Ode to Chagrin Falls

Witty, satirical, sassy. All adjectives that sometimes (ok usually) describe me. I love dry humor, and I love a little harmless societal mockery - just every now and then, when I'm truly in rare form. Some people bash on facebook, others vent to friends and overly exaggerate the negatives, I choose to write.

Aside from blogging about day to day things, sometimes I like to get a bit deeper with my writing. My love for good writing blossomed as a child, where I broke my dad's heart every time he asked if he could read to me, and I would boldly refuse with an "I can read it myself!" Then I would squirm away from his lap with the book and read until my eyes started to cross. Poor guy.

AP English was my favorite course in high school, and I even majored in photo journalism for a good year or so in college. Then I found kinesiology and nutrition, and I parted ways with photo journalism. But I am still torn - I think I could have excelled at both.

About a year ago I decided to take a travel writing course, because well, I love to travel AND I love writing. Seems perfect right? I did this piece and after talking it over with one of my friends, I am taking her advice and sharing. For all those who grew up in a town that seemed a bit out of it's own league - this one's for you!


Chagrin Falls, in a Nutshell 

“Do you need room for cream?”

 I watched from my spot on the couch at Starbucks as a fit blonde pondered the question, as though the rest of her day’s happiness would depend upon this decision. A shorter, less fit friend came to her rescue, “Yes, go ahead! We power walked 3 miles this morning!” Power walking is a sacred time for the women of Chagrin Falls because it conquers 3 key tasks of a house wife; catching up on gossip, parading their athleticism to lazier friends who might be watching, and of course, sweating off last night’s alcohol.

I wondered if I deserved cream this morning. Did my heart rate raise enough while driving the snaking curves that lead into the tiny town? Not likely, but I like my coffee black anyways. I abandoned my people watching and opted to get my caffeine fix a few doors down, at a place where the coffee is fresh and not over-roasted, yet lacking a name brand, so the line is shorter.

I stroll along Main Street, taking in the sounds of the falls as they pass under the road and cascade into the Chagrin River. You can always tell if it has rained recently by the color and ferocity of the falls. I pass the infamous Popcorn Shop and the scent of hot fudge tickles my nose, my mouth instantly starting to water. The Popcorn Shop sits at the center of town and offers decadent treats like flavored popcorn, ice cream, and an assortment of candies meant to tug on the strings of nostalgia. I wondered what the power walkers would deem this kind of indulgence, probably unforgivable.

Despite it being mid-day during the workweek, the shops along Main Street entertain the attractive people who are milling about. Extended lunch breaks are common here, and they remain one of the few things that aren’t ignored…unlike the town’s speed limits or laws concerning alcohol use. Shiny, over-priced cars cruise around, their owners either too old to make use of the horse power, or too young to deserve it. 

An oversized gazebo near the end of Main Street invites me to sit and admire the well-manicured town, and it occurs to me that almost nothing has changed in 9 years. When I was in high school, Chagrin Falls was always referred to as “the bubble”. A town that is miles away from any highway, safe enough to walk to school, and, according to most of the town’s parents, free of any activity that may question their children’s actions. A town that allows teens to act older and parents to act younger, enticing all who move here to never leave.

My watch shows it’s almost time for dinner at my parent’s house, which resides only about a mile away. On the way back to my car I run into three girls from high school that are a few years older than I, we chat for a bit and then I carry on, wishing them luck with house hunting.

Reclaimed Wood

I have come to realize that reclaimed wood has a special place in my heart. Some people find peace going for a walk with their dog and listening to nature. Others go grocery shopping and fill a cart of all the things they find most delicious, and then leave it behind because they don't really want to buy them. And then there is the relaxing type, who want a glass of wine and a hot bath (or sauna) and a magazine full of things they have a love-hate relationship with.

Ok confession, those are all things I love doing. Yikes, thanks for visiting crazy town with me.

But where I feel MOST at peace, is definitely while in the same room as reclaimed wood. Preferably it wouldn't be reclaimed yet, it would still be in the same barn it came from. Because that would mean I achieved one of my life long goals of living on a farm with a barn full of horses - standing in said barn built long ago, full of wood that is just to beautiful to give up.

But since I'm not there yet, I'm allowing my vision to be flexible, and doing what works for me right now. And that is reclaimed wood in my house. The house is slowly but surely coming along, and the other night we got to see the beams that went up. Wanna see?! Ok yes.

