My siblings and cousins in Massachusettes would chide me if I complained about our odd "winter storm" that blew into Silicon Valley yesterday, in the middle of what should be our "Indian summer".

But it's a little cold here.

It was 65 degrees in the Handy house this morning (and in the high forties outside). The heater had to go on or this blogger wasn't getting out of bed. The dust burned off and smelled the place up initially. After flipping the thermostat back onto "sensing mode", I flipped on the coffee. This time it's Peet's. But when that's gone I'll be dripping something from Burundi that my brother got while at a theological conference there a couple of weeks ago.

In college and grad school especially, I spent a lot of time at coffeehouses. Some of my friends today really don't make coffee at home - they always go out for it. Several Realtor colleagues of mine bring along their laptop or tablet computers and socialize with the regulars while catching up on email, or reading news online. For me, visiting a coffeehouse is a treat.

Last night I was invited to join the Bay Area Ghost Hunt folks at Starbucks in Los Gatos at 6:30. Personally, I prefer mom & pop shops, locally owned ones, but I do love getting a latte with sugar free hazlenut syrup - yum! That is also available at Seattle's Best inside of Border's in Old Town, a bookstore we can't seem to stay away from for a week at a time.

Independent, Locally Owned Los Gatos Coffeehouses

But let's talk locally owned coffee stores. In Portland, where coffee is as serious as it is in Seattle but chain stores are shunned, you hear people joke that "friends don't let friends drink Starbucks". And they mean it!  Mom and pop shops all the way.

So here in town, where do you like to go? Here are my three favorite ones:

 * Yogurt Delite at 464 N Santa Cruz Ave (older article about this neat shop) 
 * Great Bear Coffee Roasting 19 N Santa Cruz Ave 
 * Los Gatos Coffee Roasting at 101 W. Main Street near University

Yogurt Delite has a name that does not imply coffee and breakfast munchies, but it does provide those along with free wireless internet. It is a smaller shop than my other two favorites, so if you are looking for a quiet place to enjoy your cuppa joe, this is it. Parking is easy as it's close to Safeway and Petco.

Great Bear has cool art, both mural art and local framed art on display. (No, the art isn't all good, but it is all interesting.) It's a larger shop and centrally located in the "main drag" area. Parking is not hard on N. Santa Cruz in the morning (afternoons are another matter) but there's also a parking lot in back, off Main Street.

The Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company really does roast its own coffee - you can smell it. It is the largest of my three favorite coffee places in town, with tons of seats. If you live in town and are at all involved, it's impossible to go there and not know or at least recognize someone. But parking can be an issue in this congested part of town. It's easiest to stop in there if you're doing several store visits in the area, or if you can arrive on foot or bike. It's not too far from the Los Gatos Creek Trail so many patrons here seem to be motor-vehicle free.

As for me, my kids have just left for school and my mug has managed to get empty. Time to fill 'er up. And maybe today I will swing by one of my favorite coffee houses for a little decaf. Actually, I had some serious insomnia last night. Maybe it will be regular.