Spring / Purim - Day 647 (Yr 2, Day 282)

Asheville, NC

Spring is definitely in the air!  Hope to catch more photos of spring colors but everything is starting to bloom.  Makes me so happy!  Can anyone identify what kind of tree this is?

Last night we celebrated the holiday of Purim (for a description of what the holiday is about, see http://www.chabad.org/holidays/purim/default_cdo/jewish/Purim.htm).  In summary, we read the story of what happened over 2000 years ago in Persia - the first threatened genocide of the Jewish people and how Divine Providence saved us.  It is celebrated by reading the story (on a scroll called a Megillah), and people dress up in costume, make a lot of noise, dance, drink and find a lot of joy.  Many synagogues have a theme, and here it was "Purim in Italy."  Mitch took a bunch of photos on his phone, so as soon as I can pin him down, I will update this post with those photos.  Even though we didn't drink, we had a very lovely time.

Spring?? - Day 643 (Yr 2, Day 278)

Asheville, NC

Today is the first day of spring (March 21st) but the weather makes you wonder, as we had a freeze warning.  It was in the 70s all week and then, just as spring arrived, it went down into the 20s overnight and won't get above 40 today.  At least all the signs of spring are here: I see daffodils and crocuses coming out of the ground, and leaves and flowers on many trees now.  Although I have the fireplace and heater on now, I have no doubt that pretty soon I'll be complaining about the heat!!!

Mitch got a preliminary list of where he might be sent next (where his skills are needed most):  Missouri or the Dakotas!  I really hope things work out for my business instead, as those are not places I want to spend long term.  But it's all in G-d's hands (man plans, G-d laughs, so not making any plans yet, except that we would like to stay here until the end of Passover, which is April 29th).

Beautiful message - Day 638 (Yr 2, Day 273)

Asheville, NC

Nothing much to report on that's new this week, except, thank God, everything turned out all right on my mammogram (I was sent back for additional testing as they found an anomaly.  Turned out to be nodules, which they called "fat necrosis," not cancerous and nothing to worry about.

I found the following message on Facebook and need to keep it here for posterity.  Beautiful message.

10 Lessons I Learned About Change on a Country Road

 

by Jennifer Rankin / Mar 16, 2016

 

I grew up in a small, rural town in the Midwest. You could get just about everywhere on a dirt road. Some were lined with stately oak and maple trees. Others were surrounded by fields of wheat or corn as far as the eye could see.


Some roads stretched ahead until they faded into obscurity. Others would wind back and forth, bending and meandering with the contours of the landscape. These roads demanded that, as a driver, you continuously adapt and change. Slow down. Speed up. Turn left. Veer right.
There is so much to be learned about choices and change along a country road. Here are 10 things I discovered about life while living in the country:

1. Decelerate as you approach a curve.
When you are nearing any change in your life that could redirect your chosen path, it is wise to slow down, think, and prepare. Anticipate the possible outcomes, and determine the steps you may need to take. This is imperative if you are approaching a blind curve.
You may not know what lies ahead, what obstacles may be in the road, or even the direction the road may take. We can never anticipate and plan for all possible scenarios, but based on the road so far, we likely can predict the most probable outcomes. When we take the time to predict, we can then prepare.

2. Don’t regret the roads not taken.
A storm can just as easily darken your path on your chosen road as it can along any other course. And, you never really know for certain where the other roads lead. There could be construction to slow you down or detours to reroute you.
Yes, there could also be glorious scenery and a cool mountain breeze. I think it is only human to attribute the best possible outcome to the choices we did not choose. Just remember this — if you had taken that other path instead, you would long for the one you are on.
Regret is futile. The road is what we make it. And, perfection does not exist, but in our minds. Your car will need maintenance, and there will be bumps, regardless of the path taken.

3. Ride with the right person.
The wisdom and experiences of others can serve as a compass for us. The person next to you may have been down this road before, or may simply provide direction as a competent navigator. Either way, the advice and guidance offered can not only help us make a choice and make a change, but also have confidence in ourselves as we move forward.
However, we are still the ones driving. We must make the decision, accept the outcome, and continue on. Ultimately, we are the only ones who own that choice. Make the right choice for you.

4. Stop occasionally to rest.
Take care of yourself. Stretch. Breathe in the fresh air. Sometimes we just need to pause. We need to be present and focused on nothing more than this moment in time. We need to appreciate the path we are on. We can then return to our journey with clarity and conviction. And, perhaps, we can return with that split second of absolute and infinite courage we need to keep going.

