I’ve always taken my coffee black. I started drinking coffee in college, not because I needed the caffeine but because getting a cup of coffee was often more convenient than getting a meal. I didn’t start having coffee in the morning until my second year teaching, actually, and even then it was more for the taste. My mum used to make her coffee with a bit of milk and a bit of brown sugar, but my dad never did. Mum stopped drinking coffee when I was 14 (long story that involves a bad cup of joe on an airplane) so my dad was my role model. Nowadays, I like to think that I drink coffee for the taste, but I do find myself with a headache around noon if I skip a morning cup. Addicted? Yes, I’d say so.
This afternoon I went to Pour Coffee Parlor with a book. I ordered just a regular cup of coffee and was delighted by the presentation:
Pour also has a very trendy, hip vibe. This isn’t the greatest picture (my table faced the window) but hopefully it gives you an insight into the industrial yet welcoming feel of the place. The flowers on the tables are a nice touch.
My roommate’s family has a cottage on Cayuga Lake, one of the finger lakes here in upstate New York. Mitch and I spent July 4th there with Emily, her family, and her boyfriend, Tim. We had an awesome time and I can’t wait to go back! Wine tasting, kayaking, tubing, boating, eating, drinking, more eating . . . hard life, I know. Here are a couple pictures that I took at sunset. You’ll notice that the second picture is simply an isolated shot of the tree at the right of the first picture. The colors of the sky were stunning. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you already know that I am infatuated with water and sunsets. Mother Nature may be fickle, but she never ceases to amaze. Today I was back at work on the Sam Patch, a replica of an 1800s packet boat, on the Erie Canal. I did a lot of posting about the boats and my summer gig back when I was doing the 365 Photos project that started this blog. Click on the tags – you’ll see! It was a rather gorgeous day on the canal, too. Another picture of water . . .
I grew up with the Erie Canal practically in my backyard, but it wasn’t until college that I really began to appreciate the natural beauty of upstate New York and everything our waterways have to offer.
It has been brutally hot and humid here for the last few days, so eating anything even moderately warm has been out of the question. I adore summer salads and that’s been my answer to the dinner question for the past several days. Today I made a tuna and white bean salad. It’s very quick, very easy, and more than adaptable. Once I added broccoli and basil because I had some in the fridge. I’ll give you general measurements that I use, but please don’t worry about following them. They’re just a guideline.
You’ll need . . .
4oz green beans
1 can tuna packed in water, drained and flaked
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 red pepper, diced
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 c. parsley leaves
2 green onions
Juice of two lemons
Kosher salt
Black pepper
In a pot of boiling salted water, cook green beans until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Add next 7 ingredients. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.
Enjoy and stay cool!
Photos, travels, musings, and ideas on education by someone trying to make the world a better and more peaceful place
By Rebecca Michelle 