This week’s East Bay Express has an article about third wave coffee. The article refers to a trend that can be traced to baristas working for a coffee roaster in Oslo, Norway. The first two waves refer to 1) the introduction of instant coffee by Maxwell House and Folgers and 2) the emergence of serious coffee in the 1960s led by Peet’s. The third wave is marked by a new emphasis on bringing the bean’s grower, the roaster, and the barista together as equal players in producing a flavorful beverage.

The other hallmark of third-wave coffee is an overwhelming preference for light- and medium-roasted coffee, as opposed to the darker roasting style popularized by Peet’s and Starbucks. At its most basic level, the roasting process involves the application of heat to the green coffee bean, whose flavor gradually changes as it goes from a pale yellow through various shades of brown and, eventually, if you roast long enough, to a solid, fully carbonized black. To a third waver, this is akin to taking a prime rib-eye steak and simply burning it to a crisp. — East Bay Express

Jon poured me a shot of ristretto yesterday morning, made with Black Cat beans from Intelligentsia in Chicago. It was dark, almost syrupy, and very bold. It’s a cultivated taste, but one that I have been cultivating for years. (see a video of Jon making espresso) I will admit, though, that the article in the Express has me looking forward to trying some of these newer cafés and wrapping my taste buds around a cup of third wave joe.

The weather outside is frightful. A crisp 7 degrees here in Moline when I got up, but a quick phone call with my baby warmed up the morning.

The winter solstice is approaching. In celebration of the shortest day of the year, there is reveling at the Scottish Rite Temple in Oakland this week. The Revels is an organization devoted to creating community through celebration. This year (their 24th) they are celebrating Christmas Revels with an homage to the 19th Century Bavarian yuletide tradition. The show runs through the weekend. Tickets are surprisingly inexpensive. And the theatre space is not to be missed.

I won’t make it in time — I don’t arrive in California till after the solstice — but in reading about the Revels I discovered some fun connections. First, I had the opportunity to perform at the Scottish Rite Temple a couple of decades ago. I was singing in a production of The Student Prince, and we were invited to give a performance in their theatre in the summer of 1975. My second connection to the Revels is through the artistic director of the company, David Parr. David and I worked together for Western Onion Singing Telegram Company in San Francisco back in the late 1970s. We’ve not kept in touch, but when I get to Oakland I plan to hunt him down.

If you go to the Revels, be sure to stop in for a drink afterwards at the Lake Chalet restaurant across the street. Their bar is about a mile long and stretches out in front of a big picture window looking over Lake Merritt.

The beloved (by progressives) 14th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Earl Warren, lived in our new Oakland neighborhood, Adams Point, many years ago. His mansion at 88 Vernon Street is now home to Clausen House, a center devoted to service to the developmentally disabled.

That Warren lived in Adams point is a good omen for us. There have been tiny, coincidental connections to the Warren name through out our years in California. A good portion of my happy childhood was spent in Santa Barbara, home to the Earl Warren Showgrounds, A venue for fairs and equestrian events and site of the Fiesta Rodeo. During our previous tenure in Oakland we lived on Scout Road, just off the Warren Freeway.

Warren was elected Governor of California three times (unprecedented and unmatched) and was so popular that in 1946 he was nominated by three political parties — Democrats, Progressives, and Republicans. (Try to imagine that happening today!) We’re pleased to be living within half a mile of Earl Warren’s home.

By this time next Monday I will be on my way home to Oakland. I’ve missed my wife even more than I imagined was possible. We had managed week-and-a-half apart in the past and I figured I would be able to keep my spirits up for three weeks, aided by a couple of daily phone calls and the occasional text message with photos. Those things do help, but there is no discounting the value of proximity and touch.

I’ve decided to amuse myself for the next week with a little advent calendar diversion. Today, and for the next 6 days, I plan to post a daily countdown item with a little treat that helps me look forward to being reunited with my baby in Oakland.

Today’s treat is a link to the Chanticleer website where you can listen to their music using their popup radio player. My folks flew into Moline last night after a brief two day stopover in Oakland. On their way from Australia to the Quad Cities they went directly from SFO to the SF Symphony to hear Michael Tilson Thomas conduct. The next night they took in a Chanticleer Concert at Oakland’s Cathedral of Christ the Light.

Justin had a great opportunity when he was in high school to spend a day with Chanticleer. They host educational programs for young singers and the madrigal group from his school was fortunate to be able to participate. I was so envious.