5. Watch your speed.
It is not a race. There isn’t a trophy at the end. I have never seen a finish line in real life. Travel your path at your pace. Do what feels right to you. There may be times when you need to slow down and reevaluate. There may be times when you just want to slow down and enjoy the view. You are the driver. You set your pace. Don’t worry if others pass you.

6. Check your rear-view mirror.
Your past provides invaluable lessons. It also provides precious memories. Take it for what it is — a series of recollections, some more hazy than others. Learn from it, become a better person because of it, but don’t dwell on it. Move forward. Look at the possibilities you are moving towards, not the places you have already been.

7. Know the GPS can get it wrong.
Sometimes you need to trust your own intuition. Sometimes we feel as though a road has been chosen for us. We are expected to follow a certain path, make certain stops, and move at a certain speed. This may not be the right path for you. If the directions you are receiving don’t feel right, trust yourself. Trust your own intuition. Follow your heart. You know what is best for you.

8. Ask for directions.
If you are lost, it is ok to stop and ask for help. It is admirable to ask for help. It is even ok to put the car in reverse and back-up. Sometimes we need to retrace our steps to find our way again. But, only turn back to another road if you are certain you are going the wrong direction. You may not need to take a different path, you may simply need a little confidence, a little encouragement, and a little help along the way.

9. Enjoy the scenery.
Change is difficult. Some decisions are inconsequential. Other decisions completely alter the direction of our life. These can be scary. These can be overwhelming. But, we can’t allow fear to paralyze us.
Making a decision is always better than no decision at all. Make the choice, and move forward. Recognize and appreciate the scenery along the road you choose. Every choice has something beautiful to offer. Don’t focus on regret. Don’t watch your path fade in the rear-view mirror. If you do, you miss the joy that surrounds you.

10. Turn the radio up and roll the windows down.
Sometimes, our favorite song on the radio, the warmth of the sun, and fresh air is all we really need. The simple things in life don’t cost much — most don’t cost anything at all. No matter where your path takes you, don’t lose sight of the simple things. These are the things that lead to true happiness, peace, and contentment.

Awesome birthday present - Day 635 (Yr 2, Day 270)

Asheville, NC

My official birthday was Friday and I'm grateful my work load was very light.  Being Friday night was Shabbat, the original plan was a quiet evening shared with a good friend (Ethylin).  She called on Wed. to tell me something had come up that she couldn't get out of, so we had to postpone, so nothing at all planned.

I also have to mention that for the past few weeks, both Mitch and Jessica have been hinting about what great presents they bought me.  Jess just mentioned that she's impressed by what she chose and it's something I would really love.  Mitch also said he knew me well and finally found something I would really love.  Since I do all the accounting, I couldn't find any trail of money spent.  I also get all the Amazon notices and didn't see anything ordered.  I asked Jessica if dad happened to mention what he got, and she suggested maybe he bought something local and paid cash.  Mitch also said that I didn't have to worry about picking it up at the office; he arranged for a courier to deliver it to the door.  I was scheduled for a video conference call, so I put a note on the door saying that if I couldn't answer, please leave the package outside.

Well, the package was "delivered" at 1:15 pm.  It was Jessica and Ellie!!!!  She took the day off work and drove the 4 hours to surprise me.  I started to cry and then couldn't stop swearing!!!  I have the best daughter ever!  And I'm really impressed by how well Mitch kept the secret. Turned out that Ethylin was in on it as well. 

Unfortunately, Jess was only able to stay overnight, but we had some nice quality time together.  We've had some great weather all week, Friday included.  She also bought me a gorgeous arrangement of flowers (photo below - can't wait to use the giant margarita glass!), as well as a Carvel ice cream cake.

Birthday party - Day 631 (Yr 2, Day 266)

Asheville, NC

Actually, the party was on Sunday but I am a little late in posting this.

My actual birthday is in 2 days - Friday, 3/11 - but "the gang" -- Mitch's coworkers Mike & Kandi, and Tim & Sandy, who are all leaving the area on Friday and Monday, decided that rather than just going out for dinner, they would make a reason for celebrating and since my birthday is at that time, they went all out and made me a party!

