Sukkot, Urb-e riding, stink bugs - Day 461 (Yr 2, Day 94)

Asheville, NC

The holiday of Sukkot is here.  It's an 8 day festival, with the first 2 and last 2 days being days for attending services.  I explained more about the holiday last year (http://mitcheryl-rv-journey.blogspot.com/search?q=sukkot).  Again we felt very bad about not having a sukkah, so we're really going to try to make one next year, even if it will only fit a bridge table and 2 chairs (and we'll throw away the wood as there's nowhere to store it).   We did attend services both days (Mon & Tues) which were very lovely and inspiring.  The custom is to "live" in the sukkah, or at least have meals there.  We did so on Monday but couldn't on Tuesday due to a downpour.  Still, it was a very nice luncheon and the rabbi's words about the holiday were insightful.

After having such a great spell of amazing weather, it was time for Mother Nature to balance things out - with non-stop rain all week.  Monday was the first day it actually stopped for a while (although it was cloudy) so after services, Mitch and I decided to take the urb-es out for a spin.  I'm very pleased that it didn't take me long at all to find my center of gravity and be able to balance well.  It was great fun to ride and I'm looking forward to the freedom it will give me in going longer distances when my hip starts to give out after walking a while.   First we explored the greenway, which was only about a mile.  There were a few picnic benches along the river with a somewhat scenic view (not much different from our "back yard" however), but other than that, it was very disappointing to find nothing else worthwhile to see or do there.  I guess it's just a path for bikers, dog walkers and joggers.  Having gained confidence, we returned and went in the other direction to Carrier Park down the road (Carrier Park is one of Asheville's premier parks (near French Broad River Park) and offers volleyball courts, a giant playground, a roller-hockey rink, a basketball court, a multi-use track, a lawn bowling court, a paved trail and a multi-use sports field for baseball and soccer. It also includes a picnic pavilion, river overlooks, a wetland interpretive and education area, and more trails. The French Broad River Greenway Extension, a 2.8-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail that connects Carrier Park to Hominy Creek Park in West Asheville has on-road and off-road sections and winds along the north bank of the French Broad River, providing pastoral views of the historic Biltmore estate. Located on Amboy Road and Michigan Avenue in west Asheville.)  With all the twists and turns and a few steep hills, we got some really great practice in.  We're almost ready to ride where there are people now!

On a down note, remember the annoying gnats (fruit flies) we had last month?  They've now been replaced by shield bugs, aka stink bugs.

There are hundreds of them outside, and every time we open the door, they wait in ambush and fly inside.  If you squish them, they give off a very unpleasant odor.  I would prefer to just collect them in a napkin or on a fly swatter (they're slow and easy to catch) and let them back outside, but for every one I set free, 5 more come inside.  So I'm squishing and spraying Fabreeze all day and night.  Hopefully their season will end soon.

I've noticed that the leaves have started to change colors.  We're told by many about how amazing this area is in the fall -- in fact, it's the height of tourist season: people come here specifically for the fall foliage.  I suspect within the next week or 2 things will be in full bloom.  I hope the weather will allow us to take a nice drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway or visit the Biltmore Estate then.