Quintessential Asheville

I was in the DC area last week and returned to Asheville Saturday evening, welcomed by warm, sunny weather with the classic mountain breeze blowing through the trees. I checked the mail to find Robin's (acceptance) letter to Daoist Traditions, an acupuncture school located in the nearby Montford district in a big, beautiful old house right next to a park.

She called a few minutes later wondering if I was home yet. She'd spent the day over in West Asheville at an all-day, free outdoor concert featuring local bands, local beers, and local culture.

We decided to go out for dinner to celebrate her acceptance into acupuncture school and waited 5 minutes for an outdoor table at the Laughing Seed Cafe-a completely vegetarian restaurant boasting a wide variety of meal options. While dinning, a Hare Krishna group walked by beating a drum and singing Kirtan (yes, like you always see in the movies). A few minutes later a guy dressed in a nun's habit riding a 10+ foot tall bicycle came riding by, did a few circles while shouting something we couldn't quite understand outside of the restaurant and headed back down the street. May I note, none of this struck us as out of the ordinary.

After dinner, we decided to wander around downtown a bit, since the weather was beautiful and people where out and about on the street. We stopped and listened to a bluegrassy/washboard playing band on some random street corner for 5 or 10 minutes; all the members wearing plaid somewhere on their outfit, with beards and a backcountry look to them. (At one point, a small group walked by dressed in black and white, top hats, petticoat dresses and big black boots-it seemed so normal Robin and I only noticed them because of the stark contrast between them and the band!)

We sat for a few minutes in a little park downtown, people watching-our favorite sighting being a pregnant lesbian couple (only one of them) that came and sat on a bench away for a few minutes. To top the evening off, we drank some local Kombucha and homemade chocolate mousse while listening to (another) local Jazz duo at the French Broad Chocolate Lounge before strolling back to the car and coming home.

What an Asheville evening! Robin and I joke sometimes that it is nice to finally live somewhere that we feel like the "normal" ones every now and again. Although, truth is, we both love being surrounded by all the freedom of expression, personalities, and general avant garde energy and way of life that can be found in this area. Plus the weather is fantastic. Right now, we are willing the swimming pool gods to convince the association of our condominium complex to open the pool soon, because it is definitely nice enough for it!