In the beginning, the brothers said, "Let there be coffee!" And it was good!

Each part of each day of our 2010 Brothers Reunion began with or somehow included coffee. Interestingly, aside from our traditional trip to a fabulous ice cream farm (yes, farm), we never ate out. Since we prefer to do the cooking ourselves, this draws us into the general kitchen area, which means that at least one of us will think to ask, "Anyone care for coffee?"

Paul has spent decades discerning which outfit roasts the best beans to his satisfaction, exactly what measure of beans is required for the perfect pot, how to best grind the beans, etc. I have no idea how many bags of roasted beans were consumed, but they did the trick.

Alex was the sole male uninterested in coffee that weekend. Judging from how much he slept, he could have used a cup or two, but nevertheless, he kept a watchful eye on everything.


Paul either produced each and every pot, or taught yet another brother how to use the equipment at hand.

Paul was also ever ready to refill cups as might be required. After all, when two brothers are engrossed in on-line poker, there is obviously no time to get up and make coffee. As evening approached, we usually switched to decaf.


As 17th-century Londoners discovered, sipping excellent coffee is the perfect way to keep conversation flowing.


Occasional breaks were taken so that Mark could try to convince Frank to get a new camera (". . . and, it's a tax write-off!" . . . .)


And at times, one was simply forced to wait for the next pot to be brewed . . . .


Thanks for all the coffee, Paul!