Construction Update

We're going out of town tomorrow so thought we'd go and say good-bye to our house and see what's new. The wider part of the deck is finished on the side of the house and they have started framing in the 2nd floor. Now it looks like there is a ceiling when standing in the living room. I hope the weather is nice while we're gone so we'll see a lot more of the 2nd floor when we get back.
We're going to Detroit for a Superbowl party. Except the party was cancelled. It seems our host, Jeff Houslander, got himself a ticket for the Superbowl and didn't get one for anyone else. I guess that's OK, though, if you like the Superbowl. Everyone is happy and excited for him as if he's going to meet the President (oh, I wouldn't care about THAT either.) So, if you're a guy, it's socially acceptable to cancel your Superbowl party as long as you're going to the actual Superbowl. I could care less about the Superbowl. I just wanted to go and see my friends and have dinner with the girls like we always do. So, we're all meeting Friday night for dinner without Jeff because he'll be on his way to the Superbowl. Ha ha Jeff. We'll talk about you. Actually, to put it all in perspective (to those of us who could care less about the Superbowl,) it reminds me of the time we were going to Paris with my sister and her then-boyfriend and we had just boarded the plane and stowed our gear in the overhead compartment and were trying to get comfortable when the flight attendant paged me on the loud speaker. Robert sprung out of his seat and ran up the aisle. A few seconds later he came back grabbing his stuff telling me to come with him that we had been upgraded. I looked back at my sister and she glared at me as I tried to look helpless like I had no choice but to follow Robert. After all, an upgrade on a flight to Europe? Who WOULDN'T abandon their friends in coach. Suckers! Nobody was excited and happy for us, though. My sister has never let me forget it. It wasn't like she didn't get to go to Paris, too. She just didn't get to drink Champagne, wine from a real bottle and stretch out her legs on the way. So, now that I look at it that way, I still don't care that Jeff is going to the Superbowl and I'm not.

I Survived Another Weekend

Saturday afternoon we went to check on the progress of the house. The only wildlife we saw on the way up to the house was a turkey trying to catch up with his turkey friends. They're working on the deck. (The contractors, not the turkeys.) The deck runs from the back of the house, wraps around the dining room and then narrows down alongside the kitchen and then joins the bridge to the carport. It looks like it might be scary to sit out there so it may take me awhile to get used to it. While we were there we saw our future neighbors, Doug and Vince. They had been here for a few days clearing brush on their lot. Then the architect, Tom Lawton, showed up. He took some good photos (better than mine) and posted them on his website. You can see them and some of his other works in progress at:
www.tlawton.com/progress/Thomas%20Lawton%20Works%20in%20Progress/Home.html
Check it out. Sunday we went back to Creston to visit the first and so far only full-time resident, Barbara Page. Her house was also designed by Tom and built by our builder, Mike. It's beautiful. We hadn't seen it since it was finished, only when we snuck in last year when it was almost done. When we move in we'll be the second full-time residents so we hope we don't make her feel crowded. Ha ha. Her house is also featured on Tom's website.


Under the deck.




Eastern sky at sunset. It was prettier in person.

Like a Black Cloud Over Our Heads...

We just can't shake Detroit. The honorable mayor, Kwame, has been front-page news down here. First, because he was the key note speaker at the MLK breakfast at the Grove Park Inn last Saturday. A few days later he made the news again because while he was here, he ran up a $500 hot tub tab with a woman other than his wife. Then it went on about how he committed perjury last year when he swore on a stack of Bibles that he didn't have an affair with his chief of staff. Something tells me he won't get invited back next year.

After Our Ordeal

After our excitement, we dropped Robert off at home where he calmly watched football. Carol and I took off and I showed her around Asheville. We were still traumatized by our near-death experience so we ended up at the Grove Park Inn to watch the sunset and get Carol that drink she needed.

Carol standing in the fireplace at the Grove Park Inn and on the terrace at sunset.

Monday, Bill & Kent were able to tear themselves away from the MLK festivities at Bobbie's and came to Asheville to spend the night at our house. Unfortunately, Carol had to leave so we all took her to the airport. I offered to get her a taxi in case she was too afraid to get in the car with Robert but she overcame her fears and got in. After saying good-bye to Carol we went on to Creston to show Bill & Kent the progress on the house. They hadn't seen it since we first broke ground. Robert agreed to stop at the bottom of our road, assess the ice situation, and let everyone have the option to get out before driving up. We could tell it had been salted but we all got out and walked up which wasn't easy since it was still very icy. We had to walk up the side of the road pounding holes in the ice with our heels. I went last so I just had to follow in Bill & Kents footsteps. Once we got to the top it was nice and sunny and some of the snow had melted in the driveway. All of the building materials were still frozen and the floor inside the house was like an ice rink. We weren't looking forward to walking back down the hill and were looking around for a piece of drywall or cardboard to all pile on and slide down but couldn't find anything. We just re-traced our steps and went down slowly.

