Spiritual Stick and Rudder (Class visits the cafe)
Dr. Smith arrived first the wild purple haired English Prof. who loved
Kerouac and was once divorced for the first time took a look at the café. There
was nothing small about Dr. Smith she was tall loud and independent. She ran the
Texas Heritage Music Foundation and road horses for fun. She had a big piece of
property in Southern Kerrville. She made the comment: "Looks more like bunker or
a barn than a coffee house!" I let out a laugh. I then forced myself to tell
her, "This is a western coffee house made for the climate of the Edwards Plateau
built like a cave purposefully." She paused for a moment wanting more
information. I explained "Basically we are on a high plateau and there is
nothing to stop a Siberian Express from the arctic furthermore in the summertime
a high ceiling turns a building into a giant oven. Power bills for this place
have been real low. Clint the designer of this place wanted a building short
squat with thick walls. The high wooden house that is popular is the worst kind
of building for the plains, which we are the southern extension of. The ideal
building ducks and offers as little area to the wind as possible." She nodded
pondering the thought. I added this land is harsh we are on the battlefield
between the Gulf Tropics and the Interior Deserts and we are far enough south
and west that Pacific moisture can reach us throwing a wild card in the deck a
bunker is appropriate for a battlefield." Dr.Smith was growing board with the
technical detail. Donna sat quietly watching more. Dr Smith then asked, "You got
your essay ready?" I replied with a yes. A small grin appeared on Donna's face
triggering Dr. Smith to comment, "I know now it was done at the last minute." I
had to cite Kerouac to add some credibility to my defense, "Hey you know I read
On The Road and I decided to do the something his style for once." She paused
and then fired a lose threat, "Well it better be like Kerouac then?" I replied,
"It will be close enough." She then fired off; "I'm hungry." I responded a
mesquite half-pound burger for $3.50. She asked me, "What no discount." I
responded, "I'll show you the balance sheet and you will see why no discount."
She paid while shooting a teasingly upset look at me and I made the burger. She
ate quietly in preparation of the class ahead. The rest of the class started
trickling in. Donna was soon busy making cappuccinos and espressos and hot
strong cups of coffee.
Before the class started. An older man graying black hair and beard joined us with a railroad hat and overalls. Dr. Smith introduced him as simply spoons. Dr Smith then put me on the spot about why I opened the coffee house and how I felt about the coffee house thing going on. I had to think of something quick the first thing that came to mind was the coffeehouse boom and Augustus Mc Crae speech in Lonesome Dove. I started, "The coffee house thing started as way of people to get together and have some community in an increasingly disjointed world. Now all the yuppie posers took it on as a trend and a whole lot of what originally was good about the movement was kind of disappearing and it was becoming some big Madison Avenue thing. The whole separate distinct nature of the coffee house scene was being ambushed by Starbucks uniformity. I felt like Augustus when I got a call from Texas Monthly. The last thing I want this coffeehouse to become is some cheap tourist trap. A frontier is found and word gets out it is good and than everything good about the frontier is gone kinda of the story of the American west."