Asheville’s Amazing Architecture

Asheville, N.C. has it all!  Amazing art, architecture, scenery, four seasons (but winter’s not too long), and friendly people!  A couple of days ago, I took a walking tour of downtown and posted about the street art.  Now…I’d like to highlight some of the architecture.

The Basilica of St. Lawrence has the largest elliptical freestanding dome in North America, unsupported by wood or steel.  An ancient Moorish technique was used to build it!  After photographing it, I crossed the street and a homeless guy said, “If you haven’t been inside you should go…it’s beautiful!”, so I went and he was right.  Plus…it gave me time to warm up and say a prayer!

I don’t always need to know the name of something to like it!

The center structure is the Vance Monument and stands tall as a symbol of tolerance!   The history behind this is truly remarkable and interesting…but lengthy…so if you’d like to read about it…here is an article!

Through the mirror of my mind…Time after time…I see reflections of you and me…

The City Building has a pink roof…how cool is that?

You can’t tell from the photo…but this is like an amphitheater…there’s seating!

I wasn’t able to visit Pack’s Tavern…but I’m sure it’s a favorite of the locals!

The Asheville Art Museum looks very “artsy”!

This building says…I can touch the sky!

I wasn’t planning on going into the Grove Arcade…but I needed a restroom.  I’m glad I did…multi-level…lots of quaint shops!

Like this one…

I spent a couple of days here and really enjoyed exploring the Town!  Tomorrow we’ll take a quick look at the historic Grove Park Inn!

Downtown Asheville Street Art

Asheville, North Carolina has some fun and funky street art!  Armed with an Urban Trail/Public Art Map from the Visitor’s Center,  I parked in the Wall Street lot (free for the first hour…75 cents ea additional) around 8:30am and set off to explore.  These photos aren’t in chronological order.

This is a flat iron and reflects the architecture located behind it…

Musicians busy making music…

I love entry ways…

This mural really looks like a street…

Sculpture at the Federal Building…

Sooo whimsical…

This sculpture on Haywood Street is called “Shopping Daze” and represents the time in history when Haywood Street was the region’s fashionable shopping district!

This wasn’t on the map…but it’s quite eclectic!

Richard Sharp Smith, the supervising architect of the Biltmore House, is honored by this bench and sculpture…

The following murals were also not on the map…but they’re lovely!

Last…but certainly not least…nature’s street art!

Asheville definitely has an artsy…hip vibe!  Tomorrow we’ll view some of Asheville’s amazing architecture!

River Arts District

The River Arts District in Asheville, North Carolina reminds me a bit of the Pendleton Arts Center in my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio.  There are studios, galleries and restaurants located near Downtown Asheville, along the French Broad River.  Many of them are in converted warehouses.   After visiting the Biltmore Estate yesterday, I stopped in this area to check it out.

As I wandered through the buildings/studios, I would ask before I took photos.  The artists seemed to appreciate that.

These are some of the paintings that caught my eye…

If you’ve followed my blog for a while…you know I like fire escapes!

Because I’m taking such a long trip…I’m trying to be smart with my money, so I’d like to try to eat out for lunch only.  Lunch is less expensive than dinner when dining out.  Yesterday, I ate lunch at the Clingman Cafe and enjoyed  one of their special sandwiches.  It was yummy!  Then…for dinner it was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

I stopped in Downtown Asheville to see the sights and take photos…but I’d only gotten a few streets over before my camera’s battery went dead…so that’s where I’ll head today.

The Biltmore Estate and Gardens…Simply Gorgeous!

The Biltmore Estate in Ashville, North Carolina surpassed my expectations!  I arrived at 8:30am to take photos of the gardens before the sun was up too high.  It was freezing out…but I was so excited…I forgot my gloves.  The estate is located on 8,000 acres and has 250 rooms!  They employ 1800 employees!  Some of the other offerings are–a winery, restaurants, a hotel and spa, and a variety of outdoor activities.

This is the greenhouse…

Walking through the gardens…snapping photos like a wild woman…I was amazed at the profusion of color!  I had talked with a local the night before and she had said there wouldn’t be much to look at in the gardens…hah!

