North Carolina Escape - Day 6 - 31 March - Hendersonville to Mars

Whoa, what a night it was. We were awakened about 3:30 with what sounded like a tornado. The deck chairs were swirling and my only fear was that they were going to smash the sliding glass doors. It was hard to go back to sleep, but I knew we had a long ride back. 

Up for real about 7 and finished getting all our "stuff" together, It was pouring down rain and not very pleasant as Earle packed up the car. Barbara was smart and did it last night.

After some coffee and loading the dishwasher we were on our way. 

It was good that we ended up with clear skies around Asheville. Ran into some delays along the way that slowed us for about an hour. Just a brief gas stop around New River Gorge and a chance to grab a drink and we were back on the road. 

Stopped at the ACS post office box to retrieve some mail and home by 7:00 p.m. A very long day and drive, but worth it. Even though it was only a few days away, it was so much fun being with good friends, seeing and eating at new places, and having some time to relax.  

North Carolina Escape - Day 5 - 31 March - Hendersonville

 Today was pretty much a relax and chill day after being up last night until after 1 a.m. 

I caught up on the blog from yesterday and handled some Wilson, ACS, and NHHS Reunion emails while the rest of the gang were occupied by their screens and some chatting. Organized the suitcase for a quick getaway tomorrow. 

Then had a couple of hours to enjoy the sun and read on the deck. It is so peaceful and relaxing.  Was trying to finish a book club book for later in the month, but that didn't work out. 

At 3 it was time to get the Wild Wilson Women Zoom started. It was nice that all but one of us were able to make it. Had to cut out early to get showered and ready to go out to dinner. Barbara and Charles headed out about the same time for a drive to Lake Lure. 

Then it was on to meet our dear friend Jenny, who lives about 10 minutes from Eagle Rock. We were best friends when we both lived in Watertown and have kept in touch through emails and Facebook in the recent years. She invited us for cocktails before going out for dinner. What a great time catching up, reminiscing,  and sharing stories with each other. We headed out for dinner at West First Wood Fired Pizza. 

Earle had ravioli and I had a lasagna with bechamel sauce instead of marinara between the layers.

We went back to Jenny's for a bit and then headed to Eagle Rock. Barbara and Charles were back ahead of us. A quick change of clothes and we settled in for some wine and Godfather Part 3. 

The wind was beginning to pick up and rain was in the air as we headed to bed around 12:30.

North Carolina Escape - Day 4 - 30 March- Hendersonville to Asheville

This morning we had to get moving at an earlier hour than normal since we had to be in Asheville at the Biltmore Estate by 11:30. We wanted to allow enough time because of all the construction on the route.

Our first stop was at the Amherst area to see the Monet and Friends immersion program. It was very similar to the Van Gogh exhibit touring the country. Impressionism is my favorite time period in art history and this was a wonderful experience that not only featured Monet, but also Manet, Renoir, Cassatt, Pissarro, Degas, and Cezanne, to name a few. It was spectacular as was the music that accompanied the images projected on more than 20 screens.

From the Monet exhibit we then headed to the Biltmore House. It was built by George Vanderbilt between 1889 and 1895.  We had time for a very quick bite to eat at the Bakery before heading for the house tour. 

 

It is hard to imagine how the rich and famous lived in these homes. The opulence is overwhelming. The library was especially impressive with the collection of more than 17,000 books, all chosen by Mr. Vanderbilt. With 33 guest rooms and 43 bathrooms, a pool, and bowling alley, it was the epitome of living in the lap of luxury and the center of the entertaining world.  

The tour took nearly 2 hours with the guided audio receivers and it very clearly explained each room. On the 2nd floor there was also a video about the 3rd floor and basement that we watched after we toured the 3rd floor. Charles would have had a hard time navigating up the stairs to the 3rd floor with a walker, but we did all manage the basement where the kitchen, laundry and servants worked.

We drove down to the gardens and the conservatory. The tulips and hyacinths were blooming, but not much else. 

There was even a flower bed bed

 

From the gardens it was off to Antler Village and Winery where we enjoyed a complimentary wine tasting. Biltmore produces a lot of wine and we got to taste 5 kinds. They were expensive and not as good as some of the wines we have found through our wine flights. It was fun at any rate. 

From Asheville we headed back to Hendersonville and brainstormed what we wanted to do for dinner. We had seen a German restaurant in our travels so decided to stop there at the Heidelberg Haus. It was a good choice. Our meal included Sauerkraut soup and a sampler for Barbara, a marinated salad and Sauerbraten for me, Schnitzel Carbonara for Earle and a roast pork for Charles. It was all very tasty and prepared by a chef from Bavaria. 

