how we roast

 Not sure how this got started but we buy green coffee beans and roast them ourselves, really good coffee is quite a bit cheaper as green bean, oh yeah, we tried buying coffee here in Culebra (I'm tempted to expand on this theme but perhaps that's not a good idea) and it was all really bad. This became our DIY solution.

 these photos were taken about 4 minutes apart: start off on high flame and start to reduce heat as smoke begins, ending on low flame, stirring the whole time. Expect smoke, flying husks and snapping/ crackling over the 20 or so minutes of roasting.

call it quits when they look dark enough for your taste (lighter brings out citrus, darker brings out chocolate, too light tastes sour, too dark tastes burnt)

this move helps cool things down and gets rid of the papery husks

the flavor of freshly roasted beans seems to improve for a few days then levels off, a bur grinder (as opposed to those blade choppers) grinds more evenly and makes it easier to duplicate a good pot of coffee. Enjoy!

Tallulah's projects

I think I understand the reality of living on a boat, but I am still trying to grasp the mystique, the myth of it, the thing that makes all the bits and pieces cohere and make something that lights your mind on fire. I have made peace with the idea that this myth will not come to me whole, that I may be left with pieces.

This morning when I jumped into the dinghy a school of tiny silvered fish leapt, startled, landing on the bottom of the boat—they were in our shoes, and the bailer, and the lifejackets, and everywhere, with the large unclosing eyes of prey, and we reached for their tiny silvered bodies and tossed them, delicately writhing, soft sparks, back into the water.

Something I have noticed at sea—how things get left behind. It is a place where the old, landed grudges and regrets can dissolve into nothing, which is their natural state. On a clear day, running with the wind, ordinary, bound life disappears, and we may be made new by our imaginings.

 cousins

 Thanksgiving

foam angel
Stomach flu and a hard-hitting virus have taken a toll on quality blogging lately, but I'll be back soon.