WEEK FOUR - Began the week by meeting Whitney Husz, one of Jake's high school classmates and her SO Mark, for dinner and a concert at the Salvage Station, a rustic, outdoor venue. Opening musician was Charlie Hunter, an accomplished guitarist known for his expertise in playing 7 and 8 string guitars. The main act was the California Honeydrops, a great R&B band. We had a great time and we weren't even the oldest people there!
Since we are on our own this week—no guests--we get back to the routine. Daily walks and yoga; sometimes cooking meals and often trying new restaurants. Zoey is proving to be a really good walker. She seems to enjoy the cooler weather and does great on our daily walks as well as on our hikes. Love the nearby Reed Creek Greenway where we walk most days. It’s about a mile and a half long, so the length is perfect. It is really pretty and goes through the University of North Carolina Asheville. Turns out, this Greenway was originally the site of the S.B. Penick & Company Warehouses which were constructed around 1917. Penick chose Asheville for his company headquarters because, as noted by Life magazine in 1941, "The most productive source of medicinal plants at present in the U.S. is the great Smokies region in the South whose self-sufficient mountaineer inhabitants know their herbs through their own pharmacopoeia of household herb cures." S.B. Penick & Company became one of the world's major suppliers of bulk botanicals. But with the arrival of pharmaceuticals, the demand for botanicals waned and Mr. Penick eventually donated the land to the City of Asheville with the stipulation that it be a green space and, hence, we have the Reed Creek Greenway. It's beautiful.
Since we are on our own this week—no guests--we get back to the routine. Daily walks and yoga; sometimes cooking meals and often trying new restaurants. Zoey is proving to be a really good walker. She seems to enjoy the cooler weather and does great on our daily walks as well as on our hikes. Love the nearby Reed Creek Greenway where we walk most days. It’s about a mile and a half long, so the length is perfect. It is really pretty and goes through the University of North Carolina Asheville. Turns out, this Greenway was originally the site of the S.B. Penick & Company Warehouses which were constructed around 1917. Penick chose Asheville for his company headquarters because, as noted by Life magazine in 1941, "The most productive source of medicinal plants at present in the U.S. is the great Smokies region in the South whose self-sufficient mountaineer inhabitants know their herbs through their own pharmacopoeia of household herb cures." S.B. Penick & Company became one of the world's major suppliers of bulk botanicals. But with the arrival of pharmaceuticals, the demand for botanicals waned and Mr. Penick eventually donated the land to the City of Asheville with the stipulation that it be a green space and, hence, we have the Reed Creek Greenway. It's beautiful.
Jim played golf at Black Mountain Golf Course and finally made a friend! Roger is 73 and from the DC area. They are playing again next Monday. (In all fairness, acquaintance may be a better word. I was very leery when we got teamed up on the first tee---guy looked like an underfed Ken Jones, so I was afraid of what he might be like... but it turned out he didn't throw clubs or whine. He was like Ken though, when he kept telling me he shot in the mid 90s or worse, then carded an 84, claiming it was his best score ever---very Jones like.)
I am trying a new yoga studio this week. I began at the West Asheville Yoga Center. Yoga is more challenging in Asheville than it was in my classes in Fort Myers. I think this is partly because both the students and the instructors are much younger. This week I went to the Asheville Yoga Center which is within walking distance of our house--really like it.
This week's hiking destination was Chimney Rock with its signature 315-foot spire overlooking Hickory Nut Gorge and Lake Lure.
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| Chimney Rock. |
I climbed 500 steps to the top (and 500 back down) while Jim and Zoey waited at the bottom. The view was spectacular! (Once again, Zoey and I demonstrated our intelligence...)
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| Halfway up. |
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| At the top. |
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| View from the top. |
This week, we also went to the Pink Dog Creative Art Center in the River Arts District of Asheville. This former textile manufacturing and warehouse building on Depot Street has been transformed into a mix of artists' studios and retail spaces. We went specifically to see the work of self-taught artist Jenny Pickens, but unfortunately, the studio was closed by the time we got there and this was the last day of her exhibit. The storage container below was painted by Pickens. (Yea, more art...)
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| Pickens art is reminiscent of Aminah Robinson's. |
After visiting some 29 studios in the Pink Dog Creative, we wandered about the River Arts District walking through several other studios. It is so much fun to see such a wide variety of art and to have the opportunity to talk with the artists. Some of it I love, some of it I don't understand, some of it I don't like, but I appreciate it all.
On Sunday, we went to The BLOCK off Biltmore to see a burlesque show. There were burlesque dancers and belly dancers with an emcee to keep things moving. One of the dancers was Zelda Holiday aka Whitney Husz. Show was great! (Now this is my kind of art...Whitney was amazing.)
When we got home from the burlesque show, Erica had arrived--looking forward to a great week with her.
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