So this year, I didn't want to make that mistake again. Months ago, we set aside the weekend after Easter -- and her birthday -- to get away together. Asheville was the obvious location, and the Reynolds Mansion where Michael and I have stayed during our last several visits, was the obvious place.
We set out relatively early on Friday morning, thanks to Gigi who came to keep the kids that day, and after a quick trip through the drive-thru for some special coffee treats, we were on our way.
We wanted a relaxing weekend, so we kept the scheduled events to a minimum, but we did have reservations relatively early on Friday evening so we could enjoy downtown Asheville afterward, where the shops were staying open late for the art walk. We made a stop at the Jaemor Farms shop on the way up and decided that we would make a longer stop there on the way back to bring home some goodies to family. We also stopped at one of our cousin Stephanie's favorite spots in Greenville for a deli lunch, when we happened to pass right by there while going through town.
Our first official stop was the Carl Sandburg Home in Flat Rock, N.C. It is part of the National Park Service, and they have done a wonderful job with it! I learned a lot about President Lincoln's most renowned biographer and his family. I can see why they made this their home. We could also see the perks of being the Sandburg writer-in-residence.
There was a lovely hike up to the main house (or you should take a shuttle from the parking lot). We checked out the ticket situation for the tours and had time to visit with the goats and chickens before the tour began!
They guy was keeping a close eye on the gate in and out of the goat pasture.
A close eye!
View from the front porch. Not bad!
Our tour guide was great. There were an elementary-aged sister and brother were on the tour and she really worked to keep them engaged, while also not talking down to them. The house was undergoing some major preservation work, so the furniture was gone, but there were large photographs of the room as-arranged and it was really enough. The Sandburgs weren't huge on the decorating and were more interested in function over form. The main thing I loved were the floor-to-ceiling built-in bookshelves in every room! And since there were built-in, they were also still there. Nothing fancy, but they did the trick. There were also copies of letters and things, including a letter from Carl Sandburg to Helen Keller that I found particularly neat.
Also, Mrs. Sandburg was famous in her own right for her goat herds and breeding techniques! This was part of why they landed in Flat Rock from Michigan. We loved learning about her, too.
We had to sneak out of the tour early to get over to the manse, check-in and freshen up for dinner. Mom met Billy, and we both met one of the newer staff member, Sandy, for the first time. Billy and Michael have moved to the cottage in the back of the house, so Sandy now lives in the third floor rooms where they once lived and helps care of the home. She is from South Africa originally and is just lovely. She has one daughter in Asheville and one in Denver, Colo. She is perfect addition to the Reynold's Mansion, and seemed to love that mom and I had come to celebrate her birthday together.
So we got settled in our room and had to run out rather quickly to dinner. But I did stop quickly to say hello to Billy's new chickens!
We said a quick hello to Billy's new chickens! (And when I checked in a few days ago to let him know that some friends are coming to stay, he told me he has been busy bottling 35 gallons of honey from their bees!)
Mom and I also checked out the view from our balcony. Not bad.
We ate at Curate. Curate is one of the hottest spots right now, and it's a Spanish tapas restaurant where the chef is award-winning, with an interesting story herself.
The meal was delicious. The honey-drizzled eggplant that Billy recommended was delicious, as were the Spanish-cured meats, the salad and the cheese-stuffed grilled red piquillo peppers.
We got to chatting with our server too, and it turned out that she was the "little sister" of one my high school classmates' at UGA in Phi Mu. Kate was very helpful and very nice. I snapped a picture of us and sent it right over to Reagen, who lives now in Montana! She also surprised us with a birthday dessert for my Mom!
"La Serviette" is "the napkin" in Spanish. This dessert was a thin dark chocolate, with toasted pistachios, dried cranberries, and coarse salt. It was delicious, and every table around us was open-mouthed when it was delivered to our table -- and we were, too.
There were several "live sculptures" around downtown that evening. We stopped in a bunch of shops and mom found a new band she liked, "The Growlers." But our favorite live sculpture was below. This guy stood there forever. I still cannot figure out how he did it.
Throughout our weekend, Mom and I kept taking food pics to send to Aunt Toni with descriptive captions just for fun.
