Ashland to McMinnville and Oregon's wine country-August 19 to 20, 2015

We kind of wished we had an extra day in Ashland.  I mean we never got to the market for instance but...




after breakfast we did visit a very fun place just outside of town, the Dagoba Chocolate retail store.   And there is nothing I like better than tasting chocolate!






What a way to start the day!  After that we took Route 66 to wend our way back to I5





We kind of powered our way to McMinnville.  In retrospect we should have stopped at some of the wineries along the way but we didn't!  I had been to McMinnville about 15 years ago and had a great time in the pretty town and visiting wineries.  Our hotel, the Comfort Inn,  was just outside of town so after we checked in (nice room and no reason to demand an upgrade-hoho) we drove into town.







It was still warm even in late afternoon but the streets were as pretty as I remembered.







We stopped to do a wine tasting bar (and the problem with waiting too long to write a blog is I am not sure which one we went to).  I was not impressed.  We were offered five wines to taste for $10 and I really didn't like the second and really wasn't that interested in the reds so had a glass of the first wine instead.  Donna did the tasting, but we were both not overly impressed.







This is the McMenamin's Hotel.  Apparently they have a nice rooftop deck so perhaps that is where we should have enjoyed a glass of wine.








We had a very good dinner at Moljanetes and we liked the decor as well!











Look at this gorgeous tree!







I was surprised to find Benjamin Franklin in McMinnville.
















We headed back to our hotel and I went on a walk in pursuit of a sunset.










And you can see I was fairly successful!






It is very pretty countryside!









After breakfast we headed off towards Portland along the wine route.
















We stopped at Rex Hill Winery


























We did an aroma test which was fun...








This time we shared a tasting for 10 dollars and it would have been free if we had bought two bottles of wine-note the prices...







It was a neat building


















They actually had cheaper wines but somehow we would have felt déclassé buying those!!!






We went seeking another winery but none seemed conveniently located so we had to drive a bit off the main road.










Again hit some beautiful country








And found a winery with a beautiful setting!








But when we heard it was $15 a tasting we decided to forget that and I was driving!  And honestly I don't even remember the name of the winery.  So our winery experience was not as positive as it had been many years ago here-but it was still fun to revisit McMinnville!

Ashland, Oregon October 18, 2015-shopping, eating, and of course, theatre attending...

We were up early

and enjoyed a very nice buffet breakfast

and set off to see more of Ashland in the daylight!


Getting to the theatre box office was an easy walk although uphill through town.

Interesting variation on a totem pole above.




I loved these costumed creatures I think get raffled off at the end of the season!

You can see what is playing at each theatre… Here is the link to find out more about the festival.



It is a very nice complex


Below you can see the entrance to the open air Elizabethan Theatre.
With our tickets now in our hands (we had plays in the afternoon and evening)



we were off to explore the shops!



And we had lots of fun doing that!  We particularly loved Paddington Station.




I really think taking pictures of things I like does save me money!!


I love nice displays!


Quilt shops are always fun to visit even though I haven't quilted anything in a long time!


I loved the little plate below but I resisted!





Lunch was delicious at the Greenleaf restaurant!



Manzanita is a gorgeous store with beautiful things.


















We did manage to get to our afternoon show, Guys and Dolls, which we thoroughly enjoyed.  We bought our tickets months ago.  There were rush tickets but we didn't want to take a chance.

 We had initially planned to go back to our hotel between performances, but that didn't happen.  We were also a bit worried that Anthony and Cleopatra might be cancelled due to air quality, it was quite smoky.  We ended up having an early dinner at the restaurant which is right by the theatres, Martino's and Macaroni's Restaurante and never going back to the hotel.  We wanted to catch the Green show (a free show in the Green before the evening theatre performances) because we weren't sure the play would go on.  I didn't think the air was as bad as it was at the beginning of the summer in Vancouver but it was definitely a bit hazy!

There was more shopping-Donna bought a Shakespearian watch for instance!

The Green show was interesting-African drumming but the dancers were local!

The show went on and here you can see the stage before the performance began.  It was so warm during the day we were definitely warm enough in the outdoor theatre, but I appreciated the cushion I rented!  It was really neat to see the show this way but I was getting a bit impatient for Cleopatra to die, I must admit.  They only use this theatre in the summer but the other two theatres are open for a much longer season!  We walked home having thoroughly enjoyed our day!!!