The Asheville Experience

 

The Land of the Sky offered us a top notch combination of leisure and learning (L & L) on our most recent sojourn.  

Our drive along Blue Ridge Parkway was a highlight that we'll remember for the rest of our lives.  We picnicked at Mt. Mitchell, which is named after Elisha Mitchell, a geology professor for UNC in the 1830s.  He also served as their accountant. Using a barometer, he figured out that this place was the highest spot east of the Mississippi.  Before Mitchell's research, people thought the highest eastern point was in New Hampshire. 

People argued with Elisha, so he kept going back to prove his point. On one such journey, he fell, hit his head and drowned under a waterfall. His watch broke when he landed so his exact time of death is known.  Photos of the watch are in the park's museum. Elisha is buried atop Mt. Mitchell as he should be. Before the mountain was named after Elisha, it was called Black Dome.  Before that, the Cherokee called it Attakulla.  The park service should put a land acknowledgment up near Mitchell's grave site. Maybe they have but I didn't see one.

Mt. Mitchell is an International Biosphere Resource.  This is a title UNESCO hands out to sites around the world that scientists study in order to explore possible solutions to the environmental situation we've gotten ourselves into.

Moving on from learning to leisure. We heard #1 Son play with a new band called SMUT, pictured below.  It was their first performance.  Super fun time was had by all. The 5 players have impressive resumes and in my opinion Smut has earned the title of supergroup.   I've been learning about drummer Jeff Sipe's work with Aquarium Rescue Unit and Leftover Salmon.  

#1 Son plays with a diverse group of music makers.  We also heard him play some jazz with another power player, Michael Jeffrey Stevens.  They played at the library's monthly Jazz Hour.  I'm hoping to get a Jazz Hour started soon at the MCPL.

Lastly, I recommend two wow factor restaurants. Chai Pani and Curate.  Fabulous meals. 

The best part of the trip of course was our talks with #1 Son and Ms. Shea, who in this first year have become big boosters of their new home, the Land of the Sky.

In conclusion, you should go to Asheville if you feel like it. 

The Neighborhoods

 I walked through  McDoel Neighborhood and Prospect Hill Neighborhood this week. Our History Center offers free walking tour pamphlets, so swing by and grab a few next time you're ready to learn more about our town's history. Or you can click here and print them off at your house. 

There are many beautiful historic register homes in the Prospect Hill neighborhood.  The early 1900 houses here are fancy and some were owned by important peeps in our town.  Many were designed by actual architects.  We had an architect named John Nichols who ran a booming business. You keep reading his name as you walk along.  John Nichols this, John Nichols that.

Many of the homes in McDoel Gardens (1920s)  are simpler and came from Sears and Roebuck kits. Don't want to show favoritism, but I enjoyed the Prospect Hill more than McDoel. Some highlights from my walk there:

In 1900, a drug store owner named Wood Wiles had a house on Rogers Street. In the back there stands a garage that used to house the family horse and surrey.  Wood could walk to work on the square, but maybe he took the surrey if he was running late. 

Mickey Burke, a conductor on the Monon Railroad lived on West Third.  The house was built in 1906 and Mickey lived there with his wife until the late 1950s.  

Al Hayes, tinsmith, lived over on South Jackson. His house is called Tinker's Mansion.  He had a little building in the back for a family member with TB. Not sure if that was the best setup, but they probably made it work.  

The most impressive home is the Paris Dunning House.  Paris was actually the governor of Indiana and had some progressive views.  He's buried in nearby Rose Hill Cemetery.

One of our oldest homes, on S. Rogers, was built in 1840.  It's not too attractive, but let's give it a break.

I'm happy to report that both these walks were completely consistent with the goals of my temporary unemployment:  learning and leisure.   

Roscoe Rogers House 1906

Sare House 1906

This is the little building in the back of the Tinker's Mansion. The pamphlet said it provided "fresh air therapy" for a member of the family with TB.  Hardly any windows, so I think they were kidding themselves.   

The Woodblock Prints

As part of my summer break leisure and learning goals, I went to the Brown County Art Gallery this week to see some woodblock prints by Gustave Baumann.   The Art Gallery has a whole room devoted to his work.  I even watched a short video. 

 Gustave Baumann was born in Germany, but moved to Chicago at age 10.  He later moved to Brown County and lived there for six to ten years.  (Not sure if it's six or ten). He was somewhat famous for his colorful woodblock prints.  He was friends with T.C. Steele and a member of the artists' colony.  He lived above a drug store in Nashville.  His rent was 4 dollars a month. 

After Baumann soaked all he could from the Hoosier state, he moved out west to Santa Fe. He married and had one daughter. His artwork is displayed in 100 museums around our great land. 

After learning about Baumann firsthand,  I focused on leisure for the rest of the afternoon. I bought two ammonites from a rock shop, a novel at Naughty Dog Books and a salamander at the toy store.  

Learning about Baumann has spurred me to learn more about woodblock printmaking.  I may soon explore making my own block prints, using potatoes.  

The Review: Hit Man

 Husbandman and I watched Hit Man this evening and we're now discussing the movie with readers here on leeway.

Me:  Hit Man.  Good movie, right?

HM:  Absolutely.  

Me:  Favorite part?

HM:   I liked his transformation into pretend hit man.

Me:  I liked that too. but so sudden that it ...

HM:  (Interrupting) More gradual would have been better.  This might be a spoiler, but I liked the scene where he was feeding her what to say on his cellphone.  

Me:   Yes, that would be a spoiler, but we don't get too many readers here so we won't edit that out.  Fist of 5?

HM:  Definitely a 4.

Me:  I give it a 5. Did you know that the director is my same age?

HM:  I had no idea.  Stunning fact.

Me:  Director Linklater, if you're reading... Keep up the good work. and happy birthday next month. 

The Bite

Now that my father's ashes are buried in a pine forest, I am ready to begin what many people call summer break. 

Summer doesn't arrive for another 3 weeks so I prefer to use the term temporary unemployment.

This day was wide open to me which is how I like a day. I basically did whatever I wanted to do. I pulled weeds and swept part of the basement.  I wrote in my notebook.  Joined Husbandman for lunch where I ate Chow Chow. Bought a latte and went to the library.  Read some zines and wrote some post cards.  

While at the library, I hopped on the internet to conduct research on bug bite identification.  The bug bite on the back of my leg, itchy and unsightly, was a mystery I needed to solve. Did a bug bite me while I pulled weeds? What kind of bug?   I studied hundreds of photos and read dozens of websites about poisonous insects in my state.  I'm now pretty sure it's a mosquito bite. Mosquito bites can be dangerous.  Like rats, mosquitos are VECTORS.

I'm going to order some Sawyer Brand picaridin and I suggest you do the same.  Scores of ordinary citizens recommend it on Reddit and other social media sites. 

Aside from the bite, this day has been top notch, filled with leisure and learning. Let's keep it rolling.