Jen with two dogs

 it's been forever since I walked with Jen and Charli and Birdie. The human had Covid and then was out-of-town for a couple of months and so yesterday we reunited for lots of good catch-up chatter. The dogs barked hysterically when I came into view and that made me smile big time. 

and yet more paella

 Neighbor Rob (husband of Heidi) keeps working to perfect his paella and I am a fortunate recipient of his efforts. You can see the giant paella pan alongside our other neighbors (Jerry and Joanne) and we all had a truly delightful and delicious evening.  

back to Reperch

 For her belated birthday Amy wanted me to give her a guided tour of Reperch because who knows when you might need a previously owned (ahem) table or chair? Then we walked to Togo's for a fancy lunch and then topped off our Saturday at Salvation Army where it was 1/2 off day and man, that retail store was  packed with merchandise and customers. 

simple pleasures

 Doesn't this look like a painting? Yesterday afternoon I walked in the nabe and stopped for an overpriced latte on 24th Street. Worth it. I did some serious people watching and read my July 28th New Yorker and let my iPhone count my steps. I love this city, but you already know that...

yay ~ a favorite returns

 Apple TV is giving us a new episode every week of the most wonderful Slow Horses and it was just what I needed last night after a day of too much grim political news. It did NOT disappoint. 

Mrs. Scott's quilt

 The Berkeley Art Museum has a glorious exhibit of quilts created by local African American women (and a few men) and I urge you to see this. Doug, Barb and I met Suzy and Fuzzy there because Suzy has told us many wonderful stories about her friend and neighbor, Mrs. Scott, now deceased, alas. You can see the detail of men's ties in her quilt (bottom photo) and Suzy brought photos of Mrs. Scott and we praised her over lunch as she helped Suzy during some very difficult times. It was a full and very good day.

the sound of quiet

 

I Went Out to Hear

The sound of quiet. The skyindigo, steepingdeeper from the top, like tea.In the absenceof anything else, my ownbreathing became obscene.I heard the beatingof bats’ wings beforethe air troubled abovemy head, turned to lookand saw them gone.On the surface of the blacklake, a swan and the moonstayed perfectlystill. I knew this wasa perfect moment.Which would only hurt meto remember and neverlive again. My God. How lucky to have liveda life I would die for.
~ Leila Chatti

home and happy about that

 Smooth (long) drive home yesterday and early to bed last night. Today I'm busy doing laundry and giving the girl cat some meaningful attention. No tv up in Ashland but I was still able to follow the idiot tRump and his band of criminals, however now I am back in front of the news. Sheeeeesh, such times we live in.

a happy ending

 Our final play was a delightful comedy The Importance of Being Earnest by clever Oscar Wilde. Excellent Japanese dinner at Kobe, a restaurant that has been here 19 years and we didn't know about it before. Now I will shower and we will head home after breakfast. A lovely vacation but I am ready for hearth and cat and a busy week ahead. 

Murder for Two

 We had a free Saturday which included a walk to the small Farmers' Market here and then lunch outside at Louis' (middle photo) and then the fun evening of dinner and a delightful musical comedy Murder for Two at the Oregon Cabaret Theatre ~ our annual tradition by now and a good way to come to the end (almost) of our adventure here in Ashland. Another really fine day, I am so fortunate.

an all women cast

 Julius Caesar was way better than I expected yesterday thanks to excellent acting and elocution from the cast of talented women actors. Good job! Then we hung out in the Members' Lounge and read on the back deck before an excellent dinner at Nous (middle photo) on Main Street. Always a pleasure to eat outside in this perfect weather. 

a lovely Thursday

This one was sold out and may be the highlight of the play-going here for me in 2025. The modern day Don Quixote does not want to go into assisted living in Quixote Nuevo and escapes into the desert where he meets a loyal and reluctant squire. The costumes are fabulous and the story wonderful and a bit sad as it hits on some truths about age, dementia and regrets. And then we had a scrumptious dinner at Cocorico, a new restaurant here in Ashland ~ I highly recommend it. Oh, yes, in between all of this Mary and I had a wonderful walk in Lithia Park. Now on to Friday!
 

