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| Thursday, July 03, 2008 |
| speaking of butterflies... |
We went back to the Nature Center today to check out the butterfly exhibit which opened over the weekend. So weird to think that we've been going to this exhibit since Cole was close to the same age that Harper is now! It's always fun, though, and we try to arrive right when the Center opens because the butterflies are still quite willing to be held.
PS. For those who asked, most of the close-up photos on the blog recently were taken with the Canon 100mm Macro.Labels: Asheville, Cole, Harper, summer |
posted by Joanna Bolick @ 6:37 PM  |
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| Thursday, May 22, 2008 |
| strawberries, strawberries |
We made our annual trek to the strawberry patch today. Officially it was "picked out" already this morning but I'd spoken with the owner ahead of time and he'd suggested that we arrive late to avoid the crowds, if we weren't really that interested in getting baskets full of berries but rather just having fun.
So that's what we did, and though the berries were indeed a little smaller and harder to find, we still enjoyed ourselves immensely.
True to form, it didn't take Harper long to rekindle her love for fresh strawberries...
Except maybe for these green ones...we'll just leave those for Daddy.Labels: Asheville, spring |
| posted by Joanna Bolick @ 2:56 PM |
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| Tuesday, April 29, 2008 |
| back at the Biltmore |
"Come over here," she beckons, "there's beauty to be seen."
"Behold, spring green."
Then later on, the azalea gardens.Labels: Asheville, spring |
| posted by Joanna Bolick @ 8:00 AM |
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| Monday, September 24, 2007 |
| Sunday brunch |
We had brunch yesterday with the lovely Gabby & Mike, who were in town for a wedding this past weekend. As you can probably tell from the photo below, Harper had a good time with Gaaahby (who diligently picked up every single crayon Harper threw on the floor) and Mike (a name considerably easier to pronounce than Gabby, apparently!) When Harper woke up from her afternoon nap she said, "Gaahby be right back!"
So, so happy to know that Mike & Gabby are expecting their own little one at the beginning of next year!
Thank you so much for brunch, guys! Please come back to Asheville soon!
PS. I can't believe I forgot to order some of those free-range eggs.Labels: Asheville |
| posted by Joanna Bolick @ 9:21 AM |
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| Friday, September 21, 2007 |
| sheer brilliance |
Obviously, if you know me well enough, you'll realize that the title is tongue-in-cheek.
So.
Do I always start out that way? Probably.
So. Today while taking Cole to school the weather report on the radio called for "overcast skies with periods of sunshine." Not bad, I think. We drop off Cole, run errands, hit the dry cleaners where they know us by name (love that!), stop at home, start a new book, check email. get mail. blah. blah. While looking online I discover that we have once again missed the peak monarch migration in our area, which happened a mere 2 evenings ago up on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
But why not just go up there to check, I think? There might be a few stragglers, after all, and overcast skies are usually good for taking photos. So I pack up Harper and ponder a picnic, which would be the good mom thing to do. Instead we swing by McDonalds, where they probably already could know us by name but thankfully don't rub it in our faces, and the lady hands over our bags and says, with force, "you have a good day." Not in a whimsical, la la la maybe you'll have a good day, but more like in a drill sergeant way. "Yes, ma'am."
ANYWAY...
We pick up Cole, who is immediately alerted to the fact that we're not going home when I turn left at the stoplight rather than right. He's excited about the possibility of seeing butterflies when I tell him that we're taking a drive along the parkway, but really more excited about the toy in his happy meal.
So.
I'm just going to blame this next little part on growing up a flatlander, but as you may or may not know, the thing about driving up a mountain is that you sometimes encounter different weather conditions than you would if you were in the valley. In our case, we quite literally drove into those overcast skies, in the form of heavy cloud cover. Which looks really pretty when you're gazing up at the mountains but is rather dense and a little hard to drive in when one is actually up on the mountain without guardrails on either side.
But never fear, this is an adventure! We continue on, the kids, oblivious to any of my agitation as they snack on their food and watch Charlotte's Web, and me, looking for mile markers to determine where we are, and which are VERY hard to see due to the fact that well, we pretty much can't see. Honestly, though, I'm making is sound worse than it is.
See for yourself -- go ahead, take a moment to enjoy the view.
What? You can't see it? Well here, maybe if you look over the sign (that would be me holding the camera over the sign.)
Seriously, though, we did have fun! We discovered we'd been looking in the wrong spot for the monarchs all along, so we might actually see them next year when they come (I fear that if I ever do get to observe the migration it'll be rather anticlimactic.) The location where 300+ were reported the other night is right along this trail...
And look! Acorns -- you can't find those at home.
I think Harper took me a little too seriously on the whole "look over" the overlook thing...
Awww, it's love.
But only briefly before the screeching begins.
So yes, we did have fun. The kids got to run around and get dirty and I entertained myself by taking funny photos. But just guess what happened when we finally decided to turn around and head back down the mountain? Oh yes, the cloud cover was finally lifting. Ha ha ha, God. That's funny. See? there's a peek at our pretty view.
Oh, and for the record, we didn't see any monarchs.Labels: a humorous life, Asheville |
| posted by Joanna Bolick @ 3:35 PM |
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| Monday, September 17, 2007 |
| what a pretty thing to wake up to |
Floating over the neighbor's yard...
