Shakespeare, Bikes, Brews, Bodies in the Buff, and a New Baby

The cast of Into the Woods - Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

After leaving Redding, we arrived at Jackson Wellsprings in Ashland, OR on Thursday, 7/3. We have always wanted to spend time in Ashland and check out the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. We’ve passed by more times than I care to count, but we were usually on a mission - taking the girls to college, visiting family, or rushing home. This time we scheduled three days and to say it was interesting, wouldn’t tell the half of it. I gathered from the website that Jackson Wellsprings had a very New Age vibe – promoting the sacred healing mineral waters, Goddess and Oak Temples, Tree of Life Gardens, etc. It turned out to be more Old Oregon Hippie. Lol. Rog called it the land of derelict schoolies, and with reason. 

They offer a variety of accommodations including RV sites and we had a huge shady pull-through site with full hookups, so no complaints on that front. The draw was the mineral springs. For $10 campers can access the community sauna, steam room, spring fed swimming pool and a large hot tub for soaking. You choose a session, either family friendly daytime (9am-5pm – swimwear required) or adults only evening (6pm-10pm – clothing optional). We opted for an evening session and they weren’t kidding about the optional bit. I’d say it was about a 50/50 mix. What was seen cannot be unseen. Enough said. Lol.

Jackson Wellsprings. Bring your bathing suit, or not. Lol.

The campground is about two miles from Ashland and we booked tickets to two performances at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. OSF was celebrating its 90th anniversary! On Thursday evening, we saw August Wilson’s Jitney at the Angus Bowmer Theatre and then on Saturday, we saw the Stephen Sondheim musical, Into the Woods, at the outdoor Allen Elizabethan Theatre. Both were excellent! The Shakespeare productions were sold out on the evenings we could attend, so we’ll have to come back next year (or maybe later this year, who knows!).

The stage is set for Jitney.

Into the Woods was set in the huge open air theatre. A wonderful evening!

If you go, don't miss the Green Show!
Free, outdoor entertainment prior to the evening theater shows.

We hung around the campground on Friday the 4^th, just in case it got noisy. Riley doesn’t hear as well as he used to, but he’s still not a fan of fireworks. We were quite pleased that it stayed quiet all evening.  Saturday morning, we checked out the small farmers market in town and one of the vendors told us about an Art in the Park event. Lots of amazingly talented craftspeople and artists, and yes, a few small things followed me home. 😊

Ashland Saturday morning Farmer's Market.

Art in the Park!

Before and after - raw stones with the polished cabochons.
What a transformation! Absolutely my favorite display. 

Dinner and drinks at the Noble Fox. Cheers!

On Sunday, 7/6, we had a one-night layover at the SKP Timber Valley park in Sutherlin, OR. There were no hook-up sites available, so we stayed in the boondocking area and ran the generator to keep the pups cool. The next two nights we had scheduled at Canopy Grove, a Boondockers Welcome site in Lebanon, OR. Super nice hosts! We chatted with Don several times, they had been full time RV’ers for six years and recently built a house in La Paz, Mexico. They’d been driving down there to boondock on the beach for 20 years. He even offered to host us in La Paz! The pictures he showed us were incredible, so we may take him up on that offer. We had pizza at Conversion Brewery and were introduced to a new pub game, DAGZ. That stands for Dice Angle Games, it's sorta like dice cornhole. Lol. We'd never heard of it before, but it's apparently very popular. Have you ever played?

What a posh Boondockers Welcome site!

Conversion Brewery was hosting a Paint Night when we visited.

On Saturdays there is live music on the patio.
The fountain is a nod to Lebanon's annual spring strawberry festival.

DAGZ - something new, something fun!

Our host, Don, was selling their 2002 Monaco Signature Series Class A, Monaco’s premier top-of-the-line diesel pusher. When I tell you it looked brand new, that’s no exaggeration. It was in pristine condition, inside and out, with all kinds of upgrades - full solar, residential fridge, solid walnut cabinetry, washer/dryer. Just wow! Don’s neighbor purchased it new in 2002 for over $600,000 (what would that even be in today’s dollars?!) and gave Don a good deal when health issues forced him to sell. If you’re looking for a quality coach at a reasonable price, I can hook you up!

 Gorgeous top-of-the-line Monaco for sale.
Glad I am happy with our Short Bus. Lol.

