A Little Get-Away - Asheville, NC

Several months ago, my friend Lesa Holstine mentioned seeing Don Williams in concert.

I immediately swooned and then got jealous, and then got curious about whether he might make it to North Carolina.  Then got worried that he had already been here and we might have missed him.  He does not tour very often.

I had never heard of Don Williams before I met my Donald, but was soon to become a huge fan.  Over the years his music has become quite meaningful to us, and I will sometimes hear Donald singing a Don Williams song and I have to just stop whatever I'm doing and listen. 

One that I love hearing him sing is "You're My Best Friend."




As luck would have it, Don Williams was indeed going to be coming to North Carolina, and with nothing less than a huge bit of luck - the tickets were going on sale within just a couple days.  And, he was going to be in Asheville, which is one of our favorite little get-away spots. 

Serendipity is a lovely thing, isn't it?!

I was able to get very good tickets, and I put them away without telling Donald anything about them.  Instead, I gave them to him as his Christmas gift.

A little more serendipity is the fact that the concert took place just a few days after Donald's birthday, and Valentine's Day.

Cool, huh?!

All sorts of occassions all handled!

Time for a Road Trip!!!!!

But we don't take road trips any more unless Harley can go too.

More serendipity - The Hotel Indigo is about a block from the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium where the concert was being held.  And they're doggie friendly.  Hooray!

So off we went.

We arrived in Asheville early enough in the day to wander around and visit some of our favorite spots.

First we hit Earth Guild, so Donald could pick up some weaving stuff.

The we scooted across the street to The Chocolate Festish. 

oh my.

Heaven.

And fun!

Then we walked less than a block and crossed the street again to visit with one of my favorite bookstores, ever.  Malaprop's. 

And they have this marvelous sculpture out front. 

That evening when we walked to the auditorium, we were welcomed by yet another bit of sculpture -

I love this!

Asheville is full of wonderfully whimsical and artsy things like this, along with several galleries.  They are also quite well-known for their diverse architectural styles including Neoclassical, Romanesque Revival, Art Deco, Beaux Arts, Gothic and Spanish Renaissance. 

One of the buildings most widely known and admired is one we passed on our way to the auditorium from our hotel.  The Basilica of St. Lawrence, featuring what is reputed to be the largest freestanding elliptical dome in North America.

It's all but impossible, of course, to even think of Asheville without mentioning the famous Biltmore Estate, which is breathtaking.

But - when visiting Asheville, don't limit yourself to only the Biltmore.  There is just so much more to this city.  If you're a fan of architectural styles, as I am, you might want to consider walking Downtown Asheville's Urban Trail.

And, of course, back to the man we came to see.

Don Williams.

The man writes beautiful songs, he sings with the voice of an angel.  And he engages the audience with a sweet and dry humor.

If you have an opportunity to see him, please don't let it pass you by.

They just don't make 'em like Don Williams any more.


The next day when it was time to head back home to Boone, Harley got a little testy.  Oddly enough, although Donald and I are avowed homebodies, Harley, it would seem, has a streak of wanderlust.  He's beginning to enjoy these occassional road trips.  He thinks doggie friendly hotels are just about the cat's pajamas (for lack of a better saying).

He thinks those big brown eyes of his are going to get us to do things his way.

And if that doesn't work, he's not above arguing about it.

(notice Harley's tongue?!)

On the way home we stopped in Crossnore to visit the weaving studio at The Crossnore School, which has grown into a wonderful gallery since we were last there.  Gorgeous! 

More about that in a few days, so check back!