Slip-Slidin' Away

On Sunday we drove down to Lake Lure and met up with Bobbie, David, Bill and Kent for lunch at Larkins on the Lake. Bill & Kent were at Bobbie's for the weekend. (Bill & Bobbie get together every year to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. They never invite me. I'm beginning to wonder if my parents had a black milkman when they were first married and lived with our grandma and then in the projects, Herman Gardens. I know once they bought the house in Detroit where I was born we had a very white milkman with red hair.) We had a nice lunch then decided to stop in at Creston on our way home to show Carol the homesite on a clear day so she could see the views. The rest of them decided to go back to Greenville. Good thing they did because when we got to the bottom of our road, Berry Lane, I could see that yesterday's snow had turned to ice and said to Robert, "Don't go up there," which, of course, made him gun it. We got part of the way up and started to slide helplessly down the hill backwards. I was trying to keep my wits about me and knew it wasn't the time to start screaming at Robert like I normally would but at the same time I also knew there was no guardrail at the bottom to stop us and was having visions of us tumbling head-over-heels 30 feet over the edge. The car came to a stop for a minute and Carol and I bailed out. I cleverly remembered to grab my purse because SOMEBODY had to be able to call 911 after Robert went over. Anyway, it was so icy we could hardly stand up and we had to climb up the hill pounding holes in the ice with our heels to get away from the sliding SUV. We stood there clinging to each other as we watched Robert continue sliding backwards. Carol was worried about Robert going on over the edge and I said, "Someboday has to get the car off the ice." I was directing him to turn towards the embankment and the car finally came to a stop and he got out. I told him to throw me my gloves so my hands wouldn't freeze in case he decided to get back in the car and try again. I was shaking so bad I could hardly zip my coat. When the car was finally safe on dry pavement it took some coaxing from Robert to get us both back into the car. Carol wanted a drink and was having a meltdown in the back seat and vowed to start a "Grateful Journal." We were wondering if Oprah wanted our story. Then we realized it was the good thing the others didn't follow us there because we would have slid backward into their car and pushed THEM over the edge. Robert was cool as a cucumber and just said it we only would have dropped 20 feet. 20 FEET! That would be like driving a car off a 2-story building!


Berry Land the next day after being salted.


The drop down the hillside. I don't think the mountain laurel would stop a tumbling SUV.

More House Pix

We had never seen our property with snow before. It was very pretty. The first picture is the view down the driveway. The other two are from the diningroom door to the deck and the from the livingroom window.

We took Carol up to the community center and went in to use the bathroom. This is Robert taking his afternoon siesta.

Visit From Carol

Last weekend Carol (Morehead) came for a visit. She was coming in on the 11:00 PM flight Friday but it was delayed so she didn't arrive until almost ONE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING!!! I was so afraid we would fall asleep and forget to pick her up so at 11:00 I set the stove timer for an hour but we didn't fall asleep and picked her up as planned. When we got home we had all caught a second wind and ended up staying up until 4:00 A.M. drinking wine and eating cheese and crackers. I can't keep up with those seniors!


The next day we went to Black Mountain and had lunch at our favorite lunchspot, The Veranda Cafe, and showed Carol around town. Doesn't take too long because it's not very big. Then we went to Creston to show her the house. There was still a lot of snow there compared to where our rental house is in Asheville. Unfortunately, it was also cloudy so Carol didn't really get to see the views.

Snow Down South

This is what I woke up to this morning. We had a few inches of snow then it was freezing rain on top of it. We had a winter storm warning and all the schools were closed. Needless to say, I didn't venture out since driving my car in this weather is like trying to rollerskate on ice. By late morning the rain stopped and the temperature went up and the storm warning was lifted. Robert is flying home from Boston this afternoon and his flight is scheduled to be on time. The snow/slush has already melted on the pavement - of course, after I already shoveled.

It's Such a Facade

As of Tuesday, we officially have a house. All 4 exterior walls are up on the main floor and some of the interior walls have been framed in. The builder said the windows and doors are in so as soon as the roof is on they will be installed.

When I was driving in I saw 5 deer along the road not too far from our house. There is also an area where I always see a hawk. He is sitting on a branch on the right side of the multi-stemmed tree in the center of this picture. This area is below the back side of our house so maybe we'll see him from our livingroom windows.

Sunset at the Homestead

Friday we took some chairs & wine out to the house to watch the sunset and look at our new walls. It was a bit chilly on the main floor so we went downstairs to get out of the wind and watched it from the window in Robert's office.

Why The Bed Doesn't Get Made Sometimes

Construction Jan. 9

We have walls! Here are our first walls on the main floor of the house.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIN

Today is Erin's birthday! She's 24.

Watch Your Step

Today it was like spring! It was 72 degrees when we were downtown! After lunch we went to hang out at the house and see what was done today. The stairs to the lower level are in. Now we don't have to walk around the house in the mud to go down there. They're almost finished with the flooring on the first floor.

Robert sitting in the kitchen waiting for someone to come along and serve him a drink.

Weekend

Saturday we went to Hendersonville. Hendersonville is a nice town about 40 minutes south of Asheville with a quaint historic downtown. We went there to check out bathroom vanities at an unfinished furniture store. First we had lunch at a bistro downtown. It was a beautiful day so from there we went to visit our house. Our future neighbors, Vince and Doug, were there visiting their property - 2 lots down from us at the end of our road. They aren't planning to build for at least 5 years but visit regularly from Raleigh which is about 4 hours away. We showed them our house then we had dinner with them at a new Thai restaurant in Black Mountain. We had a good time. They're very nice. Too bad they're not building for awhile.
Sunday we went to what might become my new favorite place. We went to the Botanical Gardens. There were some shrubs there that I'm not familiar with so I can see I need to visit on a regular basis to catch things when they're in bloom. This may be a big help in planning our landscape design. It's just a nice place to hang out, too.

Christmas Past

I was looking through my camera and found these pics from last year. I miss her!

PeeWee under the tree with Stinky Sock Toy and in a self-induced Time Out.