home to the Emmy's

 My plane was delayed yesterday so I barely made it home in time to catch this star-studded show and of course Annabelle was beside herself: first with disdain and then with love. So glad I missed the HEAT wave and so thankful to be back where I belong for a few days. Heading up to Davis on Friday and will fill you in after I do 14 loads of laundry.

heading home today

 Midsummer is a great fan favorite and very well done here. I loved the staging. It's getting chilly here, time to head back to my foggy city. Dinner again this year at Thai Pepper, sitting outside by the Creek, under a heat lamp, of course. I'm flying home from Medford because John and Mary are heading up to Portland for a wedding. I will check in tomorrow with a cat on my lap. Yay!

we met the star!

 Early morning coffee with Victoria, daughter of our friends Gini and Philipp, who plays the lead role in Come From Away. That's her one year old, Wesley, so her life is busy with both the stage and motherhood careers. Then home and another walk and lunch outside at Louie's where we go every year. I was sort of dreading Dracula last night at the Oregon Cabaret dinner theater, but it was really hilarious and we laughed for a few happy hours. Today is our final full day, home tomorrow. Ready.

and pasta for dinner

 We finally walked in beautiful Lithia Park yesterday and then went to see King Hedley II in the afternoon. The play was extremely well done with some outstanding acting. Dinner at a new spot for us, Cafe Lumina down on Main Street. Good food, not exceptional service. Today will be relaxing and pleasant. Here are my fellow play goers, Mary and John. Fun, no?

our busy Thursday

 

What special timing to see Come From Away on this 25th anniversary of 9/11. And my friend Gini's daughter, Victoria, is a star here in this production. Very moving. Based on the true story of when all those planes landed (for safety reasons on 9/11) in Gander, Newfoundland. The population doubled and the guests stayed. So many stories here. Then we had Japanese food at Kobe, sitting outside. So lovely. On to the outdoor night theater again for Emma. A bit of fluff and not exactly compelling, but hey, we're here.

the long drive north

 I'm not great at in-car photography, but here is Shasta Lake and Mt. Shasta yesterday. There was some beautiful weather, some not great food in Red Bluff and here we are now at the Ashland Creek Inn. Dinner last night at Juliette and now we prepare for a two play day. Good to be back in Ashland for sure.

making lists, packing up

 One week from today John, Mary and I climb in the Tesla for our annual trip to Ashland. We have theater almost every day and since we make the reservations in December, I need to review all the details and I am replacing the hard copy Ginger's Memorial folder with the Ashland folder today. It is warm in Ashland, such is not the case here, as we all know full well by now. 

preparing for September, 2026

 Yesterday I spent an hour or two selecting my seats for next year in Ashland. Prices have gone up, no surprise there. My friend John is already talking "which restaurants?" and you know I'm on board there. If everything works out, the daughter of a friend will be in the cast and that will be extra wonderful.

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. 

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!
 

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.

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!

my cat-centered return

 Non-stop purring here from Annabelle and her servant. We now have this glorious Cats for Kamala front porch sign thanks to the Blogmaid. Also a new dish towel which states correctly that "home is where my cat is" from dear neighbor Heidi. I'm busy doing laundry and attempting to restore order to my life after a delightful vacation. The cupboards are bare and I will address this issue shortly. The drive home yesterday was okay except for some heavy traffic problems which will be forgotten in about three seconds. Happy to be home!

deep tragedy, then pasta

 Macbeth was amazing and impressive and sad too  Our final play after a busy week of mostly great theatre. How fortunate we are. Lovely pasta and salad at Osteria La Briccola and now I will pack up and we will head home. Ready, set, go...

thinking about home (and cat)

 I'm starting to prepare for our trip home tomorrow and am not currently ambitious enough to rearrange the three pieces of "art" above. So I will tell you that we saw Born With Teeth in the afternoon and they nicely moved me down from my cheap seat to very near the stage and that was great as it was a 90 minute play of clever and compelling dialog between William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlow (Will and Kit in the top photo) and their (maybe) collaboration on the Henry plays. Very interesting concept. Then dinner at the Oregon Cabaret featuring Legally Blonde which was terrific with non-stop singing/dancing and fun. Oh, the weather? Hot, but not overwhelming and I do love the warm evenings.

Lizard Boy, hooray!

 Graham, the owner here at Ashland Creek Inn, loved  Lizard Boy so Mary and I bought last minute tickets for yesterday and just loved the show. John is a traditional Shakespeare-is-my-guy kind of playgoer, but we women like the new and edgy (top photo) and this was fabulous. A couple of walks, a couple of deer from our little deck-by-the-creek and then dinner at Cucina Biazzi where we discover that this is their final night. The restaurant is closing and we were sad as their patio is a delight and the food is excellent. More change. Sigh. Still a really nice day.