My traveling companion had never been to Castle Lake before. Since it’s only about 10 miles off of I-5 I decided to take him there. I had no idea how beautiful it was going to be, never having been there in May before. Chico was about 90 degrees so I wasn’t expecting snow and ice on Castle Lake. The temperature was nice at almost 70 degrees, but the view was a winter one.

Amazingly enough, we were the only ones there enjoying the above scenery. I’ll share one more picture of Castle Lake with you tomorrow. To get to Castle Lake, follow the signs to Lake Siskiyou and just before you get there you’ll see one pointing to the left saying “Castle Lake 8 miles.”

Posted on June 3rd, 2009 under nature, places. Tags: california, castle lake, clouds, mountains, skywatch, snow, spring, water, winter. Comments: 1

A cow grazed in this pasture until last year when the old heifer died. The American flag in the center is in front of Premier West Bank. The building to the left is the Apple Cellar Bakery & Cafe. The mountains in the back are the Siskiyous. And the cherry blossoms are now gone. But they were at their peak last month when I took today’s photograph.

Posted on May 6th, 2009 under only in ashland, places. Tags: buildings, clouds, mountains, skywatch, spring, trees. Comments: 1

A fog was hanging over the valley as I woke up last week to this scene.

Posted on April 22nd, 2009 under nature. Tags: fog, home, mountains, skywatch, spring, sunrise. Comments Off on Sunrise on a Spring morning

While waiting to pick up my daughter from Walker Elementary School, the weather and view were too nice to pass up.

Posted on April 18th, 2009 under only in ashland, places. Tags: clouds, mountains, school, skywatch, sports. Comments: 2

One of my favorite views in town is from the Ashland Middle School. I took this picture from inside the school looking out to the north. If I was a student I would not be able to do anything but stare out the windows–especially this time of year when things have gone green. We only get a few months of rich green before summer turns much of this view a duller, brownish color.

Posted on April 16th, 2009 under nature, only in ashland, places. Tags: ashland middle school, clouds, grizzly peak, mountains, skywatch, spring. Comments: 4

I took this photograph from N Phoenix Road in Phoenix, just north of Ashland. Although the “mountain” on the right seems higher, it is actually only at an altitude of about 7,150 feet. The name is Wagner Butte and it makes for a beautiful hike in late spring.

To the left, and still covered in snow, is Mt. Ashland. The elevation of Mt. Ashland is over 7,500 feet. It appears lower from this angle simply because it is further away.

Posted on March 28th, 2009 under nature, places. Tags: clouds, hike, mountains, mt. ashland, skywatch. Comments: 1

View out the kitchen window on a day when the weather couldn’t quite make up its mind…

Posted on March 16th, 2009 under nature. Tags: clouds, home, mountains, skywatch, snow. Comments: 2

Any current or former SOU student will recognize this setting. A few feet forward and you are standing under the Southern Oregon University entry arch. Walk across the street (being careful not to get hit by a car), and you will have survived the trip to Mihama’s (Case Coffee, 7-Eleven, the Electric Beach, etc.). In the distance a freshly powdered Grizzly Peak overlooks the town.

I’m frequently asked if I own Case Coffee Co. (being that my last name is Case). The answer is “no.” It turns out there are several Cases in town. The owners aren’t closely related that I know of. They seem to do a great business though. The location has been a revolving door of businesses over the years, none of them doing much business until Case Coffee Co. took things over. Now the place always seems busy. I haven’t done business there since it turned into a coffee shop though. I can’t stand the stuff. Just the smell turns my stomach. Actually drinking coffee to me would be like drinking bad breath. No thanks.

I was kind of hoping that the old Island Juice (which wasn’t very good) at this location would turn into a Jamba Juice. Alas, we are still left without a single Jamba Juice in Southern Oregon.

Posted on March 10th, 2009 under places. Tags: buildings, clouds, grizzly peak, skywatch, Southern Oregon University. Comments: 2

The other day on my way to work I slipped my camera into my pocket as I headed out the door. My wife asked, “What are you taking that for?” My response was, “Because I can.” I smiled as did she. You see, previous to my LX3 purchase I only took my old, large camera places on “special” occasions. It was simply too big and too much of a hassle to haul around. Not so anymore.

Later in the day, the clouds started going crazy so I had opportunities to take several pictures that would never have been captured in my old S3 days. The above is one of them. Omars is an Ashland landmark, but I’ve never had a reason to take a picture of Omars before. Nor have I ever had a camera on me when in the vicinity of Omars. But while waiting to cross the street, Omars looked rather marvelous with the sky doing its thing so I whipped out my LX3 for a quick picture.

Omars has been around for more than 60 years, something few restaurants/bars can say–especially on the west coast. The name is a fluke of sorts. The original owner’s name was Omer. But when he ordered this sign the company made a mistake and spelled his name Omar, and the rest is history. Have yourself a great steak, fine seafood, or just grab a beer at Omars the next time you are passing through Ashland.

Posted on March 9th, 2009 under only in ashland, places. Tags: buildings, clouds, food, lx3, skywatch. Comments: 2