My favorite thing about Barb Daly is that she wears a beret.  Like, more often than anyone else I’ve ever met.  She’s got berets in almost every color to match almost every outfit.  As if a revolution might break out any second, and she wants to be ready for the photo shoot.  That’s my favorite thing about Barb Daly. That, plus she’s opening up a new coffee shop on the south side of Binghamton.

She’s working with partner Sherrie Saluc to build a café that serves coffee “with a touch of spirituality on the side.”  I know, I know.  Sounds a little hippy-ish around the edges.

But I like just about anybody who’s willing to take a risk on a Bingo business; plus, their excitement about “The River Music Café” is annoyingly infectious.  There were a good two or three moments during the interview during which I felt a sympathetic smile begin to creep onto my face.  But then I quickly squelched all feelings of joy.

The cafe: not so pretty yet.  They’re on it.

They’re setting up shop at 7 South Washington—right next to the walking bridge—and plan to open Dec 20th.  I met up with them today at Cyber Café West to chat about the café and taste their vegan chocolate cake.  Pretty damn good, by the way.  Almost made me wish I didn’t love the taste of dead animal flesh so very much.

So what’s DIFFERENT about the River Muse?
It’s a place where kindred spirits meet.  Great soups, fabulous coffee drinks, delectable deserts with a commitment to buy local.  All of our takeout materials will be green.  The food will be nutritious for meat eaters and vegans alike.  All welcome.

Who makes the food, what’s their background, and what’ll it be like?
We’re purchasing the best of the best from all local culinary talent.  Barbara’s an energetic entrepreneur that like good coffee.  Sherrie firmly believes that you can combine nutritious, delicious, and healthy, with a touch of spirituality on the side.  Cheesecakes to brownies to great cookies to stuffed dates.  And healthy alternatives like dried cranberries/almond mix.  All of our lunches will have healthy sides.  ie, everybody gets an apple (locally grown, of course) whether they want it or not.

Who are your customers and what do you see them doing at the café?
We are our demographic.  And we’ve also discovered a niche in the market for young people who crave good coffee and good food.  College students who need a place to gather.

How about entertainment and special events.  If you could describe the ultimate night you’d plan at the café, what would it look like?
We’ll be on the First Friday circuit and the river trail.  Art shows and live local musicians.  We’re open to all genres of music and literature events.  Poetry readings, book clubs, and spiritual conversations.  We can even imagine an opportunity for live webcasts from the café.  Political conventions.  We can’t be labeled and we welcome all ideas.  We’re inclusive!

Hot air balloons are pretty and everything.

But not when they emergency land in your backyard.

That’s what happened on the South Side of Binghamton yesterday according to a buddy of mine who was on hand to take photos of the whole incident.  Here’s what he had to say:

We were out on the back porch to watch a big balloon hovering in the sky a few blocks away.  As we watched it, it descended while moving west along the roadway. As it continued, it seemed to be getting too close to the trees and power lines.  We decided to follow it.  As it descended, it clipped a few tree branches and seemed to almost land on the house on the corner.

It continued on a few blocks and finally landed safely in someone’s back yard.  It was quite a site, a large rainbow balloon sitting behind a large house – almost like it was their private ride.  I wonder how they’ll get it back out of their yard.  One of the balloon riders said they had started the trip about 30-40 minutes earlier and had hit a completely dead patch, with no wind. They were going nowhere and needed to land.  They decided to put it down wherever they could.