Google Map of Rockwood

Have you ever "googled" your name to find out where you might come up? Well, now that I have Park Place Coffee, I "google" Park Place Coffee, Crepes, etc., regularly to make sure I am showing up on someone's screen. On a recent test of where Park Place might come up, I came across this very sweet description: "Park Place Coffee is a truly unique cafe and social gathering place." ... "anchoring institution for the neighborhood"... and other such kind words.

I clicked on the link for this, and found it took me to a community map of the Rockwood area organized by an anonymous creator. This map holds some interesting observations of Rockwood and provides some valuable information, some trivia and some personal opinions on things happening within the community. This map can be found by clicking on the links on the right side of this screen, right under the link for Park Place Coffee (of course)!

I have since learned that this map was done as a college project by students who focused on Rockwood. I have contacted one of these students who mentioned that they hoped their creative map could potentially become a larger community project with input by others. The possibilities for this map could truly take on a community effort of its own. Please watch for later information on how we might expand this tool and incorporate your opinions!

Zimmerman House

I often have customers who come in the shop and ask for my recommendation on things to see in Rockwood or close by in Gresham. I realized that I can always recommend the typical tourist attractions outside of Gresham - the Gorge, Mt. Hood, etc. I have known of nothing particularly unique within the City itself.

As I was driving down Sandy today I remembered a landmark I have often wondered about. Off on the North side of Sandy Boulevard stands an old house called the Zimmerman House, which is maintained by the City of Gresham Parks Department, who also hosts monthly tours. I always vow to write down the next tour day and plan to attend, but never make it.

The Zimmerman House first came to my attention many years ago when my eighteen-year-old daughter had called me to say, "I have found the scariest haunted house ever right here in Gresham!" During the month of October it was the favorite pasttime of her & her girlfriends to drive by it and share its gloominess with their other friends. One night, she took me over. It was partially lit, far off the road and it had bats swarming all around the outside of the upstairs. It was darned scary, I must admit.

I recollected that the City of Gresham had received a historical house donated to them and found out this was it. Tour days are posted on a sign out front and my daughter and I have both vowed to make it in there. It has now been years since I planned on going there, and the house is no longer intimidating but as I have watched it through the seasons I have learned to appreciate the beautiful site.

The story from the City of Gresham's website is this: "The Zimmerman family had continuously lived on the dairy farm from 1870 until 1992, more than 120 years. The historic Zimmerman homestead and 1.58 acres of property were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in June 1986..."

I would be interested to hear from those who have been in the house what their impression of the site is. I will be glad to recommend this as a "thing to do in Gresham" if the commments are favorable. And, I am always looking for more "things to do in Gresham," and would welcome any additional ideas of year-round attractions.

More information on the Zimmerman House can be found at: http://www.ci.gresham.or.us/departments/des/parksandrec/zimmermanhouse.asp

Alpha House/Gresham Recovery Center

Two blocks from my home is a drug recovery center. As a resident who was concerned about home values and crime, this was not good. When I became an activist and tried to get others on my street involved in community-building, that drug rehab center was a point of contention on why neighbors wouldn't get involved. Apparently, before I moved in my home, my neighbors tried to fight the City on putting it in, but felt they were not heard, and no longer believed they could affect change.

This same drug rehab center is less than one block away from my cafe and now I view it much differently. Within one month of opening the cafe, a counselor from the Alpha House asked me if, on Sunday evenings, I could donate the left over coffee to the men in the residential program.

Once the plan was in place, I had a parade of recovering addicts walking down to my coffee shop with airpots ten minutes before closing. As I handed them the coffee they were appreciative and kind, and I heard a bit about their experiences. Some were in the program for the first time and looking forward to life when they were out, some were in the program time and time again and never managed to stay straight, some were still in the stage of feeling like they got the raw end of the deal by being stuck in a lifestyle where good coffee and other conveniences weren't readily available.

By the small token of giving away coffee that was going to be poured down the sink otherwise, I developed a team of helpers who looked out for my place. If they were outside and saw me pull up with stuff to unload, they would run over to offer help. When they had family and friends visit and were allowed to leave the facility, they would bring them over to my place. I watched so many of these gentlemen transition from in-patients to out-patients.

Pretty soon I would start seeing these men at different times of the day as they were heading off to their new jobs. Now they had paychecks and were happy to buy whatever they wanted with the money in the pocket and the newfound freedoms. And I look forward to each time they come in and tell me the next stage they've achieved. Some are buying houses, struggling through reuniting with their families, getting a car again. Some have jobs that take them out of state and they work to get clearance from their probation officer to go to sunny Arizona. Yeehaw!

