Happy Birthday to me :-) Can't believe another year has flown by. Thanks to my wonderful family for making the day so special. They treated me to lunch at Stir Fry and showered me with gifts. We topped off the festivities with an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins, compliments of Leslie and Mike. The flavor-chocolate cake with chocolate chip ice cream, of course.
New in my garden (and my birthday present to myself) , Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis). Lily of the Valley, the official flower of May, captured my heart long ago with its delicate white bell-shaped flowers that appear in May-June. The flowers are very fragrant with a sweet, slightly tart smell...deliciously exotic. "LoV" multiply like crazy but I figure I have a couple of years before I have to find someplace to transplant them. Now, if I can just keep the pesky chipmunks away. These little creatures have taken a fancy to my mini iris (photo-top to the left) and I have to keep adding dirt around the roots.
"The Garage Project" has begun in earnest and, with all this stuff pulled out of boxes, I am committed. Recently I have devoted too much time to play and neglected a number of home projects. Unfortunately the home projects never go away and over time become critical mass. Such is the situation with my garage. Daddy is selling his house soon and I will be taking over his work bench and an art bench. I plan to set both up in the garage. To set them up, I gotta make room and that means getting rid of some stuff, lots of stuff. It is a long, hot Memorial Day weekend in the garage!!
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Friday, May 26, 2006
John and I headed to Asheville, NC this morning to celebrate my birthday. It has been over a year since our last visit and we really looked forward to getting back to a couple of our favorite spots. Although the day was disagreeable, too hot and humid for late May, we made the best of it and had a fine day!
John (yellow shirt) relaxing at The Laughing Seed
Eating was foremost on our minds. Since my trip to the gym this morning pushed our departure later than desired (read-I did not want to get up on time), I neglected to eat breakfast. Not a very good decision. Once in Asheville, we rushed immediately to 40 Wall Street, only to discover that The Laughing Seed did not open for another 20 minutes. Window shopping killed the proper amount of time and we hurried back at the first possible moment. Now this was a good decision as the outside tables filled within 20 minutes of opening.
The Laughing Seed offers great vegetarian and vegan food that appeals to all but the most dedicated meat lovers. John had the daily special and I enjoyed the Havana Cuban Sandwich (organic 3-grain tempah). Yummy! We were happily stuffed when we left.
After lunch and a quick stop at Street Fair (42 Battery Park Avenue) where I purchased a couple of summer skirts, we were off to the New Morning Gallery (7 Boston Way) to drool over some of the beautiful hand-crafted furniture, jewelry, sculptures, ceramics and other intriguing pieces of art. This shop is a must stop for us on every trip we make to Asheville.
Beautiful poppies found growing in the large street side gardens along Boston Way, near the New Morning Gallery.
John in the courtyard waiting for lemonade
From the New Morning Gallery, we continued walking in Historic Biltmore Village, stopping at Biltmore Village Company to look at leather furniture and great frames before settling into chairs in the outdoor garden at Chelsea's and the Village Tea Room for fresh, cool (and tart) lemonade. A very refreshing break on a very hot day!
Me trying to smile after drinking the previously mentioned tart lemonade
Historic Biltmore Village is filled mostly with shops of the knick knack type. The shops are of the nature that men can be found outside the buildings in wait mode (John has held up many a shop wall in Biltmore Village) while women go inside to look. The architectural design of the homes (shops) in the village are historical and worth a look. The village, opened in the 1890's, was built as a complete town just outside the Biltmore Estate grounds and was designed to compliment the Estate.
The roof of the All Souls Cathedral in Biltmore Village
George Vanderbilt built the All Souls Episcopal Cathedral as the focus of Biltmore Village. The church was designed by Richard Morris Hunt, same architect who designed the Village and Estate.
A full view of All Souls Cathedral
John and I attended Easter services here the first year we dated. Today the church was not only open but a docent was on duty to welcome us inside. We spend a very enjoyable 30 minutes listening to the docent spin the history of the church, its windows, bells and plaques.
Stream running through the UNC-Asheville Arboretum
Our final activity of the day (before dinner at Jae Thai) was a quiet walk through the University of North Carolina Arboretum. We had hoped to arrive in time to visit the Arboretum shop and maybe pick up a wildflower or two for my garden, but alas, we were about 30 minutes too late. The walk was enjoyable nevertheless!
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Just in from 24 hours in a very hot, humid Dallas, TX. I never cease to be amazed at how flat the land is, flat and dotted with impressive glass buildings! Our meeting went well and the trip was generally uneventful. We anticipated storms for the return flight but were greeted with mostly blue skies and some billowy clouds. A nice relief for someone who is still on the edge about flying, having not fully recovered from the in-flight experiences during the March storms.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
The spring Heritage Festival in Townsend, TN popped up on our radar this morning while looking for something to do. Off we went hoping for an entertaining afternoon. After a little over an hour, we deemed the festival a bust for our interests although someone who plays bluegrass would probably enjoy an afternoon of it.
Pick-up players under the big tent
Aside from a row of craft tents, the festival revolved around food and bluegrass music. A number of small groups playing various instruments were scattered on the front lawn of the Townsend Visitors Center. It appeared to us that you could go from group to group playing music. More amateur players than bystanders listening.
Chicken and dogs on the barbie
Food was a big part of the festival with 10-15 vendors set up behind the Visitor's Center grilling up an assortment of goodies. John and I already had lunch so we reluctantly passed.
More chicken on the barbie
Clogging takes center stage
The main event was on center stage behind the Visitor's Center and a short walk from the grills. Lots of people were perched on their collapsible chairs listening the the "bigger talent. " A dance floor was set-up in front of the stage to entice members of the audience to clog but the cloggers didn't need much encouragement. The dance floor stayed busy with all ages moving their feet.
Who knew clogging requires special shoes?
All in all, we were glad to tic this activity off our list and head back to Knoxville!
