Grove Park Inn Christmas Eve

This December will be remembered over much of the eastern US as being unusually warm, and in the case of western North Carolina, full of a lot of precipitation.  So we woke on Christmas eve morning to a massive thunderstorm and heavy rains that continued off and on all day, making it a challenge to enjoy the balmy temperatures which reached into the 70's.

Fortunately we had planned the perfect pre-Christmas activity... lunch at the Omni Grove Park Inn!  The GPI is a delight to visit any time of the year, an amazing architectural feat, perched on a mountain with a majestic view of the Asheville skyline, and full of interesting history.  At holiday time it is particularly festive, with gingerbread houses on display from the annual competition, decorated trees too numerous to count, and the bustle of people staying there, dining there, and enjoying the ambiance of the many public spaces.

 There are always unusual interpretations of "gingerbread house" including birds, like this peacock nesting and the cardinals.

And then Santa often makes an appearance...

 along with his sleigh.

But I am somewhat prejudiced and tend to like best the ones that actually are replicas of buildings, even when they are somewhat whimsical.

And that includes the winning entry this year, a very ramshackle place with lots of interesting details.

 It's somewhat difficult to get very good photos, since the lighting is not very even in the areas where that gingerbread houses are on display and they are cordoned off so you can't get too close.  And the winner is in a glass encased and mirrored inset which generally has a cluster of people around it.  But keep in mind that everything on these "houses" is edible.  Also some of the ones that I have photos of were made by adults, but some were made by teens and children.  While trying to sneak in a photo of the winner, I took this shot below where you can see Russ and I reflected in the mirror!

The decorated Christmas trees were also wondrous!  Many in the main hallways were done according to theme.  Like the snowman tree and the tree filled with skis and other winter sports equipment, both of which reminded me of my friend Barb...

And cardinals always remind me of my friend Mickey.

Our lunch was at Edison, one of the many venues where you can eat at this resort.  It is their "pub" and named for Thomas Edison who with his friends Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone stayed at the GPI many years ago.

Here's Russ near the entrance to Edison.

And my friends on Facebook will recognize this photo of me enjoying the first sips of my Bloody Mary.

You can see that we had a window table... I guess a perk of having made reservations ahead of time.

This was our view... usually the sky is a clear NC blue and the skyline of Asheville shows up in color against the green of the mountain slope and you can see layers of mountains beyond.  Not today.  It was somewhat eerie with low fog and some rain at times.

We did have some periods of clearing, but you can see the standing water on the golf course.  No one was playing golf!

But you can see some people enjoying the hot tub at the spa in this photo.

Before I close, I wanted to share two more photos.  This is one of the massive fireplaces in the main hall.  This particular fireplace was reopened when Omni took over the GPI a couple of years ago.  It's twin, which as far as I know was always functional, is on the other side of the massive hall.  As you can see, it's a great place for people to congregate.

 And this temporary concession, selling hot chocolate, cookies and beer (how's that for a combination?) was set up in the main hall near one of the doorways to the Sunset Terrace.  It is made entirely of gingerbread "stones" and smelled wonderful!  There was a placard nearby that told how many pounds of flour and sugar and spices were used to construct it and urging guests not to nibble!

Sorry that this has gotten to be a bit long, but Russ and I really enjoyed our lunch and our visit to the GPI.  We are fortunate to have this local treasure and it was a perfect time to while away a few hours before the Christmas Eve church service.

Happy December Holidays and a Happy New Year to all my followers!

WINTER LIGHTS 2015

Last Wednesday evening we had the pleasure of volunteering our services to help with admissions at the second annual Winter Lights display at the NC Arboretum.  When we volunteered last year we scored two rather chilly nights, the nastiest was the evening we manned the fire pit and helped people make s'mores.  Though we dressed for it and still enjoyed the experience, we decided to "play it safe" and volunteer for indoor jobs this year.

Well, Wednesday evening couldn't have been any milder.  Some clouds moved in late in the day and trapped the unseasonal warm air creating a December evening that you barely needed to wear a sweater to enjoy your time in the outdoors.

Oh, I imagine that everything would look even more fairy-tale-like with a covering of snow, but when we were released from our posts and allowed to roam the gardens, I thought it was delightful!

I noticed several different added attractions since last year and probably the most amazing change was right in the center of the garden... the huge illuminated "tree" in front of the quilt garden.  The lights of the quilt garden and the lights of the giant Christmas tree were coordinated to music and they were mesmerizing.

Many people had very sophisticated cameras and I'm sure they were capturing some awesome images.  I only had my iPhone, but I thought I would share some photos so that you get an idea of how the gardens look with nighttime illumination.

 These structures are made of water filled 2 liter soda bottles and they cycle through several color changes.

 The quilt garden was especially nice!

