This is a Blaugust 2026 blog post. Next month I will celebrate my second anniversary of moving to Portland, Oregon. I’m so happy to be here. I celebrated my first anniversary nearly a year ago with a series of Mastodon social media posts, one a day, each with a photo (or two) of something I loved about my new neighborhood. I posted them under the #pdxOneYear hashtag. These memories deserve to be immortalized in something less ephemeral than a series of social media posts. So, I’ve compiled them below – all the original photos and text from September 2025. Sept 13 – Bybee Bridge 🥳 I’m celebrating! 🎉 Today marks the one year anniversary of settling into my new #Portland neighborhood. (We had left Austin a week earlier, but were living in a hotel. Tonight marks the anniversary of the first night in our house.) For the next week, I’m going to post a photo a day of the things I love so much about my new neighborhood and why – one year later – I’m so glad to be here. One of the first things I fell in love with in my neighborhood is the Bybee Bridge that runs over McLoughlin Blvd and the train tracks. In a city of bridges, this remains my favorite. The illuminated river scene artwork on top is lovely. The structure contains stairs and elevator to the Max train station below. More info here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bybee_Bridge 2026 update: It has since become my second favorite. Most favorite is now Tilikum Crossing Sept 14 – Sellwood Bridge Yesterday I posted the Bybee Bridge. Today it’s the bridge on the other end of my neighborhood – the Sellwood Bridge. I fell in love with this bridge for how it’s designed for bikes and pedestrians as well as cars. It has wide bike lanes and sidewalks. There are resting points with benches and nice views along the way. These choices reflected my new city’s values. More info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sellwood_Bridge Sept 15 – Food Trailers I love my neighborhood food trailers. So many! Sure, we had food trailers in Austin. But who wants to eat outside in the brutal Texas heat? This is Spoons on 13th. That’s Ruth, the owner, in the window. I’m a regular, and Ruth knows my special orders. The menu is huge – about half is vegan. I’m partial to the pulled pork, salad wraps, and house made soups. Check it out: spoonspdx.com Sept 16 – Goats! Another thing I love about my neighborhood: GOATS! There’s a house with a big pen that’s home to several critters: currently two adult goats, two baby goats, some chickens, and a bunny. A protective shed provides refuge when needed. A big rock structure with a bubbling fountain offers the goats a place to climb and sit. Having a bad day? Go say “hello” to some goats. It’ll cheer you right up. Sept 17 – Ducks! Yesterday I posted about how much I love my neighborhood goats. Today: DUCKS! There’s a creek a block from my house. It’s home to a large flock of ducks. When I need a reset I’ll walk over and see the ducks. My little frens swim over to greet me. In spring, ducklings paddle along behind mom—the most adorable thing ever. How wonderful I live somewhere with ducks for neighbors. Sept 18 – Hardware Store Continuing the things I love about my neighborhood, this is a two-fer. First: I love that I have a neighborhood hardware store – the Westmoreland Ace Hardware. Back in Austin, it was nothing but big box stores. You can find a Lowe’s or Home Depot here if you drive out to the suburbs. But in town it’s mainly mom-and-pop shops. Second: Just look at this sign. Is that not absolutely splendid? Sept 19 – Transit I grew up in the Boston suburbs, with fond memories of going into the city and getting around on the T. Since then, I’ve never lived in a place with good transit. Until now. The 70 and 40 buses stop by my house. The MAX rail station is half a mile away and brings me downtown. I’ll bike to the station then bring my bike on board – and the city is my oyster. I love that my neighborhood has great transit. This concludes my #pdxOneYear series, celebrating the one year anniversary of moving to my new home city. I’ve posted a photo (or two) each day for the past week, spotlighting something I love about my neighborhood. I stopped at 7 posts, though I could easily go on for many more. Check out the #pdxOneYear hashtag to see them all. Thank you #Portland for being such a lovely city. Thank you people of Portland for being so awesome. And thank you neighbors for creating a neighborhood I love. 2026 Update: Follow me on Mastodon to see my second anniversary celebration a month from now.