Most of my photos don’t have any people in them.  That’s another reason to get an early start!

I arrived in Asheville yesterday and stopped at the Visitor’s Center to pick up maps and information.  A representative from the Biltmore was there, so I bought a ticket for $49 ($10 less than at the door) and she talked me into purchasing a ticket for a self-guided audio tour that was $10 extra.  It was worth it.  Most likely I’ll never go back…too many new places to see!

The vistas were beautiful!

After touring the gardens and the “mansion” (where you’re not allowed to take photos), I hopped in my car and kept pulling over on the side of the road to get out and take photos.  There were so many interesting paths and beautiful spots!  Luckily, it wasn’t very crowded because of the weather the day before!

This is the “bass pond”…

I didn’t expect to see a waterfall!!

And finally…a back view of the hotel!

I hope you enjoyed the tour as much as I did!

Hallowine

Most every year I go to the same Halloween party.  I met this group of people through the meetup.com groups I belong to…a few of which are the hiking club and the wine tasting club.  The majority of people are in their 40’s and 50’s.  This year I think everyone looked great in their costumes!

Our host–Bob–is an award-winning wine maker and makes a great pirate!  You might remember me posting about his pig roast over the summer.

I was a viking princess and the lumberjack was “Thor“…

Cindy was a very cute Little Red Riding hood and Kathy was an amazing witch!  I would guess approximately 50-60 people attended the party and every year there seems to be a costume that is more popular than others.  Last year there were at least six cats (I was one of them) and this year it was little red riding hood.

All of the couples dressed in matching costumes.  Ed and Jessie’s 20’s costumes were perfect for them!

Anne, Gina and Kathy are so much fun!  Kathy obviously was a nurse.  She had a rather large syringe filled with some type of alcohol that she would administer upon request!

I loved Dee and Chris’ Gladiator costumes!

Frank got really creative this year as a…you guessed it…”serial” killer!

Gina’s being accosted here by the Martians with too many arms!

I wanted to include my friend Shari in a photo…but in every one of them…she has her eyes closed and it wasn’t because she drank too much!

Dave and Kelly didn’t come together…but she’s a Fallen Angel and he’s a High Priest.

Janet was a jelly fish and John was a diver!  Very unique!

Spiderman looks sexy!

Todd’s eye makeup was nicer than mine!

Tina Tuner looked fabulous!

Tim was wearing another very creative costume — a tribal cannibal!

April makes an amazing Dominatrix with her friend Chris!

Later in the evening the party really got going when we turned the music up outside!

Us “old folk” sure know how to have fun!  Cheers!

Wonders of Winton Woods

The Park of choice for last night’s hike was Winton Woods on the West side of Cincinnati.  I used to live in that area when I was a single mother 20 years ago.  I haven’t been to that Park in years and it brought back lots of memories!  We walked the loop around the small lake.  I’m not sure how far that is…probably about 2 miles and then walked part of it again and veered off onto another path.

There’s the lumberjack…

I haven’t gotten to swing in a while either.  I asked the lumberjack if he would take photos of me.

He was delighted after he took this photo, because the timing was great for capturing me jumping from the swing…

The colors weren’t as vibrant as at Sharon Woods, but there were some other interesting photo ops.  I purposely stood off-center for this shot under a bridge…thinking that would give it more appeal…

This photo makes me want to go sit on the bench.  But knowing me…it wouldn’t be for long!

Just like Sharon Woods, there is a Boathouse there for rental of paddle boats, pontoons and aluminum canoes.

After using the restrooms, the light streaming in caught my attention.  I couldn’t decide which photo I liked better…so I posted both!

More color!

I enjoyed the stripes in this shot…

I like the kayaks’ bright colors against the muted earth tones!

I hope you’re enjoying a tour of Cincinnati’s finest parks!!

Itinerary for USA Road Trip

Here’s the rough draft of the itinerary for my upcoming road trip leaving next week!  Woo Hoo!  I have now switched gears, yet again, from buying a tear drop camper, to buying a van, to camping, to Couchsurfing!  If you’ve been a follower for a while you’ll recall my wonderful experience Couchsuring in Cape Town for four nights (read about it here)!  I’m putting out a few requests and will have my tent and camping gear with me in my Honda Civic for occasional camping.