They really went all out, too.  It was held at the campground that Tim/Sandy are staying at, in Fletcher, NC, which is about 15 miles south of Asheville.  The campground had a huge club house, complete with a fully stocked kitchen, pool table, ping pong, board games, books/magazines, tv & movies.  They decorated the place with balloons, streamers, HB sign, HB tablecloth and plates.  The food was pot-luck (bring your own) - they brought burgers & dogs (and the rolls, salads and condiments), including a box of veggie burgers for us!  Such amazingly thoughtful people!  (We brought my rice & bean dish).  And the clincher -- they bought me an ice cream cake.  This was so wonderful because while growing up, birthdays were always celebrated with Carvel ice cream cakes.  I lost the tradition since my kids left home.  No one told our friends about this tradition, so it was a really awesome coincidence.

They also made me "dress up" with a birthday button, necklace, mini hat on a headband and silly glasses.  Below is a photo of me all decked out.  Unfortunately, Mitch didn't take too many good photos.  Tim did, and we will be seeing him again on Saturday for a little while (as a sideline, he sharpens knives so we brought him ours; he'll come over here to deliver them, and hopefully give me more photos so that I can update this post with them.)

 Candid of Mike and Kandi in a pensive moment, with Sandy in the kitchen behind them.  Tim was outside grilling.

Biltmore Estate - Day 626 (Yr 2, Day 261)

Asheville, NC

I know I promised to post a photo journal of the Estate, but not only is sorting through the 250 pictures going to be a major undertaking which I don't have time for, but because flashes were not allowed, many of the pictures didn't even come out very well.

However, the good news is that there is already a great deal of information online.  For those who have not been there, I think these photos capture the rooms and grounds very well, although it still doesn't come close to actually being there, in the rooms, imagining life happening 100+ years ago.  For myself when I read back, these photos will jog my memory.

Again, I have to say that magnificent doesn't even come close to describing the place.  It's amazing how having millions (or by today's standards - billions) of dollars can buy!  I can't even fathom living this kind of lifestyle (of course, I'm at the other end of the spectrum, living in an RV!  And very happy, I might add!)

For history of the house, a photo gallery of the rooms and photos of the gardens, click here.  There are 3 links on the left hand side to click on for each of these categories.

I will now try to recapture our adventure and add some photos and facts that aren't on the Biltmore website.  We were there for 2 days: Sunday and Monday (2/28 and 2/29).

We had to pass through Biltmore Village, which was a town built on the outskirts of the Estate for all the workers.  It's very tudor style.  Here is one such building:

A typical store in Biltmore Village

Entering the gates of the property:

As you drive through the property,  you either pass through beautifully planted forests of white pine, or sprawling hills:

Sometimes you pass some beautiful homes which are residences of current-day workers such as Head of Security, and other high level positions:

After entering the gates, our first stop was the Inn where we would be staying.  The plan was to try to get an early check in (didn't happen), park the truck there and take the complimentary shuttle to the House (also didn't happen because the shuttles started at 9:00 and it was only 8:30.  We had tour tickets for 9:00 so we needed to drive back to the House, which, although still on the property, was 5 miles away!!!  Imagine having so much land!!!)

A duck crossing the road en route to the Inn

The Inn coming into view

The Inn up close

We had a few tours booked on Sunday, so we really didn't have the leisure to take things totally at our own pace.  First stop was the House, with admission at 9:00 and an "Upstairs/Downstairs" behind the scenes tour starting at 9:30.  Here are some photos of the house coming into view and a close up shot (the photos on the website are much better).  It should be noted that there is a road (called "Approach Road") that is beautifully landscaped as it meanders by the stream and through the forests.  You then enter a huge gate and only then does the house come into view.  It was intentionally built that way so that guests would enjoy the journey and then be very impressed when they saw the building.



While the website and general admission just takes you through the main living areas for the family and guests, the Upstairs/Downstairs tour took us into the servants areas where all the hustle and bustle took place and where everyone worked hard to make sure things ran smoothly.  After all, it was the Vanderbilt's reputation if someone was displeased with even so much as their tea being too cold!  It was a privilege and an honor to work at the estate!

A photo of us taken inside the main hall:

I am most impressed by how very high tech this house was for it's time (built 1885).  For example, it had 43 bathrooms at a time where most people didn't have indoor plumbing.  There was electricity throughout the house, including lights at the bottom of the swimming pool, at a time when most people were still using candles.  I think I was most impressed by the servants communication system.  There was a box centrally located in the servant area, which had a light corresponding to every room of the house.  Each room had a button, that when pressed, would light up on that box.  It was someone's job to watch that box and, using the in-house intercom phone system, immediately dispatch the nearest servant to that room.  That servant, in turn, would learn who wanted what, communicate it back via the intercom, and then the appropriate staff member would see that the person's needs were met quickly.  For example, if a guest was in the Tapestry Room reading a book and wished for a cup of tea, he would ring the bell, the nearest servant to that room would let the kitchen staff know, the kitchen staff would prepare a tea along with some scones or cookies or finger sandwiches, and have it brought up to the Tapestry Room.  Room service at its finest!

