ahead of us as we walked, shimmering in the warm sunlight. A very cool scene.

King for a day.

Two beautiful days in the northwoods

2009-05-15T08:17:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday Kim and I took off for my parent's cottage outside of Cecil, near Shawano for a couple of days of R&R. We needed to mellow out from the junk from the week before concerning a crummy story about the shop in the local paper and we needed to outline our summer plan of attack for Stumpjack. I also wanted to do a little art work and painting and Kim wanted to start a new mosaic.

Leinies 1888 Bock and a La Vieja Habana

Laying some wood

It was a wonderful 2½ days. The weather was great, with Tuesday morning hitting around 70°. We took a couple of good long walks each day and my knee handled it well, which was a relief. Experimented with some breakfast pizza recipes for consideration at the Stump, made some awesome hamburgers, and enjoyed some mighty fine beer.
Doing some painting while enjoying a Crystal Springs Honey Ale and a 5 Vegas Series 'A' cigar. The ale is a delicious homebrew courtesy of friend Brian Jensen...although there is some question as to how good a friend he really is since he only gave me one bottle of his brew. Not to worry, Brian, I'll give you an opportunity to rectify this woeful disparity. Click the image to enlarge.

Coffee and Cigars

2009-04-10T15:29:00.000-07:00

image by Keith Kee Fu Yeung

Below is an essay I wrote for my HTR bi-weekly coffee column a week ago. The editors decided it would go better at the top of the OpEd page rather than in its usual location on the Food page. After it ran I received a number of comments, all of them complimentary and supportive of the article's point-of-view...that is, all except one. The piece also ran in the Marshfield News Herald and the Wausau Daily Herald and caused a bit of a stir up there with at least one woman who not only commented on the article online but also left me a couple of rather nasty voice messages. You can listen to those messages by clicking on the audio gadget in the right-hand column (they're too funny to not share). Here's the article.

Exemptions needed in proposed smoking ban

Coffee and tobacco have surely been bedfellows ever since they first met. They are paired in literature, film and the visual arts, and in our collective cultural consciousness in much the same way that we’ve become accustomed to think of wine and cheese as an ideal pairing. I enjoy both coffee and tobacco, and have participated in paired tastings of the two, but my enjoyment demands a rather specific qualifier: that they be handcrafted or artisan produced.

Specialty coffee is artisan coffee. It is usually grown, processed and produced with more personal, hands-on attention and involvement from small groups of people who are as concerned with high quality and uniqueness as they are with making a living at it. It is perceived as coffee that is, from seed to cup, produced with passion and love by “real people” with their own special stories. This perception contrasts with that of the industrial, pre-ground and canned grocery store coffee produced by huge, faceless corporations. The reality is also that the two end-products, specialty coffee and mass-market coffee, are generally as different in quality as are, say, a fine vintage French wine and a cheap and fruity 4-pac wine cooler. They both use the word “wine,” but are really quite different.

Similar realities color the world of tobacco, but public perceptions of this product are not nearly as sophisticated as they have become for products such as coffee, wine or craft beer. I think these days most people understand and would readily agree that there are clear differences between artisan products and their mass-market counterparts. Tobacco, on the other hand, is generally viewed solely via the image of a cigarette, and is perceived as only bad.

That is unfortunate, because just as is the case in the fields of coffee, beer, wine, cheese or practically any organic, consumable item, so too under the general umbrella of tobacco there are very different products produced by very different methods, using dramatically different source materials, and by philosophically opposed producers. I am talking about the differences between mass-market cigarettes that are produced by the “big tobacco” companies, and fine, handcrafted cigars produced by smaller companies and family-run operations. They are two different animals in just about every practical aspect, including, I would argue, their effects upon one’s health and well-being.

The adverse effects of cigarette smoking upon a smoker’s health have been apparent for decades and most would argue that those ill effects outweigh the positive effects. However, cigar smoking, as a pastime and social activity has both scientific and empirical support for positive benefits upon one’s physical and mental health, including in the areas of longevity, disease resistance and anti-depression. The primary attraction of a good cigar, however, if the delightful variety of tastes and aromas that it produces, which are not at all unlike those of a fine coffee.

The proposed smoking ban that is included in the State of Wisconsin budget is supported by incomplete and even misleading information, nor does it differentiate between two very different products and their attendant risks or benefits. It is also a direct assault on entrepreneurial freedom. Cigar bars and lounges, opened by Wisconsin entrepreneurs specifically with cigar lovers in mind will likely become extinct. Cigar lounges, such as Manitowoc’s Lakeshore Cigar Company, serve much the same function as coffee shops in that they are “third places” that bring people together, foster social well-being and enhance community. The loss of such places, if this proposal is passed without exemptions, would be most unfortunate and wrong.

One of my more treasured pastimes is the joy of experiencing excellent coffee and cigars with friends in a setting that encourages stimulating conversation, relaxation and a sense of community. I do sincerely hope that common sense prevails and that the smoking ban does not pass as it is now written. Our community will be the lesser for it if it does.

image by Abstract Gourmet
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I've included below the additional online comments (copied just as she posted them) from this woman that she posted on the Wausau Daily Herald's website following my editorial. My replies to her goofy comments follows after.

1HardWorker wrote:
You are CLUELESS David for writing this article on Smoke & Coffee, you lost your mind from inhailing all thoughs DEADLY TOXINS you talk so fondly about. Who cares about the past time between the two! It was proven decades ago the deadly effects it causes to the body affecting lungs, heart, arteries, throat, blood pressure,skin etc. We need the smoking ban to protect us from people like you who refuse to see the OBVIOUS DEADLY EFFECTS it causes to yourself & more importantly to us innocent non-smokers who are forced to breathe in YOUR RIGHT! As us non-smokers hear all the time: It is your right to smoke & slowly kill us innocent people off by polluting the air we are trying to breathe. WAKE UP DAVID-YOURS IS A NASTY HABIT THAT HARMS OTHERS & INCASE YOU FORGOT ABOUT THIS WHEN YOU WERE DOING ALL THAT STUDYING ON TABACCO PASTIMES AND YOUR STINKY COFFEE -CLEAN OXYGEN IS A NECESSITY FOR US TO LIVE! Where does OUR RIGHT TO BREATHE fit in your boring,babbling history lesson?! YOUR NOT SMART
4/1/2009 7:27:47 PM

1HardWorker wrote:
Another thing-were I work I am forced to breathe in smoke for almost 14 hours a day, I have actually vomited at work several times breathing in that "aroma" you talk about it severly effects my work & my body-I always feel like crap, I have to use one hand to cover my face so I can take short breaths to breathe. I am forced to be exposed to harmful air in order to make a living usually by people milking the system on unemployment, disability or SSI checks while they complain about the failing economy but they always manage to get their cigarettes, while I have to work for my money & breathe in toxins. I've lost 6 babies because I inhail so much second hand smoke while I'm at work, that it caused my blood to thicken from all the toxins I breathe and it killed my innocent babies. What rights did we have? It's not the pleasant experience you talk about in this article-in reality it's horrifying & deadly! I don't share your fond opinion of this silent KILLER! I can't wait for the ban!
4/1/2009 7:52:15 PM

StumpjackCoffee wrote:

Replying to 1HardWorker:

"You are CLUELESS David...[semi-coherent ranting]... YOUR NOT SMART"

Why thank you, 1HardWorker, for taking the time to edumacate me. I had no idea...what are these...toxins(?)...you speak of? I suddenly feel so enlightened and I owe it all to you, dear lady.

Seriously, you only know a small portion of what you speak here. I understand your position and I do empathize with it. However, when writing a comment on an article it would help if you actually read the article first. If you had, in fact, read the article you would know that 1) I am not a cigarette smoker and 2) my call is for exemptions for cigar bars and cigar lounges, places I doubt someone like you would be interested in going to and which are designed specifically for cigar smokers. Thus, your much of your argument is irrelevant as it does not address anything related to my article anyway.

Again, please try to think before speaking next time. Rabid emotion doesn't improve your position.
4/2/2009 12:33:28 PM

StumpjackCoffee wrote:

Replying to 1HardWorker:

"Another thing-were I work I am forced...."

I am sorry to hear of your troubles and challenges with your place of employment. But again, the points you raise have nothing to do with my article. I won't get into the issue of you supposedly being "forced" to work at such a place, but will simply repeat that you might want to actually read and think about what you read (it's called reading critically) before opening your mouth or touching a keyboard. When you just rant and rave and shout things that are irrelevant to what you're supposedly commenting on you just sound...well...a little "extreme," shall we say?

Also, if you are going to make comments either here or by phone (got your voice message...very entertaining, thanks much), you might want to have the courage of your convictions and use your name. If you stand for something then don't hide behind a screen name or make anonymous calls. Anonymity weakens your argument. Good luck to you.
4/2/2009 12:45:54 PM

Note: I'm also proud to note that I just found out that the column was also reproduced on the Cigar Rights of America (CRA) site as well as tobacco.org. Sweet! 4/13/09

Madtown ain't really mad town

2009-03-26T06:18:00.001-07:00

Kim and I went to Madison for a couple of days to unwind after a particularly high tension two or three weeks of work. Haven't been to Madison for a while. It was a fun and mighty rejuvenating little trip, even with a drizzly rain day on Monday. Here are the highlights.
Sunday night

A slice of the Maduro Cigar Bar.