 So much detail! So many crevices for my eyes to get lost in! I can only imagine the stories this wood could tell. 

In addition to those beams - Mike and I went to a furniture show and found my new favorite furniture designer, Play-Haus Design. He uses all metal and wood from barns and factories in Ohio. If you live in the Cleveland area, you are a lucky dog.

Here's the sexy little number I went home with that night...and no I'm not talking about Mike.

It's going to look SO perfect in our house! Can you sense the theme yet? Next up is to get the painting finished and then the kitchen is going in...I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait. But really, I can't, so hurry up house. Please :).

Coffee in Mentor!

Something wonderful has happened, and yes, it involves coffee.

Up until this past weekend, it has been very hard to find good coffee within 20 miles of where I live. When I say good coffee, I don't include Starbucks. Yes I still have to tolerate Starbucks when there are absolutely no other options and my caffeine headache is kicking in, but I still have criteria that must be met. 

Number one, I will only get the blonde roast. This is mainly because I drink my coffee black and can't stand the burnt taste of any other blend that they offer. That being said, don't get your hopes up about the flavors this blend offers. If you have ever had a good pour over, it will be about 1/10 the flavor. But I will take that over burnt and undrinkable any day. 

Number two, my blonde roast must be brewed in the Clover. The Clover is a machine that combines a vacuum pot and a french press. Basically, it offers a set temperature for the water, a better chance of consistency when the barista stirs the beans, and overall a better extraction of flavor. 

My favorite, as you know by now, is Rising Star Coffee. Other great options that I have tried (but not since I fell in love with Rising Star) are Troubadour Coffee and Erie Island Coffee. All local to Cleveland, but again, the main problem with these are that they are all located about at least 40 miles from me. Until now.

Mike and I have been going to The Brew Mentor together for some time. He buys things to brew beers while I walk around looking lost and smelling the hops and exclaiming over the deliciousness. Recently I got to talking with one of the guys that works there and that's when I found out he was interested in coffee.

Immediately I knew we were going to be best friends and I would most likely be working there within 5 years, so I started talking to him about my favorite coffee in Cleveland - Rising Star Coffee. I told him about how helpful the owner, Kim Jenkins, was when I was first learning my pour over technique. He wrote it down and I was off on my merry way.

A few weeks ago we went back in and what do you know, Rising Star Coffee was coming to the Brew Mentor!! Best. Day. Ever. Not saying that I did that, but I may or may not have done that. You're welcome people of the Eastside :).

On that note, I have to introduce you to the new members of my family. I recently bought the book, The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee, and I couldn't be happier. It's a great read and it's full of details surrounding every part of a cup of coffee - whether it be how the farmers treat their beans to how to execute the perfect pour over, french press, or espresso.



And it has plenty of pictures! As my 27 year old brother always says, "it's not worth reading if it's not full of pictures". They are good ones too. The kind that make you want to get up and take some of your own, or sigh loudly and wish you could pull a Mary Poppins and jump right in. I think that would be my second super power if I could have two. Number one is definitely the ability to morph into any animal. I could breathe underwater as a dolphin, run super fast like a cheetah, AND fly like and eagle. Why choose one when you can have it all? I know, best idea ever.

Anyways, if you are looking to seriously buff up your knowledge levels on coffee, I definitely recommend this book. Plus it has a bunch of fancy recipes at the end, all that either include coffee or would taste good with coffee (although what doesn't?)

Macaroons! The man who wrote this book has a wife that is the head pastry chef of his coffee shop. What a dreamy pair. I'm not sure if Mike and I's potential titles will be as whimsical...I would be the coffee shop owner and the resident baker, and Mike would be the head computer engineer? It will have to do.

And THIS is another new member of my family, my American Weigh Scale. It goes to a tenth of a gram, and up to 2000 grams - perfect for my pour overs...and my baking addiction.

Oh, and those are the coffees I got from The Brew Mentor. They had 4 roasts available, so I tried 2 new ones that I hadn't before. Panama and Nicaragua, delicious and yet still not beating my normal favorite - Eithiopian Yirgacheffe.

The scale makes my pour over SO much easier. Instead of having to weigh out each thing separately like I used to with my old non-digital scale, now I can simply tare it. Kinda like in chemistry lab when I was in college - you place something on the scale, pour something in to get the correct weight, and then press the tare button and it goes to 0. It's the little things :).

