Coffee- no to Starbucks, MacDonald & Seattle Best better

I like coffee but I am not a Starbucks fan. Starbucks stuff tastes like chicory or something with a lousy taste.
Do peope really like this stuff? I prefer the MacDonalds regular coffee, latte or ice coffee. I used to hate McDonalds (even dumpted their stock ) because my kids always wanted to go there because of the toys that the kids could get with the burgers. But I like their coffees.
Starbucks just opened up a block away here in Olathe, KS. We went there because of a free coupon (my wife does not drink coffee but tea) and the non Starbucks coffee was OK but not better then the MacDonalds.

Tucson, Moonsoon chasing, hummingbird chasing and Tucson's JBar with good eats

Got to Tucson on July 24,2007.
I took some shoots of the monsoon weather in the town before ducking into a Mexican restaurant and wait things out.


I went to my friends house and stayed at the house that night. What was interesting that on the news that night, a local forecaster showed scud in the sky and told the audience that some people has mistaken the scud for a funnel tornado . He explained with visuals how the scud is airlifted moisture that condenses etc. Nice that they inform the public about misidentification like what I did in my course the week before in Kansas.


( next day: sorry could not found the picture in the newspaper with the woman on the top of her car with raging water turrent around her)

Looking over the newspaper that morning, I saw that the monsoon really struck in some area.Took off early on the 24th, heading 1.5 hours south to Sierra Vista. Stopped off at Ramsey Canyon to get my wife a hummingbird shirt and hummingbird coasters (they have a real nice store of all things hummingbirds and nature).

I headed to Hereford, AZ ( a mile wide town next to Sierra Vista) and the Beatty's Ranch where I was last year. This time I would stay two days. I photograph and videotape to my hearts content and could get closer to the hummies to get more closeups with the camera.

Weather was great. I met a teacher from Houston and other people. I went into Sierra Vista and had a spicey chicken lunch in a nice rustic Japanese Place (Tom Sellick the actor had been there and had an autograph on a plate) and a korean place was very good. The Delicos Italian restaurant was once again very good too with their excellent eggplant dish and a chicken dish.

These birds are so funny. I could sit 2-3 feet away from one feeder with other feeders farther away. Some would drink from the feeders evenwhile others buzzed around and tried to chase others away. Some would stay only 10 seconds or less and it was too fast to get the pic.

I identified 10 varieties. Here are some pics.



On the 26th , I headed NW. I took some pics of the scenery as I then headed Southwest toward Patagonia (another hummingbird haven).

Along the way I stopped to photograph huge monsoon storm cells. Storm cells dumped water in the distance.


An hour later, I made it to Patagonia. I had to go through a "dry" road bed to get to the hummingbird place.

As I rounded the street and corner to go over the dry stream bed , this is what I saw.

Gosh knows how long it would be until the water subsided for this stream bed so I headed back to Tucson. I will try next year to see this hummingbird area.


I took my friends out for dinner. We decided to go to one of the best and well known restaurants in Tucson J-Bar. Great prices for the summer. Appetizer of ground lamb was very good. Special entrees included a vegetable dish which the wife liked (she is a former sous chef for the American restuarant . My astronomy friend got the spicy pork.
I took the plantain encrusted chicken which was great. Then we all shared the signature desert- chocolate jalapeno parfait. Superb!!!( I found a recipe for these and will have to make them). A great and memorable meal/ dinner.

I had some time to kill before going to the airport. My friends took me hiking with a group at Mt. Lemmons. Things were partly cloudy when we got to the base camp area. But as we traveled the trail, the weather became cloudy, with thunder and pouring rain. I did not have much with me so I was soaked and my camera in my case got a little soaking (I will always from now on bring at least 1 big plastic bag in these situations to put the camera in ). We got down the mountain. I won the wet T shirt contest.

I was so afraid the camera was fried along with the pictures. I took out the battery and wiped the inner battery area and let it rest and prayed. To test the camera before using for a party, I put the battery back in and turned on as I prayed for it to work. IT DID!!!! Wewwwww.

Memorable trip, food, a little 2 Monsoon chases and good hummingbird company. Met some nice people. Beatty's Ranch and people are very nice. Maybe next year Poca Cosa if they are not vacationing.

Is this gourmet? BEST COFFEE MADE FROM

BEST COFFEE MADE FROM MONKEY POO; CRAPPUCCINO
DAILY STAR

Wed Nov 21 2001 10:22:30 ET
Coffee drinkers are going bananas over a brew that's made of
MONKEY DUNG.

Brits are flooding exclusive US stockists with orders for the brew, called
Kopi Luwak, made from berries that have passed through the digestive
system of Indonesian monkeys. Unlucky coffee plantation staff have to
search through the dung to gather the bizarre "harvest" of coffee berries,
which are said to emerge virtually intact.
Experts reckon the monkey business gives the drink a unique "earthy"
taste, which has made it the most expensive and sought-after coffee in the
world.
It is in such short supply - just 500 lb of it is harvested a year - that
it is virtually impossible to get hold of in Britain and has only limited
availability in the States and Japan.
Experts say the brew first came to light hundreds of years ago, when
explorers sampled it on the Indonesian isles of Java, Sumatra and
Sulawesi.
The monkey - known as the Palm Toddy Cat - lives on a diet of alcoholic
tree sap and coffee berries.
US-based food and drink critic Chris Rubin said:
"Whether it's because the intestinal juices give some special flavour or
because it eats only perfectly ripe berries, the Toddy Cat's droppings
produce what many say is the world's finest coffee."
Some exclusive US outlets sell Kopi Luwak for around a FIVER a cup.
US Coffee supplier Mark Mountanos has snapped up 110 lb of the beans.
He said: "We've had interest from all over the world because it is very
hard to get hold of."
US coffee shop owner Richard Karno ordered a pound from Mark's firm - but
only after he convinced him it wasn't a joke.
He said: "It's the best coffee I've ever tasted. It smells musty, but it
roasts up real nice