Last night a face from the past came in to say hello and order a quad mocha. He was back on this side of town to attend the graduation of some of his old friends from the program. He was happy and proud of what he'd accomplished and he was happy for his friends. No sooner had he walked out the door, a reunion took place on the sidewalk. Two gentlemen from the center who were about to graduate were heading to the cafe and they grabbed each other for a hug, then all came in.

The two who were graduating ordered "fancy" drinks, and as I was making the drinks they were busy posing and taking pictures of one another with their camera phone. One of the soon-to-be graduates was saying he already had a great job lined up. I commented, "Wow! you guys sure make it sound like it's easy to get a job. You're graduating and you already have one!" The graduate looked at me with a smile and said, "Ya' know, it's amazing how much easier everything becomes when you start doing the right thing."

As a neighbor who has a home, it is disappointing to know that we get them in Rockwood when they're broken, and they leave Rockwood once they're better. As a business owner in Rockwood, I hope the neighborhood collectively gives these guys enough good memories to come visit or stay in Rockwood as they transition to being productive citizens who may have a deeper knowledge on how to overcome hardships then many of us will ever know.

Blogs on Dogs - In Rockwood (RIP Dexter)

While each of us pull out our leashes and smile as our dogs do the "I'm going for a walk!" dance, we don't think about how that connection to our furry friends connects us to one another in the community.

Since my restaurant is located next to a park where many walk their dogs, my shop stores a goodie bag for dogs next to the goodie bag for kids. It is a "must" here next to Vance Park. Many of my patrons and I have chatted over stories about our dogs and they have known my dog by name as I have known theirs. Some dogs wait outside the door for their bone as their master exits with the expected treat - coffee for mom/dad, dog bone for Charlie...; many dogs are keeping guard from the back seat of the car. Always, I am informed by proud owners that there is a friend close by anxiously awaiting mom/dad's return.

The chats of our love for our dogs became difficult a few months back when my dog stopped eating and every trip to vet brought back an uncertain diagnosis. Each day my customers would ask "how is Dexter?" and each day customers would bring me phone numbers for their favorite vet, ideas on treatments, and warm caring wishes. When the potential lymphoma diagnosis came, and my response to "How's Dexter?" came with tears welled in my eyes, each customer's eyes welled up also. I thought about the effect on my business, and while my restaurant is a happy place, I was sending my customers out the door in tears and with hugs. Perhaps not the way to build business?

After prolonged misery and many a tear shed by myself, and by so many customers who opened their heart to me, I had to put Dexter to sleep, and closed the coffee shop early the next day. Maybe some would call that a bad business decision, maybe some would say "it's just a dog."

The next day showed how people really think. The floral delivery truck arrived with a bouquet in memory of Dexter, a card was delivered, and another dear customer brought me a bouquet and a card with tears running down her cheek. Customers who had stopped by when the closed sign was up came back and did not allow me to apologize for their inconvenience but offered sympathies instead. I would not have understood this before I was a dog person, but I felt very connected now.

Two days ago, a couple of my regular young boys came in and asked for a dog bone for their dogs - one, his grandpa's pit bull that is out at Vance Park every night, and the other - a beautiful husky that is tied to the fence while his 10 yr. old owner gets himself a hot chocolate, and gets his dog a bone. I was out of dog treats, and hadn't had the heart to go back and look at the bulk dog bone bag to refill the supply. Yesterday, a customer stopped in and had a crepe before heading up to Lewis & Clark State Park to walk her retriever/chow mix. She got him out of the car and allowed me to pet him before they headed out together. Etta, my morning vanilla latte friend, brought me a picture of her favorite dog of all time, Bear. He could've been Dexter's brother.

So, Dexter is no longer one of those dogs on their leash prancing around Vance Park, and he- like all of those other dogs pulling on their leash, are probably oblivious to the fact that because their owners love them so much, they are responsible for building a true heart-to-heart connection with so many others in our community.

I vow to remember why I love Dexter and why I love my customers and their dogs. I vow to refill the dog treat canister, and I vow to celebrate dogs and their loving owners in our community when the park warms up!

Free Tax Assistance Available In Rockwood

The Rockwood Weed and Seed Program, a federal program that funded improvement efforts, wrapped up in September, but one of the programs created to benefit local residents remains. The VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) Program is something that the IRS coordinated with Weed and Seed sites all over the country and the Rockwood Weed and Seed signed on for a multiple year effort to provide free tax preparation within the Rockwood Community. The program also works to educate and encourage illegal immigrants to file their taxes.

