This Week In Asheville

Aug 1, 2014, 6:38 PM

It has been a busy week and a relaxing week all at the same time. . .

On Monday we met up with Brian and family in Gaitlinburg for breakfast, and if you're going to Gaitlinburg at breakfast time you're eating at the Pancake Pantry. Oh yes, there is a line that can go way up the block, but it is so worth the wait. After a most glutenous breakfast we walked around and played the tourist. Brian and Kirsten took Sam and Veronica on a sky ride up the mountain while Steve and I entertained Charlotte. We walked to a perfect vantage point and waited to see them all ride back down. Then from there we went to a Ripley's Believe It Or Not Haunted House. Sam and Brian were going to go through. The girls and Steve and I really weren't interested in that, but Sam was SURE he wanted to go through. He didn't make it past the first room. So that didn't take long. Then we went to find ice cream. Heck yeah, it had been more then an hour since that huge brunch. After that Steve and I had about a two hour drive back and we wanted to get on the road. So we said goodbye and gave lots of hugs. 

Tuesday Steve and I went into Black Mountain in search of a mountain dulcimer. Steve has wanted to learn to play an instrument forever and now he has the time, so off we went to the Song Of The Wood store. Oh this place was just amazing. The instruments were not only beautiful as musical instruments but they were beautiful pieces of art, and the music they produced (in the right hands) is so stirring. Well the very nice and encouraging lady that helped us, now she could play instruments and play well. We found a nice dulcimer and we were off to go practice. 

Wednesday we went to the Biltmore Estate. That place is amazing, but I don't like the new thing with the self guided audio tours. You pay another $10 a piece and hold this thing that looks like a TV remote control up to your ear and you go through the different areas and they have recorded information on that area. It seems very impersonal and if you have additional questions there isn't always someone to ask. Hell if this is what tours are coming to you might as well stay home and do an online tour. I don't know I just don't like it! God knows they are pulling enough money in with $59/person given how many people were there. Aside from that though the place is so huge and so beautiful and just interesting to imagine a time when people lived there and entertained guests there. How wonderful it would have been to be a guest. We walked and walked then walked trough the gardens too. It was a good time. 

Then we went back to Black Mountain and I got a dulcimer too. IT WAS FUN TO PLAY. What the heck, I wanted to learn to play too and Steve isn't very good at sharing. So we have been making beautiful music. Trust me when I tell you there are no musicians that are in danger of losing their jobs because we are going to take it. I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or just the end of the weekend, but people have been steadily pulling out all morning. It could be a commentary on our playing, I'm just not sure. 

Thursday and Friday were rainy days so we didn't do too much. We did go to a wonderful German restaurant one day for a late lunch and it was just the best most authentic meal. I thought I might break into one of the songs from the "Sound of Music", we ate schnitzel, (no noodles) and crisp apple strudel, these are a few of my favorite thingssssssss, when the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad. I'm sorry I couldn't help myself there!

Saturday Steve and I waited by the iPad for news from the reveal party going on in Tallahassee. Of course it was just poor timing that we weren't there. We are so happy for Brian and Jenn, they are going to be having a little boy. We were with you guys in spirit!! And thank you Debby for getting a video posted so soon so that we almost felt like we were there. Blue balloons floated out of a big box but that was no surprise, Steve new before the announcement that they were expecting and it would be a boy. I live with Svengali!!!

Now today we are celebrating Steve's birthday so I serenaded him in bed with a dulcimer version of happy birthday. Oh the poor man!!!! Later we are going to go to dinner and celebrate properly. I do want to take this opportunity to properly wish my wonderful husband a Happy Birthday. I am very lucky to have such a wonderful husband every day of the year, so at the very least once a year he should be celebrated.