I haven’t stayed on top of the whole kerfluffle about the A’s leaving Oakland. Apparently there were plans for the team to move out of Oakland into Fremont. Those fell through, but the threat of departure continues. San Jose wants the team. I’ve heard that there is interest in attracting the team to Sacramento. Whatever. The Raiders left. They came back. Leaving Oakland may not solve the A’s problems, but building them a new downtown stadium may not be a bad idea, and would give them a reason to stay.

The A’s moved to Oakland in 1968, the same year that my mom and dad moved here with us (their four kids). It was great. My mom used to drop my brother and me at the coliseum on Saturdays and we’d buy a bleacher ticket and have a hotdog and peanuts and get a suntan watching the game. Cost: about 5 or 6 bucks. Years later I worked at KFRC radio for a while and had a press pass for the A’s and attended games on a regular basis.

I always enjoyed watching the A’s, especially during the early years (the Sal Bando/Campy Campineris/Blue Moon Odom years). I liked the rabbits that popped up near home plate to deliver baseballs to the plate umpire. I liked their colorful uniforms, their white shoes, and Charlie O the Mule. Justin and I were at the Coliseum in June 1990 to watch the no hitter Nolan Ryan pitched against the A’s during his sunset years. (His sixth — he would go on to pitch another the following year.) Anna loved to go to the Coliseum when they had big fireworks shows after a fourth of July game. If you hustled, after the game you could run down and roll out a blanket and watch the fireworks from the outfield — hallowed ground where Joe Rudi, Ricky Henderson, Reggie Jackson, and Dave Henderson had worked.

While I have fond memories of going to games at the Coliseum, after seeing a game in the Ball Park in Arlington in the mid 1990s, and then seeing the Giant’s play in their new park in China Basin, I realized that baseball is a sport that benefits from a well designed stadium and that the Oakland Coliseum was a multi-use facility that didn’t feature the game as well as some of the modern parks. (New stadiums that featured the intimacy of the older, historic baseball parks.) No surprise that the A’s feel the need for a better venue for their game.

While a new ball park will not automatically solve attendance problems for a team that doesn’t consistently win games, location of the park can be a major factor in a city’s livability. Locating a new stadium within walking distance of downtown seems like an incredibly good idea. I note that one of the locations proposed for a new Oakland ball park is on Oak and Third (referred to in the media as Victory Court). That’s a shade over a mile and a half from our new apartment. Nothing would draw me to a baseball game more quickly than locating the park within a half hour walk of my home. Count me as a focus group of one — the Victory Court location would be a perfect spot for a new ball park.

The Quad Cities has a really sweet baseball stadium. It’s home to the River Bandits, a Single A minor league team associated with the St. Louis Cardinals, so the game is a little spotty, but the venue is incredible. It used to be called John O’Donnell Stadium (now called Modern Woodman Park — corporate sponsorship and naming rights extend even to the Minor Leagues) and it sits on the Mississippi River, next to the Centennial Bridge. If you have plenty of bug spray, it’s a great place to watch baseball. Quite Scenic and very intimate. (It’s the location for the movie Sugar which was in theaters in 2009.) I’ll miss taking in a game in this ball park, but if Oakland builds a stadium at 3rd and Oak, I’ll survive. Of course there’s the gnarly problem of who pays for the stadium. I’ll leave debate on that issue for a separate conversation.

There’s a great article by Richard Rodriguez in Harpers Magazine, Twilight of the American Newspaper. It recalls the history of the San Francisco Chronicle.

“…twenty-five cents bought me a connection with a gray maritime city at odds with the postwar California suburbs. Herb Caen, whose column I read immediately—second section, corner left—invited me into the provincial cosmopolitanism that characterized the city’s outward regard: ‘Isn’t it nice that people who prefer Los Angeles to San Francisco live there?‘”

When I was growing up in Oakland I loved the Chronicle. I thought it was cool that the sports page was printed on green newsprint. Herb Caen was cool. The little graphic they used for theatre ratings was super. The last time I saw the Chronicle it was like seeing a friend who has cancer. Thin and weak.

The Chronicle was not a paper you turned to for substantive analysis. It was a paper that reflected the aesthetic of San Francisco. A fun place with fun people. A little off beat, and not as pretentious as its bigger cousins, New York, LA, and Chicago. San Francisco had swagger, and the colorful Chronicle reflected that. (The Examiner, on the other hand, always seemed like a paper with no sense of humor.)