Shane was super

 Excellent play with some unusual twists on the famous Shane story. The was after a walk downtown and some coffee on our back deck. We did see these bold deer on our walk to dinner last night. The garden at Peerless (2nd photo) is delightful and the food was very good. Early to bed was fine by me!

scenes from Ashland

 I will post photos of lovely Lithia Park later this week. We saw a blue heron in there yesterday. We have a back deck here at our Inn (second photo) and it is just so pleasant to sit out there and read and listen to the gurgling creek. Dinner last night at Chateaubriand, ok, not great, but none of us had steak, so maybe that was on us? But at least outside dining again, I love that. And yay, outdoor theatre! The Merry Wives was colorful and confusing and fun and we didn't get home until midnight. Having a delightful time here.

Ashland welcomed us

 Long and beautiful drive from Oakland to Ashland and of course you recognize Mt. Shasta in the top photo. We are back at the Ashland Creek Inn and it is lovely to be right ON the creek. We walked to dinner at the Hearsay and it was warm enough to sit outside. All wonderful, truly. So nice to be with Mary and John again and a smooth ride in the (ahem) Tesla.

packing and paella

 Yesterday was spent watching the Giants and the Valkyries lose while I packed for Ashland. I leave in about an hour. Whoosh. Rob and Heidi were kind enough to invite me for dinner last night ~ a truly scrumptious paella. Came home to watch the Emmy's. I did not care for The Studio, but that's OK. Next you will hear from the heart of Ashland, or the maybe the stomach.

new neighbors = celebration!

 This nabe is a nice mixture of young and old and many different races. The way it's supposed to be, right? Yesterday was a party across the street with tons of food and lots of meeting/greeting. Good vibes!

unhealthy relationships

 Let's take a break from guns and political rhetoric and watch a little drama on Prime TV. I'm a fan of Robin Wright who plays the overbearing mother on The Girlfriend. Olivia Cooke is the girlfriend and none of these characters is particularly honorable. But fun. Escape. 

feeling sluggish

 We aren't used to this "heavy" weather and I'm moving slowly. The recent assassination of Charlie Kirk helps nothing. Trouble ahead. I will push myself out and have some noodles in Japantown. Maybe Amy will join me. Or I could stay here and brood. 

America is a Gun

 This morning I have some time and I am feeling reflective. I can usually find a poem in the striped poetry box to match my mood. And I did.

America is a Gun

England is a cup of tea.

France, a wheel of ripened brie,

Greece, a short, squat olive tree.

America is a gun.

Brazil is football on the sand.

Argentina, Maradona’s hand.

Germany, an oompah band.

America is a gun.

Holland is a wooden shoe.

Hungary a goulash stew.

Australia, a kangaroo.

America is a gun.

Japan is a thermal spring.

Scotland is a highland fling.

Oh, better to be anything 

than America as a gun.

~ Brian Bilston

finally to Dragon Beaux

I was always curious about Dragon Beaux on Geary and I was not disappointed as we celebrated Jeanine's birthday at lunch yesterday. We had tons of dim sum treats for a reasonable price and of course lots of chit chat. The restaurant is huge and was crowded on a lazy Tuesday.

interesting observation

 I get way more comments (and all positive) when I wear my Valkyries tee shirt than I do when I wear Giants or Warriors merchandise. There is such excitement about this brand new team, especially now that we are going to the playoffs. 

the play's the thing (sort of)

 Of course the town, the restaurants, walking and the friends are also very important. Very. But best I take a look at the plays for which I ordered the tickets back in November, 2024:

Tuesday, 9/16 ~ The Merry Wives of Windsor

Wednesday ~ Shane

Thursday ~ Quixote Nuevo

Friday ~ Julius Caesar

Sunday ~ The Importance of Being Earnest

And I checked the weather and it will not be too hot up there next week. Hooray!

we love Sunday morning

 Fireplace (yes, it's still cool here), cat, newspaper, classical music and I'm starting to pre-pack for our trip to Ashland, Oregon on the 15th. Lists, reminders, anticipation. Annabelle is exhausted just thinking about it, as you can clearly see.