Monday, July 12, 2010

One of My "Best Places in the World"

Hi Friends,

I see that CNN and Money Magazine have published their best places to live again. And like most other times I have not visited any of them yet. I am sure that these places are amazing and that all the good things written about them are true and the people that live there are amazing.

Again, I noticed some of my favorite places are left off of the list. One of my favorite places to spend time in is Ashland, Oregon. Just off of Interstate 5 about 15 miles North of the California border, this little town has so much personality and charm that it keeps me wanting to spend more and more time there.

Ashland is home to Oregon Shakespeare Festival where you can watch some wonderful plays live in the most beautiful theaters anywhere. We have seen a few with our Niece and had a great time.

One of our favorite places to wander in Ashland is Lithia Park a 93 acre park right in the heart of town. It's natural beauty and unique little zen spots are what make it so special to us.

On our last vacation we got a chance to wander around Lithia Park and Ashland again, making more memories and discovering new corners we had not seen in the past. This time we were lucky enough to listen to an amazing Cello player as he played for anyone that cared to listen. He had great talent, and I found myself wondering about his history. Was he a performer for a famous symphony in his past? Or was he still performing, just taking some time to practice his art before returning to work? We watched as he played 2 songs perfectly, the sound of the Cello filling the park and the minds with music.

Maybe next time there is a listing for best places to live or visit, the writers they will have visited Ashland. But then again, perhaps it is better that they don't, as it might spoil the Spiritual feeling you get when you visit.

Here are a couple of videos we made on our last visit. Hope you enjoy them.

Peace, Love and Bliss...

Don & Brenda (and Ashley too)