Saturday Ramblings

Well, another month is over, and none too soon. I'll be happy when the rains stop (or at least aren't happening daily) and I can get outside on the bike more often. I just finished a nice ride in the Bottoms - my first ride outdoors in over two weeks, I think. The roastery has been busy this month, up over 10% over last February, and that's meant less time on the trainer than I would like. At last weigh-in, I was still over 220 (although just barely) and I had set a goal of 215 by Sea Otter in April. Let's see if I can hit it...

We're just about ready to pull the trigger on all new labels for the coffee, and I am really stoked at how they turned out. Lush did a great job of giving each roast a distinctive look - yes each roast will have a different label; horrah! - and I believe that it will encourage better sell through in the stores. If all goes well, we'll make the transition before the end of March.

Speaking of March, it's time for one of my favorite consumer events - Canoecopia, in Madison, WI. My forends at Rutabaga Paddlesports have created THE paddlesport event in the Midwest and I feel honored to be invited for the past four years. It gives me a chance to interact with customers, and it feels great to have the same people come by year after year for my coffee. Best of all, Canoecopia give me the opportunity to see many good friends - Jeff and Darren, John, Bill, Pat, my friends at both Yakima and Thule, and others. I'll be staying at the home of an old friend from my SBC days, Al. I am really looking forward to seeing all of them!

Team Lost Coast Brewery visits Kinetic Koffee

Team Lost Coast Brewery has been conducting a training camp here locally over the past week, and Friday they stopped into the roastery for a visit. We started sponsoring the team last year, and they've been an absolute pleasure to work with! This is a group who know what sponsorship means - not just taking product to use, but actually promoting the sponsor and doing what they can to sell the product to prospective customers. To that end, they asked for a tour of the roastery and wanted to know more of the story behind the coffee as well. One team member actually worked for one bike shop account, recently moved and is now working for another. How cool is that?

Here's a picture of the team with GearHead.

And because it's what I do, here are some sunrise/sunset pictures from this week - a spectacular week for 'em.

Enjoy.

Photos from Friday the 13th

Yesterday was supposed to be an unlucky day, but there were spectacular sunrise and sunsets, bookending the rain, wind, and hail for the rest of the day. Unlucky, indeed!

Morning sunrise from the Kinetic Koffee World HQ.

Evening view from the porch at the house.

And people wonder why we live here???

Out of the Habit...

Well, I just noticed that it's been more than 2 weeks since I've updated this thing. I blame that evil Facebook for sucking me in to its gaping maw...

Anyhoo, the call with the doc didn't go as we expected. Instead of moving forward, we're moving sideways. Rather than surgery, he now wants me to see a neurologist for more testing. Seems the neuropathy is worse than I thought, and he wants it checked out by a specialist. And I had myself all psyched up to go under the knife, too.

On the plus side, it means that I can move forward (carefully) with travel plans for Kinetic Koffee. So, I've booked the flights to Madison, WI next month for Canoecopia and hotels for Sea Otter in Monterey, CA in April. I am really excited to go to both of these events, since it's an opportunity to talk directly to customers and see old friends. I just hope my back can take the stresses involved (plane travel, long walks between flights, booth setup and manning). Time will tell.

Another advantage of waiting is that it gives me a chance to get into better shape, thereby possibly cutting down recovery time and keeping the almost inevitable weight gain to a minimum. To that end I've set up a trainer upstairs at the roastery so I can ride at least 30 minutes a day at the office. I feel really good about riding four out of the past five days.

On a completely different subject, I am planning to start scanning some of my old racing and touring photos into digital format. I'll probably post some to Facebook, as my old friend Jeff Morseburg has. Man, it's been a real trip down memory lane seeing the old Montrose Cycle Club photos. I rode for them for about 4 years and, with Kevin Lutz, coached the velodrome riders. I thnk I still have an old business card from the club showing VP and Coaching Staff. I hope to start the process this weekend, as it's supposed to rain, rain, rain...

That's all for now...