On starting up the blog again, moving to the east side and eating donuts…

We sold our house in three days. To say I was in a tiny bit of shock is something of an understatement. We knew that the market in Portland was “hot” but after our experience selling our house in Virginia – over two years and counting! – I was very much sitting in the pessimistic camp. A quick and painless sale necessitated the finding of a temporary home. We’d made the commitment to the girls that they could finish out the school year before we hit the cRoad for our last big travel adventure. Thanks to Craig’s List we found a renovated apartment in a gracious old home in the Richmond neighborhood on the east side of Portland.

We Westies were not unfamiliar with life across the river. There’s much to love about crossing one of the twelve bridges that span the Willamette, and give Portland one of its nicknames – Bridgetown. More often than not, our bridge crossings were motivated by food. There is no denying that Portland is a food lover’s paradise and the east side is where it’s all happening. We follow a Portland eating guide which routinely publishes a list of what they deem “essential” Portland restaurants. A quick glance at the April list highlights eight restaurants in the west and thirty on the east side. So a move to the east has put us right in the center of foodie heaven.

One of the foodie trends that Portland is known for is donuts. There are many places to find donuts in Portland – even vegan ones. Probably the two key players in the donut game here are Voodoo and Blue Star. Voodoo donuts are quirky, fun and even a little risqué – fancy a cock-n-balls donut? They are a big hit with tourists and you’ll often see people in line at the airport clutching the distinctive pink and black Voodoo box. Gourmet is the word most often used to describe Blue Star donuts and they are the donut of choice for the Croads.  Fortuitously, our move has put us within walking distance of our doughnut fix.

Last Friday was national donut day – yes, that is a thing – so what could we do but wander down the road and honor the Salvation Army “lassies” who served donuts to soldiers during World War One.

And that is where I will leave it, for my first post in close to two years!! Nice to know I haven’t forgotten how this blogging business works…until next time…