Autumn in Asheville North Carolina

My husband and I went on a trip to Asheville this past weekend. We went to visit a couple of old high school friends of my husbands. Friends he "found" again through facebook. Lady friends by the way!! While we were there we attended the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands at the Civic Center in downtown Asheville. Love, love loved all the beautiful crafts. There was jewelry, woven clothing, pottery (my favorite), beautifully carved wooden objects, blown glass, handmade furniture pieces, and much more!! I ended up buying a piece of pottery. This time I went for a piece that was more utilitarian, but still a piece of art. It is a utensil holder for my kitchen. Of course I had to buy some of the beautifully crafted wooden spoons and ladles, from a different artist, to go in it.
If you have never driven through the Smokey Mountains in the fall you have missed a spectacle of enormous beauty!!! The trees, while not at their peek, were absolutely amazing. The drive from Atlanta took us up through the Nantahalla river area. Nothing like beautiful leaves falling into the rapids of the Nantahalla and rushing about on their journey downstream!! We stopped at one of the major rafting areas where there were gift shops, restaurants, and lots and lots of other people enjoying the great fall weather along with us!!

March comes in like a lion!

Here it is only March 2nd and we are having a snowstorm in Georgia!!! I hope this means that March will go out like a lamb! I am so ready for spring to arrive.

Mountain Folk Festival

My husband and I went to the John C. Campbell Folk School's Fall Festival, this past weekend, in North Carolina. Artist from around the southeast came to show their wares, and there were some beautiful and imaginative pieces of art on display. With just a $5.00 entry fee it was a real bargain! The artists were spread out around the campus in such a way that you could easily meander around and see all there was to see in as short or long a time as you desired. I purchased a piece of pottery from a potter named L. F. Long and I am so excited to own a piece by such a fabulous pottery artist.

The food was delicious as well. They were roasting a pig on a spit and were serving BBQ pork and chicken with slaw, beans, and cornbread. Yum!! They had the usual festival foods too such as funnel cakes, hot dogs, kettel corn, corn on the cob, and many other favorites. There were plenty of rest room facilities and hand washing stations. All in all it was a well set up festival and we hope to go again next year.

That night we stayed in Murphy, NC and had dinner at Murphy's Chophouse. We sat out on the patio area in a corner. It was around sunset and there was live music in the way of a single guitar player who sang wonderful soft music for our enjoyment. I had the Pecan encrusted Trout with mashed sweet potatoes and fresh green beans. They served a bread with an olive oil and herb spread that was out of this world good. For dessert Mike and I shared a Blondie with whipped cream and butter pecan ice cream. We were in food heaven!!

The next morning we were back to our usual fare of McDonald's for breakfast. Then we set off for the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest near Robbinsville, NC. The ride there, itself, was gorgeous! The trees have not yet changed over to fall colors yet but there was a hint of the change beginning. If you have never visited a primitive forest put this place on your list of must see places. The Joyce Kilmer Memorial is an over 3000 acre primordial forest of hardwoods. Untouched land purchased by the government and made into a Memorial in perpetuity so that generations may come and see the land as God had created it. It has never been clear cut as most of the Appalachian Mountains have been. The ride to the forest is beautiful on it's own as well but, when you drive into the Memorial Park area it is almost like entering a different world. It seems magical and mystical. A refreshment for the soul. It was the highlight of a very special weekend for me!

The Potter in Me

I'm really hoping to grow the potter in me. I have been working on it for two years now, part time, but still do not feel the confidence I need to create and not worry about perfection. Perfectionist, I have found, do not good potters make!! I will add a few pictures of my pottery and anyone who is a potter or a lover of pottery and has any input I would love to hear from you.

Cat

Fall

Don't you just love fall? The cool air makes me want to make soup and get out my sweaters. Of course we have been having rain for the last week, so getting out and enjoying the crispness is not in the forecast right now. But, cuddling up with a good book or watching a much loved old movie certainly are on the agenda. Have a great early fall day where ever you are!!!

Labor Day

It's interesting how one must labor on Labor Day in order for others to enjoy the day. That is most true for women. We make holidays special with the food we make and the effort we put into planning the days activities. Today was a wonderful Labor Day holiday! It was filled with family, fun, and as always great food!!

I hope anyone who reads this had a wonderful day as well!!

Cat

Searching for Something

I went shopping today. I had wanted to go to a store near me called "The Classy Flea". It had been mentioned in another blog I follow called "Between Naps on the Porch" and it sounded so enticing I made a special trip to check it out. It was everything I had imagined! All sorts of bric-a-brac, dishes, furniture, pictures, mirrors etc. etc.! It was set up in a maze like fashion so that there were lots of little nooks and crannies to slip into and spend time examining what was available. I saw several items I was interested in but I try to make it a habit to give myself time to reflect on whether it is something I really need or just a moments fancy. Especially if the item is over twenty dollars!! So I ended up walking out empty handed.

The store is so popular that as I was leaving with nothing in my hands, but my purse, a lady who was just entering asked me how I managed to leave without buying something. Apparently that was something she seldom did. I thought that said a lot about the interest in this store. I will go back I'm sure and hopefully the two things I had my eye on will still be there. If not then I won't be crushed I know their inventory changes often and I'm sure there will be something else to dream about from the next visit!

I am not sure how to link to web pages so here are the addresses to the two blogs I mentioned:
"Between Naps on the Porch" (http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/)
"The Classy Flea" (http://aclassyflea.blogspot.com/)