Having people get their taxes done in low income areas potentially benefits the area. In many cases, people qualify for the Earned Income Credit, which brings additional dollars to the people in our community, and hopefully feeds back into our local economy. Many of these people who pay taxes don't necessarily know how to recoup this money, assume the fees are too high for what they will get back, don't know they can legally apply for it, or know that they can submit a return even if they don't have a social security number.

The Tax Aide Program, which will be set up at the Rockwood Community Office at 187th and SE Stark will file individual's taxes for free, utilizing AARP volunteers who have been trained in tax preparation. Everyone, regardless of income level is welcomed to use the service. In fact, to kick off the program the first year, the City's Police Chief, Carla Piluso, had her taxes done for free as an attestation of the reliability of the program. For tax payers who do not have a social security number, the IRS can assign Individual Tax Identification Numbers, which allows the returns to be processed, and reportedly does not coordinate nor share information with the Immigration Department.

Questions about the free tax preparation program can be directed to Police Activities League or to the Rockwood Community Office. The program is expected to kick off at the beginning of February.

Non-Profit sponsorships & Christmas Spirit

Blessings are especially evident at Christmas time, and I have the blessing of being in a community where each shining light shines brighter where there was darkness. My business has been adopted by local groups and individuals working toward my success almost as much as I can! I offer my support to anyone who would like to support the community, and have many stories to tell of my visitors who are out doing amazing things.

Judy Alley and the SnowCap staff are one of the bright lights here in Rockwood who has shown her strong support for my business and brings people in to Park Place regularly. I asked Judy if the Rockwood Business Coalition could support the children of SnowCap with a gift giving tree at Park Place Coffee and she immediately got me a list of items from the wish list of SnowCap children. Most of the wishes have been sponsored by customers of the coffee shop, though a few still remain. Gifts are coming in and now surrounding the tree. Some of the wishes were so dear, I share them here:

7 & 9 year old brother and sister want board games they can play with their newly recovered mother.

10 year old girl with an interest in cooking wants a cook book that she can begin with.

8 year old boy wants something to do with bugs, something his mother would let into the house.

6 year old boy wants to build things. He would enjoy Lincoln Logs, Legos, wooden blocks, anything to build.

12 year old miss is hooked on Harry Potter stories.

3 year old twins love to play together. Mother thinks Play Doh would be fun for all three of them.

13 year old girl likes to do crafts, wants to learn to knit, and is good with beads.

2 year old has a mother who wants him to learn shapes and colors.

7 year old girl has lived in four states already. Her mother would like her to have a map of the US with each state a separate piece.

6 year old Hispanic girl would like a doll with dark hair.

8 year old boy wants to be a handyman like his dad. He would love any kinds of toy tools.

Speaking of lights, another non-profit's local efforts will stand out on Friday, December 14th from 6-8 p.m. People for Parks, a non-profit who has done so much to turn the quality of Vance Park around, will hold the lighting of the luminaries on Friday, where the whole park will be aglow with candles and Christmas cheer. Kathy Minden, founder of People for Parks, will include complementary beverages at Park Place Coffee as part of the celebration.

We welcome anyone to join us by supporting the SnowCap Giving Tree, or enjoy the efforts of People for Parks on December 14th.

Disc Golfers In Rockwood

On Monday the sun was out, but it was darned cold. It may not be the best conditions for a day in the park, but it doesn't keep the disc golfers inside. At least five disc golfers stopped in to say hello. The park right next to the cafe, Vance Park, became the site of a disc golf course last Winter and has been a blessing to my business as well as the surrounding community.

Disc Golf (a.k.a. Frisbee golf) is set up at various sites throughout the state, country and the world. In Rockwood we have two courses - 1 at Rockwood Central Park and 1 at Vance Park. Until the disc golfers started coming to Vance Park I never understood what a large following this sport had, nor how organized it has become. One of my disc golf friends, Forest, drinks his coffee and waits inside until he sees other golfers arrive at the course where he can go join them. One of these friends is a gentleman named Murray. He moved here from England a short time ago and explains that he has played courses in and out of the U.S. Forest invited my boyfriend and I to try a game with him this summer out in Vance Park. I was a skeptic, not seeing how throwing a frisbee at a metal post and basket could provide entertainment, but I have changed my view.

Once out on the course, cares become a thing of the past as you have a chance to simply enjoy the park at a casual pace and with targets that take you to each edge of the park. You cannot help but enjoy the small differences in terrain through each section because each one of those trees, hills, or fields become part of your game. It all seems like a great way to pass the time until you watch an experienced disc golfer. At one tee we asked Forest where the hole was, since it wasn't in view. He explained it was offset by being around the corner and near a fenced in area quite a distance away. Then Forest chose an appropriate disc to use (discs are like golf clubs and you can choose between putters, drivers, etc.) and threw. This disc not only travelled quite a distance, but rounded the corner at the right time, and landed not more than 6 inches from the hole. At this point I learned how a casual pasttime can create a skilled sportsman, as it had with Forest. The grin on his face showed his pride in mastering the sport.

