Etcetera

There is so much more to Ashland than the beautiful scenery. It has more than its share of cultural attractions with theatre, music, wineries, art galleries and a vibrant downtown filled with restaurants serving locally grown produce from this rich agricultural valley. Among all of this, the town is best known for its Tony award-winning Shakespearean Theatre.

Every year more than 10,000 visitors come for the festival which runs from February to October, and includes at least eleven plays-everything from Shakespeare to Animal Crackers.

Walking through town I paused to take a photo of this statue advertising the latest play. After snapping the picture, the "statue" changed positions-duh!

These bronze Shakespearean characters on the side of a building looked so real; I just had to make sure this time.

Trying new restaurants is all part of the fun, and we discovered a great place for breakfast that served the most amazing lemon butter pancakes.

While on the subject of food, here are a few shots of some artisan chocolates made by Jeff Shepherd. I drove out to Lillie Belle Farms to see how the process works, and yes, try a few samples.

  
                                              

                                                 

Life is good-eat more chocolate.            

GOING ROGUE

Greetings from Ashland, Oregon where a friend and I are house sitting for my former sister-in-law and keeping an eye on her adorable yellow lab. The weather here in the Rogue Valley has been nothing short of spectacular with sunny days and cool temperatures. From every direction there are views of the Siskiyou Mountains that surround this valley.

Spring is in full bloom with flowering cherry blossom trees, rhododendrons and the smell of wisteria in the air.

In the heart of downtown is Lithia Park which stretches from the plaza up to its headwaters near Mount Ashland.

For a town with a population of only 22,000, there is a lot happening. This weekend in particular, downtown is buzzing with the annual "Taste of Ashland", a spring ritual of wine tasting, restaurant pairing, music and art. We didn't plan our trip around the festival, but it certainly proved to be good timing.

                                    

The festival draws artists from all over Southern Oregon who set up on the street or display their art in the local galleries.

Couple below enjoying the tasting at a local wine bar.  

This old woodie seemed right at home in historic downtown

There is more I want to write about Ashland, so 

come back soon for Part 2.