Although I’m occasionally a bit indecisive, this trip feels right and not just because of the fortune I opened in my cookie from take-out Chinese the other night…

I’m not finished researching the areas, so I don’t have all of the sights/activities listed I hope to see/do!  I’d love to hear from you if you’ve been to any of these areas and have recommendations!

Drive 6 1/2 hours from Cincinnati to Asheville, N.C. and stay for 3 nights.  Visit The Biltmore Estates and take the Gray Line Trolley (hop on/hop off) to see the sights around town.

Drive 4 1/2 hours to Charleston, S.C. and stay for 3 nights.

Drive 2 1/2 hours to Savannah, Georgia and stay for 2 nights.

Drive 7 1/2 hours to Destin Beach and stay 7 nights exploring the beautiful beaches in the area including Fort Walton, Pensacola, Rosemary and Panama City Beaches.

Drive 7 1/2 hours to St. Petersburg Beach/Tampa Bay area and stay 3 nights.  I’ll probably be staying with a fellow blogger…the beautiful Zully from Spiritual World Traveler, if she’s in town.  So exciting!

Drive a little over 4 hours to Miami/Ft. Lauderdale beaches and stay for 3 nights.

Drive almost 3 hours to Cape Coral (Ft. Myers Beach) and stay for a few weeks.  Family members have a condo there that they generously allow me to use.   I’ll be picking my husband up at the airport the day before Thanksgiving and he’ll stay for a week.

I hope to meet Betty from Heifer 12 x 12 on this trip also!  I’m thinking on the way back will work better for her because she is visiting a different country every month this year and blogging about it!  It’s amazing and she’s amazing!

Hope your day is great!!

Funky Yellow Springs, Ohio

Yellow Springs, Ohio is one of the most eclectic small towns (that I’m aware of) within 100 miles of Cincinnati!  You’ll find Antioch College, founded in 1852, a progressive liberal arts college located in the heart of Yellow Springs.  After hiking at John Bryan State Park yesterday, we stopped here and walked the few blocks that comprise the main area of town.

Here are some of the treats we encountered…

This is the ceiling of the outdoor movie theater awning…

I love to find the unexpected…like the reflection in this glass…

Artists and “hippies” love to frequent this area.  The faint drifting scent of marijuana lingers here and there.  You’ll find hand painted benches…

And most of the shops are painted unusual colors…

Whimsical…colorful…fun…enticing…

Shimmering…..

I love the living tapestry inviting you into this restaurant…

You don’t have to look far to find beauty!

 

John Bryan State Park…Painted Yellow

John Bryan State Park is located outside of Yellow Springs, Ohio (which is about an hour North of Cincinnati).  One of the reasons I love to hike there is the variety of trails that are available.  John Bryan is sandwiched between Glen Helen Nature Preserve and Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve and together they offer over 38 miles of hiking trails.

The weather was perfect for hiking today…mid 60’s and sunny!

The Park was filled with yellow…

I took three different photos of the bridge.  Which one is your favorite?

A beaver’s been chewin’ on this tree…

Reflections are so cool…

I must have known to wear yellow so I could match!

P.S.  I’ve decided to buy a mini-van for my upcoming road trip!  I’ll post more details soon!

Ultra Light Teardrop Camper

Yesterday, I mentioned I went to check out something I’m thinking of buying!  It’s a Little Guy Teardrop Camper!  The manufacturer is located in Massillon, Ohio and they’re built by Amish craftsmen.  You can find a dealer in 35 of the States.

These used to be popular back in the 50’s and have just recently begun to take off again because of the high gas prices.  Weighing in under 1000 lbs., most vehicles, even small cars like my Honda Civic, can tow them!  Although my car is rated to tow 1000 lbs., when you get all of your stuff into one, I’d prefer to be under that weight!

I want to take a road trip…stay for free occasionally in Wal-Mart parking lots…when I’m not staying at campgrounds.  Perhaps through North Carolina to the coast…down to Charleston…Savannah…Destin Beach, Florida…New Orleans and then on down to Florida.  My friends laugh when I say I might stay in Wal-Mart parking lots!

