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).