Anyway, I liked Rodriguez’ article. Well worth the time.

As I suspected, City Homestead has links to some pretty interesting places. Buried among the restaurant reviews on his/her (?) blog (these are pretty thorough reviews, by the way) was a link to Novella Carpenter’s Ghost Town Farm, a small urban operation in Oakland. Novella just wrote a book called, Farm City which is getting some traction nationally and just made the New York Times Favorite Gift Book list. I’m eager to find the Ghost Town Farm and see what Novella is up to. She studied with Michael Pollan at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

Another link I found on City Homestead was to Blue Bottle Coffee. Blue Bottle would satisfy my even my demanding brother Jon’s quest for a good bean. The proprietor describes himself and his mission thusly: “a slightly disaffected freelance musician and coffee lunatic, weary of the grande eggnog latte, and the double skim pumpkin-pie macchiato, decides to open a roaster for people who are clamoring for the actual taste of freshly roasted coffee. Using a miniscule six-pound batch roaster, he makes an historic vow: ‘I will only sell coffee less than 48 hours out of the roaster to my customers, so they may enjoy coffee at its peak of flavor. I will only use the finest organic, and pesticide-free, shade-grown beans. If they can’t come to me, I will drive to their house to give them the freshest coffee they have ever tasted.’” Visit the Blue Bottle site and click on the “how to prepare” link for some real edification. (I’d link to the page, but the site is built using frames. What?!&$? I appreciate creative anachronism as much as the next guy when it comes to creating good tasting food and beverages, but I like my internet experience up to date. Frames went out in the 1990s!)

Oakland has a pretty rich and vibrant blogging community. Since I’m exiled to the chilly midwest (as I sit here the wind is howling and snow is blowing and drifting) for a few more days, I thought I could sate my west coast thirst by reading some of them and getting familiar with the lay of the land. Here are some top of mind impressions and links to some. This is not a comprehensive list, it’s a start at familiarizing myself with what’s happening. A couple of these blogs are already listed on the links page and all of them will be listed there eventually.

A Better Oakland
V Smooth is the blogger and the site is primarily focused on Oakland politics and civic issues. There seems to be a vibrant community of commenters. The posts are long and detailed.

Oakland North
This is a project of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Like A Better Oakland it is primarily focused on news and civic issues.

Oakland Local
This is a new site, launched fairly recently. Susan Mernit is the editor and publisher. Like Oakland North, Oakland Local is a non-profit, community focused site. This site has a bit more of the Birkenstock vibe than Oakland North or A Better Oakland. And that’s meant in a loving way.

Today in Montclair, 94611
Anna and I both grew up in Montclair. (We were both born elsewhere but both ended up in the hills in the late 60s.) We were living in Montclair when we left Oakland 15 years ago, so we have a soft spot for the neighborhood. This blog tracks news/political stuff that matters to Montclarions, but daily postings might also include pictures of kids in the Village or other neighborhood playfulness.

Living in the O
There’s one entry posted every day or so and the story may be a detailed analysis of a public meeting or a listing of upcoming public event (typically of a political nature) or even a review of the new produce market that opened in the Temescal neighborhood.

The Oakbook
This is like a city magazine (I think they publish a print magazine — or at least they did), and the articles are eclectic and interesting. This seems to be a blog that many people know and refer to.

City Homestead
This is the kind of site I hope Back To Oakland will be. From their About page: “This blog is an attempt to chronicle our adventures living in a small 1915 bungalow in the heart of Oakland, California. … Most of the time this blog is about our house and garden, our neighborhood, and our city. Occasionally, I write about bigger picture issues and ideas, usually around urban planning and policy, food systems, or other things I think are fun and interesting.”

More to come as I find the time to explore. If you have recommendations, leave comments or drop me a line.

Nate

23 years ago today Anna and I hustled down to Alta Bates to see what kind of prize she had been brewing for the previous nine months. We hit the jackpot. Nate popped out. He was a pretty cute little dude, and along side his protective and loving big brother, he grew up to be a fine young man.

This photo was taken a couple of years ago. The cowboy hat was a souvenir of a geology field trip to the Badlands. Nate is a wonderful young man. I know I speak for Anna when I say we love him with our whole being.

Happy 23rd, Nathan Jon Hurty. And many happy returns.

