Two More Days of Mountain Things – October 17 and 18, 2013

Exploring new things is always fun, but there is something comforting about doing familiar things.  Yesterday and today we had the pleasure of doing familiar things with our long time friends, Faye and Lanny, who introduced us to this wonderful part of the country so many years ago.

We started the day yesterday with a trip to Asheville to visit the Farmers Market for some fresh vegetables and the hardware store next to it.  This store had a video tape of a bird feeder that was supposed to be squirrel proof.  When a squirrel lands on the feeder, it spins and propels the squirrel in the air.  When we saw this two years ago, we all laughed until it hurt.  Actually, it looked like something out of Americas Funniest Videos.  Naturally, we had to go back to see if they had any new innovations for us to enjoy.

Then on to the gift shop at the Biltmore Estate and lunch at our BBQ place, The Three Little Pigs.  Two years ago, we found an REI store in what looked like the beginnings of a new outdoor shopping area.  This trip it was more completed with lots of stores and restaurants to explore.  One of the new stores is an oil and vinegar specialty shop with lots of samples and tasting stations.  Of course, we each left with a little bag of goodies.

Today we ventured to Knoxville to visit our friends Bill and Carol Evans.  At one point Bill was Faye and my boss, but he has always been both of our friends.  Bill and Carol have just moved into a new home which they designed and had built (I believe this is number 10).  I guess when you are that good at something, you should keep doing it as long as possible.  We had a delightful afternoon visiting and catching up on each others family news.

Tonight WE MADE FIRE!  We got home in time to heat up some leftovers while Jim made a fire in our new portable fire pit.  Dessert, of course, was toasted marshmallows.