After meeting up with Ann in Portland and spending the night with her and her daughter and 3 large cats, we drove to Ashland, Oregon, to meet up with Bryn for our Do-It-Yourself high school reunion. We stayed in an inn that had beautiful flowers everywhere. The lushness in that part of the country, given enough water, is impressive. Next to the inn where we stayed was a sort of organic farm/hippie retreat center that was having some sort of event, complete with old VW buses and white folks with dreadlocks. Also pierced nipples and tattoos. One pierced-nipple tattooed fellow was directing traffic not very well, likely due to the stoned look in his eye. Near to the inn was Bear Creek Path, which we followed the 3 or so miles into town.

Along Bear Creek Path

 

 

Man in red shirt. We later saw him passed out in regal splendor, belly-up, on same bench, emptied 32-ounce beer cans decorating the ground beneath.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ann and Cammy in the square, Ashland

 

 

 

 

 

Shop window

We went to see Two Gentlemen of Verona at the Shakespeare festival one night. The entire cast, excpet for the dog, was female, a play on the fact that casts used to be all male. Before the show we watched the band BROTHER, from Australia, play. A nice mix of  instruments (bagpipe, didgeridoo) and native rhythms with a pop flavor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One day, a short journey out of town to Mount Ashland.

Seeing Mount Bachelor from Mount Ashland  

Ann and Cammy on Mt. Ashland

Vivia and Cammy on Mt. Ashland

Cammy and Ann grounding/sunning at Lithia Springs

Cammy at Lithia Springs

Male and female Gambrill’s quail and squirrel at Lithia Springs

 

 

 

Deer sisters on morning walk 

 

 

 

 

 

After we left Ashland, Ann headed back to Portland and Bryn and I went to Eureka, California, where I spent a few days with her and her husband, son, dogs, and cats.

Entering the redwood forest

Redwoods

My nest in Cammy’s yurt

 

 

 

 

 

 

The FOG

Ocean views

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I am back home, where I’ve had the holiday weekend to settle back in and get used to the time change. It was a good break in schedule- time to let my mind unravel for awhile. And there is something about these old friends- we do laugh alot together, and parts of me wake up that lie dormant much of the time when I’m in my normal schedule. To whence I return tomorrow.