Vaca in Vaca

You know Picture in Picture on TVs, right?  Sunday I had a little Vacation in Vacation!  Baseball is in my blood, and I spent a few blissful hours in the sun watching the Asheville Tourists, single A farm team for the Colorado Rockies, at McCormick Field.  It never matters who is playing - it's all about the experience for me!  (But the Tourists were playing the Lexington Legends, a Houston Astros affiliate, for the record.)

First of all, I started the day in a habitual way.  But I had to drive 29 miles to get my Sunday morning "fix"!  Just makes it all the sweeter.  I got up early to get ahead of the bikers that were sure to be racing through the mountains on a beautiful day.  Then I knocked around at a Target store for a few things I needed and ate lunch at a great local spot, Tupelo Honey Cafe.  All southern cooking, and as much local and organic as possible.  Yum.

McCormick Field sits in the side of a hill near downtown Asheville, and has been there since 1924.  The stands were rebuilt back in the 90's, but the field itself is the same.  It seats about 3,500, I think...about 1/3 the size of Harbor Park in Norfolk.  The stadium has won some "most beautiful ballpark" awards lately - I would agree!

This is the new mascot this year.  Inexplicably, they've also hung on to the previous mascot, Ted E. Tourist.  In the very early days, the team was known as the Moonshiners for the area's infamous product back in the day.  But as sensibilities increased, I supposed sensitivities did as well, and the name was changed to Tourists (after the 2nd largest income-producer in the county.) And the new mascot's name is...

Gotta love it, right?

A lot is made over the fact that the scoreboard reads "Visitors" and "Tourists".  Is it really all that funny?  I don't know.  But sadly, the home team Tourists played rather poorly on this day.  I left after singing The Song at the seventh inning stretch, and the score was 18-8 at that point.

Has-been mascot Ted E. Tourist can be seen here, along with a shot of about 1/2 of the seating.  There are three options: box seats that are real seats with arms, bleacher seats that are benches with backs, and general admission, which are just benches.  I went first class with the box seats, but moved back to the bleacher seats that were in the shade after the 3rd inning.  The setting and view afforded vast opportunities for anthropological inquiry...better than a local Wal Mart!

The not-to-be-missed item on the menu?  Deep Fried Moon Pies.  Moon Pies fried in funnel cake batter.  I definitely did NOT try one, but saw fans buying and eating them.  Overall, it was a lovely way to spend a Sunday, and I turned toward my cozy cottage with a smile on my face and the love of the game in my heart!

NC Arboretum

On Thursday, 4/14, I spent a lovely, sunny afternoon at the Arboretum.  My Norfolk Botanical Garden membership got me in "free"!  The gardens weren't in full bloom yet by any means, but there were plenty of beautiful things to see.  I think I took 75 pictures(!), but because the internet access I have is very slow, I'm drastically limiting the number I upload - that could be a good thing.  The Quilt Garden (above) is maintained all through the blooming season, in honor of the NC traditions of quilting.  There was an overlook for viewing, and I'm sure it is breathtaking once the flowers are all filled in.

The Bonsai exhibit is one of the things they are most known for.  The displays are just being brought out of their winter indoor home back into the outdoors, so not all were available for viewing.  They are displayed on shelves that are about the size of a park bench, for reference.  This was one of my favorites; I believe the title was "Rest Awhile" - kind of appropriate!  On another one, there were miniature azaleas in bloom, and I had the rare treat to see a hummingbird moth feeding there!  Extraordinary creature!

Throughout the Arboretum there is a permanent outdoor art collection, primarily metals.  This is one of the stream garden gates by David Brewin and Joseph Miller, both NC artists.  One of my favorite sculptures was "Oh Great Spirit", a large Cherokee Indian lifting his hands in prayer by Neil Bannister Scruggs.  There is an "Art Walk" brochure to guide visitors to see all the amazing art throughout the garden.

Beside the porch on the education center, I just happened to see this gorgeous maple with the sun shining through it - breathtaking!

One of my primary reasons for visiting the Arboretum was to be able to walk safely in the woods.  They have about 8 miles of trails through natural forest areas, and many of them go beside a beautiful stream.  Some also connect to Pisgah National Forest trails. This is Bent Creek Road,  which was lovely, quiet, and easy.