Need some really great cold brew? Head to Rising Star. They had this 32 fl oz glass bottle available for $25. And if you bring the bottle back to get refilled, it will be only $20 for the cold brew. I couldn't pass up a deal on cold brew :).

That's all for now! Happy brewing :).

I'm excited for...

The house is taking longer than we thought, but that's okay because I LOVE surprises. So much. It's to the point where something will get completed on the house and I will purposely wait days, literally days, until I go look at it.

For example, right after Mike left for a week in San Diego, some of the flooring was completed. Instead of rush over there, I waited 6 days for Mike to get home to go look. There is something about the unknown and the anticipation that builds as I wait that keeps me coming back for more.

Now that I am typing this, it makes me think about that show "My Strange Addiction". My name is Lindsey and I am addicted to surprises.

Now that we got that out of the way, here is what I am excited about.

I am excited about the tanning sessions, morning coffees, and get togethers that this deck will be hosting. It went from this...

...to this!

Garage moved, railing complete, fence up. Yay! As long as I can see the water, I'm happy.

I am excited for a kitchen table that has quick access out to my garden, just in case I need to add a few extra veggies to my meal. 

I am excited for the front porch to be finished and to have a living room that is full of sunlight from the new windows! And with a front porch comes the duty of passing out Halloween candy, not mad about that! I want to be the house that gives out the "good" candy. There has to be one in every neighborhood, mine as well aim high.

This is more something that tickled Mike's fancy, but it'll make my list anyways. I am excited about a skylight on the third floor! It brightens up the room and is the perfect place to watch the awesome storms that roll off the lake. And Mike can stand and keep a look out, he's pretty excited about the whole standing without hitting his head thing. #tallpeopleproblems

And a view to die for. When I'm not outside, you will find me up here, on the couch that will be right in front of this window. Enjoying a cup of coffee, a breeze dancing on my face from the open windows, the feint lapping of water, and peace in my soul.





I'm excited about my garden doubling in size! So much more room for vegetables!! Just what I needed to achieve my goals of being a farmer. You have to start somewhere!

Some more spots for my veggies of choice.

Now this one is my favorite. The one I am most excited about...barn wood floors! Oh man, this wood is the icing on the cake. The kind of icing that you keep in an extra container so when your piece of cake runs out of icing because you have to have more icing than cake with every bite, you have more waiting.

It's not just any wood, it is reclaimed wood from a granary in Ohio. It was on the walls, not the floor, so it is in great shape, and the only markings are from an occasional math problem that was too hard to do in their heads. It's a little dusty in the pictures, but they are still working so bear with me.

Just look at it! I could stare at this all day. If I could fall in love with an inanimate object, this would be it.

In addition to vegetables, we will have quite an array of fruits too! Lining what used to be the garage, are about 15 blueberry bushes. We thought getting fruits that are expensive to buy made sense, hence our choices. I cannot wait to reach my goal of eating 50% of my yearly food from my garden.

Why stop at blueberry bushes when there is room for more? Here are 2 dwarf cherry trees, and in the corner by the stones is a peach tree. I'm not sure how long it will be until these babies will bear fruit, but I won't mind waiting.




Last but not least, I'm excited to be sustainable! We have 2 rain barrels going in by the garden to help with my water usage. We get plenty of rain out here by the lake, so I'm thinking these are going to be a good investment.

That's all the updates for now, I cannot wait until it is done and it's time to decorate! And that is a horse of a different color. I'm not sure I'm the girl for decorating a house, but we shall see!

Questing for Coffee

It is one of my biggest dreams to have my own coffee shop one day. Actually, let's call it a goal, because you know what they say, "goals are dreams with deadlines". This is my destination and I will achieve it. My day is made through great conversation and a good cup o' joe (more accurately, 4 or 5 good cups o' joe), and what better way to live my life than giving back those simple yet powerful things that make me so happy? There is no other way, you're right :).

 Even my coffee cup knows how to live right!

There is just something so stimulating (no pun intended) about the process of my morning coffee routine.  This morning I'm using beans from one of my favorite local coffee shops - Rising Star Coffee Roasters. This is a bean from El Salvador, mmmmmm!