Bartender Lucas at the tap. He knew his beer and where to send us for a bite.

Sunday night at Maduro Cigar Bar on E. Main. This is a fantastic place, very cool ambiance...dark brown or burgundy decorative tin ceiling; exposed brick on one side & golden-hued wall with big poster art on the other; rustic wood, ceramic inlaid bar; requisite heavy padded leather couches; an awesome selection of spirits and some mighty fine beers; and best of all, cigar smoking allowed and encouraged!

Kim tells the Wisconsin legislature to vote down the smoking ban. Damn right.

I am very distressed over the current proposed legislation to ban smoking in all businesses. There are no exemptions for cigar lounges like Maduro in the legislation as it stands now. This nonsense is a direct infringement on entrepreneurial freedom and will adversely affect or even put out of business places like Maduro and Lakeshore Cigar Company in Manitowoc. It's wrong, folks, just plain wrong. Even my wife, Kim, who is not a cigar smoker, is very upset over this infringement on our rights. She had a great time at Maduro with me, enjoying a couple of fine ports while I had a Samichlaus Dopplebock followed by a La Chouffe Golden Ale. Both were outstanding.

Pondering the next beer from the wall board.

We took a break from Maduro to grab a quick bite around the corner at Natt Spil at Lucas', the bartender's, recommendation. It's a funky little space that's so hip it hurts (yeah, they know it, but I kinda like that). A yummy little greek pizza did the trick and it was back to Maduro for another stick and a couple final libations. The place filled up for an hour or two then quieted down for a very fine end to the evening.

Monday

Marked espresso from Café Soleil...tasty. I think they use Just Coffee Co-op.

Hit Café Soleil next to the capital in the morning for espresso and cappuccino. Outstanding espresso (tasty enough that I had two marked dopios) and Kim's cappuccino was mighty good too (I tasted it). I feel bad that I don't recall the barista's name (I did ask her...I want to say Mandy, but I'm not sure) because she was doing a wonderful job keeping up with a steady line of customers at both the register and espresso machine, and her drink prep was consistent and smooth.

Sitting by the front window.

Kim's cap...

Café Soleil straight ahead in the narrow pink and red brick building.

It was a little drizzly with rain outside, but still nice for walking. We left Soleil and headed across the square to Fromagination, a wonderfully interesting and friendly artisinal cheese shop. This place fired us both up to get into the artisan cheese thing a bit more seriously at the Stump. We got so carried away with sampling and looking and chatting that I forgot to take any pictures (check out their website link above). Met a fine fellow by the name of Patrick who gave us the "tour" and let us sample a bunch of different cheeses (which caused me to spend way more than I should have, but what the heck, it was dang good cheese and I was in the moment). Also chatted with the owner/head cheese monger, Ken, who appears to have a well-defined aesthetic and vision for his business and really knows cheese.

After getting to know Patrick a little bit he suggested we have dinner that night around the corner at the Tornado Club Steak House, as he was the sous chef there. We ended up doing just that, arriving at the Tornado at around 7:30. The Tornado used to be Crandall's, a place that had the absolutely best Friday night fish fry ever. Well, the place looks exactly the same as it did then, and probably the same as it did when it first opened back who-knows-when? (late 50s/early 60s maybe?). Which is to say that it looks awesome, with an effortless retro vibe that comes from the various owners maintaining what was there.

We sat at the bar for a while before being seated, which was perfectly fine by me as it gave us a chance to check out the bar layout, discuss which of their menu and drink ideas we could co-opt for the Stump, and try a few drinks.

Tornado Club frog's legs in syrup to kill for.

Kim had escargot, which she loves and which always reminds me of that scene in Trading Places where the rich snob tells Eddie Murphy the "S-car go" joke at the restaurant table while Dan Akroyd looks on woefully from outside in the pouring rain. I had frog's legs, a treat I've always liked since I was a little shaver and my Dad and I would regularly go bullfrog gigging and bring back a couple gunny sacks full each time. This dish, however, was no ordinary crispy fried frog's legs dish. They were indeed breaded and crispy fried but they were also lying in a pool of the most exquisite, sticky sweet, garlicky sauce. I finished the legs and when our waitress (maybe her name was Mandy?) tried to remove my plate that still held the golden nectar I covered it with my arm like Dracula covers his face with his cape. "No way!" says I, "Please just bring me some bread, coz this is gonna be my dessert." Oh so good.

Salad architecture.

Next up, a spinach and bacon dressing salad for Kim and a wedge salad for me. I've never much card for french dressing...it always tastes like I'm putting a vinegary ketchup on my salad. But I asked the waitress which salad she liked best and went with her suggestion. It too was awesome. A big chunk of lettuce cut off the head, set upon the plate like a little building, over which blue cheese, carrot slices and french dressing were added. Fresh, succulent and crunchy.

Steak for a man (or a really interesting woman).

Patrick came out to say 'hello and nice meeting' you before the main courses arrived, which we appreciated...we were impressed with his friendliness and confidence. Kim had duck with cranberries and it was buttery smooth and tender, and looked like a breast fillet spread out on the plate. I had a big honkin' steak that was charred and smokey on the outside and bloody rare on the inside, just like I like it. Had to be two inches thick and nicely marbled. It was the best, most delicious and enjoyable meal we have had in quite a while. Everything was simply fabulous, from the food and drinks to the people to the atmosphere. We both left comfortably full and feeling like the king and queen...at least for a day or two.

Ate some Dunbar Blue Cheese and honey from Fromagination on the way home.

Back to bizness now.

It's warm outside! YEEHAA!

2009-03-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

Dang near 60 degrees out today (Tuesday the 17th). This calls for a good brew and a good stick.
Enjoying a Leinies 1888 Bock and a Drew Estate La Vieja Habana while the snow and ice melt around me.

All hail the Tiki!

2008-12-21T09:55:00.001-08:00

Mike and Becky gave me these very cool tiki waterfall thingy last night. It was a Christmas present (thanks guys! I love it!). We all (Mike and Becky, Christine and Aaron, Kim and I) went to Riverbank Lounge after Becky's fun gig at Stumpjack. We had a great time and lots of laughs. Riverbank is the cat's pajamas...love that place!It's a desktop waterfall and he's got a candle atop his noggin'.

Stumpjack art from Jesse

2008-12-04T09:40:00.000-08:00

Here's a very cool set of linocut prints that my 13 year-old daughter Jesse made for me for my birthday last month. Click to enlarge. Yes, my kids are very talented artists.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

2008-11-16T16:19:00.000-08:00

Marty and Lori gave me a cool birthday card today. It has a rendering of Clint Eastwood from his spaghetti western days on the cover and when you open it it plays the opening bars of the theme song from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," one of the greatest westerns (and movie theme songs) of all time.

I found this very cool video on youtube tonight...The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain...this is awesome.

More mermaids

2008-11-16T08:21:00.000-08:00

Here's an image of a small painting that my 16 year-old daughter, Cheyenne, made for me for my birthday yesterday. Dig the stumpjack fish swimming at the top.

Cheyenne also has a sculptural piece presently being shown at the JM Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan.

Two tasty treats

2008-11-11T12:51:00.000-08:00

It's been a super-chaotic last week or so, but then this year that has been more often the case than not. Mix together a few music event reschedulings, a new tastings schedule (see Kim's Wine All You Want blog), updating our menu, the new Stumpjumpers Club developing, more online ventures than you can shake an empty coffee mugs at...toss in a couple of foolish individuals with more ego than common sense trying to rattle the Stump cage, even more uninvited equipment repairs, the downturn in the economy...measure in few handfuls of new, exciting projects, including a couple of significant writing projects besides my bi-monthly coffee column for the newspaper, and some preliminary work on a couple of very cool projects with our friend Dave from Lakeside Apparel.

That's an extremely long-winded and clunky intro for what is really just a post about a couple of good cigars.

Slow-Aged Lot 826 by Perdomo

There aren't going to be too many days left for sitting out by the campfire without being fully bundled in wool and Thinsulate, so I gotta take advantage of the evenings now while I still can. The first little beauty (pictured here) was a Perdomo Slow-Aged Lot 826. It's a moderately robust smoke, smooth and easy to draw from beginning to end. This one was a gift from my pal Bill Granger and I had it with a Leinies Fireside Nut Brown Ale. Excellenté!

No picture of the Angry Joe cigar, so I went with this image of a guy rolling a cigar. He looks kind of angry though.

Next up was a neat little number from our friend Joe Donati of Lakeshore Cigar in Manitowoc. Unfortunately, my camera batteries died before I could take a good picture of this cigar that he calls Angry Joe's (or In Angry Joe We Trust!...I'm not exactly sure which is the true name). This is an as-yet bandless smoke that Joe says he spent some time working on, until he found just the right combination of tobaccos to satisfy his discriminating palate. In my opinion, he did a great job, because this is a lovely cigar...smooth and hearty. I enjoyed Angry Joe's with a little glass of Apple Pie Liqueur, an apple cinnamon liqueur from the Missouri Tavern in Springfield, Wisconsin. The sweetness of the liqueur contrasted nicely with Angry Joe. You can, of course, get Angry Joes at Lakeshore Cigar in Manitowoc on Washington Street (and you should! This is a great shop and Joe always has something tasty in the humidor and plenty of warm conversation...it's a place where no-one is a stranger, even if it's your first visit).

