Sunny Side Up!

May 9, 2016

(Nice server guy at Sunny Point).

Walking in Carrier Park is always a joy.  It's so peaceful strolling calmly alongside the French Broad River, such a silent, soothing pleasure witnessing the ever-changing landscape as spring pushes into summer at a rapid pace.  Now, Carrier Park appeals even more as the wild irises are putting on a grand show in the marshy areas:

The blackberries are reaching out with their delicate, thorny branches.  From a distance, their fragile waving limbs remind me of graceful, elderly ladies at an elegant garden party, their frail arms entwined in elbow length lace gloves under the sun-dappled tree boughs, reaching eagerly for another cup of tea ....

.... (or perhaps another stiff gin and tonic .... if you wouldn't mind, darling?). 

After a late morning walk of a few gentle miles, we headed downtown and enjoyed some lively busker entertainment, did a little shopping, then later we wandered to Wicked Weed, a brewery on the main street. 

Wicked Weed is named after a Shakespearean quote prompted by King Henry VIII, who declared hops to be  a "wicked and pernicious weed".  

Dog-friendly, Zuma loves going there to lounge in the sunshine on the outdoor patio meeting fun people from all over the country, from all over the world.  So do we!  Except we don't lounge on the cement to keep our bellies cooled. 

Well, so far anyway, we haven't taken to doing that.  But anything is possible. As long as we limit ourselves to one beer each, I don't believe there is cause for concern.  No worries, Mate.

This sweet woman spent some time with Zuma there.  She is eager to own a Great Dane and Zuma was happy to convince her it's a great idea!  This is Zuma going in for "The Lean" which she saves for people she feels comfortable with:

As we sat there in the sunshine we watched the always entertaining pubcycle go by.  Yeh, it's all fun on the downhill, wait until you have to pedal that buggy back uptown!

While at Wicked Weed, we met Melanie and her cousin visiting from Ocean City.  Melanie is a former stand-up comedian;  she worked at stand-up for twelve years and her energy is contagious. She is a whole lot of fun.  We all hit it off right away and she invited us to breakfast at the restaurant where she works, Sunny Point Cafe in West Asheville.  

So, the following morning we zoomed over to the cafe and Melanie was there!

As well as other kindly admirers who understand "Dane Brain":

Zuma was especially in love with this sweet, handsome man.

We took Melanie's advice about the menu and ordered .... 
Oh WOW!  Best.Breakfast.Ever!  Whenever we've driven by, Sunny Point always has a lineup so we know it is a super breakfast joint.  We don't usually go out for breakfast but this was an exception and it was exceptionally good.

No wonder Sunny Point Cafe has been written up in major newspapers and publications for their outstanding food!  Doug ordered their award-winning Huevos Rancheros and I had a wild mushroom omelette:

Ohhhh!  More walks in Carrier Park for us!  I couldn't even eat half of mine.  I know, Iiii know, I shouldn't have, but it was all so fresh and well-prepared and delicious!  Not to mention the excellent service, thank you, Melanie!

This meal lasted me for three entrees!

A little Bohemian and a lot dog-and human friendly, this gives you an idea of the good vibes and good karma at Sunny Point:

We waddled up the street to the West Asheville Tailgate Market where there is always an abundance of amazing fresh local food:

I purchased this skillfully carved "found" deer antler key ring formed into a morel.  A true work of art:

There were friendly dogs:

Friendly Vendors:

And friendly princesses:

We're looking forward to our next Tuesday outing in 

West Asheville.

Well, Gawwww-leeeee!

May 12, 2016

Do you remember The Andy Griffith Show?  Me too!  Who could forget Andy, Opie, Barney Fife, Aunt Bea, Floyd The Barber, Gomer Pyle, his cousin Goober and all the gang?!  The show was created by Andy Griffith and filmed in Mount Airy, NC (Griffith's home town) and, since it was on our way home today we stopped by for a visit.  It's just like Mayberry! 

Friendly, hospitable folks greeted us every few steps and we strolled around the shops, meeting super people everywhere.  As usual, Zuma attracted a lot of attention.

Dotted along the sidewalks, in front of sponsoring shops are large decoratively painted fiberglass fiddles and banjos:

We stopped by Floyd's Barber Shop which remains fully operational and had men waiting for a shave and a haircut.  It's the real deal, not staged. Complete with the original barber chairs, it looks exactly as it did on the tv show (sadly, we learned that Floyd The Barber passed away last week in his early 90s):

We dropped into Wally's, the garage where Gomer Pyle worked:

Everything looks like Gomer was filling a car with gas and just left his truck there!  Nothing is contrived, it's all just 'there' for people to wander around and peruse.  No rules, no charge.  No worries.

The Police car is parked out front and, for a small fee, a wannabe Barney Fife gives guided tours.  The people who were on the tour while we were there said it was great!

Next door is the Police Station complete with the original desk, telephone and other props ....

.... and of course, the famous jail cells:

We'll be sure to stop pushing the remote button to watch the Andy Griffith Show when we scamper by the black and white re-runs.

Naturally, Zuma sniffed out the two pet stores on Main Street so we had to go into both to check out the toys and treats!

At The Dapper Hound Zuma taste-tested some yummy peanut butter dog cookies from the kindly shopkeeper and had a nice visit. Zuma loves the cookies and she is pretty fussy so we bought a small bag for the road.  Dog.Pringles.  She can't have just one!  
She also attempted to shoplift some duck chews (see jail photo above) so we bought four for the road.  

