 
A Visit To Bongo Billy's Cafe In Buena Vista, Colorado - August 2006
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I have been sick with a nasty head cold and slight fever
for the past three days and I just had to get out of my cabin for a short while. The
fever had subsided and I felt enough energy to go for a ride, and I figured it might
be nice to buy a coffee at Bongo Billy's. Now Bongo Billy's is definitely a great coffee shop in Buena Vista.
Frankly, this small mountain town isn't much of a happening place and while I usually make my own coffee at home
(albeit usually crappy supermarket coffee), sometimes
it is nice to get out and be with others. |
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Okay, so there is the standard photo
of my 16 ounce coffee in a "to go" cup. Even if I stay on the premises to drink my coffee,
I always request the "to go" cup. And thanks to the timer,
I snapped one photo of me drinking my coffee. I know, I know, nothing that
exciting so far, right?
(My insecurities are just
oozing in my captions - I can just tell!) |
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Now let me tell you of an embarrassing incident from the
last time I visited Bongo Billy's last weekend, for I was still a little self-conscious about it when I placed my order.
I made a major gaffe by saying I wanted a "16 inch" coffee
to one of the many cute girls who works there. The girl looked straight at me and teased me about it,
and my face turned totally red. Don't ask me where my thoughts went with it!
Anyway, some of the patrons in line beside me also teased me and I took it in good stride, I guess.
(Adjacent photo: Bongo Billy's coffee beans. I really like the Mt. Yale blend.) |
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The top photo is a shot of Jesse, a very likeable guy who grew up
and has lived his whole life in this town.
Jesse is a singer in a punk rock band, has a bunch of tattoos and a mohawk (see adjacent photo).
All the girls seem to have a crush on him, but sorry ladies, he already has a girlfriend! I also included a photo of Jesse
and I from December 2005, when I was wearing a BP shirt in public with Jesse showing his support.
So after drinking much of my coffee, I went over and stood by the front counter hoping to get a photo
or two that would either be funny or interesting. One female worker with strawberry blondish approached me and
said she loves my ColoradoGuy web site,
which was nice, considering I never had a
conversation with her until then. Somehow she and I got on the topic of body image and insecurities,
and I was explaining to her that I'm paranoid about
my big stomach getting fatter.
I went on to explain
that the reason my hair was disheveled and I hadn't shaved in a few days was
because I was sick, but it felt like I was going into "TMI" (i.e. "too much information") territory.
I then captured this photo with myself and this other friendly
counter girl in green. I like it!
If you're a coffee nerd, stand up and be proud! :) |
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One last photo. I was reading through the Rocky Mountain News
and came upon this caption that had the city of Guadaljara in Mexico. Ha ha ha ha!
If you have never seen it,
click here to watch my Spanish video clip
(a new window will open; it'll be helpful if you have a high-speed connection) in which
I ramble in Spanish and mention Guadalajara. I studied Spanish for four years but only remember words but not their respective meanings, and at the time I didn't even know Guadalajara was a city. :p) |
The pictures and captions were provided by Steve Garufi in Buena Vista, Colorado.
His web site is: www.ColoradoGuy.com.
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