Here are some photos of the inner courtyard, where the servants would come and go easily without being seen:



This part of the tour was over at 11:00.  We had lunch reservations at 12:00 and we received a call that our room was ready to check in.  So we drove back to the Inn, dropped off our luggage, and took the shuttle to Deerpark (there's a map of the property here).

Back in the day, Biltmore had a dairy farm, a barn where they also raised cattle, sheep and chickens for meat, and thousands of acres of farmland where they grew all their own vegetables for use on the estate.  In the 1950s, the dairy was sold to Pet-milk, and the building was turned into a restaurant.  Here are some photos of the inside.  We had a delicious buffet lunch (why didn't I take pictures of that???), while being serenaded by a bluegrass player.



After lunch, we had a 2:00 tour at the winery in Antler Hill Village - a seminar of how to deliciously pair red wine and chocolate!  We really did learn a lot about wine tasting (nothing like the moonshine tour we took last year).  Here is our wine master Peter filling the glasses again:



This tour was over at 3:30.  We took the shuttle back to the Inn and decided to take showers and a little nap before our 6:00 dinner reservation.  What am amazing room, and especially bathroom. Ok, no jacuzzi, but the marble decor, fancy and elegant lighting fixtures, regular household (carpet) bath mat (not a small towel), plate to put your soap in, and especially the robes and slippers all made it very special.  Here are a few pictures of the hotel lobby.

   

Once again I forgot to take pictures of the Dining Room (the name of the restaurant), but I can tell you it resembled the breakfast room in the House - extremely elegant.  There were huge windows all around, overlooking the mountains, and a huge glowing fireplace; the wait staff wore tuxes and gloves and, like the servants of the House, were right there waiting to wait on you.  I don't think we've ever enjoyed the luxury of this level of fine dining before (and due to the cost, probably won't again for at least another 14 years when we celebrate our 50th!), but it was well worth the experience.  After dinner, we relaxed over a few drinks in the upstairs lounge, where there was a jazz group playing.

Monday was a more relaxed day.  We started off having a very lovely buffet breakfast in the Dining Room (custom omelets, and lox among other fine specialties).  We had another tour booked at 1:00, so after breakfast we went back to the House to finish up seeing everything we missed the day before.  The tour was a bus ride around the entire property, describing what everything was and giving a lot of history behind how things were built (including how they built a special diversion to the lake because silt from the stream was getting in and they wanted clear blue water).

After the tour, we went back to the winery and did the complimentary wine tasting.  We had our urb-es with us and it was a beautiful day, so we rode around Antler Hill Village a little bit.

Then it was time to go home and the fantasy to end.  Back to reality once again, but with fully charged batteries.

The only real complaint I have is that the place, especially the House with all the handrails, is a germ-fest.  I didn't think of that in advance and didn't have any Purell with me.  Needless to say, I woke up Monday morning with a sore throat which had been getting progressively worse throughout the week (although today it seems to be starting to improve).

Tomorrow at shul is another "First Shabbat", so it will be a bigger crowd and a fancier luncheon.  However, I'm really looking forward to Sunday.  Mitch's co-workers (the ones we went to dinner with a few weeks ago: Mike/Kandi and Tim/Sandy, as well as another couple who just joined in this area) are throwing me a birthday party.  We're going to their campground and doing a pot-luck around the campfire.  Unfortunately, those couples are leaving the following week, so unless we're scheduled to work in the same area, it will be a long time before we see them again.

Happy Anniversary! - Day 624 (Yr 2, Day 259)

Asheville, NC

We had an absolutely amazing time at the Biltmore Estate and Inn.  I can't even begin to fathom what it must have been like to live in such a place (if you watch Downton Abbey or Upstairs/Downstairs, it's the same kind of situation).  It is just way beyond magnificent.  Here is a photo of the outside (couldn't fit the entire photo in, but you can go to www.biltmore.com to see some really great photos!)

We took over 250 photos, which I would like to organize and caption and present in some type of slideshow or bearable format.  That will take me a few days to complete, so please bear with me while I create a more detailed journal of our mini-vacation celebrating our 36th (or 9th, since it comes every 4 years) anniversary.