A couple of weeks ago, we took a road trip to Asheville and had a marvelous weekend with two of my nieces: Hannah and Emma. Hannah flew down from Philadelphia and Emma drove from Columbus – it was so cool that we could just hang out and explore an unfamiliar city together for a few days! The weather was still pretty chilly, so we didn’t have too much outdoorsy time, but there was plenty of art and culture to ponder and breweries/restaurants to enjoy. We also drove part of the Blue Ridge Parkway for some mountain views, learned about the unique Black Mountain College experiment, appreciated the craftsmanship and artistry of Cherokee basket-weaving and other traditional crafts, and saw some awesome live music in unusual places. Photos and their captions below tell more of the story.
In other news since our last post: Matthew’s parents returned from the Florida Keys last week; it’s been lovely to spend time with them and catch up.
I started my bartending job for realz last weekend – they have me working Friday-Saturday-Sunday (about 27 hours in a 54-hour time span) and I was pretty much obliterated by Sunday night! But it was fun, and I made good tips. I’m resting up for another round this weekend.
Matthew continues to make progress on the teardrop trailer design, and it’s almost time to order the wood and start building!
But things will be a little slow on that project for the next few weeks — Matthew is heading back to Akiachak AK for a 2-week contract with his former employer in the Yupiit School District. When he was there 2019-2021, one of the projects he was working on was to get a local radio station going. COVID restrictions got in the way of fully realizing it back then, but the school is still interested in having one, so Matthew is going back to try and get it rolling again.
I think that’s about it for now. Here’s a batch of photos from Asheville, followed by a few of life here in Virginia. Cheers, and hugs to you!
Matthew and I camped the first night at Hagan-Stone Park near Greensboro. Lovely county park – Leslie Knope would be proud! 
Hannah flew into the Greensboro airport, so we got bonus road trip time with her. 
And we found Emma, also! Hooray for these two awesome humans … 
… and for our first brewery stop at Wicked Weed. 
We covered Asheville pretty well in 3 days, from downtown … 
…. to the River Arts District. 
But, no, we didn’t go to the Biltmore. We decided to do lots of small things instead of forking over a bunch of cash for One Big Thing. 
Battery Park Book Exchange not only has lots of great books … 
…they also have fancy champagne cocktails … 
…live gypsy music … 
… and Dr Seuss books to deliver your check. Loved it! 
We learned a lot from the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor’s Center. Like about this pharmacist’s “Tasteless Chill Tonic” that “makes children and adults fat as pigs.” 
Early spring on the Blue Ridge Parkway – trees just barely starting to bud … 
…. and the rock walls are covered in frozen ice. It was pretty blustery and chilly outside, so we didn’t even snap any mountain photos! 
We stopped at the Folk Art Center along the Blue Ridge Parkway. So much amazing craftsmanship! 
The wood carvings were among our favorites … 
…including these whimsical scenes, which were hand-carved (and mechanized!) by self-taught carver Frank Caracci. 
Time for more food and entertainment! Jack in the Wood Irish bar … 
…for a Bluegrass Brunch! “Supper Break” is the house band at this pub. They were awesome! 
Next stop: Tobacco Barn Antiques! Holy moly, this was amazing. 77,000 sq ft of stuff! (mind. blown.) 
Fun old signs … 
“Half the fun of having feet!” 
…a crazy 70s Canadian heavy metal record collection … 
…turkeys made out of license plates and bike chains … 
…oh, my! Are we having fun! 
All that antiquing called for some brewery-hopping. Fortunately, Asheville has an entire brewery DISTRICT. The South Slope has about 10 breweries within a few blocks. We started at Green Man … 
… but our favorite was Burial Beer Co. 
Their outdoor patio includes two cars as tables. 
Take a really close look at what they’ve stocked their vending machine with. 
And then there’s this. Yes, a giant mural of Tom Selleck with the sloth from the Goonies. Why?? Apparently these two are the Burial Beer mascots. I found an article from 2015 about the unveiling of this mural in celebration of Tom’s 70th birthday. Perfectly weird. 
Perfectly fun!!
Back in our Virginia neighborhood … alpacas! And one fierce livestock guard dog. That guy gets really nervous when we slow down and talk to him! 
The Jet Set Betties have claimed a corner of the Turner living room. (And froggy slippers are trying to drum!) 
Flat Iron Crossroads is a little nonprofit music venue about 15 miles from us. 
We had a great time seeing the Tidewinders and the Currys. Evening complete with adorable little girls twirling at the back with daffodils in their hair. 
Matthew took the rowboat for a spin from the Turner’s pier. 
We stumbled upon an open mic at the Mobjack Tavern. Some week we’ll have to bring our instruments! 
AMAZING tomato pie, made by Matthew’s mom from a combination of her canned sliced tomatoes and my sister’s tomato jam. 
And a couple of bartender views from my new place of employment. Inside, with live music … 
…. and a few hearty folks enjoying Saturday afternoon on the outside deck. C’mon by, and I’ll pour you a drink!
Dear K & M, Ahh, don’t think I missed the getting ready for the next round, pun, nicely done. Great report, good on you all for living the dream. Ole Jeff got to go to Seattle and have a knee procedure, which went well as far as he can tell. Now back to get ready for the Sitka Turmoil aka tour season. Keep on, thank you. Aloha, Jeff B
Very cool.