On this wintry morning, two stalwarts willing to pedal through some slush, revisited the Red E Cafe, one of the first 25 coffee shops in Portland.  Spinning off from Albina Press it captures the elements that pioneering shops found essential for building community in transitional neighborhoods: good coffee and pastries, an attractive  ordering counter and welcoming baristas, a mixture of seating options, interesting displays by local artists – (this month works by Rebecca Aylward) – and two tables for chess, amongst other homey characteristics.

This morning’s discussion topics included H’s upcoming shamrock run, M’s daughter Lauren joining a bikeracing team in the Bay Area after completing a couple of tri-atholons, his disaster epidemiology consulting work and possibly retiring from it if wife J chooses to retire, and the charms and challenges of H’s granddaughter Gracen.

1006 N Killingsworth                                                   http://www.theredecafe.com