One of the perks of Canopy Grove, in addition full hookups (a lifesaver with temps still in the 90’s), was easy access to the city’s bike trail. Lebanon has plans to expand and connect several shorter existing trails and it will be great when it’s all done. In the meantime, we did the loop trail a couple times and rode on some city side streets to put together an 8-mile ride. I usually ride my e-bike in ECO mode, which is supposed to just compensate for its weight (the thing is a monster, weighing in at about 80 lbs). The trail was level and a pretty easy ride, so I tried something new. I turned off the electric assist completely. I could only do it on the flats, but it definitely made the ride more challenging. Lol.

A spur off the Marks Slough Trail leads to the South Santiam River.

From Lebanon we moved on to a one night at Hazelnut Haven in Hubbard, OR. This is the Boondockers Welcome site we stayed at in 2022 when we picked up 9-week-old Raney from her breeder in Portland. It will always bring back wonderful memories. The hosts provide a little welcome gift bag with cookies and a sample of the hazelnuts they grow. Such nice folks! They sell their nuts and some baked goods too, so I loaded up with delicious hazelnut treats to take home.

Hazelnut Haven is a Boonockers Welcome Hall of Fame Host.
A well-deserved honor, we've stayed here three times!

This year's crop is coming along nicely. Yum.

Not hazelnuts, but they're our nuts. Lol.

Sunset over the orchard.

Our final stop was another Harvest Host site – Matchless Brewery in Tumwater, WA. Matchless is a favorite of Rog’s and they just recently became a Harvest Host site, so we were excited to check it out. We don’t usually stop so close to home, but it was really nice to spend a final relaxing evening before tackling all the delayed maintenance, chores, and projects that were lurking on the horizon.

Matchless is pup-friendly and Raney approved, and...

...a fun place to hang out. Lol.

One more bit of exciting news before I close out this trip. Rian is a Mommy again! Losing Floyd was devastating and the house was too quiet and empty without him. She’s a fantastic dog mom and there are lots of pups out there that need a loving home, so she started looking. She picked up her new fur-baby from the Sacramento Shelter on Tuesday, 7/15. Rian knew the minute she saw her that she was the one. Gwendolyn is a 30-pound sleek little baby seal. Lol. She and two males, probably littermates, were picked up together as strays. They were very skinny and had been living rough. The shelter staff are guessing age at around two years and breed as Boston Terrier/Bully/Boxer? mix. Although we’ll never know for certain, it’s a good guess it was a garage/kennel backyard breeder/puppy mill situation. From her behavior, she was never in a house and isn’t even sure what to do with a grassy yard. She isn’t housebroken and it will take her a while to learn the ropes. Temperament-wise she is a total sweetheart and love sponge. Right now, she is glued to Rian’s side, which makes them both happy. It will be fun to see her personality and confidence grow with all the love and attention she could possibly hope for. Welcome home Gwennie!

Rian is a mommy again. Meet Gwendolyn.

They are so lucky to have each other.

We have no solid plans for our next trip. We’re kicking around the idea of going out again in the fall. Next year, if we can pull it off, will be an epic journey to visit far-flung family, attend the 2026 Escapade in Maine, and an attempt to pick up the remaining six National Parks on our list. Woohoo!

Family Time – The Deck is Done and a Farewell to Floyd

 

Mission accomplished!

Note to self – schedule our next project at Rian’s in Sacramento BEFORE the temps start hitting triple digits! Ugh. We arrived at Rian’s on Saturday, 6/14. Luckily, she has a moochdock with 30amp electric, so we could keep the coach cool for the pups (and us!). The first (and most brilliant) thing we did on the project was head straight to Big 5 for the largest shade canopy we could find. It saved our bacon or at least helped to keep us from frying it. Lol. We spent 16 days with Rian and worked on the project all but two days. Now don’t think we slaved away all day, every day. (You know better than that! Lol.) We made time for some fun stuff and the heat ensured we didn’t work too hard for too long.

Why, yes I am a lapdog.

Even though the Raney alarm clock goes off every morning between 6 and 6:30am, at home our days tend to start slow. Given the brutal Sacramento sun, we had to crack the whip and get working before the day heated up too much. We usually started around 8am and called it quits by 2 or 3pm.

The materials were waiting when we arrived. To get a deck add
blood (just a little), sweat (buckets!), and tears (substitute curse words). Lol.

