Summer Night in Asheville

It's 29 degrees F outside, there's 6" of new snow on the ground, and not too many folks are stirring about. On a typical Friday night in Asheville the downtown area is alive with entertainment and people as shown in today's picture. You may recognize these musicians from an earlier post on the LAAF.

Montford Historic District Encore

As mentioned in an earlier post, the Montford Historic District in Asheville is a beautiful neighborhood that is filled with well preserved houses like this example. Residences vary in size from small victorian cottages to large Romanesque castles.

The garage cum studio relates well to its parent residence in materials, colors and details.

Weaverville Bungalow

I came across this interesting bungalow while driving around Weaverville on a rainy Sunday afternoon and think it is an interesting example of personalizing your habitat. The house is not a fancy McMansion but succeeds in separating private space from public with a nice choice of materials.

The gate is the first layer of separation followed by the trellis beyond to the deck behind the plantings with its own trellis covering. The use of trees and bushes reinforces the privacy from the street.

Fort DeSoto Park

Last weekend I had the opportunity to visit Fort DeSoto Park at the tip of Pinellas County, Florida while visiting relatives in St Petersburg. With an area of over 1,100 acres it is the largest park in Pinellas County and has camping, historical attractions and great beaches scattered over five interconected islands. See the following link for more http://www.pinellascounty.org/park/05_Ft_DeSoto.htm

Florida was not immune to the recent cold weather with overnight lows in the St Pete area dipping below freezing. This cold weather had a drastic effect on the marine life and the beach was scattered with dead fish. This one looked like it was still alive and just sunning itself on the sand but it was truly dead.

Montford Historic District

Asheville has several historical districts but my personal favourite is the Montford neighborhood. The area comprises about 300 acres and is home to varied architectural styles from Victorian to Arts and Crafts, Queen Anne and Neoclassical to name a few. Driving through this neighborhood is always a visual treat as you will see something different each time. For more information on this district see the following link http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/asheville/mon.htm

The Wright Inn & Carriage House is a fine example of beautifully restored Queen Anne architecture. For more information on this Bed & Breakfast see http://bbonline/nc/wrightinn/

Grovewood Gallery

Grovewood Gallery is located in the former complex of buildings that comprised Biltmore Industries and is adjacent to Grove Park Inn & Spa in North Asheville. Also located on the grounds are Grovewood Studios, an Antique Car Museum, NC Homespun Museum, Grovewood Cafe and Grovewood Gardens. All of this was a direct spin-off of the interest in arts and crafts that was influenced by the construction of the Biltmore House. The gallery has jewelry, fabrics, sculpture and furniture. For more information see the following link http://www.grovewood.com/

The sign for the gallery shows attention to design.

One of the pieces of sculpture in the garden.

Salsas Restaurant

I first ate at Salsas a few years ago when I first visited Asheville. During the Christmas holidays I visited them again and was again treated to a savory delight. Salsas serves Latin-Caribbean fare and the presentation is very artistic. The restaurant has a small seating area but the service is fast and the food is delicious.

This window opens onto the very small but efficient kitchen and during the sumer months there is seating in the alley just beyond the building.

A First for the 1st

Asheville is known for many things - mountain air, ethnic food, weirdness and art. Asheville Urban Trail is a 1.7 mile downtown walking trail that showcases sculpture and history in public art. One of the 30 "stops" on this trail features Elizabeth Blackwell, MD who was the first woman awarded a medical degree in the US. For more on the urban trail see the following link

http://www.romanticasheville.com/urban_trail.htm

The bronze plaque set into the sidewalk describing this stop on the urban trail.