February 14 – March 8

Where are we?  Why did we drop off the face of the earth?

Nah. I thought I just didn’t have anything to say. We’ve been hanging around Asheville getting things done for work, etc. After writing a synopsis, I guess we were doing quite a bit.

The first order of business was trying to stay abreast of all the follow up on all of Mom’s surgery.. My sister Linda was with Mom going to doctors’ appointments, getting the tech working in the house, getting the caretakers schedules straightened out, cooking, shopping and otherwise being there for mom. She planned on staying one week but extend another week which gave us all peace of mind. I dropped in to see how it was all going for a day. My older sister Anne was also able to put eyes on mom when she stopped by on her way to Florida.  

If you ever wondered where my love for colorful clothing came from….

Anne bought the pants at Walmart right after Mom’s surgery since she needed some special clothes (soft high waist bands). I think she may wear the pants after really necessary. 

In the meantime, I’ve been trying to explore Asheville a little. David and I went to the adorable town of Brevard which is known for its music school. We had a great time at the independent book store (of course) and coffee shop (of course again) and sight seeing.

We also went for a great hike above the Sliding Rock waterfalls in the Pisgah National Forest called Pink Beds. Not sure why that’s the name but we loved it. It was a 6 mile hike and we got back just before the sunset. Whew! Then went to a great brewery near the cool area of Brevard called The Lumberyard. Guess what it used to be.

Another day that week, I explored the Western North Carolina Farmer’s Market which is open every day, all year long. They have an inside element where some farmers bring in produce from the region. I got a bag of a dozen tomatoes ($5!) from another vendor who brings them up from Florida.

I met up with an old Colgate friend who is now living in Asheville. Sue Jacoby introduced me to the NC Arboretum. I was excited to discover that it was designed by Fredrick Law Olmstead whom I’ve been learning about through my garden club. He is responsible for the Biltmore’s landscape design work as well as many public gardens like Central Park, Chicago and others around the world. Anyway, we tried to see the Bonsai exhibit but it’s closed for the season. They have a beautiful quilt garden that will be in bloom very soon, but the hikes that back the Arboretum were fabulous. 

Went to Waffle House for the first time.  We watched the Anthony Bourdain video where he goes to a Waffle House drunk with a friend.  Since it’s open 24 hours, it’s a great place for that, but our post-hike treat was a pleasant surprised. When you eat at the bar, and they give you a waffle hot off the griddle, there’s nothing like it. Hot and crispy outside, soft almost gooey inside. Yum.

Got all tires on AS changed from trailer tires to truck tires.  I drove to Discount tires myself and had to back in to tight spot.  I did it All By My Self.  I know I’m acting like I’m five and I just learned how to tie a shoe but really it was a big deal.

Amy, David’s sister, came down to get more work done for DNA Partners.  Before she left for NYC, we made it to Sierra Nevada Brewery. It’s a huge operation and their focus is on the environment, literally. For example, they have solar panels over parking lot to shade cars and produce energy.  The parking lot is not entirely asphalt, but constructed from concrete tiles that have space in between so water can still enter ground. We played a few rounds of bocce and had a beer or two before she left for the airport.

Had a zoom cocktail party with friends in CSH.  Made my own crudite and cheese plate to celebrate.  Too bad I ate the whole thing.  That’s what a little tequila will do.

I washed the Airstream and truck at a local self-serve car wash. By myself.  It took about $20 worth of quarters and a couple of hours. The challenge was ensuring that all the small important chores are done correctly and completely. or you can mess up and really do some damage. I had to hitch by myself, wash all 27 feet of the trailer and the 20 foot truck, drive around the back of a shopping center to return, back in to our spot and level the trailer myself. Everything went smoothly and I didn’t make any unearned errors. Of course if I wash the car, it will rain in the next two days. And it is. Still, the sunset reflecting off my clean rig made the whole thing worth it.

David went down to Amelia Island, FL for the car show with a business friend from Asheville.  He had So Much Fun.  It is really like a spa vacation for him, even though it was just a long weekend.  And he needed it. Badly. He saw beautiful old Packards, Dusenbergs and Lincolns. He saw great modern cars like Ferraris and Porsches. He even saw upcoming cars like the 2023 Corvette, which he may be ogling for the future. He didn’t buy a car, but he did buy a painting of a Porsche which I’m really excited to see. 

So after many delays, it looks like we might hit the road again in a couple of days. We were supposed to start today, but that is NOT going to happen.  We’re still packing and David is trying to finish up important things like taxes for work and our personal lives. Yikes. 

I’ll be writing from the road soon. I haven’t figured out how to resize the photos on my phone app, so if things look a bit strange, you’ll understand why. Go West Young Man – er — Not So Young Woman?