Forgot to take a "before" pic, but this one is close (7/16).

Rian and I managed to fit in some estate sales and thrifting, one of our favorite activities. We scored on the last day of a couple sales, one was fill a bag for $5 (Yes, we filled multiple bags!). At another everything was a $1. We boxed up probably 15-20 items and they gave us everything for $5. We don’t always get that lucky. Lol. But it sure was fun!

What else did we do? Father’s Day was celebrated at Jackrabbit Brewery. We’ve been wanting to visit for ages, since they produce some excellent sours. I tried all of them and they did not disappoint! We also hit two of my favorite ice cream shops – Leatherby’s and Handel’s. One advantage of sweating off all those calories. Lol.

Happy Father's Day!
Jackrabbit Brewery. 

Ice Cream!!! Another fan favorite in Sacramento.

On Saturday, 6/21, we went for an outing with Rog’s sister, Nancy, and her family on their ski boat. We met them at a public boat launch in Elk Grove and had a lovely cruise on the Sacramento River. Rog’s nephew, Max, showed off his wakeboarding skills and offered to coach us. Nope. Drowning was not on my list of things to do that day. I was content to sit in the sunshine and enjoy the breeze.

Rog's sister Nancy, her husband, Dave, and Max.

Max has the moves!

Rog and Nancy.

And now for some really sad news. When we got back to Rian’s later on Saturday, we saw that several of her friends had come by to say farewell to Rian’s dog, Floyd. Dog is inadequate, read that as furry child and soulmate. Floyd had been dealing with some debilitating medical issues for some time. He had Cushing’s Disease and some mobility and neurological issues which were getting worse. After multiple visits to the vet, it was clear there wasn’t anything more they could do. Rian had made arrangements for the final at-home vet visit on Wednesday, and then moved it up to Sunday, 6/22, when he stopped eating and drinking.

Floyd.

To give her peace and quiet, we didn’t work on the deck Sunday. Rian spent all day with Floyd and we said our own goodbyes before the vet arrived late that afternoon. Rian wanted privacy while she held Floyd until he was gone. I don’t think there are words to express how hard it is to make that call and say goodbye to a beloved member of your family. It was especially hard on Rian because Floyd has been her constant companion for nearly ten years. The loss of the unconditional love and emotional support they provided each other was heartbreaking. Rest in peace Floyd and know that you were loved beyond measure.

Rian with her Floyd.
The best loved and most photographed dog in the history of the universe. Lol.

Floyd's passing was hard on Rian and it was hard to see our baby hurting. Especially when there really isn’t any way to ease that pain. We offered what comfort we could and Raney and Riley offered cuddles with a side of dog hair and drool. (Please note this is the very first time Riley has ever been enticed to climb onto the bed! He loves his sissy.) Floyd may have been small, but he had a big personality and left a huge hole behind. When the time is right, I know that Rian will find another special pup who couldn't have a better dog mom.

The support team. Free cuddles.

So, on Monday, 6/23, we got back to work on the deck and slowly but surely, we made progress. Rian chose TimberTech decking material. The edge boards are screwed in and have color matched plugs that make the holes nearly invisible. The main body of the deck was installed with a clip system, so no holes at all. I have to say, it looks great! Rian was very happy with the end results, and it gives her almost 500 ft of outdoor living space. She is already looking at patio furniture and décor to make it her own.

A masterpiece in progress. Lol.

Magic plugs. There are two holes in the top board too. 
Can you see them?

Rian and Rog hard at work.

Ta-Da! We are done!!

The proud deck crew.

We swapped moochdocking sites, leaving Rian’s on Monday, 6/30, and returning to Rog’s Mom’s in Redding. The heat in Redding made Sacramento look positively balmy, but hanging out in the pool instead of sweating buckets over a deck project made it bearable. Lol. We stayed three nights and had a nice visit with Barb and Ed. I had to laugh because less than five minutes after parking, Riley was in the pool. Yay, Grandmaland.

Look Ma! No Legs. Lol.

Dip in the pool Relax in the shade. Rinse. Repeat.

Happy pups in Grandmaland.

One last picture before we head out.
Rog with Barb and Ed.

We left on Thursday, 7/3, for Ashland, OR. We’ve always wanted to spend some time there and Rog found a resort with mineral springs that had campsites available and we booked tickets for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Woohoo!