 This artificial tree at the entrance to the bonsai garden attracted a lot of interest... it also changed colors.

 Even the parking lot looks festive!

For some reason only about half of my photos downloaded to the blog site, but I think this is probably a good enough selection to give you an idea of the types of lighting... additionally there was music, lots of color changing and lighted movement in the displays, a rather eerie, yet beautiful tree with crystal chandeliers, the Rocky Cove Railroad, places to pause for group and individual photos, indoor exhibits and decorations, bonfires, a wishing tree, opportunities to shop and this year they are even offering a buffet meal which looked pretty darn tasty.  Snacks, food, hot chocolate, and 3-D glasses all seemed very reasonably priced this year.

HAPPY SOLSTICE TO ALL!

Escape to Puerto Rico

Earlier this month we enjoyed our second annual trip to Rincon, PR, with our daughter, son-in-law and twin grand babies.  Well, they really aren't babies anymore, they are fearless two year olds!
So even though PR has a lot to offer... warm balmy days, beautiful sunsets, unpopulated beaches, crystal pools, and plenty of places to get coffees, smoothies, fish tacos and exotic fruits... we really go there to spend time with these two special people (and their parents):

This was a selfie they took!

The rental house had a wonderful pool that we all really enjoyed.

And when we got sick of the pool, we headed to the beach less than a half mile away.

This is "Steps" Beach and just a short walk from the concrete steps are nice shaded areas where there are small pools that are perfect for sitting by or in.

The rocky reef provides a natural breakwater if the ocean is rough and it is a popular place for snorkeling.

All along the coast are plenty of spots to stop and enjoy the view... and maybe have a bite to eat or something to drink.

The view below was taken from a spot where we had breakfast one morning.  It not only identifies where we are, but includes the iconic Rincon lighthouse.

Both times we arrived in Rincon after dark. It's a good three hour drive from the San Juan airport.  I noticed the attractive welcoming archway, so on our way out of town we paused so I could take some pictures.

Each of the support poles have pretty mosaics that deserve to be enjoyed.  I had to take these pictures quickly because it's a pretty busy intersection, but I think they are worth seeing close up.

It was truly a restful and lovely vacation... I'm already looking forward to next year!

Road Trip... New England!

 We took a nearly two week road trip that brought us from Arden to several places in New England.  The foliage from Pennsylvania and north was at peak and made for a very scenic ride for us, but unfortunately we had a fair amount of cloudiness and our stops while traveling did not coincide with great picture taking opportunities.

Two days on the road brought us to Biddeford, Maine, where we enjoyed a nice long weekend with two of our favorite people, Anja and Ronan.  Here they are at the playground.

And on a walk to the grocery store.

(Oh! We enjoyed being with their parents, too!)

After we left Maine, we headed to Fitzwilliam, NH, to see our Fresh Air daughter's home and had a nice lunch with her in Keene, NH.  I'm not sure why we didn't take a picture of Nina in front of her lovely house.  I guess we were just so distractedly happy to see her and spend time with her.

The next day we did take a picture of Wilma in front of her house in beautiful Bennington, VT.

Wilma and Russ started teaching at Plattsburgh High the same year, the fall of 1970.  Wilma only stayed in Plattsburgh one year, but Russ ended up teaching there for 34 years!  We've kept in touch over the years through holiday greetings and more recently through Facebook, so it was nice to actually spend some time "in person" and see her nice retirement home filled with her artwork and mementos.  After a nice lunch at the repurposed train depot, Wilma took us on a tour of Old Bennington that took us through 4 covered bridges and past the Robert Frost home.

Our next stop was Burlington, VT, and we were delighted that our good friend, Mickey, from Plattsburgh, came across the lake to meet us for lunch and a nice long visit.  Again... why didn't we take a picture?

Thursday night through Sunday morning we were at Sugarbush Resort in Warren, VT, with our good friend, Barb, also from Plattsburgh to celebrate her daughter's wedding.  I was glad to be able to help with a few of the "crafty" last minute details, like putting together s'more kits for Friday's fire circle and picking up and arranging the flowers that were used for various events over the weekend.

The setting was spectacular.  Mother Nature provided a wonderful show.

The plan was for Kelley and Ben to be married up on the top of the ski trail, which you can see in this photo taken on Friday morning.  But then on Saturday morning, the day of the wedding, we woke up to this pretty sight.

Needless to say, the ceremony was brought inside, but it was no less lovely and special.

 The bride and groom braved the elements for this pretty shot.

I do have a few foliage shots taken at various places in our travels, so I will end with those.

It was a really nice road trip.  The foliage was certainly a treat to the eye.  We connected with many people we love and miss seeing regularly.  We talked about the past and the future and shared good food and drink.  We experienced the best of Autumn and just a taste of Winter... and then came safely home to get ready for the next trip.