Marina ROCKS!

2008-10-28T06:03:00.000-07:00

Marina sent this awesome photo of herself drinking Stumpjack coffee underwater (try that sometime!) from an authentic Stumpjack mug.
WE LOVE MERMAIDS!
She also said,
"This Mermaid LOVES her Stumpjack Mug!
Seriously- I use it every mornin' before my swim~
Your Coffee Lovin' Fire Eating Mermaid.
~Marina~ "

Check out her very cool MySpace site here.

Pat Dinizio appreciates the classics

2008-10-21T11:46:00.001-07:00

Last month Pat Dinizio, leader of the still-awesome and hardest working band in America, The Smithereens, emailed this message and the image that follows it:

My old friend, the artist/painter Christine Peloquin, who painted the wall murals in my house, is working on this backdrop (a work-in-progress, not nearly finished!) for our Winter 2009 Tour, which is an exact replica of the backdrop/banner that Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye are seen performing in front of while entertaining WW II troops in the middle of a battle at the very beginning of the classic holiday musical "WHITE CHRISTMAS".

Best wishes and love,

Pat D.
I did a little online digging and found the following two images, one of the opening title credit to the show, "White Christmas," that Pat was referring to, and one with Bing actually standing in front of that original backdrop. This is the coolest...I love that Pat tips his hat to this classic broadcast, and in such a subtle manner.
In a follow-up email Pat indicates that other images will follow as the piece progresses. I'll post those images when he forwards them. Don't forget, Pat Dinizio is gonna rock Stumpjack sometime in early 2009 (Jan or Feb I believe...will let you know as soon as he forwards his itinerary). It's going to be the event of the year folks, guaranteed fantastic.

This is a great pic of Bing Crosby in front of the original backdrop painting.

Limey Stumpjumpers!

2008-10-07T09:45:00.000-07:00

I don't believe that "limeys" is a derogatory term, but is rather a kind of friendly nickname for the Brits that Americans used in WWII (I think, however, that it originated well before that, in the British navy when the English tall ships ruled the seas...those guys kicked major tail). Anyway, I'm using it as a term of endearment for our friends Paul Fox and Talane Miedaner, who are back home in England after spending some time with us this past summer here at Stumpjack in Two Rivers. Wanted to share this picture Paul emailed to me yesterday of himself and Talane aboard a rickshaw "in London's West End just before [we] saw the 'Lion King' on stage."

Paul & Talane in rickshaw...I love the look of the street and buildings behind them.

Paul also emailed me a link that shows an area of his hometwon of Exmouth live via a webcam atop some building in town...I was able to pan around the town looking at different locations, zoom in or out to get close-ups of people unaware of my spying...made me feel very much like a character in a Robert Ludlum novel. Paul mentioned a couple other things but his writing had such a heavy English accent I couldn't figure out what the hell he was talking about.

Maria, Keralee, Paul and Talane at Stumpjack this summer
(Keralee and Talane are sisters).

If we open a London branch, which ought to be called something like Stumpjack Royal Tea & Coffee Emporium, Paul will be in charge of drinks and entertainment. We'll also be publish our exploits with a newsletter titled "Stumpjack Bullocks."

Ok, time to bugger off...blimey...John Bull...fish and chips...crumpets and what-what...

Stumpjack Survival Party

2008-10-01T07:29:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we held the 2-year anniversary party for Stumpjack Coffee Co. Anyone who's in business knows that the first two or three years are the most precarious, demanding and scary. Survival is the primary mission. Once you get over that 2-3 year hump then you can breathe a little, but just a little. It's been a rough and tumble time, with more than it's share of ups and downs, a lot of juggling and a good many smiles and laughs. Here are a few images from Sunday's shindig, and more can be found in the Flickr set and two or three videos on YouTube.

Jeremy working as the sommelier

Paul Braun and Julie Ruh

Joe calculating some math problem

Gettin' crowded

Larry and Peggy...probably our most dignified friends
(whut da hell are dey doin' in dis joint?)

The new, and still unfinished wine bar.

Nick laying it down

The evil Spock in the alternate universe episode.

Allie came down from Menomonee

Nic shows up just a little too fashionably late.

And a great time was had by all... Here's to next year, cheers!

a few wasps I killed and collected in the past 3 days

2008-09-06T11:41:00.000-07:00

My latest artwork...I call it "Exercise in Black & Yellow #3"

We had a wasp problem. There's a wall nest under the siding on the outside of the building. Our landlord doused it with poison and plugged it up, and now the little critters are looking for a way in and the ones that were in the nest are making their way into our bathroom and back hallway via inner wall routes. Here's a portion of the ones I've killed in the past 3 days (methods of death: numerous cans of spray, newspaper swatters, my boot, and my bug crushing fingers - had one in my shirt, amazingly didn't sting me). I have killed and collected...I kid you not...over 700 thus far. Here's a picture of one small part of the piles.

I'm writing a book and it's gonna be called...

2008-09-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

"Living with Drama Queens: The Rational Man's Survival Guide"

Chapter 1: The "You were a jackass...six weeks ago" Housewife Drama Queen
Chapter 2: The 20-something "He's so hot...I'm moving to Hawaii!" Drama Queen
Chapter 3: The High School "I need to go to that concert or I'll die!" Drama Queen
Chapter 4: The Junior High "I can't stand her anymore!" Drama Queen
Chapter 5: The dog's a male but he's around female humans all day so he has become an irritating drama queen now too
Chapter 6: Dealing with the frequent detours through crazy town
Chapter 7: How to remain a rational man in a household full of irrational women
Chapter 8: Sanity in a Bottle: The properly stocked liquor cabinet for the man living in a drama queen household
Chapter 9: Creative ways to escape without actually having to kill anyone, including yourself
Chapter 10: How to write a journal for your descendants so that they know what hell you went through "back in great, great grampa's day"

This way to my house...

"Spill the Beans" newspaper column from 8/27/08

2008-08-29T15:25:00.000-07:00

My "Spill the Beans" newspaper column is normally published both in the Herald Times Reporter and online on their website. For whatever reason, while it was printed in the newspaper it wasn't published online this week (8/27/08), and someone asked on the paper's online forum that I place it here on Stumptoons. So here it is...and you get the added benefit of some cool images that you don't get in the regular newspaper version.

Bully Coffee from Puerto Rico

Given that this is an election year I’m going combine a little political trivia with the discussion of coffee. I’m also going to get more openly political than I normally do. I’m going to come out and just tell you who my favorite presidential politician is.

Ready?

My favorite politician is…Teddy Roosevelt!

Teddy looking determined...and he was.

Yup, he of the old Bull Moose party and Rough Riders fame, who advised “Speak softly and carry a big stick,” and whose popularity inspired the creation of the Teddy Bear. That was a little disingenuous of me to name a past president, but it’s the truth, Theodore Roosevelt truly is my favorite president and as luck, for me, would have it, he was also a passionate coffee connoisseur. His place in the coffee world was secured with two things: one, when he requested that premium coffee from Puerto Rico, which he described as “grand!” be served at official state dinners and functions.

Roosevelt and the boys ready to kick some tail if'n they don't get some Puerto Rican coffee NOW!

Roosevelt chose wisely in requesting Puerto Rican coffee. It has been deemed one of the super premium coffees in the world for over a hundred years, and justifiably so. Puerto Rico shares much the same growing conditions as other coffee growing island countries of the Caribbean and the Hawaiian Islands. All have the high mountains (1,000 to over 3,500 feet), rich soil and equatorial weather that produce superior coffees. These coffees exhibit what is known as an “island profile,” a cup that is, generally speaking, incredibly smooth, very low in acid (described and tasted as brightness or bitterness) and well balanced with an almost buttery mouthfeel.

"You there! Get me a cup of Stumpjack Coffee now, dadburnit!"

Freshly roasted Puerto Rican, at an upper medium, full city roast, produces a distinct and delightful cocoa aroma for the first few days following the roast. It is not a coffee that rocks you with overpowering flavors or boldness. It’s soft, creamy and oh-so-smooth; a wonderful brew for people who either can’t drink a lot of coffee because of things like acid reflux or who just aren’t into bolder coffees. You may detect a gentle sweetness in the cup, and its mildness makes it the one that I enjoy best in the evening.

After drinking Stumpjack Coffee Roosevelt is in joyful mood and waves to crowd.

Puerto Rican coffee is, in fact, very similar to the famous Jamaican Blue Mountain (JBM). JMB has been marketed more effectively than Puerto Rican, but both compare very favorably in terms of taste, aroma and texture. At one time, however, Puerto Rican coffee was the premier coffee in the world. During the mid to late 19^th century Puerto Rican was the most expensive coffee on the planet, and set a standard of quality that other premium coffee growers aspired to achieve. At our shop we only partially joke that “Puerto Rican is the coffee that the pope drinks.” At one time that was in fact the case, as it was indeed the coffee consumed at the Vatican, as well as by royalty and heads of state throughout Europe and the U.S.