This is the Silver Shadow model.  It has the most features and the largest price tag.

The 5-Wide Platform is 5-ft. wide inside (imagine that)–queen size bed–and as you can see has a sink and built-in propane stove.

The Little Guy Joey weighs in at less than 500 lbs. and at $5,000 is quite affordable.  The kitchen counter folds down when not in use.  The dimensions of this one are 4’x7′ with a full size bed… so when I laid down in it my feet were hitting the kitchen table (remember I’m 5’11” tall).  They make a 4’x8′, but I think it’s a bit too small and I would rather have a sink.

This is the silver shadow interior…

After scouring the internet for a couple of days, I found the Nestegg Campers out in California.  They weigh 700 lbs. and range in price, depending upon extras, from $10,000 to $11,000.  You have to wait a couple of months for them to make one for you.

Serro Scotty is very similar to the following Prolites below, but they weigh 960 lbs. and I’m trying to keep it below 800!

There’s a company in Canada called Prolite and I was really excited to find them.  As you can see from the below brochure, you can cook and do dishes inside and they have a lot of standard features.  I like the idea of being able to put your feet on the floor inside.

The Eco is $15,000 (Canadian dollars) (750 lbs.), but the Cool 13 is only $12,500 and 850 lbs.  Those prices are including the extra $1500 they charge for misc.

There is an even lighter model called the Suite that looks similar to the Eco, weighs 550 lbs. and is only $8,500.00.

Here’s the inside…

I would have to drive 9 hours to Canada to pick it up.  What’s a girl to do?

P.S.  I’m also thinking of just taking my trusty tent and camping!

The Quaint Rivertown of Ripley, Ohio

I had another adventure yesterday!  My girlfriend Gina texted me in the morning and asked what I was doing.  I told her about my plan to drive to Higginsport, Ohio–along the Ohio River–to look at something I’m thinking of buying.  (I’ll tell you tomorrow what it is!  We all need a little mystery or intrigue in our lives).  Anyway…so I picked her up and we drove an hour to check the mystery item out.  It was another absolutely beautiful day!

This was the view…

Gina brought a picnic lunch for us…so I spread a blanket out by the river and we enjoyed the food and view.

I’ve discovered I can get this effect (sparkling diamonds in the water) when I take the photo towards the sun!

The very cute town of Ripley, Ohio is located 7 miles down the road from Higginsport.  Since it was a weekday, there weren’t many people around.

This is called “Snappers Saloon”.  It has a view of the river and was decorated quite festively!

I love when people paint their businesses or houses unusual colors!

More views of the Ohio River…

It seems every town I’m visiting has a flag on display.  The sun was behind the cloud on this one…

To satisfy the door fetish in me and you…

Life isn’t complete without flowers!

Gina wanted an ice cream, so we went into Rockin’ Robin’s Soda Shoppe.  I was SO excited when I saw the interior!  I loved the 50’s look and the details were amazing!

My “artsy” shot…

In case you’re wondering…I had the Moosetracks flavor and Gina had the Cookies n Cream!

On the drive back, which is along the Ohio River on Route 52, I did a drive by shooting of Ulysses S. Grant’s birthplace in Point Pleasant, Ohio.

We were going to grill steaks and have asparagus, but when we arrived to Gina’s house…decided to get in the hot tub with a glass of wine!  That soaked the motivation right out of us to cook.  She had leftover Chili…so we feasted on that instead.  Another great day in Ohio!!

Walking Mariemont, Ohio

If you’re ever in the Cincinnati area, I highly recommend taking a stroll through the Village of Mariemont.  Especially in Autumn!  It’s a small community…about 3,500 residents.  Yesterday, seeing that we had another glorious fall day, I parked in the town square, where a number of upscale restaurants are located and went exploring.  The hiking club I belong to have an urban hike scheduled there on Sunday.  I passed the Quarter Bistro Restaurant and thought their outside seating area looked quaint and a bit European…

As I meandered from street to street…I wasn’t prepared for the spectacular and riotous display of color.  Everywhere I looked there were varying shades of orange, red, yellow and green!  The houses were quaint and most were decorated for Halloween.

