Cafe del Sol is closed this week while owners Frank and Sally Walker refinish the floors and do some remodeling.

Which means I’m without my morning jolt of Java.

True, I guzzle several cups of caffeine before leaving home each morning but the ritual stop at the Cafe is an ingrained part of my daily schedule, often turning into a multiple-hour sojourn.

It happens like this. I drop by for a cup of coffee. Somebody I know comes in and we start talking. Then somebody else drops by and, before I know it, the morning is gone.

Sally and Frank’s coffee shop has become the gathering place for a diverse group of people, from the locals to the newcomers. In many ways it is the town square where people gravitate throughout the day.

I will miss that for the next week.