However, a couple of hurricanes in the late 1800s crushed Puerto Rico’s coffee industry. The slow recovery following that devastation, along with certain political influences and the increasing profitability of the island’s sugar cane industry, were too much to overcome and the country never reclaimed its former dominance in the coffee world. That’s actually good news for us today. The coffee is as outstanding as ever and yet does not generally command the same prices as other similarly excellent island coffees. To be sure, it is not cheap, at anywhere from $20 to $28 or so per pound. But compared to JBM or Hawaiian Kona that both go upwards of $50 per pound it is quite a deal.

The other thing that Roosevelt is famous for in the coffee world? After finishing a cup served him from the Maxwell House Hotel in Tennessee he uttered the phrase “It’s good to the last drop,” which became the popular slogan for Maxwell House Coffee.

click to enlarge this vintage ad

Grampa's Musky

2008-08-19T14:35:00.000-07:00

My Grampa, Fred Smith, caught a nice musky from a Trout Lake near Minocqua in 1974. Grampa is 94 now and he's still kicking the crap out of fish wherever he chooses to wet a line (he still makes at least one or two trips to Canada each year just to put the fear into them and let 'em know he's got their number). This musky now hangs in the Stumpjack here in Two Rivers.

SputnikGirl, Door County, Stumpjack Peru

2008-08-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

We have a few signed and numbered limited edition prints of this poster by illustrator extraordinaire Tina Kugler. Tina's art opening is tonight at Persimmons in Manitowoc.

A few pics from a recent day trip to Door County.

This will be my chair from which I'll deal with salespeople who pop into the shop unannounced (they will be forced to sit on the floor before me as I humiliate them for their presumptuous behavior).

Jesse will hold court in my absence.

They will then be dropped into the snake pit with all of the various deadly vipers that the girls have collected.

Laurie Svatek, mountaintop in Peru (I'm pretty sure she said Peru).

Stumpjack Peru Café at the top of the hill.

Detail...with people in line waiting for a spiced coffee.
That's another one of Marty's cool neon signs in front.

Contact Form for Stumpjack Scat Newsletter

2008-08-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

Get all the weekly Stumpjack goodness your body requires.

Lower the bridge ye varlets!

2008-07-25T05:17:00.000-07:00

Mike Zimmer and Kim before the big walk-over.

This past Wednesday (July 23rd) Two Rivers had a little street party to celebrate the opening of the new Madison Street bridge. Maybe 500 or more in attendance with a few hundred at the ribbon cutting and ceremonial walk over the bridge (and it is a fine looking bridge). It was also the first night of our new hours change at Stumpjack (we closed at 4:00, which meant that Kim and I, and Jesse and her friend Bree) could actually attend the event! Yeehaa! How cool is it that this town puts together a celebration with music, food and drink and a ribbon cutting for a bridge opening...and gets a great turnout to boot (but can you believe that a few folks grumbled, before the celebration, about the serving of beer at this thing...good grief! Philistines!). Click here to go to the Flickr page of pics. Jeff Dawson took some for the Lester Library Flickr site too (Jeff has lots of great pictures of stuff going on in the area...well worth viewing his camera work).

Greg Buckley thanking everyone who had a hand in the new bridge.

The tail end of the walk-over.

Kayak flotilla under the bridge.

Hangin' with our amigos in Door County

2008-07-18T16:28:00.000-07:00

Last Monday (July 14) Kim and I drove up for an overnight at the cottage of our friends Marty & Lori Suettinger. Actually, it is Marty's aunt's cottage, and it's outside of Sturgeon Bay right on the water. The place is cute, the weather was fantastic, Marty and Lori were great hosts and great cooks, and we had a totally wonderful and relaxing evening. Lori's son Thomas and a couple of his pals were there lighting fireworks in the evening, and Lori's cousin Jessica (I think she was a cousin) and her boyfriend Kyle came over from Sturgeon Bay to hang out for a while too. Great time...thanks Marty and Lori!

Here's a few pics from a disc Marty just dropped off. He takes tons of pics of anything and everything, and here's his own Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/planetneon/sets/

My wife is a hotty, and smart to boot!

2008-06-16T09:05:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am going to break my own blogging protocol and brag a little bit here. My wife, Kim, is awesome. She is easily the "better half" of the partnership, in the sense that she has many more good personality traits than I do in relating to people...things like patience, kindness, empathy, and tactfulness. Generally, even when someone is being a boor and I know that she is inwardly rolling her eyes or thinking "shut up already!" she will be outwardly ever so sweet and mellow to them. I sometimes...oftentimes...wish some of that would rub off on me.
Plus, she's smart. She's a pretty quick learner and a good teacher too. Often I will change a course of action after hearing her opinion on things (and I'm usually smart enough myself to ask for her opinion). I'm often the impetuous one, ready to jump in and get going while she often does things slower and perhaps more thoughtfully. Not that either way is necessarily better or worse than the other (both have advantages and disadvantages), but her council is always well worth listening to and oftentimes worth heeding. Stumpjack is clearly a better business and a better company because of her, and because I listen to her.
Finally, my wife is a babe. Trying not to sound too much like a caveman, but Kim's got it goin' on. She's more beautiful now than she was when she was younger...one of those gals who gets more luscious with age. That's all that I can tastefully say...anymore and this could end up sounding like a Penthouse letter. Yessir, I'm a fortunate fellow. Happy Father's Day to me!

My new fave musicians: Gus and Fin!

2008-06-07T17:09:00.000-07:00

Thank you Tina Kugler! Tina posted one of Gus & Fin's videos on her blog, I watched it, loved it, ended up watching all of their vids on youtube (repeatedly), loving each one more than the one before. These guys are simply fantastic! Just pure joyful and funkified fun-ness. (How can you possibly top a guy wearing a fez and playing "Rawhide" on a toy T.V. Pal ukulele? I'll tell you how...when they play it with such excellent musicianship and respect for the song.) It's the kind of stuff you want everyone to see and hear and love too.

And for just plain lounge-vibe-coolness here's "Get Carter," with bongos and other instrumentation. We MUST get these guys to come to the states and play at the Stump sometime.

Go to their youtube site and play all 47 vids...they're all excellent. I'm buying a ukulele because of these guys.

Point Beach with the boys and girls

2008-06-05T11:21:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, June 1st, following Becky Markvart's successful and fun-filled CD release party at Stumpjack, several of us went out to Point Beach State Forest to hang out at one of their permanent cabins that we had rented for the night. Pat and Mike went out ahead of the rest of us to get the fire going while Kim and I cleaned up the shop and Becky and Mike (not to be confused with the other Mike) broke down and loaded up their sound equipment.

We all gathered 'round the fire, drank beer and rum & cokes, smoked a few cigars, and talked smart for a few hours. Dummy that I am I not only neglected to take pictures during Becky's party but also didn't take any at our woodsy powwow. Here are a few taken Tuesday morning.

We all stayed overnight in the cabin (all, that is, except for Mike Zimmy, who wimped out and went home because he said he had to go to work the next day...and he works for the city so you know what a lame excuse that is!). It was a sleepless night because it seemed like every 30 minutes Kim was waking me up to either take her out to the potty or to tell me that I was snoring (yes, woman, I was snoring because I was SLEEPING! emphasis on was).

I did spend a few minutes before hitting the hay to walk down to the beach all by my lonesome to ponder the stars and boat lights on the lake. It was beautifully peaceful and rejuvenating. Few things can help shed the stress and weight of the week like a peaceful, starry night by a lake.

Kim and I went home to get our girls and rented the cabin for one more night for ourselves. We must do this more often.

I did take one picture from Becky's party after everyone had left. This is a hand crafted pen that Mark Chatenka gave Becky as a gift at her party. Click on it to get an enlarged image...check out that beautiful wood grain. I want one too!

Recent pics by Nate that I like

2008-05-17T18:18:00.000-07:00

Here's some images from Nate Walkner from the past several days that I really like. Nate is a quite a photographer, as you can see. Click on them to enlarge.

Here's a cool one of Nate's dad, Bill, from outside the shop. I like the curved angles.

This one of Bill I like because Bill's in the middle of talking to the audience. He often has some interesting or humorous intro to his tunes.

Great color and composition in this one of John Will Balsley...plus, with the hair John looks like a young Doc Brown, from Back to the Future.

One of the nicest inside shots of the Stump yet.

Cool outside shot after the gig. The only thing I'd change in this one is that the Stumpjack neon needs to be visible. Shewt, you can see the dentist's sign and he wasn't even there (thanks a lot Jerry!). Might have to do this one over again to get the sign in...but I like the vibe.

A really fine pic of Kim and I...love the lighting and softness of this one. Plus, we both look pretty damn good.

The easy way out.

2008-05-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

Blogging advice: When in need of an update but with little time to do anything lengthy one can occasionally turn to the trusty "Top 10" list (or "Top 5" if you're really pressed for time). You don't want to do this too often (unless your blog concept is, in fact, all about Top 10 lists, in which case yeah, it would be a good idea to do Top 10 lists often). In any event, I am short on time today and am thus relying on my own advice with this little cheat. Plus, Top 10's are usually fun and kind of interesting (and if the one you post happens to not be fun or interesting you still come out ahead because they're generally so brief that people forget about how not fun or not interesting they were as soon as they leave your blog). Actually, I just thought of another good bit of blogging advice (I know it's good advice because I'm going to start doing it from now on): Do a Top 10 or Top 5 list once a week, on the same day each week. What a great idea! (I'm sure some blogging expert somewhere has said the same thing before I just thought of it, but so what! It's coming from me now, so you know it's sound wisdom).