Just a couple more weeks until I make my way back to Oakland and settle in with my lovely wife in our cozy apartment. I’m grateful for Skype and free long distance calls. At least we can be in touch, even if we can’t actually touch.

I’ve added a link in the left margin for the Alameda County Community Food Bank’s Virtual Food Drive. Several Oakland bloggers are collaborating to encourage donations and I’m happy to support the effort. The ACCFB says that they are able to stretch their resources by a multiplier of 7 by receiving cash rather than food. (They are able to cut their operating costs and purchase more economically by buying in bulk.) Please join us in making a donation. Your contribution of $10 dollars can put a tasty holiday meal on some family’s table.

Snow

It looks like about half an inch to me. Which is consistent with my observation that the WQAD weather woman was just a little too enthusiastic about her prediction.

This is the view from my niece Kjerstin’s window. I’m staying in her room for the couple of weeks that I’m in Moline this month. It’s a nice room and I appreciate that she’s willing to let me use it. (It’s her first year of college and she’s living on campus at Augustana.)

I think I’m going to head downstairs and see if I can get Jon to pull me a shot of espresso.

UPDATE: When I got downstairs, Jon was already up and getting started on coffee. He made a great little cappucino for me. Cheers!

LATER UPDATE: Anna reports that the snow level dropped to 500 feet in California last night. There’s apparently a dusting of snow on the hills in the Bay Area this morning. Cool.

EVEN LATER UPDATE: The TODAY IN MONTCLAIR, 94611 blog has photographic proof of the snow in the Oakland Hills.

One of the reasons that Anna wanted to move back to California is that the cold winters here were painful for her. Literally. There were weeks when she nearly limped because of the pain in her feet from the cold. Starting in mid December the temperatures start to drop. We’re looking at a couple of days in the coming week that may drop to lows around zero. Those were the temperatures that really got to her. (Oddly, it’s supposed to be cold in Oakland next week, too. At least one night the lows could drop to around 29 degrees.)

One of the things that we will miss, of course, is looking out into our yard on the morning after a big snowstorm. It’s so bright, and, if the sky is blue, there’s a magnificence that’s hard to describe. The TeeVee weathercaster at our local Moline station was predicting a couple of inches of snow overnight tonight and then possibly 6 to 12 inches over Tuesday and Wednesday. The predictions during the first few weeks of the winter season are typically a little overstated (I think the weathercasters get excited) so it may not be as deep as they’re predicting.

I’ve always felt that if it’s going to be cold, we might as well have snow on the ground. In our neighborhood, with the big trees and large yards, it’s much prettier than the brown and gray colors of the winter landscape. So I say “bring on the snow.” A six inch dump might be fun, and I can get my fill of shoveling the driveway for the season.

I had dinner tonight with Adam and Tamara and their three happy children. (I’ve never known three small kids who smile so much.) We ate a very tasty carrot and feta lasagna that Tamara made, accompanied by tossed greens with apples and bleu cheese (one of my two favorite fruit/cheese/greens combinations — the other being pears, arugula, and camembert). It was nice to be with them.

Adam is professor of theatre design at Augustana and he’s designing the set, clothes, and lights for the production of Chekov’s The Seagull that I’m directing at Augustana next spring. We had a chance to discuss (over ice wine) some ideas about the production. I’ve been wanting to direct The Seagull for some time, and I’m using the script that Dakin Matthews adapted for the production in which I played Dr. Dorn in the program at ACT back in the early 1980s.

Living in the Quad Cities has presented me with a great opportunity to work in the theatre. It’s been great having the chance to direct, and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know Adam, Scott, and Jeff — the Augustana theatre faculty. I hope I’ll find a new outlet for my theatre interests in the Bay Area.

My brother gave me a little grief last night for not making comments available on all the entries on this blog. He felt it would be fair for him to have an opportunity to respond to what I wrote about mustard a while back. I thought about it and I agree — a meaningful conversation would be worthwhile. So in deference to Jon, and to anyone else who wants to respond to these entries, I’m turning comments on for all future entries, and for the mustard entry (so that Jon can make his case for Boetje’s).

I will say up front that my policy regarding comment moderation and censorship will be entirely dictatorial. I welcome divergent points of view, I crave your honest opinions, and I love a good discussion and passionate disagreement about food, wine, culture, and anything else that may come up on this blog. I do not appreciate name calling or incivility, and comments that I think are inconsistent with the tone and nature of our intended conversation will be deleted.

Release the hounds!