Weekend Wanderings - Halloween

Grove Park Inn, Asheville

It has been a busy few days at our house - Pop was away, Chica, Yoko and Joey were sick and Mom was handling it all by her self.  Everything is fine now so better late than never for our weekend post - just tin time for Halloween.

Mom works at an art gallery inside this hotel.  The Grove Park Inn was built in 1913.  Perfect for spooky occasions like this.  They go all out for Halloween with a pumpkin carving contest, Trick or Treat and a party!

Flower display in Great Hall

Pumpkin spider

 Some of the entries were very creative this year - lots of fun checking them all out.  Do stop back each day before Halloween and we have special posts planned!  What are you dressing up as for Halloween?

Kitty pumpkin

Green man pumpkin

Blue octopus pumpkin

Mummy pumpkin

Weekend Wanderings - Montreat in Fall

Boathouse

Mom had to run to the post office in Black Mountain the other day and decided to stop in Montreat, a tiny village nestled in a mountain cove on Lake Susan.  The town revolves around Montreat College and Conference Center.  The college with its stone buildings and serene campus, provides such a lovely setting no matter what the season but this day it was spectacular!

 

Looking down from the dam to the creek below.

From inside the gazebo

The gazebo on the dam

Weekend Wanderings - Bat Cave

 
The mountains in our area above 4000 feet are peak color this week but here in town not so much. Since our color here is not quite there yet we went to the town of Bat Cave just below us in Hickory Nut Gorge for a quick pumpkin series.  This shop, situated in a historic home, is very touristy but they do decorate the exterior very nicely for the season with pumpkins and apples and cabbages for  sale from local farmers.  The Broad River runs through the gorge across the street from the shop and was full from the rain this week.  Enjoy and hope you have a wonderful weekend.

JOEY UPDATE - Still waiting for the biopsy results from the vet.  We went on Tues so we are not sure what is taking so long.  Will keep you posted.  He is feeling fine other than the lumps so he is not in any distress.  Thank you all for your concern for my boy.

Weekend Wanderings - Lake Junaluska

Lake Junaluska

 A couple of weeks back Mom and Pop took a scenic drive to the next county over  to see Lake Junaluska, a 200 acre lake in the mountains.

 It is the home of the World Methodist Council and they have retreats and conferences there year round.  It is also a lakeside community of about 2500 people.

Wood bridge over the dam

It is a dammed lake and this old wood bridge goes over the dam - makes a lot of noise when cars drive over the boards.

 Some homes on the lake are new like this one and others date from 1913 when they first built the lake and community.  This side of the lake is very steep and the homes have many steps up or like the one below - an outdoor elevator to get up!

Home with an outdoor elevator

The town offers a 3 mile walkway around the lake over two bridges.  One bridge cuts off the last mile making it a 2 mile walk - this is the one the beans took.  The last leg of the walk is a rose garden with flowers of all colors and sizes.  They were still blooming in late September when they visited but probably are not  now.

Rose garden

Memorial chapel

There are many ducks, geese and water fowl that live here too - and all pretty used to people.  Bet they get fed well.

Bridge cutting off the last mile.

One of many feathered residents.

Hope you enjoyed this week's trip.  Next week we may be seeing some fall foliage so check back in!  Have a great weekend - are your beans doing anything special?

Our 13 year old Joey has some health issues to be treated - asthma, early CRF and a couple of lumps on his neck.  Check out our sale blog Wildcat Woods Vintage Treasures for some great gift ideas and help raise money for Joey.  Oh and please share the blog link!

Weekend Wanderings

Flat Iron Building downtown Aheville

Sculpture of flat iron

Sky Bar on the Flat Iron Building

 
Since Mom has closed our other blog, moving it to Facebook and some of the followers are not on Facebook, she wanted to share some posts about life in the mountains.  So hopefully we will post weekly (maybe) about what the beans have done during the week.

8th floor

Looking down to the 7th

7th floor

This week our post is about the Sky Bar on the 6th, 7th and 8th floor fire escape of the Flat Iron Building downtown Asheville.  The building was modeled after similar buildings in other cities and built around 1920-30.  The Sky Bar is on the fire escape and Pop is known far and wide for his fear of heights so this was a hard sell to him.  He loved it once there. After all the 8th floor s hard a skyscraper!

It is all very mysteriuos - you have to know where the bar is.  There is only a sign next to the old fashioned elevator expalining about the bar - but then it makes it sound like it is a private club so most still won't think they can go up.  The elevator is run by a young man who asks for an ID and then explains the bar - they even have one of those old metal gates on the elevator that he has to close before you go up or down. 
  

Lounge on 7th floor

Once up, there are more signs to tell you where to go and what to do.  There is an indoor lounge on the 7th floor but otherwise it is all outdoors.  Waitresses appear out of no where to take your order and disappear again.  We opted for the 8th floor for a better view facing north. Marble surfaces offer a place to set your drinks and the floor is plated steel sheets so you can't see down below.  No food is served - just cocktails, beer and wine. You can bring your own food and dine at the bistro tables on 7th floor. 

Mom said it was breezy and  cool and fun.  This is for sure the second best place to view the sunset downtown altho they had to leave before that - Pop was worried about all the people coming for sunset that he didn't want to be on the fire escape.  Oh well - some other day and without him!

Grove Arcade

Wall Street restaurants

One of many Art Deco buildings

The lovely Smoky Mountains

Almost sunset

Hope you enjoyed this and we will see you next week for more of the Carolina Mountains!  Have a super weekend!