Oh my beautiful Oregon!  What a lovely Valentine baby you are – February 14, 1859!  You truly give from your heart and soul.  Your natural gifts are so abundant – rich earth, old growth forests, lakes, rivers, waterfalls and rainbows beyond. You’re an oasis of creativity, comfort and conscience. Your animal, plant and bird kingdoms bring such joy.

Your meadowlark has been my muse. One of my favorite pleasures is taking long walks and photographing your beauty. Charming Ashland has been like an elixir to me – energizing me, inspiring me and nurturing me. The beautiful Rogue River valley has so many attractions and adventures!  I’ve often said that if Ashland were a nutrient-it would be an antioxidant. It has been my husband’s (Doug) and my passion to help keep your beauty and character alive and well through resurrecting both the Ashland Springs Hotel (across the street from Waterstone Spa and just steps from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival) and Lake of the Woods Resort within an hour of Crater Lake National Park.  We celebrate you and your story through these properties.  We created a restaurant: Larks: Home Kitchen Cuisine with this same passion- to celebrate the essence of Oregon – with a special nod to the beautiful Rogue River Valley – its farms, its orchards, its vineyards and chocolatiers!  We prepare food from scratch and acknowledge your farms and cook with your seasons.  It’s Oregon farm to table. We dreamed of celebrating your artisan chocolatiers and  created the Oregon Chocolate Festival. And everyday we thank you and our guests thank you.  This website, my photos, and E-Notes are in honor of you.

With gratitude and admiration,

Becky and Doug Neuman owners of Ashland Springs Hotel and Larks: Home Kitchen Cuisine
www.ashlandspringshotel.com
www.larksrestaurant.com