Dreaming of last summer: 12 photos from Ashland

Rand and I have been planning out the year’s travel – or parts of it, anyway (There are a number of trips for which we can never plan. They come up last minute, usually in the early hours of the morning, when Rand will shout from his office something along the lines of “I need to be in Boston in May,” or “I need to go to Las Vegas next month,” and ask me if I want to join him. Usually the answer is yes, but occasionally it is “COOKIES!” because I am fast asleep and that is primarily what I dream about). And when he mentioned that we’d have to move our annual pilgrimage to Ashland because of scheduling conflicts, I realized something: I didn’t write a word about our last trip there.

I figure it’s understandable: that trip was cut short – sandwiched between visits to Peru and Barcelona, and the six days we spent in Southern Oregon, going to the same place we go every year, didn’t seem worth writing about at the time.

But now, going through the pictures of our trip from back in early September, when the hills did glow gold with the late summer sun, I wonder how I dared not tell you about it. It was a crime, really, to skip over Ashland.

One that I intend to rectify right now. And so, long overdue, but worth the wait (I hope), here are twelve photos from our trip to Ashland last summer:

1. A sunny and still afternoon at Prairie Lake.
   
   –
2. Lithia Springs Resort at dusk.
   
   –
3. Railroad tracks at the edge of town.
   
   –
4. The Ashland equivalent of finding a rude note on your car …
   

   Is finding a note with a smiley face on it.

   –

5. Rand at Lithia Park.
   
   –
6. Breaking the law in the name of picnicking, Rogue River Creamery, Central Point.
   –
7. Almost too pretty to eat: chocolates from Lillie Belle. Almost.
   
   –
8. Old school safety sign, the Ashland Armory.
   
   –
9. Hand pie from Pennington Farms, Rogue Valley Growers Market
   

   Mmmm ... hand pie.

   –

10. Utterly unhelpful clock, Ashland Physical Therapy.
    

    I guess it's always 1 o'clock somewhere.

    –

11. Four-legged jaywalkers, Ashland.
    

    Deer. Headlights. (Don't worry: it all turned out much better than expected.)

    –

12. Obligatory kissy-face photo, Ashland Springs Hotel.
    

–

It might not seem like it compares to South America or Europe, but believe me when I tell you: it’s one of the best places on earth. And I can’t wait to go back. Whenever that may be.