Back to Eagle Rock and Godfather Part II. Bed a bit after 1 a.m.

North Carolina Escape - Day 3 - 28 March - Hendersonville to Flat Rock to Pisgah National Forest To Brevard

Breakfast at the Fireside was so terrific yesterday that it warranted a return visit this morning. It was a late breakfast after enjoying some coffee and newspapers at Eagle Rock. We all had a different selection this morning with French toast, waffles, and biscuits and gravy. Definitely enough to give us energy for the day!

We then headed off to Flat Rock where we visited the home of Carl Sandberg. Although the house wasn’t open, we got a good vista from across the small pond. Carl’s wife, Lilian, had developed an interest in goats and was the main impetus for the couple to move from Michigan to Flat Rock. She had wanted her goats to have more room. The site is a National Park and one of the rangers was able to take us up to the goat barn in a shuttle. It would have been impossible for Charles to do that with a walker. 

There was quite a herd of goats, including a couple of very pregnant one. It was great to see some school children getting up close to them. Also on the property was a milking barn with the original equipment. 

We got back to the car by the same shuttle and then headed to Pisgah National Forest. Even though the trees have not leafed, it is sometimes as beautiful in winter. The forest is known of it’w waterfalls. We headed into the forest to discover Looking Glass Falls. It was so beautiful with a number of people actually wading into the water at the bottom of the falls. 

It was then a short ride to the quaint town of Brevard. Due to many businesses being short-staffed a number of the stores were closed on Monday, as well as most of the restaurants. We enjoyed what we were able to see and did bit of shopping. About 4:30 we decided it was time for some sustenance, a late lunch, early dinner. We knew that one restaurant was supposed to be open, but nothing indicated that they closed between 3:00 and 5:00. We decided to be flexible and switched to dinner, waiting the half hour out on benches outside the restaurant. 

Marco Trattoria was, indeed a great find. Barbara and I ordered a bottle of wine and then ordered - Earle had  a crab bisque and Puttanesca Pasta, Barbara -eggplang parmesan, Charles-bacon bean soup and  cheese ravioli, and I had mussels and garlic frites! Everything was delicious and beautifully presented. 

We had intended to try to find another set of falls today and since it was still light when we left the restaurant, we decided to give it a try. So off in search of Braston and Connestee Falls. After a couple of wrong turns and a short walk, we discovered them. Wow, how beautiful they were. 

It was about a 40 minute drive back to Eagle Rock. Time to settle in for the night and celebrate the 50^th anniversary of The Godfather. We have all three parts, but will probably only get through a couple.

North Carolina Escape - Day 2 - 27 March - Hendersonville, NC

 After a very good night's sleep in very comfortable beds, we had a lazy morning of coffee, newspapers, and some general planning. We headed out to the Fireside Kitchen and Pancake Kitchen for an incredible breakfast. Earle had the blueberry pancakes all meat omelet and I had Eggs Benedict. Definitely a place to revisit on another morning. 

Back to Eagle Rock and a very relaxing afternoon. Barb and I talked travel, Alaska, schools, education and libraries. Charles and Earle watched basketball. Watched a bit of the Pirates game. They lost 7-4 to theYankees and again it's the pitching that was the downfall. 

It was a beautiful day in Hendersonville and I decided to take advantage of the sun and spend some deck time reading my April book club selection - The Nature of Fragile Things. 

After the deck got shaded, it became very cool and so I headed in. It was about time for the 2nd basketball game. I tried to watch the Pens game, but couldn't get a good streaming option. 

Just about 6:00 we lost power. Called Duke Power and found out that there were about 600 households were without power and it wouldn't be restored until 10:30 p.m. Oh well, North Carolina was winning handily. 

After texting with Catherine to find out about candles, etc we decided to head out for dinner to a neat little restaurant in Hendersonville, Shine. We originally were going to go after the game, but our decision was made for us since there was no reason to stick around the house. 

What a find that was. It was a bustling place, but not so loud we couldn't talk Started off with a beer and then the entrées. I had a Thai curry with beef and scallops and Earle had Sweet Potato ravioli. 

Then we stopped at a Walgreen's to get some flame throwers to light candles for light in case the electricity was still out. 

Great to get back to the house to find the power had been restored. Reset the clocks, changed clothes and settled down with a glass of wine to watch the Oscars and blog In this year of pandemic times we were able to see all but 1 movie and 1 actress nominee. Not bad for not setting a foot into a movie theatre.