Captured Moments – Garden of the Gods – part 2

November 3, 2017 / coffeeandcapturedmoments / 1 Comment

Good morning,

When I think of the Garden of the Gods, I think of the huge beautiful red rocks with names like Cathedral Spires, or Sleeping Giant. Of course, there is so much more to see there and one of those is another rock formation they simply refer to as White Rock.

See the rock formation on the top to the left?

We decided it looked like a buffalo. What do you think?

This was a fun day trip and there are more photos to go through and hopefully share. If you are in Colorado Springs and I would highly recommend visiting Garden of the Gods.

Captured Moments – Lions and Tigers and Bears…

October 29, 2017October 28, 2017 / coffeeandcapturedmoments / 2 Comments

Oh my!

Sorry.

I couldn’t resist.

Captured Moments – Garden of the Gods

October 25, 2017October 24, 2017 / coffeeandcapturedmoments / 1 Comment

Hello,

On my visit to Colorado, I had the pleasure of visiting the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. It was a wonderful day of hiking, spending time with great friends, taking photos and enjoying nature. I will start with the beautiful red rocks the park is known for. This is a view from the visitors center looking out towards the park. The visitors center has wonderful exhibits about the park, the rock formations, flora and fauna and the history of the area.

Starting our exploration of the park on the Perkins Central garden Trail.

The scenery was breathtaking and this was just the first trail we explored. There were signs for rock climbing posted throughout the park, but did not see anyone climbing that day. This are also had another formation they simply call White Rock, but that is for another day. 🙂

Colorado Mountain Brewery

October 20, 2017 / coffeeandcapturedmoments / 1 Comment

The first day in Colorado we went to Garden of the Gods. After a morning of hiking and photos, we stopped for lunch at the Colorado Mountain Brewery.

The atmosphere is much like a sports bar with sports playing on the big screens above the bar, tables scatter throughout the pub, some areas with more intimate seating and outdoor seating as well. They have a nice selection of beer and food. I chose a stout from their brewery called Monumental Stout. The description had me at coffee, as one of my favorite seasonal beers back home is a Coffee Stout.

From their website:

The Stout begins with a rich, roasted coffee bouquet and progresses through an array of milk and dark chocolate flavors. Beautiful medium body malt finish. ABV ~ 7.9%

Sounds good, right. It was! At first sip,there was a strong roasted coffee taste (slightly bitter),but had a nice smooth finish.

I also tried one of their Colorado Mountain Brewery specialties – Bison Poppers. These were jalapeños stuffed with ground buffalo and cream cheese. Then it is wrapped in a thin pastry dough and dipped in a batter their menu says is their Ole ’59er Amber Ale Batter and fried. It was so good! Not too spicy, and had a wonderful crispy texture. The sauce was slightly sweet and complemented the mild spiciness of the jalapeños.

Unfortunately we will not be able to go back and try more from their menu. If we venture to Colorado Springs again, I would definitely go back.

Coffee Monday ~ Review of the My Jo Coffee Maker by Presto

October 16, 2017October 15, 2017 / coffeeandcapturedmoments / Leave a comment

Good morning

I have had several Keurig coffee makers. I have to say that they have been great about trying to help with any problems I have called them about. They replaced two of my coffee makers that just would not work correctly.

While I was waiting on a replacement, I decided to try something different since I had all these coffee pods and no way to use them. I read through Amazon reviews and watched Youtube videos and decided on the My Jo Coffee Maker by Presto. It is fairly small, easy to use, easy to clean and needs no electricity, just hot water. It would be great for traveling or camping too.

The My Jo makes up to a 10 ounce cup of coffee.

The base has a needle in it to puncture the pod like other pod type brewers.

The bottom of the top piece has a pointed cone that punctures the top of the coffee pod.

The My Jo is made to be able to heat water in the top of the container in the microwave. It has a small plug in the bottom of the top piece that has a split in it. The split is tight and holds water until you add pressure from the top piece. Kind of a plunger action to create pressure to move the water through the coffee pod.

I had to use both hands to get the water through the plug, one to push the plunger and one to hold the bottom of the coffee maker to keep it from slipping off the mug.