Saturday morning's breakfast was just as I had previously described to my mom, and the day's "side dish" was pancakes! Ooh and the fruit dish was a yogurt parfait topped with tons of fresh fruit and granola. We both loved it. We were also "graced" with the presence of a member of the Reynold's family, who shared a few more new details about the history as well as her own family's lovely lifestyle. We didn't quite figure out exactly how she was related until after breakfast (or maybe the next morning), but on Sunday morning after she left, Billy opened up a bit more. This added a new entertaining element to the mix for both us, and a bit of Southern gothic feel to it all, too. One of the other guests was particularly amused with her.
After breakfast, we needed to walk some of it off! So it was back downtown for us, where we had some success shopping (while not even trying too hard). We actually started at the Lexington Glassworks and watched them blow an entire beautiful vase. The glass art was beautiful! ...but it wasn't really in our budget this time, so I got some nice photos.
Mom really liked these!
And the pendants were beautiful, too.
After this, we did a bit more shopping, and then headed to the River Arts District to check out the art studios there. We found some very good artists and art that we really liked. Some cool mixed-media canvas art, and some really interesting photography whose accompanying stories were even more fascinating. Then there was some art that was not as much to our particular tastes. We also saw some beautiful pottery. We checked out a different area of the district that Michael and I visited last time, but we have some suggestions: continue to make it more more walkable and pedestrian-friendly.
We also checked out White Duck Taco! It's like Atlanta's Taqueria del Sol in terms of the style and options (more taco options/flavors here), but the tortillas are corn (still soft) and they didn't have guacamole when we went! A problem. I can't speak to their mixed drinks, because we both chose a beer! Our lunch was tasty though, and our line since we ate a bit later than lunchtime was not long and moved quickly.
We did a bit more wandering about following our snack there, and headed back to the hotel for free wine, more chatting, including with Sandy. She shared more of the history with mom and me, and told us a bit more about herself after some prodding. She also offered to take our picture!
And we also caught up with our family via phone. Libby had lost her other front tooth.
It had occurred to me earlier in the day that of course, my longtime buddy David Fulmer lives in Asheville now, too. So, I checked in with him to see if he wanted to meet up with us for dinner or our brewery/late night music plans. He did! He actually invited us to dinner at his house, but we already had reservations out, so we decided to meet up with his and his friend there.
Dinner was at Stoney Knob Cafe just down the road from the manse. It is innkeeper Billy's favorite restaurant, and we loved it, too. I will definitely be taking Michael the next time we go. We began with some specialty cocktails: Mom enjoyed the "ultimate margarita," and I enjoyed a basil cucumber gimlet that was divine.
We split the watermelon summer salad and the "Enter the Dragon" plate that was an amazing tuna dish. We enjoyed it rare! Billy recommends the lamb. I can't wait to go again!
We headed from there to the Pisgah Brewing Co. up the road a bit in Black Mountain. Their tasting room is also a music venue, and we saw a really good bluegrass band, who sadly, did not play "Man of Constant Sorrow" because they said they were an optimistic group- ha. But played a lot of good stuff that we knew, along with some we did not. But in addition to tasting some new beers, the best part was catching up with David! He and mom made plans for her return visit to Asheville with the Rome chamber. Seriously. I have awesome friends.
Did I mention that it was quite cool throughout our trip - and really cold that night?! It was super windy when we left that night, too. We shut the place down. And if you're surprised, you don't know us well.
Sunday was more yummy breakfast, and a stop at the new French Broad Chocolate Lounge to pick up some treats for our loved ones.
Then mom and I had a jaunt out to the North Carolina Arboretum as we headed back out of town. I took care of a few work items that popped up, and we explored. I think the hiking trails might be great, but we were just a tad early for the gardens to really be going. There's a neat (mabye?) bonsai exhibit too, but it was still too cold for the plants to be out, so... that was empty.
Matthew would have enjoyed the model trains though! I got a few videos for him to watch them.
We also stopped -- after passing it once and turning around -- at the Jaemor Farms shop and picked up a few items!
We really had a wonderful time. Mom wants to bring everyone she knowns to the Reynold's Mansion, just like I do. And we want to do it again!!!
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