NC (Enough Already!)

So the duration of the Asheville stay was fine. I visited my second favorite book store inthe US --Malaprops -- and bought a coffee mug with the inscription "Eat Sleep Read." I commented to the goth -looking saleswoman that only one activity was missing, and I was getting too old for that one. She smirked. I AM becoming a creepy old guy.

Eric, Dana, Wifey and I had a fine day at the Grove Park spa, with massages and dips in the waterfall-laden pools and hot tubs. There's an outdoor area with a huge burning fireplace, overlooking the Fall valley, and I think the Lord spoke to me there about the beauty of life.

We walked a bit more, watched some more sunsets, and on the last day visited the UNC Asheville Arboretum. We walked in the woods some more, and admired the Bonsai displays. Eric snapped away --his goal was 1000 photos. He's going to edit them and send them to us to enjoy and use to bore our children.

We had one last stop -- 12 Bones Barbecue, on the outskirts of town. Simply --it was the best I've ever eaten. The ribs were so savory, I'm convinced they would have tempted my friend Rabbi Yossi to give pork a try. Well, maybe not, but close...

We flew home and endured a typical Atlanta airport delay. While at the airport, my old friend Lauren, an Atlanta lawyer, called my cell phone. I was convinced she spotted Wifey and I walking past, but no, it was only serendipity. She's started a new career, and will fill me in on the details Monday.

And so, once again, to Wifey's never ending enjoyment, I was able to channel the old sign off from the Disney travelogs I watched in the 60s at East Broadway Elementary: "As we reluctantly say goodbye to beautiful North Carolina, we reflect on the memories we'll forever treasure of the time we spent there."