And although it was definitely not a wilderness experience, the beauty, quiet, and surrounding nature allowed for contemplative walking and thinning my thoughts.  (Wesley Branch Trail)

I'd like to close by sharing one more photo - a little wild iris growing along the trail - coupled with a poem by Mary Oliver, with thanks to Emma for introducing me to her!

"Praying"

It doesn't have to be

the blue iris, it could be

weeds in a vacant lot, or a few

small stones; just

pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don't try

to make them elaborate, this isn't

a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which

another voice may speak.

 

This is mountain weather!

Cool, drizzle, cloudy, windy...that's what I'm thinking when I think mountain weather!  Yesterday was one of those kind of days, and I loved it!  This photo doesn't do it justice, but the clouds hung over the mountains all day, and I even heard, saw, and felt  a dead tree going down with a wind gust.

Nothing to complain about here!  When weather keeps me inside, there is this...comfy chair, beautiful view, and a fire in the wood stove.  That and the time and space to rest, reflect, and renew...bountiful blessings!

Watching Spring Arrive

What a gift - to have time to sit and watch spring arrive!  I can see a difference from sun up to sun down each day in how much green comes into the view.  Other changes are arriving with the green:  I'm hearing more bird songs; I saw some sort of large animal tracks in the muddy part of the driveway (deer, I hope); and the carpenter bees, wasps, and mosquitoes have arrived!  

The driveway leading down to the gravel road

Where I spend as much time as the insects will allow!  (If you look closely, there is a wasp on the little green table to the left of the chair.)

 

Sunrise

Let the sun rise,

Let the birds sing,

Let there be light, let there be morning.

I don't know how I made it till now.

Let there be light, let there be morning.

Let there be light.

....song by The Perishers

Nature at its finest

Friday, 4/8 - After a couple of days in civilization, today was spent more "being" and less "doing".  And it was infused with nature in special ways.

First, I had to beat a wasp to death, or so I thought, when he was inside the window instead of outside.  Since I was eating breakfast, I decided to remove the remains after I finished eating.  But then the thing started crawling around again!  So I scooped it up on a piece of paper and released it outside. Tougher than a cockroach!

Then I had to murder a spider in the bathtub.

And then I found this "giant", well at least rather large, frog in the garage when I went to take out wood stove ashes. (see photo below) I coaxed it outside with a stick; it seemed sluggish, thank goodness.  When I went back out later to see if it was still there and determine if I had injured it, there it sat, right by the door.  I also saw it later this evening, in fact, I almost stepped on it when walking around back of the house.  I think it's waiting for another opportunity to come inside.

Lastly, I do believe something has crawled up in the wall or the fireplace and died.  Pee-u-eeee!!  I went online to look for all the ways to get rid of the smell, and am currently using all of them:  coffee grounds, charcoal briquettes,  vinegar, baking soda, candles, and aerosol spray.  I can still smell it!  Apparently time cures all smells, so I hope I can wait it out! 

Well, I had to do SOMEthing!

So I walked around the "yard" a little.  This is a better shot of the brook/stream/creek that is always audible and just across the gravel road from the house.  It's like having wonderful, natural white noise all the time!  I can only hear birds when they come pretty close to the house - that's how "bold" the brook is!

And I got out my paint and set up in one of the upstairs bedrooms that has pretty good light.  I had to rearrange the furniture a bit, and re-purpose a dresser for a painting table, but I think it's going to work out great!  Sure felt good to play in the paints!

Then I found a few wildflowers blooming around the house.  This little guy is a Bloodroot, a member of the poppy family, according to the identification guide in the house.  There are other tiny flowers here and there, and I can't wait to see what else opens up as spring arrives at 3K feet above "stress level".

I spent Wednesday and Thursday touring Asheville! I highly recommend the Gray Line tour at the Visitor Center for anyone who visits.  The ticket was for two days - hop on/hop off, so I took full advantage, and I learned a lot of cool stuff about the city.  This house is the oldest frame house in the county, and I just loved its cheerfulness.

This old Woolworth building still has the original soda fountain in operation!  Unfortunately, that made the whole building smell like frying bacon.  The building is now housing various booths of local art of all kinds for sale.  There is a busker in the right of the photo, and there were many others around town.  Other cool places I visited:  Laughing Seed for an awesome lunch, Chocolate Fetish for...chocolate, Mast General Store, Malaprop's Bookstore, and lots of other little nooks and crannies.  Favorite t-shirt slogans:  "Asheville - Altitude Affects Attitude" & "Asheville - Where Normal is Weird"