Across the road is another delightful fully-stocked pet store,

complete with a doggie biscuit bakery;  they are in the process of opening The Grand Pup Resort Hotel and Spa, where they will provide attentive accommodation for your pet, complete with a chandelier, cozy beds, air conditioning and other luxury fittings.  

The owners are charming and true dog lovers.  A sweet, tiny one pound Chihuahua sits on a throne-like bed behind the counter, which fascinated Zuma as she adores tiny dogs.  Since there is a 129 lb weight difference, we spared the darling little lady a possible heart attack. 

We bought a big red stuffed dog for Zuma which she cheerfully carried down the street:

I think we'll call him Opie.  It took a while to trundle to the car as she was so excited about flinging her new toy around, showing off.

Thank you, Mayberry!  What a fun place.  

Or, as Gomer Pyle would say, "Well .., Gawwww-leeee!".

Old friends ....

May 12, 2016

It was really foggy this morning, driving to Asheboro, NC to meet some dear friends from Hope Maine, who have a house near there.

On our way we stopped for lunch at The Rule, in Hickory (famous furniture building city).  They have just opened under new ownership and it is a fantastic restaurant.  Best.lunch.ever.  

It was really nice to meet our friends in Asheboro and see their familiar faces!  Zuma was very happy to see the couple too!

Downtown Asheboro is nice part of the city and we met on the main street which hosts a plethora of antique and consignment shops; we had a look around and then we sat outside in the sunshine on a cafe patio with cold drinks, catching up and reminiscing.

Directly across from where we parked is this brilliant larger than life mural on a brick wall, painted by Susan Harrel, an extremely talented mural painter:

The train headlight is real and works!  To view her website and more of her incredible work see:  www.susanharrel/murals.com.

As the sun was beginning to go down, we parted ways with our friends; they headed east to their home and we headed off into the sunset, where we stayed in High Point at a nice dog-friendly hotel for the night. 

If you're reading the blog, thank you guys for making the trip to see us yesterday!  Let's get together again soon!

Biltmore Estate

May 8, 2016  Happy Mother's Day!

Biltmore is a name that has become synonymous with Asheville.
It is the largest visitor attraction in the area and it is, quite simply, absolutely unbelievably gob-smacking magnificent.  
Think Downton Abbey gone mad.

Between 1889 and 1895, George Vanderbilt II built a French Renaissance-styled mansion on a 125,000 acre property; it is the largest privately owned house in the United States.  The Vanderbilt's were and are still known for their hospitality; the 250 room mansion hosted huge parties, balls and was a retreat for the Vanderbilt's many family and friends who were able to escape the sweltering heat in the south and relax here in the in the moderate, pleasant climate of the North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains. Today, Biltmore, is open to the public (for a fee). 

At Bear Creek, we are blessed to have Missy here to help us with all our many questions.  She is a young, vibrant, super-organized go-getting gal who runs the office and we really appreciate her.

Among the many gifts of hospitality she has given us, Missy offered us a free pass to Biltmore on Mother's Day.  A couple who were coming for the weekend had to cancel due to illness and asked Missy to find a taker for the their day pass.  Missy chose us!  This gave Doug entry and Mothers were given free admission for the day.  Due to the overwhelming number of people wanting to take their families there, it was imperative to schedule an appointment to go through the house.  

We arrived early and the lineups were already starting to gain momentum.  Our main goal was to exercise Zuma with a long stroll around the grounds as Biltmore is totally dog-friendly (in the gardens).  Of course, we walked her several times prior and all but squeezed every drop out of her so as not to humiliate ourselves her. She doesn't care what people think.  She felt quite at home slurping from one of the ornate fountains.  People stopped and told her "You look like you belong here".  Apparently, she felt right at home.  Now we'll have to install a fancy fountain at the farm.

We were only on the grounds for a few minutes and decided we would purchase an annual pass so we may return any time to tour the house and grounds.  It's about a 10 minute drive from Bear Creek and a luxury to walk about the ever-changing gardens. 
The roses are beginning to burst into cascades of blooms now:

The Siberian Irises are putting on a brilliant show of bold purple color (one of my personal favorite flowers):

The Conservatory:

This is a view of inside one of the many greenhouses:

 We walked around part of the gardens for three hours, stopped for a coffee at the cafe near the Stable Cafe (where Zuma was doted upon by the friendly waiters and waitresses).  Babies and toddlers were hugging her, families were petting her and a groups of teenage boys at the next table wear taking selfies with her.  She is so tolerant and seems to like it!  On our way out, the traffic was lined up on both sides of the road; we counted at least 300 vehicles waiting to get into Biltmore.

We headed for Hendersonville, to our fave Thai restaurant, Lime Leaf.  We sat in the sun enjoying our lunch while Zuma lolled out in the shade taking up half the sidewalk.  Nobody minded and several people and dogs stopped by for a chat and a pat.  

We detoured for a quick stop in Hendersonville for a light lunch:

                                      Thai Papaya Salad:

Thai Seaweed Salad:

It was cooler when we returned to Asheville so we went for a walk along the river in Carrier Park.

We were sorry Emma couldn't be here to share with us but otherwise, it was a perfect Mother's Day!