The disc golfers held their Winter Tournament at Vance Park less than 2 weeks ago with over 65 golfers competing. Disc golfers are a friendly and dedicated group who bring positive activity and additional eyes into our parks. Vance Park had been eyed as a site by Disc golfers for quite some time, but initially the site was refused by the City Parks Department because there were trilliums in the park and they were thought to be a protected species. The dedication of disc golfers, and especially Ty, allowed the disc golfers to bring in specialists who convinced the City that a disc golf course was possible. Thanks to their persistence, one more step to improve Rockwood is in place.

St. Anne's Church

Father David and Deacon Brooks from St. Anne's Catholic Church were in the coffee shop this weekend. St. Anne's is the neighborhood's Catholic Church and holds mass in English and Spanish throughout the week.

They explained that there will be a tremendous celebration for the Hispanic population on December 12, Our Lady Guadalupe. Our Lady Guadalupe is not celebrated by all Catholics since it is primarily a Mexican celebration. (This additional information is available through Wikipedia: Our Lady of Guadalupe is known in Mexico as "La Virgen Morena", which means "The brown-skinned Virgin." Guadalupe's feast day is celebrated on December 12 commemorating the traditional account of her appearances to Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin near Mexico City from December 9 through December 12.) I was told the parishioners come out in droves for this event, and it goes late into the night.

I have learned that the Hispanic population finds great value in the rituals and celebrations within their faith. Some of these ceremonies everyone is familiar with, such as baptisms and first communions. Some of these celebrations, although Catholic traditions, grew from the traditions from the countries in which they originated. For example, the Deacon described to me another traditional celebration through Latin American populations: the quinceanera (pronounced KEEN-se-an-YEH-ra). This is a rite of passage into womanhood held for girls as they turn 15 years of age.

St. Anne's is informally designated as the local church for Catholic Hispanic services, but also holds a large congregation of dedicated Anglo parishioners. Because of this, the parish accommodates the religious traditions of all of its people. Many of my regulars are parishioners there and range from Italian heritage to who-knows-what-Anglo and every shape and color in-between. In fact, as a mother and daughter were enjoying their crepe before church, they were happy to greet Father Tom, who came over for a quick warming up drink.

St. Anne's Parish holds more baptisms, quinceaneras, and other celebrations than the traditional American Catholic Church. The church has an expansive understanding and appreciation of its members and their faith and works hard to meet the needs of all of its congregation. You may not find this experience, appreciation or struggle for accommodation in other areas, but you find this dedication here on SE 181st.

Portland Lutheran sponsors Christmas Giving

Athena and Taylor stopped in this evening to have a quick crepe and tea as a break to their Christmas shopping. These are two of my many favorite teens that come in from Portland Lutheran School. Portland Lutheran School is a very special private school within our community because although some private schools gain membership by being on a beautiful campus that is built and is surrounded by the higher social class only, PLS educates its students in the real world that surrounds all of us. PLS grows students who are civic minded and socially conscious along with all the benefits of a good education and additional curricula. It is evident in the students that stop by my cafe, their depth of community understanding goes beyond the typical teen. Many students from Portland Lutheran frequent the cafe, and support local efforts, though most of them travel from outside of the neighborhood.

So, what is so special about two teenagers Christmas shopping? Athena & Taylor are not shopping just for their family, but PLS students have a special mission to "sponsor" a child from the local MHCC Head Start Program. The girls were experiencing the good feelings that come from helping those who are less fortunate. The girls explained to me that each student who sponsors a child gets to pick out a "practical" and a "fun" gift for "their" child. The effort culminates in a Christmas Celebration which Portland Lutheran School is sponsoring next week. Athena explained they will wrap the gifts and then host their child at a Christmas party, where the children will be given their present by Santa. As the girls were finishing up, their phone rang with a request from a fellow student. A male student in the school is "clueless" on what to get his little kid and needed some advice. The girls took off to the rescue to help him in his Target shopping mania. Peace on earth - goodwill to all...as PLS does their part.

Starting "Rockwood Cafe" according to Park Place

Every day in Park Place Coffee there is a special customer, a touching story - something illustrative of the things that pull this area together and make some people understand the people that make this area richer than others may understand. As the owner of Park Place Coffee, I want to share this with you and hope you begin to understand the community which I feel honored to serve. But as long as the good outweighs the bad I am here. And I believe it always will... and the diamond in the rough is sometime the most precious jewel of all.