Monday, June 12, 2006

Asheville

For our sixth anniversary this weekend, Brian and I decided to take advantage of our last months of kidlessness and go on a little trip out to Asheville, NC. We hadn't been out there yet, and I was really interested in seeing the Biltmore Estate. Asheville is a cute town. Very sort of crunchy-hippy, which worked out well for me because there were a large variety of vegetarian (or vegetarian-friendly) restaurants. On the first night we walked around and ate dinner at the Laughing Seed Cafe, which a friend had recommended. It was FANTASTIC. I had a tempeh reuben, which is like my favorite thing ever. I used to get that all the time at Tommy's when we lived in Cleveland, and I missed it.

On Saturday we went into the Biltmore.



Its right outside Asheville, so only about a ten minute drive from the hotel, tops. It really was beautiful. The house, like any other mansion like this, is full of crazily ornate furniture. I couldn't take any pictures from inside the house though, so too bad for you. It was neat though. I wish we had gotten the headphones with the audio tour though. I was thinking there would be more information in the house, in the form of a book, or signs, or a docent, or something, but there wasn't.

Even more exciting than the house were the gardens. There was a pretty flower garden and greenhouse where I got to take a lot of flower pictures.







It seems I need to go back and read the instructional book that came with my camera, because I'm having trouble getting the focus right on macro images. I've got 5 and a half more months before I need to become an expert baby paparrazo.

(Speaking of which, I totally wore some maternity pants this weekend. No, I don't really need to yet - in the course of gaining one baby I also lost about 8 lbs, so it equalled out and pants are all still fitting just fine. But, I don't really own any shorts, and I got a cute pair of bermuda shorts in the maternity clothes shopping spree my mom took me on. I'm a real pregnant lady now!)

Right. Also there's an azalea garden, totally not blooming. When do azaleas bloom? All I've got is: not right now.
And some foresty walks and a pond which theoretically contains trout. Or something. Was it bass? I think it was bass actually. We didn't see anyhing bass-y. We saw a lot of things that were bluegill-y though. There was no need to bust out the Bass-O-Matic. I've got some pretty pictures from this part of the Biltmore too, but I'm getting tired of uploading them. Bleh.

Also, there's a winery at the Biltmore. I wasn't really going to drink any wine, but I did hope to do the sip and spit version of the wine tasting. Only, I forgot my stupid ID. And despite the fact that I am 31, I look 15. Also, they were totally ID'ing everyone. So anyhow. I got to smell the wine.

Even more importantly, I got to eat ice cream TWICE this weekend. Once in Asheville at one of those crappy-ass Marble Slab Creamery things (I just don't really like that stuff all that much), and once at the Biltmore, where I got black cherry ice cream in a WAFFLE CONE. OMG. I really needs me some ice cream now. I don't know if its pregnancy alone, because I usually develop this craving in the summer (esp. here in rain forest hot NC). Our Lowe's is right near a frozen custard place, and really, Brian can't take me to Lowe's in the summer without starting off a serious whine fest. But I think its a little teensy bit worse now. The whole thing is marred slightly by the fact that my stomach has shrunk to the size of a thimble (along with my bladder. I swear, peeing is a full time job these days).

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

the fact that you mentioned "maternity clothes shopping spree" AND Lowe's really confuses me. something is not right here.

Annie said...

We actually got married near Asheville, in very tiny map-blip Brevard, and spent a couple of days at the Grove Park Inn afterward. Glad you liked it as much as we did!

Anonymous said...

Just a friend of Annie's up near Baltimore who couldn't resist seeing what 'sidecars and fried cheese' was about. Azaleas bloom in GA starting in March and reach my neck of the woods in late April. I'm sorry you missed them! Take care of Annie for me!