I passed by this little park…

If you need motivation to get out and exercise…a place like this will do it!

The lawns were landscaped beautifully…

This was another area with benches to sit and relax and if you stand at the stone wall, there’s a beautiful view of the countryside…

Just when I thought I had seen the most brilliant colors…I walked down this street and was blown away by the beauty!

Here are my two “artsy” photos…

I discovered through the hiking club I belong to that perhaps the world’s largest Serpent Mound is located in Mariemont.  This was reported in August of last year!  So…having just seen the Serpent Mound in Adams County over the weekend, I was excited to hear about this.  A blog called “Goddesschess” has a great post about it–if you’d like to learn more.

The Madisonville Site was–according to the Ohio Historical Society–the location of a large Ft. Ancient population.  I’m learning all kinds of things about Cincinnati!

At one point on my hike–being the explorer that I am–I saw a tunnel and decided to go through it to investigate.  There wasn’t much to see on the other side, but as I was going to return, I heard male voices coming through the tunnel, so I ran up the hill and found a little pathway back to the front of the tunnel.  Whew!  I was a little scared since there was no one else around.  They were probably harmless, but it’s best not to take unnecessary risks!

I had to take this photo of the birds perched on the telephone wire…

A girlfriend met me there after she got off of work and we hiked it again.  I’m glad I went early to get my photos…because she’s a fast walker!  After hiking we went to another restaurant in the square called The Dilly Cafe.  It’s owned by one of our friends Chuck Warinner.  We both had the Seared Ahi Tuna Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries.  It was tasty!  They have wine tastings and outdoor seating.  Lots of fun!

Thanks for coming along and may you find time and motivation to explore your own hometown!!

 

Ohio Riverfront Walk

Last week I walked along the Ohio Riverfront in Cincinnati with girlfriends.  It was a beautiful day!  I drove in my friend’s car to the river and forgot my camera in my car.  Although I missed some great shots…I knew it was for the best because it gave us more time to talk.  Normally, when I’m taking photos, I lag behind and then run to catch up…and miss out on the visiting part.  So…yesterday was another beautiful day and I decided to drive the 35 minutes to downtown and retrace our steps.

This was my first view of the waterfront…the Purple People Bridge.  It’s a pedestrian only bridge over to the Kentucky side.

The BB Riverboat hosts weddings in addition to sightseeing and dinner cruises.  It’s strange to me to think that you can take a boat from the Ohio River to the Mississippi River and then all of the way to the ocean!

There are quite a few bridges that span from Cincinnati to Kentucky…

Of course, I tried to get some artsy shots…

At first I thought this was a labyrinth but it’s a squiggly walking path…

The City has been working on sprucing up the area…putting in plants and statutes…

The views of downtown are lovely…

This is called the serpentine wall.  During the summer they have an event called “Party in the Park” that is held on Wednesday evenings and people will spill over from the main level above to this area…to sit and relax.

Here’s the Purple People Bridge on my way back…

Love the flag shots…

I just like the lines on this one…

The contrasting red in the tables-chairs is cool against nature’s vibrant colors…

One last shot of a bridge from a fresh perspective…

The sun was beginning to set and I’m glad I captured it next to the building…

Hope your week is wonderful!

Serpent Mound

The Great Serpent Mound is a 1,348-foot-long, three-foot-high prehistoric effigy mound located on a plateau of the Serpent Mound crater along Ohio Brush Creek in Adams County, Ohio.

The “Lumberjack” and I visited there on Saturday.  It’s located about one and one-half hours east of northern Cincinnati.

The Ohio Historical Society owns and manages the property.  This is their office at the site…

There is an observation deck…

The observation deck is located at the back of the third hump, near the end of the tail if you’re looking at this drawing…

English: Drawing of the Serpent Mound

I’ve read that there is a special energy here…a spiritual energy that can be tapped into.  I didn’t sense anything, although I was hoping to.

A hiking trail was located on the grounds.  By the time we walked the paved walkway and I took photos…we didn’t have time to hike.

As you can see, Autumn is a wonderful time to visit.  The colors were spectacular!

The sun was beginning to set when we left and it was a beauty!!