Today's TOP 5 (because I am, in fact, pressed for time):

My Top 5 List of Things that Lately Crack Me Up

1.The butts on Tina Kugler's self portraits. They're all monstrously big and gelatinous and dimply and totally hilarious. This morning Kim looked at Tina's latest drawing of herself on her illustration site (Tina Kugler Illustration) and was giggling, I swear, for 20 minutes. But if you want to take the full-on $3 tour of big buttdom you need to go to her post-it theatre site (The Tina Show), where the drawings appear more spontaneous, urgent and frenzied.

2. Flight of the Conchords. Google and find any YouTube video of these guys and you'll end up "wasting" at least an hour watching every short video of them on the list. "When I'm down to my socks you know it's time for business... They're business socks..." Have to thank my pal, Don, for pointing me to these cats (see Don's own weird stream of consciousness at Mind of Seiler).

3. Our friend Amy doing a slightly drunken impersonation (not that she was giving an impersonation of being slightly drunk, but rather that she was actually slightly drunk when giving the impersonation) of her 5 year old boy, Brady, who, when taking his bath, pretends he is Buzz Lightyear by standing, naked, at the edge of the bathtub, arms extended like Superman, and shouts a misunderstood version of Buzz's tagline as only children can misunderstand things, before jumping into the bath water. In Brady's translation, Buzz's "To infinity...and beyond!" has become "Into me! And beyond!"

The other night we went out with Amy and Adam, and Brady's pre-launch pose and declaration became Amy's repeated battlecry with each succeeding chocolate martini.

4. Steve Wolfhard's Monstro-Draw! journal. Wolfhard's drawing is great and his sense of humor is on precisely the same wavelength as my own. Great stuff.

5. Graham Roumieu's Bigfoot books: Me Write Book: It Bigfoot Memoir and In Me Own Words: The Autobiography of Bigfoot. Saw these at B&N on Sunday and had to share with my daughters while in the store. We were all laughing so hard that we made a scene and I think one of us might have pee'd her pants a little. The funniest books I've seen in some time...do yourself a favor and see if your library has copies. Just don't read them while actually in the library or they may ask you to leave for making too much noise.

The best comic book super hero movie ever?

2008-05-06T19:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, we just got back from seeing Iron Man! If this isn't the best comic book super hero movie ever it's pretty close. My daughter Jesse looked at me after the show and said very matter-of-factly, "This is now my favorite movie." Of course all the girls (Kim, Cheyenne and Jesse) thought Robert Downey was "hot" in the film...fine, I'll even agree with that, but Jeff Bridges looked strikingly gnarly as bad guy Obadiah Stane (Is there any character Bridges does not play extremely well? No, there's not).

The comic book Obadiah Stane and Jeff Bridges

So the question is, is Iron Man the best comics superhero film ever? I hear that they're prepping for the sequel, as well as movie plans for the Thor, Captain America and The Avengers.

Diary of the Daft

2008-04-29T21:08:00.000-07:00

A quick, before bedtime top-ten bullet list of stuff on my mind from the last two days:

I am SO pumped for the Iron Man release this weekend. (and HellBoy is on the horizon too!)
There may be but one single "fine dining" restaurant in this area that consistently offers good food, good service and a good overall experience: The Courthouse Pub. We ate somewhere else that shall remain nameless today for lunch and I left wondering "Why do they do things that way?" It wasn't awful, just very, very mundane.
My daughter Cheyenne is a surprisingly good stage actor. She needs to be a bit louder, but she is smooth and relaxed and very "real." I'm proud of her.
People who let their dogs poop on the sidewalk and don't clean up after the animal ought to be forced to pick it up barehanded in addition to being ticketed...unbelievable that they let that stuff lie there.
I have the weirdest and most intensely vivid dreams of any human being ever. Sometimes that can be a very cool thing. Too often it is a very unpleasant thing.
My Dad is a really great guy. Occasionally he pisses me off but more often than not I look heavenward and say "thanks" for the parents I have. I am saying that right now because he is helping me out big-time with something that I find irritating as hell and am glad that I'm able to off-load onto him.
I am pretty sure that God had a hand in the original creative spark that led to the creation of cigars and that he heartily approves of our enjoying such things like this that he has placed here for us to enjoy. Same goes for beer, wine and coffee.
I hate getting up early on Wednesday mornings more than I hate getting up early on any other day of the week. It's almost midnight now and I'm irritated with the fact that I have to get up in five or so hours...and I feel this way every week.
My wife is hot.
I'm going to begin posting on our Diary of the Daft blog this week. Get ready.

A wee R&R in me own backyard.

2008-04-16T06:26:00.000-07:00

Sunday after work we made a supply run to Appleton; Monday I worked on taxes and Internet tasks; Tuesday we came in to clean and wax the floors and do some inventory. Two weeks straight with no days off. So, Tuesday afternoon I figured I had earned a little respite...and what better way to unwind and unload than to sit next to a campfire with a good beer, good cigar and a pretty good dog. I decreed it so, and it was so enacted.

One of my current favorite beers, Fiddler's Elbow, from England's Wychwood Brewery...a summer style wheat ale with a medium body and light citrus taste, a curvaceous brown bottle and funky labeling. Refreshing is how I would describe this beer in a single word.

A new cigar, courtesy of my good friend Bill Granger: Drew Estates' Liga Privada No. 9. Looking at the Drew Estates website this morning, they describe the Liga Privada as "...flawless in construction, flavor and character. Rich, complex and full bodied without being harsh, this Liga is best described in one word: Satisfying." I would have to agree. It is a lovely cigar, with a rich chocolate brown wrapper, smooth and consistent draw, and good right down to the finger-burning nub. Thanks a heap, Bill. You made my day with that fine gift.

And our still squirrely and light-on-his-feet Jack Russel pup, Ringo. We got him for Christmas when he was the size of an actual squirrel, and while he's bigger now he still has his whirling dervish character. This was his first prolonged time spent outside and his first experience near a fire, and he was not digging it at all. I was finally able to get him to quit pulling at his leash as he tried to get as far away from the campfire as he could, until he was at least willing to curl himself up underneath my chair, facing away from the fire but with his hear turned ever-so-slightly in order to keep one eye directed suspiciously at that strange, hot and smoky monster in front of him.

It had to be in the mid-40 degrees...a tad cool, but that made the fire feel all the more comforting. So, if you need an hour or so of peace and meditation to smooth out the end of a long work-week (or two) you have my suggestion right here.

Stumpy boy

2008-04-05T08:35:00.000-07:00

stumpyboy

Stumpy doodle

2008-04-05T07:15:00.000-07:00

doofus stumpy

Stumpies

2008-04-04T19:00:00.000-07:00

ornery stumpjack

A dumb contest that you will definitely NOT want to enter.

2008-04-04T08:13:00.000-07:00

Don't go here to win prizes...you'll be cutting in on my chances to win...I'm just posting this to up my own chances. So again, don't visit this site...it stinks. http://persimmonsgal54220.blogspot.com/

What are you willing to compromise on?

2008-03-17T17:30:00.000-07:00

The other day we had a request...actually, in delivery somewhat more of a declaration than a request..that I scald the milk for a latté, to the point that it goes beyond a safe heating temperature and is in fact "scalding" hot. Without getting into too many personal details of the specific situation, it nevertheless brings up a worthwhile issue that we have addressed once or twice in the past (and will likely have to address again sometime in the future): When a customer makes a request that may be considered outside the lines that define who you are as a business, how far do you also go outside those lines to accommodate the customer's request?

We've considered a substantial number of issues that all have some measure of influence, to varying degrees, on what the end-vision is for Stumpjack Coffee, that is, how we wish Stumpjack to be defined and perceived. All sorts of things like cup sizes, menu ingredients, color schemes, music, graphics, etcetera, all have an impact on the overall vibe we want to produce. Some things, by themselves, may seem insignificant, but taken together these things are not insignificant and contribute to (or detract from) the whole.

Our vision has always been to have a coffee enterprise that represents the highest quality product that we can afford and institute (with "product" being a term that covers a number of aspects of the business, including and beyond the commodity of coffee itself). Concerning the basics of drink preparation our objective and focus is to create the best sensory experience that we possibly can. Anything that diminishes that effort is cause for concern and consternation. Thus, the quality of the drink you get from us is one of the foundational legs upon which we hope to build and grow this enterprise.

Which brings us to the specific issue of milk preparation and quality in the drink. Let me preface this by stating again that we constantly assume a "we can improve, let's do this better" attitude, and we're not yet at a place where we can feel entirely comfortable (there are a few very specific areas of milk prep in particular that we need to address). But if we have yet to achieve excellence in all areas of this part of the equation, we can nevertheless avoid doing those things that run counter to what constitutes high quality. Burning the milk would be one of those things to avoid.

That seems simple enough doesn't it.

