While I was traveling last week, I could not resist the urge to buy some locally roasted coffee. So today's post is about some beans from Papua New Guinea roasted at the Yellow Dog Coffee Company in Norman, Oklahoma.
The bag doesn't indicate much about the beans, but from my tasting notes, I suspect it's New Guinea Arona.
As soon as I poured my first cup, I noted the coffee was mellow on flavor and texture. It starts with a citrusy, floral essence and then finishes with a honey note. Interesting! I would say that this coffee is pretty bright with a clean finish. If you like your coffee with a strong, bold character, then this coffee is not for you. However, I bet it would go great as a latte. You know, it reminds me for the Peruvian coffee I reviewed last month from Noble Coyote Coffee: light body and mild flavor. So I would rate this coffee as polite for an afternoon break.
Besides looking for coffee - I also played several gigs (the main reason for this recent adventure) and checked out numerous skateparks while in the north Texas / Oklahoma region.
I had a fairly aggressive schedule lined up with gigs and skateparks (see previous posts) and I am quite amazed that I was able to hit up five of the six parks on my list:
- Lewisville Skatepark (Lewisville, TX)
- Northeast Community Park (Frisco, TX)
- Vandergriff Skatepark (Arlington, TX)
- Blake Baldwin Skatepark (Norman, OK)
- Roanoke Skatepark (Roanoke, TX)
Of the ones I got to skate - my favorites were Lewisville and Roanoke.
Roanoke gets high praise from me because it has several unique features as well as plenty of space for all level of skaters. Definitely not as large as Lewisville, but still roomy. Check out this video from Braille Skateboarding where they explore the park. Actually, it was because of that video that I specifically sought out the park while I was in the region!
Unrelated side note 1: I had also made a note to visit the gravesite of Townes Van Zandt in Dido, Texas - but I just ran out of time... which I'm sure Townes would appreciate.
The Blake Baldwin Skatepark was interesting in that they used natural rock formations as part of the obstacles / features. A very cool idea.
Oklahoma is well known for their red dirt and its ability to permanently stain everything red. The stuff is not like the dirt found around Houston. No, this stuff is kind of clay-like. So... when you skate over it... you might be in for a surprise on how your board has stayed put while you continue falling forward!
Which brings me to why I want to give a shout out to the locals at the Blake Baldwin Skatepark... they brought brooms! Someone brought a small PA to blast hardcore, punk, and metal... but there were also two brooms sitting next to the PA... and skaters would randomly pick one up to sweep an area to skate. It was endearing and awesome to see that level of community.
For those who like data, here's how the parks I visited measured. I have North Houston on the list because I stopped by there while on my way home... but also because it's interesting to note its size:
- North Houston Skatepark - 78,000 square feet (second largest skatepark in the United States)
- Northeast Community Park - 47,000 square feet ("second largest in Texas")
- Lewisville Skatepark - 33,000 square feet
- Blake Baldwin Skatepark - 20,000 square feet
- Roanoke Skatepark - 20,000 square feet
- Vandergriff Skatepark - 7,500 square feet
On my way out of town, I made a quick stop at Guestroom Records to drop off some tapes and check out their vinyl. Highly recommended shop... they even had the Neu 50 box set!!!
Unrelated side note 2: Sadly, I discovered that the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster in Norman was closed (apparently, for quite some time).
So yeah - the gigs! Ha ha... guess I should mention those too while I'm here.
It may sound contrived or "playing it safe" when I say that all five were awesome... but yeah... all five gigs were great and absolutely worth it. The show in Norman at The Deli got posted in the printed city music & arts newspaper!
I've finally purchased a clip-on tuner and removed the trusty Boss tuner that would normally be taped to the folding table where the drum machine sits. (reminder: I need to find a tuner that is re-chargeable via usb) As far as I can remember, I've never been a multi-pedal player. I'm not trying to be an elitist about it, I'm just kind of busy with trying not to mess up the songs I'm playing by trying to remember which pedal to turn off/on!
I also got to say... many times while I'm watching bass / guitar players with loads of pedals... I never hear a significant difference when pedals are switched on / off unless it's something like a phaser / delay / etc... something that drastically alters the sound of the instrument.
So, if my guitar + amp is not giving me the sound I want, I will go out and find the right combination. When I played metal and punk - I normally used a Mesa Boogie or a basic Marshall. These days, it's a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe IV. The amp is plenty loud and can effortlessly go dirty or clean and all points in between. I modified the circuit board as there are well documented issues with this amp and the values / placement of capacitors & resistors. Nothing crazy complicated... but I will make a note to post about the mods in a later entry.
And finally... I had left a three-star rating for a place in Farmer's Branch, Texas called The Diner. The food was (at best) okay and the service was slow. So, three-stars as a reminder to not go back. Apparently, they had something to say about my rating:
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