taking flight

this weekend we got out of dodge for a little vacation.  first we headed to the valley to see my grandma who had been in the hospital for about a week.  she suffered from a long list of issues and had to spend time there until they resolved/treated them all.  on tuesday, we went to visit her again and were able to share in the excitement of her preparing to leave the hospital.  she is going to an assisted living home as she isn't quite up to par for living on her own yet, but then again she is 91!  

spending time in dallas also meant we got to see steve and debbie, even if briefly!  they are exceptionally wonderful in their respective aunt and uncle roles and we are always grateful for them. 

after that we headed down i-5 to ashland, where i had arranged for us to stay at the ashland springs hotel.  this historic building has to be one of the most incredible, detailed, amazing places i have ever stayed.  from the moment we walked in i was giddy with excitement and loved nearly every inch of the place.  (there were some over-the-top lamps and mirrors adorned with seashells that i wasn't fond of, but otherwise...).  i found a great rate online for a discount on the posh hotel plus massages for two--my dream vacation.  we had such a wonderful time in ashland and would recommend this hotel to anyone.

here are a few of my favorite details:

they had this bird theme, which i am not sure of the origin, but they took it all out.  not all out in a tacky way, but in a very classy, tasteful way.  such as the adorable version of the do not disturb staple.  i much prefer to be referred to as "nesting".

on each door there was this cute little hand clip.  i so wanted to figure out a way to take ours off and bring it home with me, but the security cameras prevented me from stealing.  this photo doesn't do justice to how cool this hardware was.  

we got a great room on the 8th floor with a ginormous bed, a ton of pillows, and a superb view.  there were very few guests, so it felt like we had the place to ourselves. 

this is us in our hotel room.  brandon wanted to pose like an old-fashioned wedding photo, but i didn't want to be so serious.

here we are in the lobby of the hotel, standing in front of a dried manzanita shrub.  i am not terribly fond of live manzanita: it takes over, scratches as you ride or hike through it, and is horrible to try to cut.  when dried, the bark turns a deep dark brown and the leaves fade to sage green.  

after that we stayed with friends from jackson who have moved to southern oregon.  it was great to see them and catch up on life.  all-in-all, it was a great escape.