We’re fast approaching the season when we anticipate a significant percentage of our daylight hours devoted to car-side vigils on that interminable stretch of tarmac known as the ferry line-up. But cheer up. A scattering of kiosks and some harbourside renos have made life in the slow lane more palatable. And helping it along are some smiling faces under the Q-Beans Coffee sign.

Owners and coffee aficionados Denis and Olya are those sainted people who show up at some unsainted hour every morning and get Quadra onto the ferry with a cup of hot java to warm the workin’ soul. It’s java you can feel good about – fair trade all the way, and the taste and presentation are as good as the politics.

Face it, Quadra, we’re addicted to the stuff in a cup. The whole island is a great java destination, and all the coffee purveyors (and don’t forget the roasters) have ample elbow room on this island thanks to our collective passion for anything to do with a coffee bean.

But back to Q-Beans for a sec. Denis and Olya are opening a second Q-Beans Coffee kiosk to offer their ministrations to islanders stuck on the tarmac on the other side of the strait. It’s true – cappuccinos and lattés to help you forget that you’re overloaded again on the River side of life.

Good luck, D&O, with the new show! We’re behind you all the way – more to the point, we’re lining up at your window for a hit of java and a cheery bit of conversation to jumpstart our day.