Saturday, July 11, 2009

Asheville Day Two (July 11, 2009)


Day Two was both busy and relaxing. We were off to the Biltmore where we had anticipated we would spend several hours. We weren't wrong. The Biltmore is a 250 room "house" built by George Vanderbilt (son of Cornelius) on an estate of 8000 acres. We acquired tickets for a 12 noon tour of the home and by the time we had finished the in-house tour we were almost 2 hours into the afternoon. Of the 8000 acres a portion (a large one at that) is dedicated to gardens. The truth is that the a large part of the property is landscaped and the actual "cultured" gardens are, "themselves," many acres in size. A good portion of the acreage is forested but there is a sizable farming operation, a winery and most everything else imaginable to make the "House" self sufficient. Almost castle like in appearance on the exterior and such on the inside that one could easily be lost in the corridors; maybe for days. Of the 250 rooms, 43 are bathrooms. The accommodations were not just for family and guests but also for 40 servants. The "house" was built in 1895 and then opened by the family in the 1930s to the public. Still owned by the family it is now solely for public access and viewing. Who could pay the utilities? There is a generous charge (generous for the family) to enter and no photography is permitted inside the home. It has to be expensive just to maintain the grounds, let alone the "house."
It was a little warmer today and the "house" is not air conditioned. It was crowded and the lines moved slowly. Fans were used throughout the home and the ice cream shop outside was a nice touch after the tour. We wandered about some of the closer gardens after the tour and then drove the property before leaving for downtown Asheville for church.
When we returned to the GP Inn we were just in time to freshen up a bit and ready ourselves for our 730 PM reservation for the Blue Ridge Dining Room and a buffet (all you can eat) feast. It became a flirtation with gluttony. Did I really say that? Well, Saturday nights are the prime rib specials but the buffet doesn't end with beef. I think we both had 4 plates before we were finished (remember, no lunch and the ic doesn't count.) My first plate included hickory seasoned prime rib, grouper (a mildly seasoned fish dish), cornbread dusted catfish, sweet peas cooked in butter with almonds, and something else I can't recall now. The second plate included the regular prime rib, more catfish, a piece of Asian seasoned (again mild) plum soaked pork (or something like that), more peas and asparagus spears. The third plate was all fresh fruit. My fourth was for dessert which included a small piece of key lime pie and a small piece of a raspberry almond torte. Without exception each of the dishes I had and each that Sheila had were outstanding. We just looked at each other with each bite and smiled. Back to Wendy's tomorrow.

This pic shows the Asheville skyline from the Sunset Terrace where we "dined" last night. Open air with a view and with music in the background. We thought last night was great and then came tonight...

The Biltmore pics (all from outside)...

Notice how ornate.

...a natural roof?

Flowers everywhere.

A pic from the "house" on an exterior balcony (a permissible pic).

Part of the drain system for rain water which someone mistook for a "trash receptacle."

Another drain pipe with personality.

A relaxing view.

More flowering growth.

More ornate in appearance than necessary (unless you had the Vanderbilt $$$$$).

Someone reliving Savannah and FG. She's looking for a feather.

More of the "house."
And yet more... (notice the landscaping in the pics)

...and more...,

More flower baskets (they were everywhere).

and more...

The Basilica of St. Lawrence in Asheville (St Lawrence is the patron Saint for the All Saints library).

and then it was dinnertime. Now bedtime. Trip back tomorrow may include a stop at Mt. Rogers, Virginia's tallest mountain.

'til later...

Asheville Day One (July 10, 2009)


