Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Ashland, Oregon)

I can't even count how many times I've driven through Ashland, Oregon over the years, yet never made it a point to visit the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. This past April Dan and I finally made this a destination, and spent a couple of days in Ashland, not only attending a couple of plays, but also enjoying the town itself, scenically set on the beautiful Rogue River . The festival has been in existence since 1935, and has an 8 ½ month season of 11 plays in 3 theaters. We saw a production of Romeo and Juliet, reconfigured for an 1840's Alta California setting, and Animal Crackers, the classic Marx Brothers slapstick madcap musical replete with zany songs and lavish dance numbers. I'm glad we made this trip. Ashland is a charming town, albeit a bit too touristy for a long term stay, and the plays were well worth the price of admission. Below are some pictures of our visit. 

 

 

Bicycling at Treasure Island

In all the years I lived in Sacramento, and all the trips I made to San Francisco and the surrounding area, April 2012 was my very first visit to Treasure Island. Dan and I, along with my sister Nancy, her husband Ron, and my nephew Kyle spent the day riding our bikes around Treasure Island, taking in the sites, sampling wine at a couple of wineries, and picnicking. An artificial island in the San Francisco Bay between San Francisco and Oakland, Treasure Island is connected by a small isthmus to Yerba Buena Island, and was created in 1936 from fill dredged from the bay. The Island is named after the novel "Treasure Island", by Robert Louis Stevenson who lived in San Francisco from 1879 to 1880. The island has had various incarnations over the years, but now it serves as a popular tourist destination, is a favorite scenic view of the locals and photographers, and a popular place to watch the sunset. The day we were there was just warm enough, with a light breeze, perfect weather for being outdoors on the San Francisco Bay.

Wildflower Hike at Buttermilk Bend

Although we left Sacramento in May, I am still catching up here on the blog with some of the fun things we did while we were in the area. Dan and I love to hike, and you can drive an hour (or more, or less) in just about any direction from Sacramento and find wonderful hiking opportunities. One of our favorite times of year to hike is during the Spring when the wildflowers are abundant. In late April we took a day with friends to hike along the Yuba River on the Buttermilk Bend Trail just upstream from the town of Bridgeport. Here are some pictures of the lovely flowers we found along the trail that day.

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Capay Valley Almond Festival

One definite advantage of being in the Sacramento area is being close to family. Spending time with the Grandkids is especially wonderful! One weekend we had Madeline and Cecilia over, and it just so happened their visit coincided with the Capay Almond Festival. Of course we had to go!!!

Fair Tale Town

I've been visiting Fairy Tale Town in Sacramento since I was a kid. Then when my own children were young, there were many more visits. Visiting Fairy Tale Town with the grandkids on an unusually warm day in January 2012 was just perfect!