WHERE DID MAY GO?

It's hard to believe that May has already come and gone. It has been a busy spring around my house and there is much to show for it. The house has been painted, and after trying many shades of gray, I am super pleased with the results. Goodbye pinky taupe; hello soft gray.

After finishing the front yard landscaping, it was time to turn my attention to the backyard. I was at a loss as to what to do.  It was pretty much a blank canvas, flat and rectangular with a couple of huge oak trees. Where to begin?  For years I have been looking longingly at pictures of garden sheds, and wishing I had a place for one. The ones at Home Depot were not at all what I had in mind, and the custom sheds were prohibitively expensive. In stepped Brent who said,"Oh, we could build one ourselves, no probem".


So we began talking about the design possibilities and making plans. I use the term "we" loosely. It was Brent who did all of the work, with a little helping hand from his son, Reed. Working weekends and the few remaining daylight hours after work, it began to take shape. It is still not complete, but it is coming together and I can finally see the shed I have imagined.


It has been a wonderful gift in many ways. A gift of time and work to make this happen. The chance for father and son to spend time working together on this project, and the opportunity to get to know Reed a little better. This is what I would call a "win, win".


Here are some photos of the shed in progress. I can't wait to post the final pictures.

Thank you Brent, for all of your hard work, tenacity, and amazing good nature.

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.