The size of mug makes a difference. the mug needs a stable base and a size that is a little bit smaller in diameter than the My Jo base.

What I found out accidentally, is that taking out the plug allows the coffee to gravity flow through the pod. I use pressure if I want to speed it up and at the end to make sure all of the water is pushed through.

This gravity flow allows me to do other things while the coffee is brewing. It didn’t taste any different from the coffee I had brewed by applying pressure with the plug in place.

This coffee maker also came with a reusable coffee pod. This works great with my own ground coffee. No messy grounds leaking through, easy to fill and easy to clean. It is sized to sit in the pod area of the My Jo base. It is shorter than a regular coffee pod and the needle doesn’t pierce the bottom (which makes sense – that would be a mess!)

Even though I had my Keurig replaced, I find that I am using this coffee maker everyday. It is quick and easy to use and I like using my own coffee in the reusable pod that comes with the My Jo.

I planned on making a video using the My Jo Coffee maker. I did a test video sitting on my porch using my iPhone. Not an easy task for a first timer. My cat tried to help and that was interesting. I tried to remake the video a couple of times using my camera and a tripod with out much success. Since I made a cup of coffee each time, my caffeine limit was going to be over the limit before I made an acceptable video review. (Yes, even I will admit that I can have too much caffeine. 😉 ) My daughter watched the video and patted my shoulder saying, Nice try mom. Oh well. I am sharing the first trial run anyway.

Good morning

August 19, 2017August 19, 2017 / coffeeandcapturedmoments / 2 Comments

This morning has been very relaxing. Drinking coffee on the porch while listening to the birds chirp and scold one another at the feeders. Enjoying a nice conversation with a friend that lives 1650 miles away and we managed not to persuade each other to buy any new books. (We did that earlier in the week. 😉 )

I also ended up going through old folders of photos, one in particular was from a trip our family took to Louisiana a few years ago. We went on a tour of Lake Martin in Breaux Bridge Louisiana. This is one of my favorite photos. The original was a bit washed out. I played with it in Topaz Studio and the first photo is a basic color correction with a bit of a vignette to darken the sky. The second one has a bit more color saturation and the third effect is called perfect portrait. Subtle differences but a vast improvement over the original.

Cypress with hollow area-Edit with Topaz.jpg

Cypress with hollow area-Edit with Topaz-Edit 3

Cypress with hollow area-Edit with Topaz-Edit perfect portrait

Melyna

Captured moments – Travel – Blanco Gardens

August 11, 2017August 26, 2017 / coffeeandcapturedmoments / 4 Comments

I love visiting Blanco, Texas. It started out as being a halfway mark for my best friend and I to meet for lunch and spend the day together. We have an early lunch, then walk over to one of our favorite places, Blanco Gardens.

Blanco Gardens

It is a short walk from the cafe, and we always end up bringing back trays of plants on the walk back.

Amelia Lintner, the owner, is wonderful. Friendly, knowledgeable and fun. Her gardens are colorful and invite you to explore. She carries trees, shrubs, herbs, flowers, fruits and vegetables. She also has a wonderful selection of succulents, which I love! You will also find a nice assortment of planters, garden soils and amendments too, as well as a lovely gift shop inside. It is a wonderful place to relax and browse. The zinnias and succulents I bought from her this year have been outstanding.

zinnias

Looking at the store from Highway 29

The porch on her shop is a cool, shady place to relax while contemplating your purchases. 😉

Inside the shop

Amelia has a beautiful selection of planters and slag glass in the shop as well as seeds and other gardening supplies.

Amelia trying to escape my camera. ❤

This is an amazing selection of lavender. To the left is a room with some of the succulents.

One of her succulent arrangements. I love this ice plant.

Recycled tires. How cool is that?!

Love this bat!

Slag glass in a fun display.

That’s a big boot!

A fun area with various decorative items.

If you are out and about in the Hill Country of central Texas, stop by and say hello to Amelia, take a stroll through her gardens, relax on the porch and take home a plant or two.