Yet, when someone says "I want my latté scalding hot," what do you do? You try to explain the reasons you discourage that (quality, taste and safety issues...and that includes safety for the person preparing the drink as well, not just the customer). If they insist that they want it their way anyway (which they of course do) you then either, one, throw your mission and desire for excellence out the window and give them what they want...the integrity of the vision crumbles a little perhaps, but you make a sale (and sales are very, very important)...or, two, you tell them sorry but we won't compromise on this, and so you end up losing the sale and possibly a customer, maybe a regular customer at that.

In a small market such as the one we're in every customer and every transaction is very important, and yet, the old cliché "the customer is always right" is just that, a cliché, and oftentimes an excuse for weak vision or lack of creative thinking by business (and possibly for less than empathetic behavior by some customers). The fact is, as anyone in business truly knows, the customer is not always right. Try asking for your chicken to be undercooked next time you're at a fine restaurant, or ask an elite pastry chef to please decorate that cheap birthday cake you got at the local chain-store supermarket, or ask the sommelier of a fine French restaurant to please heat to scalding that glass of Château d'Yquem for you. Well, why not? That's the way you like it, and the customer is, after all, always right.

We have every right to ask for things to be presented to us the way we want them (or the way we think we want them)...and a business has every right to say "We're sorry but no, that's not who we are." And as customers we ought to respect that, so long as we are treated with respect and courtesy as well. Again, that seems simple enough doesn't it? We would love to accommodate you and most any request you might have, if we are at all able to do so without denigrating the integrity of the mission and vision.

But no, don't ask Stumpjack Coffee to please play your favorite '70s hair-band CD, stock the beer cooler with Miller Light, reheat your coffee in the microwave because it got cold during the hour you were chatting with your friends, or to scald your latte until it blisters your tongue. Well, you can ask...of course you can ask...but don't get indignant when we politely refuse to compromise who we are or what we do (we promise we won't come to your workplace or home and tell you how to run your "business" either). I realize that we cannot please everyone or be all things to all people...nor do we wish to be. Stumpjack customers are, it seems to me, on the whole, a much more discerning group, who appreciate something different from the norm. That's one of the big reasons this job is so great and why we like and appreciate the people who visit us every day.

Final note: If you should say something like "I get it my way at every other place around here and you're the only one I have trouble with!" I will take that as a compliment, thank you.

SputnikFest!

2008-03-13T08:20:00.000-07:00

In order to further needle my friend, Kim Geiser, who is leading the charge in the organization and realization of SputnikFest that will take place in September this year, I am hereby publicly and legally laying first copyright and trademark claim to the following term

Sputniky_©®
Sputnikification_©®
Sputnikery_©®
Sputnikolution_©®
Sputnikity_©®
Sputnikization_©®
SputniKing_©®(a term that I am also now laying claim to as my title concerning all things Sputniky©®... today, SputnikFest; tomorrow, the world!!! bwahahahaaaaa...)
Sputnikation_©®
Sputnikiority_©®Yes, any future monetary renumeration or compensation derived from the use of all or any of these terms (as well as any other ones I can think up in the next few minutes) should be mailed to me in care of Stumpjack Coffee in Two Rivers.

Click here to see the real SputnikFest site and what's going on with that fun project.

Addendum - newly copyrighted and trademarked terms:
Sputnikween_©®
Sputnikoffee_©®(perfect!)

Sad day in Mudville...

2008-03-04T08:18:00.000-08:00

Well, my heart skipped a beat a few minutes ago with the news that Brett has decided to call it a day in Green Bay.

Favre Informs Thompson He Intends To Retire
http://www.packers.com/breaking_news/

Get ready for lots of discussion about who's the greatest of all time. I admit that I am most certainly biased but nevertheless Favre is still the greatest quarterback of all time and maybe the greatest football player, period. What a ride it's been with him these last 16 years.

Go here, it's worth it.

2008-02-23T20:46:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sr2JneittqQ

More awesomeness...I'm ordained!

2008-01-29T14:10:00.001-08:00

Absolutely Awesome

2008-01-29T06:23:00.001-08:00

This is hands-down one of the most magically inspiring concepts for a festival to yet come down the pike...and they have the coolest posters of all time. Go here and abide.

This one is by illustrator extraordinairé, Tina Kugler!

Mini-Vacation...We're back

2008-01-06T19:01:00.000-08:00

The Steel Bridge in Sturgeon Bay

Last week Kim and I closed shop and headed to Sturgeon Bay for three days and three nights of focused R&R (Glen did come in to open the Stump a couple of those days we were gone, but I haven't yet talked to him to see how things went). We stayed at one of our favorite resort hotels, the Bridgeport Resort in Sturgeon Bay, and in one of our favorite rooms there. It's a spacious, three-room suite with a gas fireplace in each room (living room, bedroom and bathroom, with the bedroom and bathroom fireplace being double-sided and thus servicing both rooms). The very large bathroom jacuzzi is a bonus too. It's also nice and quiet, which is what we were looking for, and reasonably priced...and the people at the Bridgeport have aways been very courteous.

We visited a couple of wineries in the Door on Wednesday. Simon Creek Winery, just south of Jacksonport on the lake side. It's in a beautiful countryside location, surrounded by snow covered vineyards, with an equally impressive retail and tasting space. The people were warm and welcoming, and the wine was great and reasonably priced...we especially enjoyed the Peninsula Gold, their Port and the Cherry wine. We plan on getting their wine in at Stumpjack and are excited about being able to add it to the wine list.

Inside Simon Creek Winery

After Simon Creek we headed north and hit Stone's Throw winery near Bailey's Harbor. This was also a very attractive site, but unfortunately our experience there was not as enjoyable as it should have been. There was an aire of elitism about the place and the gal who hosted the tasting for us, while not impolite or rude, seemed rather too formal and harried, as though we were an intrusion. I also did not like their ridiculous policies of holding my credit card while we did the tasting (do they have numbers of people doing a $4 tasting and then running out the door without paying?) or of having wine crackers available to cleanse the palate on Saturdays only! Good grief...whoever is making those policy decisions needs to seriously rethink their customer service philosophy. The wine itself, at least the ones we tasted, was all right...nothing that made you go "mmmm, I want a bottle or two of this to take home," and was rather overpriced for the quality (that's just our opinion, of course).

Getting back to Sturgeon Bay we pulled into the Nightingale Supper Club, a place that came highly recommended by our friend Wencel Svatek. Wencel told us that their prime ribs and steaks were awesome and he wasn't kidding. I had what I now deem as the best prime rib I've ever had, taking the top spot on my list over one I had in Wisconsin Dells many years ago. This thing was huge...I measured it with my finger on the dish and it went up to my second knuckle(!) with maybe a tablespoon of fat total. And prepared absolutely perfectly. Kim had a smaller prime rib and she was gaga over hers too. It's an old time supper club, so the decor was nothing especially memorable, but the staff was super nice and the food was outstanding and the price was right. We'll definitely eat at the Nightingale again.

Nightingale Supper Club

Back to the hotel we just lounged in bed watching back to back episodes of Futurama (I love that show, and never get to watch tv anymore so that was a treat) and a great old silent picture, The Red Mill, on TCM starring Marion Davies. Thursday afternoon we took the scenic route along the bayside edge of the peninsula up to Sister Bay and dinner at the Mission Grille, another favorite dining spot. Duck and lamb and a couple of glasses of good wine set us right. The Mission Grille is consistently good and is also a very attractive space.

Each day I enjoyed one of four fine cigars I brought with. Peace and quiet, great food and wine, good cigars, Futurama and TCM channel...Kim and I had a very nice week.

A couple snowy pics by me

2007-12-28T13:00:00.000-08:00

I received a new digital camera for Christmas (thanks Pa) and took a few pictures with it today during the lovely snowstorm we're in the midst of. Haven't quite figured everything out on it yet and my pictures don't show much contrast, but the snowfall is gorgeous, with huge, fast-falling flakes sticking to everything. I did a milk run for the cafe and made a quick detour through Neshota Park...everything is muffled and quiet and beautiful.

Winter '07 shots by my Pa

2007-12-19T17:23:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of very cool pictures my Dad, Keith Smith, took last week while in Rice Lake. Years ago my Dad was a pretty serious amateur photographer. He was the photographer for the Manitowoc Lincoln wrestling team for many years and even did some photography reproduction work for the big Chicago Bears history book. And while he doesn't do the whole darkroom thing anymore he still takes a lot of pictures, many of which are high quality art works.

I think these two are quite lovely. We'll probably do a photo exhibition of some of his stuff sometime this coming year at Stumpjack Coffee Co..

Traveling Babo Uglydoll Adventures

2007-11-28T07:59:00.000-08:00

This Flickr series of "Traveling Babo Uglydoll Adventures" cracked me up...I especially liked the ones with babo at Easter Island and the beach at Cabo San Lucas. Series like this are nothing new, of course, but I really like the Ugly Doll aspect of it...the little guy has character. Click here for the slide show.

The Bear and the Berry Picker

2007-11-16T12:29:00.000-08:00

The image above is of a woodcut print by artist Carlos Cortez (1923-2005), titled "The Bear and the Berry Picker." It is one of eleven original prints by Cortez that are now on display at Stumpjack Coffee Company in Two Rivers. The prints range, in subject matter, from Mexican Day of the Dead imagery (skeletons), workers rights and unionization, folk music, and history of Mexico. This particular image is the only one that shows any overt nudity (if you don't count the skeleton imagery...think about it) and is also the most overtly sexual in theme. The subject matter of "The Bear and the Berry Picker" relates to, as told to me by Cortez, a Mexican folk tale, the details of which I have forgotten over the years.

