Coffee Art® | Announcements

February 26, 2007
This is an exciting first for us, we just premiered our first short film this past weekend. It was well received at the Short Shorts Film Festival.

It is a fun film titled "The Artist, The Dog & The Search for Inspiration" and it can be viewed here.

Please take a look and let us know what you think.

February 24, 2007
We thought it would be a fun experience to travel to Greenland for a couple of days. It has been on our list of destinations and decided to go. We took some photos of the arctic landscape.

Well, we didn't really to Greenland, but it sure looks like we could have. These photos were taken near our home of the ice covered lake.

It was quite beautiful and we felt we were on the edge of the world. The ice build up is spectacular and we can imagine that the icebergs will be equally stunning when the ice flows out in the Spring.

February 19, 2007
Earlier this morning, Angel's brother Rusty was deployed for his second tour in Iraq. He is with the Minnesota Air National Guard. We wish him a successful mission and a safe arrival home.

Since this was his second tour, he knows what he is in for and knows what to expect. From his stories of the scorching 130+ degree days in his first tour, the weather this time will be a pleasant 80 degrees.

Mr. Gnome will be traveling with Rusty to Iraq, and we hope that he will send reports and images back. Mr Gnome is a world traveler with stops in Finland, India, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway and Iceland. Now he can chalk up Iraq on his list!

February 16, 2007
My grandma sent me a letter today and it contained a news clipping from my hometown newspaper. It was an article about her being the "first frolic queen from 1948." It was a fun little story:

First Frolic Queen from 1948 – not gone, not forgotten.
By Monica Isley

The secret’s out.
The very first Two Harbors Winter Frolic Queen isn’t some personage from the distant past who has quietly faded out of the scene.

Marion Gustafson, a junior crowned in 1948, has been known all these years as Marion Johnson; married to Weldon Johnson, owner of Weldon’s Gifts, caretaker of the Big Chicken.

She won her title because she and her classmates sold the most tickets to the frolic. Tickets, not buttons.

“No one could afford the button,” she said.

The tickets were a while 10 cents each.

Those were the days after the Depression and after World War II. Weldon Johnson remembers that 1948 was about the time when things started to improve economically. It was time to have some fun.

It was also the year of the first Two Harbors High School hockey team. According to the Johnsons’ yearbooks, 11 boys went out for the team that year. In ’49, it was up to 20.

First queen, first team. Must be why Miss Gustafson was crowned by Howard Babin, captain of that hockey team. It took place at the outdoor ice arena, “the only place in town for kids to meet,” according to the Johnsons.

Now, the former Hardee’s building and API and the surrounding parking lots take up that earlier meeting place.

During the a reminiscing session with the Johnsons at their Two Harbors home this week, Marion Johnson admitted that she doesn’t remember a whole lot about the event – not even how she came to be in the running of the royal position.

“That was 59 years ago,” she protested.
But someone must have nominated me, because I never would have signed up.”

She did pull out two photos taken by a friend, which show the new queen surrounded by eager fans, most of the girls, wearing babushkas and looking a bit like refugees.

The “flowing white robes of white,” which she was described as wearing in the newspaper story of the day, was a long cape with red trim that went over her own coat to keep the very chilly temperatures at bay.

Marion reigned over the half-day frolic, but she said that she had no other official duties. In later years, the queens went on to represent Two Harbors at the Minneapolis Aquatennial.

This year, despite the many intriguing events that have been planned for the frolic, Feb 9-11, there won’t be a queen. But with Marion Johnson still in town, royalty isn’t very far away.

February 14, 2007
Happy Valentine's Day from Gidget! We hope that you are having a lovely Valentine's Day with your sweetheart.

February 7, 2007
We usually start off the morning by having CNN Headline News on while we are getting ready for the day. The anchors were asking for images and video from people who deal with frigid temperatures. From our previous post on February 2, we thought that they should see what Gidget does to prepare for the cold temperatures. We sent in the image to their I-Report section and sure enough, we were watching the news this morning and there was our little Gidget!

We uploaded the video from this morning's broadcast. (Roll over the black rectangle and click on the Play button to take a look:)

February 4, 2007
Our cousin in Finland writes to us:

"We see you just Land of Hope tv program!! That was very interesting."

The documentary about us and our Coffee Art® aired tonight and I guess we are now famous in Finland.

We have not seen the documentary yet, but we are very excited to see how it turned out. Here is a link to the documentary: www.yle.fi

February 3, 2007
Angel and I are involved with the FinnFest 2008 event and we are in the Music Committee. We are working with great people and have been involved with some very fun activities. We are promoting our upcoming event on February 27, Laskiaistiistai. It is the celebration before Lent, think of a Mardi Gras in Finland. This festival is much more civilized more emphasis on family. The Laskiaistiistai event activities include downhill sliding, ice skating, traditional pea soup, and of course, coffee!

For more information, look up www.finnfest2008.com

February 2, 2007
After a long Autumn and a mild start to the winter, the cold finally has arrived and overtaken our area. I don't mind the cold all that much, it's poor little Gidget that has to face the brunt of the cold weather. We make sure that she is all bundled up when she has to go outside.

The past few mornings it has been about
-20° and with the north winds, it feels like
-40°!

I am hoping that we have turned the corner on the cold weather, now we just need the snow. It has been quite the disappointing winter with our snowfall.

Coffee Art Short Film
The Artist, The Dog & The Search for Inspiration

frozen ice

frozen ice

frozen iceland
Angel explores the Arctic

Rusty & Angel
Rusty and Angel

First Frolic Queen
My grandmother, now, and as the Winter Frolic Queen in 1948.

Gidget's Valentine's Day
Happy Valentine's Day from Gidget!

Little Gidget all bundled up on CNN.

Angel ja Erkki
Angel & Erkki, the Finnish documentary filmmaker.

Laskiaistiistai poster that Angel & I designed.

Gidget braving the cold!
Gidget braving the cold, cold weather!