Morse Avenue: 2020 update photo essay

06 May Morse Avenue: 2020 update photo essay

Posted at 18:58h in Public Art, Schools, Streets, Wildlife, Yard Art by Peter Finkle 2 Comments

Ashland High School outdoor art.
Cheryl Garcia’s metal art.
The Inspire House classroom.

Morse Avenue street sign on Siskiyou Boulevard. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2020)

I took photos on Morse Avenue, which runs between Siskiyou Boulevard and East Main Street, in April 2018 and again May 2020. Most of the east side of Morse is taken up by the Ashland High School track and field.

Homes and apartments fill the west side of the street. Morse Avenue is only a couple blocks long, as are many streets in Ashland, so this will article will be mostly photographs.

Garden Highlight

The garden highlight on Morse Avenue was 33 Morse. This home used to belong to Southern Oregon artist Cheryl Garcia and her husband Criss. Cheryl specializes in metal art, and you can still see her work around the garden.

Metal art by Cheryl Garcia at 33 Morse Avenue. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2018)

Cheryl Garcia’s website is www.greatmetalwork.com. I have had the pleasure of knowing Cheryl for the past few years. She does create great metal art projects, both small and large. You may have seen her huge flowers just inside the main entrance of the Britt Music Festival, at Walker School in Ashland or the bright yellow-orange metal poppies in the vineyard as you drive into Jacksonville on South Stage Road (photo below).

Poppies by Cheryl Garcia near Jacksonville. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2018)

When Cheryl and Criss sold the home on Morse, she told me that she hoped the new owners would honor and keep her artwork in the garden – and they have. Here are more photos of her art at 33 Morse.

Cheryl Garcia’s metal work at 33 Morse Avenue. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2018)

Garage at 33 Morse Avenue, Cheryl Garcia metal art. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2020)

There is an unusual tree at the corner of the garden where Morse Avenue meets East Main Street. I think it’s a weeping Blue Atlas Cedar that has been trained to grow in two directions from the sturdy trunk. It is dramatic!

Blue Atlas Cedar, corner of Morse Avenue and East Main Street. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2018)

You can see how the Weeping Cedar has been trained to grow over the archway garden entrance. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2020)

Ashland High School track

During my 2018 walk, the deer of Ashland were represented on Morse. I was admiring the new AHS track recently installed after a huge community fundraising campaign. Then I noticed that three deer were also admiring the track, perhaps discussing how fast they could run a 100 yard dash.

The track was declared unfit for use in May of 2017, so a huge community fundraising campaign began. $360,000 of private funds was raised to replace the understructure of the track and lay down a state of the art surface layer. It looks great to me. I hope the high school athletes love it.

New Ashland High School track. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2020)

This is one of a newly-planted line of Ginkgo trees along the Morse Avenue side of the Ashland High School track. Ginkgo trees put on a beautiful show of golden colored leaves in autumn. Ginkgo trees are slow growing, but they can live for longer than 1,000 years.

AHS Inspire House

The Ashland High School Inspire House on Morse Avenue serves a small number of students. I found this explanation at the school website: “The AHS INSPIRE Program serves students who have special needs, with an emphasis on hands-on activities that directly transfer into independent life skills.”

Rebecca Bjornson is the teacher for Inspire House students. I didn’t know about Inspire House when I first wrote about Morse Avenue in April 2018. Since then, I had the pleasure of leading Rebecca and the Inspire House student group on an Ashland History Walk through the Railroad District.

60 Morse Avenue is the site of the Inspire House program. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2020)

Inspire House front door. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2020)

This unusual bench is located in front of the student garden next to Inspire House. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2020)

AHS Morse Avenue artwork

I enjoyed seeing this mosaic at the high school as I walked the sidewalk on Morse Avenue. If someone knows the story behind the mosaic, please share it in the comments.