Parting is such sweet sorrow!

I pulled up to my favorite place in Iowa, a place that reminded me of Seattle and the funky coffee places where writers can retreat and muse, and--shock of shocks!--it was closed, in the middle of a sunny afternoon. Brown paper covered the windows. A yellow notice in the glass door announced the death--er, closure--of Java Creek Café.

Behind that brown paper I could still see, in my mind's eye, the sophisticated counter and savvy menu board, the cool lighting, the friendly barristas, and around the corner the cozy fireplace serving as host to six stuffed sidechairs and a coffee table bearing quirky books. I could smell the mocha and strawberry syrups, the warmth of crumbly oversized muffins and scones, the cool cucumbers in garden paninis. Augh! Gone, all gone!

I swallowed. How could this be?

Funny how important things like the Midwest floods, the upcoming elections, and recent reports of record-setting foreclosures didn't make my blog, but this--the closing of my safe haven--did.

Ah, but perhaps that's why. In times uncertain, we long for places of comfort. Java Creek Café was such a place.

Java Creek Café and staff, I thank you for being a place of comfort to lunch with good friends, to share a manuscript with a reading partner, and to buy the best mocha strawberry latté in the region. I'm glad I bought your shirt, because I'll always be a "Creek Freak."

Thanks for the safe haven and the many warm memories.