Nope, Not Napa!

Fundy Blue was close.  Dreaming nailed it.  I was in Asheville, North Carolina, visiting my brother Tom and sister-in-law Pat.  The photos in the previous post were taken overlooking Biltmore Vineyard.  Asheville has several vineyards and a booming beer business.  Who knew?

It was a sentimental journey.  My Mom passed away in 2004.  The day after Mom's funeral, I took her cat Callie home to Colorado as carry-on luggage.  Callie never made a sound on the long trip, not even as she bounced against my side as I ran through the Atlanta airport to make our connection.  In the days, weeks, months, years that followed, we comforted each other.  Callie passed away in November after a long illness.  I didn't share it on my blog.  It felt like the last tie to my mother was cut.  I just quietly moved her photo on my sidebar to the "Sadly Missed" column.  I wanted to return her ashes to Mom, so that's what I did.  Neighbor Chuck had a big show in Scottsdale, and our friend/horse sitter Rey stayed at his ranch.  This gave me the perfect time to make my trip - Rey would give Dave a hand in the barn while I was away.

Tom drove Pat and me to the little town in the very western corner of North Carolina where our parents retired.  We visited their grave, and I scattered Callie's ashes.  Next we drove past their home.  It lifted our spirits to see their beloved home looking well cared for.

The rest of the trip was filled with good food and great company.  We hit the galleries in Asheville so I could see Tom and Pat's work.  That was a thrill for me.  The Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway is a beautiful place, inside and out.  No photography is allowed inside, so the photos are from the Southern Highland Guild website.

Thank you so much, Tom and Pat, for taking such good care of me.  Thank you so much, Dave and Rey, for taking such good care of the ranch.  I came home to a ship-shape barn and home, with horses, dog Mickey, kitties and fish flourishing.  Yay.