Blanco Gardens

Address: 500 Main St, Blanco, TX 78606

Hours:

Saturday	10AM–4PM
Sunday	10AM–4PM
Monday	9AM–5PM
Tuesday	9AM–5PM
Wednesday	Closed
Thursday	9AM–5PM
Friday	9AM–5PM

Phone: (830) 833-2433

Road Trip June 08, 2015 to Blanco Texas

June 9, 2015August 28, 2017 / coffeeandcapturedmoments / 1 Comment

Yesterday I took a road trip to Blanco, Texas to visit my sister of the heart. We have been friends for forty years. So, yes, she is my sister. As often as we can manage, we meet for breakfast. We picked Blanco because we like the town, it has a good feel and it is between where we both live. This week we decided to eat at the Redbud Cafe market & pub.

They serve a breakfast (brunch) on Sunday. They have Quiche and croissants and sweets for breakfast the rest of the week. Here is a link to their Menu. We met about 10:45 and opted for lunch instead. We have had coffee and dessert here several times but today I felt like trying something different. My friend is vegetarian and they have a nice selection of options to choose from. We both had the hot portabella mushroom sandwich. I had fresh fruit with mine and she had their homemade coleslaw. Unfortunately I did not get photos of the food. We were too busy talking and sharing photos and stories of what has been happening in our lives and eating. I forgot, but it was delicious.

They serve specialty coffee drinks as well at the self serve coffee bar with their own Redbud blend and today they had a Brazilian blend as well. If you prefer real half and half in your coffee, they have it. (I am very happy about this myself)

The Cafe is directly across from the courthouse on the square. You can sit outside and chat with passersby or just enjoy the fresh air.

Exterior of Redbud Cafe market & pub.

Inside is open and inviting. The tables are covered with oil cloth in an array of bright and cheerful patterns.

Interior of Redbud Cafe market & pub

They have a great selection of locally brewed beer from Real Ale Brewing

as well as their handpicked selection of local wines.

Redbud Cafe Bar area

Real Ale Brewing at redbud Cafe market and pub

and Live Music on the weekends.

Music schedule at the Redbud Cafe for June 2015

One wall is used for art exhibits. They are currently featuring artist, Melanie Fain

‘Bluebird’, Etching by Melanie Fain

One of the fun and interesting items on permanent display is a series of rainfall table starting in 1900.

Rainfall totals for Blanco Texas 1900-1920

Rainfall totals for Blanco Texas 1920-1940

Rainfall totals for Blanco Texas 1940-1959

Check out the rain totals for September 1952. yikes!

The owners of the Cafe, Jon and Jan Brieger, also have Brieger Pottery next door.

Brieger Pottery

They have a wonderful assortment of pottery, handmade items, locally made as well as imports (beautiful selection of items from Peru) including textiles, jewelry, soaps and cards. They have clothing, imported and vintage, plus used books, various antiques and knick-knacks. Be sure to explore their selection of lavender products. Blanco is known for their lavender festival which is happening next weekend: 11th Annual Blanco Lavender Festival

interior of Brieger Pottery

Rolls of the beautiful Oil Cloth that covers the tables in the Cafe.

Here are some close-ups of some of the patterns:

Black oil cloth with floral circles

Yellow Oil cloth with flowers in cirlces.

Yellow Oil cloth with flowers in circles.

Red Oil Cloth with Flowers

Black oil cloth with animal patterns

Black oil cloth with flowers

Black and White Oil Cloth

Happy Travels,

Melyna

Throw back Thursday. Way Back

January 8, 2015August 26, 2017 / coffeeandcapturedmoments / 1 Comment

I grew up with my grandparents. They were wonderful people. We would take vacations that were quick trips from point A to point B in the most expedient way possible. I never knew it was because money was tight. It always felt like an adventure with bottled soda, peanuts, summer sausage, cheese and crackers. We would make touristy stops along the way to take touristy photos. It was fun and I loved it. I also appreciate it more now than I did when I was fifteen years old. I miss them very much. This is why I love captured moments. Nothing artistic or special about these snapshots except for the people in them and the memories they hold. These are from a trip to Oregon with my grandparents in 1976.