Keepin' It Rural

This past weekend we went out to the Clarkston-Pomeroy area in S.E. Washington. If you're unfamiliar with this region, it is about as far away from Seattle one can travel and still be in the state. We, along with two other couples, rented out the Wenatchee Guard Station, a 1930's CCC era US Forrest Service cabin overlooking the Snake River plain. It's a 6 hour drive followed by a challenging 3.5 mile ski in, but it is well worth the experience. The view is incredible. The drive out is equally spectacular. Even the snomobilers (the sworn nemisis of the cross sountry skier) were friendly. In fact, the only downside to the weekend was at the Starbucks in Clarkston.

I wanted a drip coffee, and I prefer it dark & robust. I asked the barista to describe the Kenya blend they had brewing. Apparently, this is a new location, and the training isn't quite complete. Here's how the conversation went:

Me: What's the Kenya blend like?
Her: Oh, it's good.
Me: Would you care to be more descriptive?
Her: Well, I really like it!
Me: That's great, but what is the flavor like? Is it light? Dark? Mild? Robust?

At which point she excitedly shows me the label they put on the bags featuring an elephant.

Me: So it tastes like elephants?
Her: Huh?
Me: Pffft. I'll take a tall drip with room for cream.

Here are some photos from the weekend:

Karma

A large part of my time on-the-clock is spent cold-calling, or, in the parlance of our times: "in-person prospecting". For the most part people are friendly despite my interrupting their day's business. But about 5% of the people I call on are rude, if not downright abusive to me. I had one of those encounters last week at a pizzaria in Belltown. The guy was an absolute jerk, so I was smugly pleased to see Nancy Leson, the Seattle Times food critic, rip the place apart in this week's reviews:

"A handsome store it is, with exposed brick, soaring ceilings and a handful of tables set in an "L" around the big brick oven. But looks don't buy me love. Sophomoric service and inconsistency in the kitchen have to be addressed, fast.

One visit found dull pizza crust in need of salt. Worse, the crust had seized and turned cardboardlike shortly after it was presented..."