Although it was a seven and one-half hour drive to Asheville, the drive was most pleasant and traffic was kind. We left late in the morning and it remained cloudy all the way. Until we reached Tennessee the temperature remained in the low to mid 70s. Certainly not what we would have expected for July. When we entered Tennessee the temp briefly flirted with 80 but then fell again as we neared Asheville. A few spits of rain and only a windshield clearing shower in Tennessee.
We stopped briefly for lunch at a Chic-fil-A in Harrisonburg and this was a day when your meal was free if you dressed as a cow. We paid full price but there were a good number, of all ages, who did not. The camera remained in the car.
The first pic was taken looking NW toward Tennessee almost on the North Carolina border. We needed to stretch and a scenic overlook gave us the chance. Fortunately the rain shower had passed but the cloud cover remained and the haze minimized the "scenic." The highway is I-26 which we took SE from I-81 through Tennessee into NC. This is a lovely highway and drive. Hopefully the weather will be clearer on Sunday when we return but the forecast isn't promising.
Arrived in Asheville at the Grove Park Inn and settled comfortably into our room which is located in the original section of the inn. Construction began on the inn in 1912 and the inn opened a year later. Our room (460) has a plaque on the door noting that Henry Kissinger stayed in the room in 1990. On our floor I noted only one other room (door) with a similar plaque identifying F. Scott Fitzgerald as having been an occupant.
Dinner was in "The Sunset Terrace." It was late (at 9:30) as we were able to make a reservation only for that seating. While waiting we were entertained in the Great Hall by "Maddy & Masterpiece" who treated us (and others) to gentle 60s music (cha cha chas, etc.) As much as the music was a treat, the dinner was a real treat. We had pork chops, specially prepared mashed potatoes and, just for Kiera, asparagus. No dessert! The portions were generous and the taste outstanding!
It was cool while we ate and it is cool now while I write these notes. The AC has not been on yet. Is it really July?


There weren't many on the road and, when this pic was taken, ours was the only car parked in the overlook area. The Inn seems filled with guests, as we are from dinner, and now it's time for bed. Best to all!
'til later...

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Things To Do During A Pitching Change

In recognition of Ryan Zimmerman's selection to the All Star Game (NL reserve 3B) I thought I might post some shots I took of him during a pitching change in the Nats - Mets game on June 6, 2009. I couldn't relate the moment to any thing in particular and as the Mets were going through a pitching change at the time I just titled the sequence as "Things To Do During A Pitching Change." The pics need to be double clicked to enlarge to reveal the expressions. I will post some others in the next day or two that show why his selection is deserved. Enjoy.














'til later...

Fourth of July and Nats Win!


What better to do on the Fourth than to take in a ballgame?

I suspect a doubleheader might have been nice but a Nats' game and a win at that was all that was necessary to make the day. It was finished off with a cookout, with family, and with some local fireworks.

The ballgame:

Special pregame guest was former Virginia Governor and Senator George Allen who read Lou Gehrig's comments from July 3, 1939 ("...luckiest man on the face of the earth...") in commemoration of a tribute to both Gehrig and those suffering from ACL. Apparently this was a day throughout all of baseball in which the 70th anniversary of Gehrig's comments were commemorated.

Pitcher was John Lannan who was steady and went a full 8 innings. He won his 6th.

This was the 1st time I had watched Nyjer Morgan in a Nats uniform and he has an entertaining presence on the field. For offense he is a constant threat to bunt or poke the ball here or there and when on base a constant threat to steal.

In the field he seems to float. It's the most confidence we've enjoyed in CF this year although it would have been nice to have seen more of Roger Bernadina earlier before he fractured his ankle.

Lannan was aided by 4 double plays. Here Anderson Hernandez has more than enough time to get the throw off to first...

where Nick Johnson digs the ball out to complete the double play.

This was the swing. Adam Dunn with this swing sends his 300th home run into the RF upper deck. Although only a solo it put the Nats on track for their comeback. Dunn is now the 123rd player to hit 300 home runs in his career and is only the 13th to do so by age 30; he is 29.

A tighter crop on the last pic.

While rounding the bases he was receiving congratulations from all.

The 3rd base turn.

Making it official while the ump watches.

Back to Nyjer. Again, comfort in CF!

This was Nyjer's sacrifice bunt in the 8th that pushed runners to 2nd and 3rd and that eventually led to 4 runs and a win.

With bases loaded Ryan Zimmerman drives 2 home with a solid single.

You get the feeling that no ball will be free to fall in CF with Nyjer in the lineup. Seems a step in the right direction for the Nats, thus far severely humbled by their lack of defense.

Although Mike MacDougal came in to pitch the 9th, there were moments. Still, he held on, saved the game, and the Nats won.

Lenny Harris, who came in to replace Adam Dunn for defense in the 9th, joins with Nyjer in celebrating the win.

Nyjer and Cristian Guzman also celebrate ... as did 24,000 fans.

The game and win were reminiscent of the 1st half of 2005 when the Nats were winning the close games and the fans were into the games as well. The stands don't shake at Nats Park, unlike RFK, but the fans were alive on this Fourth.

'til later...