Christmas Trees at U-Cut Christmas Tree Farm on the border of Phoenix and Medford, Oregon covered in hoarfrost

We cut down our Christmas tree this past Sunday. The temperature was 28 degrees in the early afternoon and the fog was rather thick. The trees were covered in fog freeze. Even after driving home to Ashland and letting the tree sit out in the sun for the rest of the day the tree was still covered in hoarfrost. We finally brought it in before dark and stood the tree up over a bunch of towels in our living room. It sounded like it was raining in our house for the next half hour as the fog freeze finally melted.

Posted on December 6th, 2011 under nature, outside of ashland, places. Tags: christmas, fog, trees. Comments Off on Picking the perfect tree (or A Natural Flocking)

McCall House Bed and Breakfast at night

We had our annual Christmas party at the McCall House this past week. For more on the history of this lovely place, click here.

Posted on December 3rd, 2011 under only in ashland, places. Tags: buildings, McCall House, national register of historic places, night photography. Comments Off on McCall House Bed and Breakfast

If you are in Southern Oregon during December you should check out Jacksonville’s annual Victorian Christmas. Jacksonville’s “Victorian Christmas Parade” is tomorrow night beginning at 6 p.m.

Posted on December 1st, 2011 under outside of ashland, places. Tags: buildings, christmas, jacksonville, night photography. Comments Off on Victorian Christmas

View from the giant boulders on the White Rabbit Trail on Thanksgiving Day 2011

We met up with some friends on Thanksgiving morning for a short hike (under a couple miles round trip I think) in the Siskiyou Mountains. The drive to the parking lot on Ashland Loop Road was spectacular. The valley was filled with fog, but as we neared the top of the road the sun began to eerily peer through the fog-surrounded trees. The scene looked like something out of a vampire movie. Unfortunately, I was driving, and there would have been a revolt had I pulled over to take pictures of the magical view.

We headed out on White Rabbit Trail (crowded on this day for once) until we came to the large boulders. The view below of the foggy valley was amazing. I was wishing that I had my ultra wide angle lens with me at the time. Alas, today’s photo is the best I could do at 18mm (on a DX).

Posted on November 27th, 2011 under nature, only in ashland, places. Tags: fog, mountains, nikon 18-200mm vr ii, nikon d7000. Comments Off on Thanksgiving Day Hike

Mountain View Cemetery in autumn

If you were buried in Mountain View Cemetery, and you could look out the side of your coffin, this is the last glimpse you would take in as you were lowered into the ground during the first couple weeks of November. Or perhaps this would be the first thing you saw after becoming a zombie. Do zombies rise in the middle of a beautiful, fall day like today when I took this photo? Probably not.

Posted on November 11th, 2011 under nature, only in ashland, places. Tags: autumn, cemetery, national register of historic places. Comments Off on View from the grave

Southern Oregon University in Autumn

College and university campuses just look “right” in the fall, when the leaves have changed colors and/or cover the ground. It’s too bad the landscape maintenance crew is so diligent in getting these natural works of art off the campus so quickly. Let us all walk through them for a week or two. Is that too much to ask?

Posted on November 10th, 2011 under only in ashland, people, places. Tags: campus, Southern Oregon University. Comments Off on SOU campus in the fall

I think this is where the season Fall got its name.

The best time to photograph leaves on the ground in autumn, it turns out, is on a Monday morning. Soon after I took this photo a machine moved across campus obliterating all traces of their existence. Of course leaves continued to fall, but they don’t last long during the working weekdays.

I went by Triangle Park in town hoping to take some pictures of the vast quantities of leaves there too. However, maintenance workers had scooped them all up earlier in the day. Next year I’ll have to beat them to the punch.

Posted on November 3rd, 2011 under nature, only in ashland, places. Tags: autumn, leaves, Southern Oregon University. Comments Off on A sea of leaves on SOU campus

Ashland Springs Hotel in Autumn

Another ultra-wide angle photo today… This time of the Ashland Springs Hotel from down the street near the Ashland Post Office.

Posted on October 27th, 2011 under only in ashland, places. Tags: ashland springs hotel, autumn, buildings, national register of historic places, Tamron 10-24mm lens. Comments Off on Fall and the Ashland Springs Hotel

Sunrise with fall colors at Ashland Cemetery

Sunday morning I went to a few locations in the morning to take some photos while the sun was still low in the sky. The Ashland Cemetery is such a lovely place, especially this time of year.

Posted on October 26th, 2011 under only in ashland, places. Tags: autumn, cemetery, sunrise, Tamron 10-24mm lens. Comments Off on Autumn Ashland Cemetery Sunrise