Picked up Earl at his apartment in Towson and went on the hunt for two indie coffee shops that were supposed to be close by. Whichever one we found first (if they still existed) would be the one we'd hit for the day. Couldn't find the first one - Wanna Go Coffee and Cafe - which was really close to him at the Shops at Kenilworth. I was intrigued by it because it was started by former NHL players who wanted to get into business after their playing careers had ended. Who wouldn't want to check that one out? I called the number listed and it had been disconnected with no further information. The next was was Spro Coffee, listed on the internet as being "on bridge level three" at the Towson Public Library. You get to it by entering the library and walking up the spiraling, Guggenheim-esqe ramp to the top - an interesting space. It would be great if they put some paintings on the wall, maybe from local artists and students. What they have are some shots of old Towson and a series of flags at the top. We stepped into the third floor of the library and looked around. You have to look around; we didn't see any signs until we spotted the one over the door to the "bridge." We were pretty happy to see that it was still there and operational. You come to the counter as soon as you enter, and Jay, the manager/one person staff is friendly and knows his way around the different coffee machines. The is also a limited but very good selection of nibble-ables; Earl had flan, which he said was excellent, and I had an interesting chocolate chip cookie. Earl got an espresso (that's why the cup is so mini) and I had a cup of tea made with loose tea. Earl said the espresso was good, and I'm going to try another kind of tea next time. Earl said it was good when he tried a sip of it; I thought it tasted like hot potpourri, but somebody with a more sophisticated sense of teas would probably like it. The room is an enclosed bridge, connecting another part of the library, and is spacious - at least eight tables with comfortable chairs and full windows to the outside. People were on laptops, so I'm guessing it has free WiFi, too. What's up with Starbucks still charging for WiFi? That is so weenie. There is a counter running almost the length of the room, with different openings for returning books. People came and went while we were there ( a little over an hour +) and were friendly. The owner/worker clearly has an ongoing relationship with many people, which was great to see, too. My second favorite part of our visit, after hearing about how Earl's film projects are going (today was the last day of classes at Towson U, finals next week) was the man who came in while we were ordering. A pleasant older man, he reminded me in some ways of Earl Sr., my Dad/Earl's Grandfather, who passed away just a few years ago. Maybe it was the way that he had all of his change out of his pocket and on the counter, separating the different coins into pennies, nickles, dimes and a few quarters, sliding the coins, one by one, into a pile that he was going to use for his coffee purchase, or maybe he appeared to be about the same age as my Dad was when he was still going strong and independent; I don't know. I told him that today was the day that my son and I buy coffee for the next person in line, and today was his day. He told us that he had enough money. I said again that it was our tradition, and we had to do it, and we'd like to do it for him. He said thanks, and we told the owner/worker that he should put it on my card. He sat two tables from us and drank his coffee, looking out the window, and we said goodbye to him when he left. When Earl and I were leaving about an hour later, we stopped and thanked Jay and told him we were glad to find his shop, and asked him if the man that was there came in often. He said he did, several times a week. I had a dollar and Earl had two quarters and we gave it to him for the next time the man came in for coffee, to buy it for him as a surprise. Now it really is a tradition, for him. I hope you stop by if you're in Towson. If you park just a short two blocks away, you can park for free on the street and avoid the meters right where the library is. We'll be back, and I hope we see the older gentleman there, too. Spro Coffee, Third floor bridge of the Towson Publis library, Towson, Maryland.

These three "coffee mug" uploads are for our 'household item' theme. I like them all equally for different reasons but I really like the colorful bokeh resulting from kid's hanging artwork in 'coffee mug {2}'. Sorry I was late but this weekend and Friday were spent with my sister who is grieving the loss of her best canine friend. GEEZ, that sounds so over-dramatic but they really have a way of leaving a hole in your heart when they go...truly, they are, man's best friend. Reminding me alot of losing Heather and how it just takes time to stop missing them every minute. I remember how I cried for a week straight and my chest literally hurt for a few weeks after she died ~ like a broken heart. I dropped Lola off today to keep her company-it's her first day alone and when working from home, you need a companion. Boy, am I gushing...ANYWAY...I chose a coffee cup for these reasons: ~ coffee & flickr mornings are my favorite part of the day, I shouldn't allow myself as much time as I do, but oh well, you only live once... ~ I cherish my coffee mug collection, each one has special meaning (matching sets are just so boring!) ~ the "funky monkey" mug is a present from my sister for throwing her baby shower...she gave us all different ones to represent our "style" (her words) ~ the "J" mug is from Jamie Oliver's restaurant in London when I visited Sarah with Whit. My other fun souvenir from there are dishtowels that say "Jamie's Kitchen" ~ Other favorite mugs include my London tube map mug, harry potter 'house crests' mug, and my "best dancer on earth" mug (because it's just so damn funny).