As I recall, the story is not too dissimilar from stories coming out of any number of indigenous cultures, as well as early European fables. It goes something like this: A bear (or coyote or wolf or some other wily critter) tricks or seduces one or more female berry pickers, the ruse's outcome of which is procreation and/or transformation by either the animal, the female(s) or the offspring. There often seems to be some aspect of the myth surrounding feral children to these tales (human children raised in the wild by nonhuman animals). Feral children are often thought to have certain characteristics that are superior in some way to "normal" human children, attributes such as great strength, intelligence or insight. The belief is that they are so gifted because they have been raised in a "purer" environment, unpolluted by civilization and humankind's corrupted state of being. These beings often are at the foundation of a culture's myths of origin (think of Rome's mythical founders, Romulus and Remus, for example).

In any event (I'm getting off track here and am allowing the historian in me to push his way through), the real purpose of this post is to talk about the surface image itself. A lady came into Stumpjack today and by all appearances was having a wonderful time (great lunch, mocha and conversation)...until she wandered into the back and saw the Cortez print, at which point she expressed her offense and scolded me for displaying the image. Yes, to answer your obvious question, she was an older lady, yet well dressed and obviously (to me) not uneducated and socially connected in some way. I addressed her lament with what I think was good humor and politeness, although I did not acquiesce to her mandate that I remove the print altogether.

I confess that I found the exchange both amusingly interesting and yet a little disappointing at the same time. Interesting because I, of course, mentally flashed through any number of Renaissance and Neo-Classical images of entirely nude or semi-nude figures, mythical half human/half animal creatures, and erotic subject matter...that I would bet five pounds of fine Puerto Rican coffee this good lady is well aware of and doesn't so much as raise an eyebrow at.

Of course often much of the issue of whether or not something is deemed offensive has to do with context. Was it the image itself that offended her (would she have found it as distasteful had she viewed it at, for example, the Art Institute of Chicago, in a gilded frame with other objects de arte on either side)? Or did the fact that she discovered it in a small, tastefully appointed coffee shop in Two Rivers create a jarring enough juxtaposition for her to nevertheless be taken aback by the (what I consider) rather innocuous and cartoony nudity of the piece?

This incident was not entirely unexpected, as I did think we might get few comments on that particular piece, although I thought the comments would be of the more humorous and playfully sarcastic sort. I really didn't believe that anyone who came to Stumpjack would actually be offended or upset by it (in my capacity as a small business owner I certainly don't desire to offend or upset). The intent is largely to stimulate conversation, provoke thought, present something hopefully new and interesting, and to possibly educate or create greater awareness (stay tuned for our next scheduled exhibition of Robert Mapplethorpe photographs...lol).

October 19th! Holy Crappy Breakfast Batman!

2007-11-08T10:16:00.000-08:00

I just realized that my last post on here was on October 19th, almost three weeks ago! Yikes, where does the time go?! I'll need to get something new on here soon (not like anyone actually reads this drivel anyway, but for my own sense of purpose if nothing else). In the meantime, here's a little article I just read that cracked me up...about Starbucks and their efforts to become even more like McDonalds. Love the "frosted toast" line...

Starbucks Tries to Wrap

04:55 PM PDT on Tuesday, October 16, 2007

JEFF GIROD

Starbucks has started selling hot food, well, technically.

I visited a Starbucks at Third and Market streets in Riverside and ordered an egg wrap ($3.25) with bacon, avocado and cheddar.

The guy behind the counter reached into a drawer for a prepackaged tortilla, unwrapped the plastic and put it in a convection oven for two minutes.

At that point, I realized I had just spent $3 for a Hot Pocket.

This is either a picture of egg wraps sold at Starbucks or two of the world's ugliest scones.

Starbucks should sell Pop Tarts, change the name to "frosted toast" and call the rainbow sprinkles "flavor seeds."

If you're looking for something fast to fill you up with your daily java fix, an egg wrap will do the trick.

Starbucks also sells an array of breakfast sandwiches that look and taste like Egg McMuffins. None of it seems up to the coffee giant's usually high standards.

The wrap's tortilla was alternately doughy and crispy, and the contents tasted prefabricated and refrigerated.

At the very least, Starbucks should move the oven out of view and pay a guy to make cooking sounds with a spatula.

Source: http://www.pe.com/columns/fooddude/stories/PE_Fea_Daily_D_fooddude17.2481e1a.html

Grumblers, sourpusses, nay-sayers and other ne'er-do-wells...

2007-10-19T05:39:00.000-07:00

In the coffee business you meet a lot of people, the overwhelming majority of which are really wonderful, upbeat and involved individuals. I think good coffee...artisan coffee...attracts those kinds of positive folks. But just like most anything else in life there also inevitably exists that small contingent of people who seem to feed off of negativity, who love to knock others down, and wish failure upon those who venture off the safer, well traveled road...where the grumblers would never dare go themselves. Even worse, in my opinion, are those people who are in business themselves and yet who seem to wish failure upon anyone who is also gutsy enough to lay it on the line by starting a new business.

It's a sad, pathetic way to bolster one's own ego and sense of worth, by knocking others down, and the fact that their success would surely also have a positive impact on everyone else's business, particularly in small towns where economic vitality is so much more precarious than in larger cities (three or four empty storefronts in a small town and suddenly you have what appears to be a ghost town, where nobody wants to shop).

Since opening Stumpjack Coffee I've been privy to a great amount of rumor, gossip, unsolicited opinion, back biting and just plain bitching. Practically none of it is worth the air it consumes in the telling. We've heard negative stories about just about every business person and/or person involved in the community from Two Rivers to Manitowoc, and the longer they've been around or the more prominent their business, the greater the number of critical stories there are. While there may be some element of truth to some rumors it is also apparent that there are also agendas attached to just about all of them, and those agendas are never positive or supportive. The most reliable truth I've found is that until someone does something directly confrontational or negative to you it is wise to simply and completely ignore or discount the negatives you hear about another business person...even if they come from a friend (people who I like and respect have had their own stories about others, which while perhaps true in their own specific individual situation do not necessarily have any impact or bearing on our relationship with those people).

People are people and even Mother Theresa and Ghandi had their critics (how pathetic is that!). This sort of gossip- and rumor-mongering is on my mind lately because we too have had to deal with it since we opened around a year ago...things have gotten back to us that "so-and-so heard this" or "so-and-so said this about you guys." Of the perhaps three instances I seem to recall, in every single case what was said was untrue and a complete fabrication. The most recent story is that I had a business and a lease for a business in Manitowoc that we had run out on, allegedly leaving the landlords holding the bag. Well, I've never had a storefront business of my own in Manitowoc (or Two Rivers before Stumpjack Coffee. Did do the typical home-based business thing for a little while), have never had a lease of any kind anywhere until Stumpjack (other than, of course, apartment leasing when I was in college), and have certainly never run out on any lease anywhere.

One wonders where this garbage comes from, how it originates and what the agenda is behind it. Did I unintentionally (or intentionally) slight or insult someone (that's possible...lol), did someone get a bad cup of coffee here (definitely not possible), are they peeved because we got more press coverage one week than they did (that has actually come up...as though we control the media), or are they a competitor just spreading lies (that too is a definite possibility), or are they bent because we had the biggest banner at some music fest (no, can't be...no one could be that petty, self-righteous or short sighted...could they?...I know, rhetorical question).

Success, perceived or real, is bound to spark resentment is some people it seems. I believe that with achievement you will also create enemies, for whatever legitimate and illegitimate reasons (and when I say "enemies" I simply mean those who don't like you and talk smack about you, not necessarily someone who is "out to get you," although I suppose that might be the case in some instances). I'm fine with that...if you have an enemy or two it likely indicates that you are having an impact, that you must have some influence or importance in some arena...no enemies perhaps means that you haven't yet done anything of significant consequence or value. I would just prefer our enemies to be honorable and at least somewhat factual in their attacks.

Damn Flies!

2007-09-28T06:55:00.000-07:00

Workin' it!

The houseflies seem especially bad this end-of-summer. They're everywhere...and for every three I kill three more take their place without any break in the action. The swatter has wracked up well over 100 kills in just the last week, sometimes bringing squishy death to two and even three at a crack. The shop vac has sucked up a veritable cornucopia of hornets and flies...enough to feed dozens of frogs. These little barf slurpers are just ticking me off big time. Tried the sticky strips, which are kind of cool because they remind me of the ones my Grandpa used to have in the barn, just covered with hundreds of mummified flies. They definitely work, but seem rather unsanitary (not that squished fly guts on the counter are particularly sanitary either). I always thought what an ingeniously simple device those strips were. I am going to stock up on Venus Flytraps next year...have them spread out around the room...that'll be fun. For now, I'm just waiting for a good first frost.

Invenusable Flytrap, one of the more interestingly goofy villains on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Where's this guy when you really need him?

