Nicholette Jean Photography: February 2011

St. Johns Coffee Roasters can be found in downtown St. Johns, tucked away in a one car garage that reads "Just knock" on it's roll up door. So...we knocked. We weren't expecting a response but seconds later, up rolled the garage door. We were greeted by an enthusiastic man.

It was like the scene from The Wizard of Oz. But instead of a wizard behind a cloth to grant our most essential wishes, it was Mount, a coffee roasting genius to caffeinate our minds and warm our hands and bodies with a nice hot cup of Joe. Mount and his wife, Julie, so graciously took us in and allowed us to sample coffees that had been roasted just days prior. While Mount roasted coffee for the coming week, Julie and I chatted about photography. Turns out, Mount and Julie owned a photography studio for a number of years before becoming passionate about coffee.

Not only are they passionate about the roasting process, they care deeply about the origin of their beans and the people who cultivate them. Much of their bean stock comes from a small village in El Salvador. As a side note to their organic and fair trade coffee ethics, St. Johns Coffee imports and sells handmade, beaded jewelry made by El Salvadorian women trying to build up their economy after civil war and natural disaster.

There was so much happening in this small space that the morning quickly got away from us. We left with a pound of the Bolivian Peaberry, a bean we did not sample while we were there. Can't wait to have a cup this afternoon!

Here's to another uniquely invigorating morning in our little neighborhood of St. Johns!

St. Johns Coffee is open to the public on Saturdays from 10am to 5pm. Their beans can be purchased at several locations around Portland.

Our move to Portland has been exciting and fruitful thus far. Getting over all the passes on the way here was challenging and, at times, down right frightening. We drove through all types of weather, from high winds (not fun in a 16 foot UHaul) to snow, to sleet, to downpours, to flooding. Turns out, we left just in the nick of time because over the next couple days, 12 inches of snow accumulated on the valley floor in Reno.

We are settling in to our little bungalow in St. Johns, on a peninsula just north of Portland Proper. Our 700 sq. ft. house is walking distance to downtown St. Johns, a small community with friendly shop dogs and stores that have been in the same place for over 70 years. A few blocks from our house is a year-round farmers market, featuring produce from Sauvies Island and raw, local honey (red clover and blackberry to name a few types).

The first week of our time here in Portland has been spent scouting out the best parks in the area. For two people who love spending time with each other and our dogs, parks and places to take them are essential. We were a little disappointed by the largest dog park in Portland (1.5 miles from our house). Supposedly a 16 acre, off leash, fenced parcel of land, this park lies alongside a busy thoroughfare, home to a car-wrecking facility. It's a good thing we didn't make a big deal about it to the dogs before we got here. So, the search continued...

Forest Park, perhaps that largest urban park in the country, is just across the St. Johns bridge from our house. There are over 70 miles of hiking and biking trails, where you can get lost and forget that you are so close to the city. It started raining just as we were heading over the bridge to Forest Park yesterday. I had brought my camera, hoping to make some photographs of the magnificent rainforest that I love so dearly. As we got out of the car, I thought about leaving the camera behind, due to the rain. But, Mitchell had a plastic bag to wrap around my camera bag, affording me the opportunity to bring my prized possession along.

As we walked through the muddy forest, Cooper Dean was on alert leading the way, while Bailey Roo trailed behind, cautious of the mud squishing between her paws and the mess it was making on her low-hanging belly. She diligently mapped out the least muddy route to take each time we came upon a thick mess of brown goo. As the rain subsided, the clouds began to part and made way for the sun to shine through the thick forest of trees. With camera in hand, I trudged through the muddy forest, examining the rapid change in light. It was absolutely beautiful!

However, I found myself continually looking backward, wondering if there was an even more beautiful sight to be seen than what lied ahead. Each time I did this, I was reminded of how much I have been looking into the past to find some sort of definition for myself. In a time where the future is so uncertain, I find myself clinging to what I used to be in Reno. At times, wanting so badly to return to that familiar routine. But each time that I looked behind me for a beautiful scene, it wasn't there. The beauty was all ahead of me. Gradually I became comfortable focusing on what was ahead, to the point where I didn't even question what was behind me anymore. Who and what I was in Reno will always be a part of me. In this moment, however, it is time to revel in the new journey and new opportunities of the future.