This September, I was lucky enough to find myself in Portland for one of my favorite festivals of the year. I always look forward to visiting this city. The show takes place over the Labor Day weekend and often the weather is perfect. It feels like you can't go more than a block or two without crossing a bridge or seeing an old craftsmen style home. The trees that line the streets are covered in green and the gardens are giving it their last go before the days start getting cooler. Sandra and I always end up exploring the most on our bicycles. As usual, we found some new places to eat that we really loved. There are several doughnut shops that we had heard of and the ride out east to Pips did not disappoint. With the doughnuts no bigger than a ping pong ball, we ended up ordering a dozen so that we could seriously sample the variations they had to offer. Sitting outside in the sun on Fremont Street we washed them down with some good coffee and made threats to return next year. We also ate breakfast at Besaws on NW 21st Ave and Juniors on SE 12th Ave. With bookstores and record shops, shoe stores and knit shops, we definitely kept ourselves busy. Our relationship with this town is a favorite, we plan on doing our part to make it a priority.