Royal Order of Hipsters

2007-09-13T05:43:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite, funky web sites is Fez-O-Rama (makers of handcrafted fez hats). I've always been intrigued by fez hats, especially the richly embroidered and bejeweled ones, with the little gold tassels. There's something goofy (picture an army of Shriners on scooters in any parade), exotically "Ali Baba and his 40 Thieves-ish" about a fez...it's one of those things that is "so unhip it's hip."

I'm thinking of having some made for a Stumpjumpers club at Stumpjack Coffee...a not-so-secret society of creative thinkers, java junkies, doodlers, bad poets, surfers, ne'er-do-wells and street preachers.

Picture an army of fez adorned Stumpjumpers on scooters in any parade...

Lava Lamps & Stumpjack Tiki Lounge

2007-09-07T05:21:00.000-07:00

I picked these three little lava lamps at Kohls Department Store in GB a couple weeks ago. They were on sale for five bucks apiece. This really crappy picture doesn't show the bright red colors of the "lava." Also bought a big silver rocket ship lava lamp with lime green lava that I have by my bed at home. Who doesn't love a lava lamp...they are indeed one of the coolest inventions ever (and here's one place where you can learn even more trivial nonsense about this bit of inspired genius: OozingGoo.com)

From the very first genesis of the Stumpjack concept I have wanted to do a Stumpjack Tiki Lounge: coffee & cocktails. I'm still planning on seeing that vision through at some point, so I won't reveal too many details lest some jackanapes steal the concept ahead of us. But the lava lamps and a recent conversation got me thinking about this in earnest once again. The tiki concept is nothing new, it's current revival in popularity notwithstanding, but the idea we have has a few hopefully unique aspects to it to make it even more intriguing.

Some might argue that lava lamps and tiki really define two different styles or aesthetics, one being the retro 1960's/early '70's aesthetic that lava lamps are a part of and the other being the '50's/early 60's Polynesian Tiki aesthetic. I would agree with that wholeheartedly, and yet these days the two seem to have melded together quite comfortably in the consciousness of most people who appreciate the retro aesthetic that both movements celebrate. In any event, I'm just thinking out loud here...in preparation, I suppose, for moving forward at some point with defining and outlining our ideas for the Stumpjack Tiki Lounge.

Anyway, dig these other pics of lamps from the OozingGoo site.

No more shaving with my bowie knife

2007-08-27T06:32:00.001-07:00

It's Monday morn here at the Scandinavian Lodge in Sister Bay...nice place, with an outdoor pool, long and roomy 3rd floor balcony, gas fireplace (that we haven't yet used), and a big whirlpool bath to soak away whatever's bugging you. The weather has been fabulous (and the trees are already starting to change color up here! C'mon, it's August, fer cryin' out loud!). It's so nice taking my time getting up and getting ready for the day.

I want to share with you a product experience that I found to be surprisingly good and worthwhile. My normal week finds me getting up early, sometime between 5:00 and 5:30, taking a quick cold shower to wake up, throw something on, brush the teeth and out the door. I generally don't take the time to shave but once a week on a day we're closed and I can take my time in the bathroom in the morning. So, by week's end I'm looking fairly scruffy with a good 1/8"-plus of wiry beard growth.

Last week when Kim went to the store I asked her to pick me up some razor heads for my razor. She came back with a packet of Bic disposables...Bic Comfort 3s to be exact. I griped that they weren't what I asked for, that disposables suck and are only good for ladies shaving their legs in the shower, and that these had 3-blade heads, which I think are nothing more than a stupid marketing ploy aimed at gullible people.
I begrudgingly used it because it's all I had at the moment. That razor gave me the best, closest shave I've ever had. I was duly impressed and made the required apologies to my gal. Well, Saturday when I left to come up here to Door County I just grabbed a few clean clothes and that Bic razor and hit the road. Shaved with that same razor again this morning and it tackled my week's growth every bit as clean and slick as it did the first time...and without any shaving cream or gel, which I forgot to bring. And to further impress and surprise, the little strip that they claim gives your mug a coating of soothing aloe gel actually does...even at the second shave!

I could tell when I finished that that little green baby would still shave clean and cool the next time as well. I am very impressed and will be using those Bic Comfort 3 razors from now on. They're a far cry from those crappy one or two blade white and orange things they used to put out, where you needed to use two or three to shave your face just once before they started tearing you to shreds. And these are cheaper than the replaceable ones I'd been using. Better quality at a lower price...I guess the only thing I might change is the "disposable" aspect.

yea, that's eactly how I feel right now...

2007-08-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

I am shamelessly stealing this image from a post on our pal Don Seiler's blog , Mind of Seiler, because it just so perfectly hit the nail on the head for me right now. I am in a room in Door County right now, that I cannot afford but am able to take advantage of thanks to the thoughtfulness of my brother, Rod, and still cannot seem to relax from the overwhelming feeling of "too much work/too little money/why don't I just quit and move to Canada/some of you people have no damn clue/feeling sorry for myself then feeling guilty because there are many more people who have bigger things to bitch about than me" anxiety.

For the Personal Foolishness files

2007-08-17T16:50:00.000-07:00

LRS 2006

We're disabling the current Lakeshore's Rising Stars! site in favor of a more streamlined version that Terry will be updating and keeping tabs on himself (sigh of relief...). The images above and below are my little BS bios from this year and last, on the About Us page, and I wanted to grab them off the site before I disable it and redirect the domain. It's really just for my personal archives but you can click on them if you actually care to read them.

LRS 2007

We've been Simpsonized!

2007-08-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

Gotta run, but wanted to throw these images of Kim and myself "Simpsonized." I'll add to this post later but I gotta run right now. Go to this site (http://simpsonizeme.com/), add your picture and Simpsonize yourself...cool...

This week's favorite site

2007-08-04T08:04:00.000-07:00

My current favorite web site: Surfersvillage.com. I'm not a surfer (yet!), but this site has tons of fun stuff to keep the mind on vacation at the beach. hundreds of great gallery images...locations, rad surf shots, babes on the beach, competitions...and links galore, to other surf sites, gear, live location updates, and and even how-to-surf info. And babes on the beach...

B.A.B. at AcousticFest

2007-07-18T15:10:00.000-07:00

We were one of the sponsors of AcousticFest this year in Manitowoc (Sunday, July 15). It was a great day in every respect: music, weather, friends, beer, wine, work and relaxation. I include work because I began the day at 8:00 helping to set things up, and after the event taking things down, but that was fun so to call it "work" wouldn't be fair. In any event, one of the interesting things about the day and those since then is the response that the Stumpjack banner has been getting. It is a huge banner, and started a little buzz at the park that is still being talked about today (Wednesday, three days after the concert). Here are a few of the comments we've heard thus far:

A couple different people at the park referred to it as "that B.A.B. of yours" (Big Ass Banner).
"You can see that thing from the space shuttle!"
"I stepped out onto my porch and saw your banner, so I thought we'd come see the show," from Mike Zimmer, who lives in Two Rivers.
"What the hell are you going to do with that thing after this show?"
"Holy cow!"
"Holy sh*t!"
"Do you see this big banner behind me...for Stumpjack Coffee Company..." from Pat MacDonald.
"They look like ants under it!" from a friend in the cafe today, after seeing the blog pics.
"What are you compensating for with that?"
"Hahahahahaaaa...oh man..."
"Now that is a big freakin' banner..."
"This is the best ****ing advertising you ever got..." from Pete Honzik, event organizer, midway through the concert.
"How are we gonna get that up there?" from all of us setting things up in the morning.
"Think ya went big enough!?"
"Outstanding!"
"What is this, StumpjackFest?"
"I'm getting a bigger one next year, 16' x 16'," from Joe Donati of Lakeshore Cigar Company.
"That is awesome...totally awesome!"
During the roll call of sponsors mentioned between acts: "Hey, they didn't mention Stumpjack Coffee." Next person waves hand at stage and replies, "Do they have to?"

Beach Blanket Bingo, Baby!

2007-07-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

Pulled these two images from a series that Two Rivers City Manager, Greg Buckley, sent out that showed Neshota Beach here in town just full of people, diggin' the water, weather and cool beach vibe.
Mighty nice to see...

Take that Florida! Take that California! Take that sunny Caribbean!
(Ok, I may be stretching things a bit there...but it's still great to see people having fun and enjoying the great resource that is Lake Michigan.)

Persimmons Gold

2007-07-09T17:10:00.000-07:00

Like most creative people I just have too many varied interests to fit thematically into a single blog, and too much of an ego that thinks that whatever I have to say or share will be of eminent interest to the rest of the world. So, where "A Stumpjumper's Meandering" will continue to focus on the things of Stumpjack Coffee Company, the Stumptoons blog will be an amalgam of my own personal interests and stuff I find to be fun.

For this first post I want to show three cool tiki glasses I got from my friend Kim's gallery shop (I'll share my entire tiki mug collection on here at some point because, while there seem to be hundreds of blogs and sites out there that do that very thing, there can still never be too many tiki mug collection sites). These are Siesta Ware frosted glasses, with wood handles and gold colored metal bands, with imagery showing pineapples, dugout canoe, palm trees on an island horizon, drum & spear, tropical fish and flowers. Very cool.

Kim's shop, Persimmons, is a real treasure, as are Kim and her husband, Glen...they are a must-stop if you're traveling through Manitowoc.