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.

               

Retro Gardens

In the past few weeks, while looking for old doors, I decided to check out Backyard Salvage and Garden, located in the old Howard's Nursery location on Koenig Lane. It's part salvage, part nursery, part vintage finds; the kind of place filled with funky stuff you don't see in a chain store.

I found two of these wonderful old wooden planter boxes that I plan to use in my backyard.  These were too great to pass up, and I can't wait to fill them with plants.

I loved what they did with this old four poster bed.  It gives new meaning to the term "flower bed".

This old door seems at home among the potted plants and nursery specimens. Below, hanging from a shady oak tree was this wrought iron chandelier swinging in the breeze.

  

I had to do a double take when I spotted this old gas pump with gas at $1.09 a gallon. Was gas ever that cheap?

Among all of the nostalgic pieces, old doors and salvage finds, there is at the heart of it, a small but thriving nursery-keeping the spirit of Howard's alive. 

Gratitude

There is something about spring that fills me with gratitude. Finally I have the chance to begin the gardening projects that have been bubbling around in my head. These cool mornings are precious and won't last long, so I want to take advantage of every moment before the heat comes to stay.


The thing about gardening is that it is never really finished, and despite my best efforts, the results are not always as planned. It's a lot like life, you do your homework, make the best choices you can, and pray that it all turns out well.


I've made a good start in my front yard by tearing out all of the overgrown old shrubbery and making new flower beds. I managed to plant the Knock Out roses just in time to take advantage of the big rain last week. I've always thought that roses were a lot of trouble, but supposedly these are a hardy, no fuss variety. We shall see. I bought a pack of 2,000 lady bugs as a little insurance against any pests that might decide to move in. After checking on the lady bugs the next day, I was surprised to find that they had flown away. Now you would think that there would be at least a few stragglers! One of my neighbors must be wondering why these lady bugs have suddenly appeared in their yard.


Let's hope this wet spring lasts awhile... to be continued as my garden progresses. 

Double red Knock Outs have a long blooming season 
from spring through fall