You can buy their amazing coffee in Cleveland, OH...maybe you'll see me there! They are so knowledgeable and it's such a cool space. Find out more here: Rising Star Coffee Roasters

First is the crinkle of the brown paper coffee bag as I retrieve it from the drawer, it's like I get to open a present every morning! But this is better, because this present releases the most amazing smell. In all of it's invisible glory, the smell wafts out of the bag as the beans tumble around, and they tantalize my senses and my mouth starts to water (or I'm drooling...either way, I'm excited).

There they are, in all of their glory! The biggest problem here is I'm almost out :/. Can you smell them?! Why hasn't smell - o - vision been invented yet?

Then it's time to grind the beans. Imagine a smell lightly tickling your nose, then times that by 100 (I suppose now the smell would be karate kicking your nose), and at this point there is no turning back for me. There could be a UFO landing in my back yard or a tiger laying on the couch, anything...but I'm not stopping until I have my hands wrapped around my coffee mug. From here I feel like a distance runner who can finally see the finish line, I just want my coffee! My coffee grounds go into my ceramic pour over to await their bath as my water reaches boiling.



And then I pour. I am still perfecting my pour, but I'm getting there! About 60-90 seconds later, my coffee and I become one.




This is the process that made me fall in love with coffee. I had a crush on coffee before, but I wasn't tapping into it's true abilities! Just like a misunderstood teenager, it needed the right setting and applicications to thrive. And now I want to share it with everyone! Not just the coffee, but the appreciation of life in general. I may be handing you coffee at my coffee shop (when it finally comes to fruition), but what I really want to give you is so much more. A cozy place to relax and feel at home, a place where you can share your adventures and let the simple pleasures of your day be the focus. And I will probably want to give you some kind of delicious morsel, because I happen to love cooking and baking as well.

And so it begins! My quest to learn and discover and fine tune all the little details that will make my dream a reality. So this blog will house my journeys, in whatever form they surface as, and my trials and tribulations as a girl chasing a dream. I'm guessing it's going to be a delicious journey, and that is more than ok with me.

Meet Darwin!

I suppose we can't really be friends without you knowing my favorite things in life, so it's time for you to meet Darwin.

Whoops, he was excited...too close.

There we go, isn't he awesome?! A pinch of Akita, a dollop of German Shepard, stir in some Canaan, and here is what happened! He's perfect. 

My boyfriend (Mike, perhaps you'll meet him later) and I rescued him from a local dog shelter and he has been king of the castle ever since. His favorite hobbies include: seat stealing (he has this thing for still-warm-with-body heat spots on the couch, which makes getting up for anything a bit of a game), checking every window to see if he can spot a moving object to intently watch, digging his way out of the fenced in back yard to hunt, and of course, long walks on the beach!

I am getting ready to move close to Fairport Harbor beach, the beach is thatta way.

Darwin was a stray for a long time and was in the shelter for around 8 months before we found him, but he has always been amazing with people. He will follow us around and make sure we are never alone in a room - so thoughtful. One of Darwin's best qualities is that he is the quietest of hunters. With the agility of a mountain goat and the stealth of a panther, he would spend all day hunting if we'd let him. I guess that's what being a stray teaches you! And yes, his name fits him perfectly, although it was only by coincidence. We didn't know he was the epitome of survival of the fittest until we saw his hunting techniques, how he rationed his food, and his expert hiding skills when there are thunderstorms.

Who me? King? Yep.

All I've ever wanted is someone to watch every sunset with me, and now I've found that someone! I think Mike would do that for me too, but Darwin's enthusiasm for going outside is unmatchable. Not too bad of a view either. 

Wondering what ocean this is? Surprise, it's Lake Erie! Mistake by the lake? I think not!

Darwin's worst quality is most definitely his deep hatred for cats. The kind where if he sees one outside, he will run to every window, stand straight up, and start whining and barking until he can no longer see it. When a cat is around, it's as though we aren't even there. He completely ignores our commands and if we shut the blinds he merely moves to the next window. Any suggestions?

See? What a window hog! I wouldn't want to take a plane ride with him, I'm the kind of person that has my face pressed to the window the whole time. Uh oh...it just dawned on me that I may be a window hog...

Anyways, now you've met Darwin. This is the first dog of my own (well I share him with Mike, but you know what I mean), so excuse me if I constantly include him. I feel like a mom with her first child, I just want everyone to know how amazing he is!

Goodnight Lake Erie, I will never stop loving you! Well, as long as you keep letting me pretend that you are an ocean...it makes me feel better.