Ashland holds many good memories for me. Keith and I lived there from 2002 until 2012, though we were going back and forth to Santa Fe from 2007 on.  Ashland is comforting for me. I have always felt it was like a beautiful meadow in the forest, a respite in the midst of the intensity of life. 

As with many places now, the climate is changing how people live there. Summer heat and smoke from regional fires have made it less comfortable, sometimes difficult, at times in of the year. I even heard there had been a fire nearby as I began my approach from Eugene. However there was no smoke, with cool nights, warm days. Perfect for me in my little van. 

My first visit was with Silvia, who I have known since our 1989 Hakomi training days. We met at Lithia Park, the heart of Ashland. It was warm that afternoon as we sat at a picnic table in the shade for lunch. We do not get to see one another often, but it always seems as if it was only yesterday that we were together. 

Deer are abundant in Ashland, and this little family showed up in Lithia Park one day. They seem to have become an integral part of the landscape, mingling with all of the people who live there or come to visit for the Shakespeare Festival.

After hanging out with Silvia, I went to Emigrant Lake just outside of town. I had reservations for the campground there, and I was happy to see it was a wonderful place to be. 

There were flocks of geese that would take off in waves in the morning. One flock after the other, parading and honking around before flying off for the day. And at night, the process would reverse as they would all come floating in to take up their nightly sleeping quarters on the edge of the lake. 

There were other flocks of birds as well, some lining up across the lake in the morning.

And finally that first night, a hummingbird shaped cloud…