Today’s picture goes along with yesterday’s. It was taken a couple of months after yesterday’s photo in 2004. My kids and I were hiking on Bull Gap Trail. In the background (upper left) you can see Wagner Butte.

Bull Gap is a trail that leads you right up to the ski lodge on Mt. Ashland. I’ve hiked it a couple of times and ridden my bike down it a half dozen or so times. If you want to bike down it you should ride your bike up the main road to the lodge or you can ride up some fire roads to get there. If you start from Ashland you’ll be in for a long day. If you don’t have the time you can drive a car up to four corners and ride up from there.

Both Bull Gap and Wagner Butte are in the Siskiyou Mountains. From both you can view the Cascade Mountain Range.

Posted on November 28th, 2008 under nature, only in ashland, people, places. Tags: biking, hike, mountains, people, trees. Comments Off on Bull Gap Trail

I was digging through some old pictures and found the above one from a trip we took to the Southern Oregon Coast more than four years ago. The beach house we rented was in Bandon. Those aren’t pictures you see on the walls. Those are windows. My kids seemed more interested in the TV, but I couldn’t stop looking out the windows.

Posted on November 26th, 2008 under people, places. Tags: bandon, beach, ellie, people, ryan, water. Comments: 5

Ashland is perhaps best known for its theatrical arts. Besides the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, there are countless plays going on in and around town. On most nights you have your choice of between 3 and 8 or so different plays to see. Not bad for a town of just over 20,000 people.

With all of these professional actors, directors, etc. in town it’s no surprise that the schools have amazing drama programs. The middle school plays are as good or better than high school plays elsewhere. The high school plays are as good or better than university plays elsewhere. And the SOU plays are better than professional plays elsewhere.

Unfortunately, I can’t stand plays. So I only go when I have to. Unfortunately, that is very often as my son loves to attend and participate in them.

The above photo is from the curtain call of Ashland Middle School’s rendition of “This is a Test.” They also performed “Small Actors” on the same night a few weeks back.

Posted on November 23rd, 2008 under only in ashland, people. Tags: ashland middle school, oregon shakespeare festival, people, plays, Southern Oregon University. Comments Off on Ashland Middle School Play

My favorite time to be in the sunroom isn’t when it is sunny. It gets too hot then and we have to use an awning to block the sun (and most of our view). This time of year when our Japanese Maple trees go nuts with color or during a rain storm are my favorite times of the year to curl up on the coach in the sunroom with a good book. My daughter, above, seems to agree.

For an exterior view taken on the same day see yesterday’s entry.

Posted on November 22nd, 2008 under people. Tags: autumn, home, houses, people, trees. Comments Off on Fall Sunroom

Some youth volleyball action at the Ashland YMCA

Posted on November 16th, 2008 under people. Tags: ellie, people, sports, volleyball. Comments: 1

My kids enjoying the surf at Harris Beach in late October

Posted on November 11th, 2008 under people. Tags: beach, brookings, people, water. Comments Off on Kids at the beach

In the second round of the state playoffs Ashland beat the third ranked team from Pendleton to advance to the next round. Last year they took third in the state. Can they go all the way like they did in 2005?

Posted on November 6th, 2008 under people. Tags: ashland high school, people, sports, volleyball. Comments Off on Ashland High School Volleyball

Thousands participate in the afternoon parade that descends on the downtown plaza area of town. The merchants give out candy to trick or treaters. If you want a break from the masses of people just follow the sign to the right and you’ll be in Lithia Park which looks really good this time of year.

Posted on November 4th, 2008 under only in ashland, people. Tags: autumn, buildings, halloween, lithia park, oregon shakespeare festival, people, signs. Comments Off on Ashland Halloween Parade 2008

Ashland, Oregon Halloween Parade 2008

The building is the Ashland Elks Lodge, built in 1910.

Posted on November 3rd, 2008 under only in ashland, people. Tags: buildings, halloween, people. Comments: 1