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| posted by Joanna Bolick @ 9:49 AM |
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| Friday, May 25, 2007 |
| the sky is falling! |
Not really. But if one were Harper's size and were rudely interrupted from her piano playing (banging) by a tree crashing to the ground (it was a "controlled" fall) then I think that you might indeed think the sky was falling. And you, too, would come running to mommy in the scrapbook room and say "scawy, mommy! twee scary!" But in reality, it's just that we had to say goodbye to three lovely trees this week which were way past their prime, or as the loggers said, "at the end of their lifecycle."
They took down the first tree on Tuesday, and it came down in one solid piece. Heaven help me, I'm glad I missed the actual fall, because I think it would have freaked me out like it did H.
  This photo with Harper in the corner cracks me up.
The second tree came down yesterday, and we happened to have a very nice view of the commotion from our back deck. So (of course) I have photos. They even asked me to photograph them. hee! This particular tree had to be taken down piece by piece because there wasn't any room for it to fall. The whole process was pretty interesting -- we even had our lunch while we watched -- it's definitely a spectator sport if you ask me!
Here's crazy climber dude on his way up...
 ...from Harper's perspective...
 ...and in for the closeup.
Here are a few of the tree in progress - the roofline of our house is on the left...  Too bad I didn't crop those better so that the tree was in the exact same spot...pretend I did.
As you might guess, there was a lot of sawdust involved.   Cole and I were sneezing like crazy! But finally, the tree came down. Thank you, TimberTigerTree!Labels: Asheville |
| posted by Joanna Bolick @ 9:00 AM |
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| Monday, May 14, 2007 |
| The best kind of bouquet |
We hit the Mother's Day sale at Painters early on Saturday and came home with a beautiful array of flowers. The best part? Mark gets to plant them. okay, okay, i might help.
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| posted by Joanna Bolick @ 3:22 PM |
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| Thursday, May 10, 2007 |
| sweet strawberries |
Guess what's back in season?
We arrived at the strawberry patch earrrrrrrly this morning. So early that we were the only ones there! Since we had the whole patch to ourselves, we made sure to take our time. We certainly aren't the most thorough or fastidious pickers, but as Cole said, "this is super fun, Mommy!"
Last year at the patch Harper was in the Baby Bjorn, so carrying her own basket was a very exciting experience for her. After we told her which ones to pick she did a pretty good job....
...that is, until Cole convinced her to taste one of the strawberries.
   Then it was very much like the book Blueberries for Sal...
 ...with lots of pausing...
 ...and eating.
 After we decided to divert the best strawberries to Cole's bucket we had more success, and now there are two buckets filled with sweet-smelling (and tasting) strawberries just waiting for us in the kitchen. (And one very sleepy, very full little girl napping upstairs.)
PS. you can find out about pick-your-own farms in your area here.Labels: Asheville |
| posted by Joanna Bolick @ 12:41 PM |
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| Thursday, April 05, 2007 |
| The puppy pillow |
I discovered a neat little shop called "Sanctuary of Stuff" one day while hunting down the Asheville recycling department. The store takes consignments from many different artists in the area, so it's a great mix of handmade crafts, from jewelry to pottery to artwork, as well as some new and vintage items as well. It's like Etsy, but tangible since you get to see and feel everything before you make a purchase. So anyway, a few weeks ago I was in there again (sans children, since that's the only safe way to visit the place) and in the front room were these pillows with dogs on them. Of course, I immediately thought of Harper. A little sign next to the pillows said that the crafter did custom orders, so I emailed her and asked if she could do a puppy pillow in "girly" colors to match H's room.
Isn't she cute? I love it, and I think Harper will, too. I just picked it up today, and it's going to be her Easter treat from Mommy & Daddy (Cole is getting a bird house, since he loves all the birds we have in our backyard). So anyway, I just thought I'd share my delight with you. The lady who makes them doesn't have a website but I can send you her email address if you're interested. She does lots of different dogs and will customize the pillows to your choice of colors of felt and breed. Most of the pillows at the shop seemed more boyish in color, but she added pink polkadot ribbon and a green gingham backing to this one just for H.Labels: Asheville |
| posted by Joanna Bolick @ 3:33 PM |
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| Friday, March 30, 2007 |
| today's photos |
I wasn't exactly sure how close I could get to him...and I sure wish I'd brought the wide angle with me...still neat, though. We visit the Nature Center often but rarely do we get to see the peacocks in full bloom. Labels: Asheville |
| posted by Joanna Bolick @ 2:24 PM |
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| Wednesday, March 07, 2007 |
| mountains |
 A little mountain magic for you. Not magic, really, but you can definitely tell why they call them the Blue Ridge mountains. These were taken from the deck of our friend Bob's house (his house is getting so close to completion!) What a view!
Hmmm...can anyone guess who Harper gets that wild hair from? ...in my defense she pulled out the cute pink ribbon barette that was helping...well, sort of helping.Labels: Asheville |
| posted by Joanna Bolick @ 10:50 PM |
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| Tuesday, September 05, 2006 |
| Highlands |
Coley and I drove up to Highlands, NC on Saturday. Considering that Highlands sits at an altitude of slightly over 4100 feet, we literally drove up a winding, sometimes tedious, two-lane mountain road. But, because of its altitude, it happens to be one of the coolest places around! Our reason for going was a little bookshop called Cyrano's, squeezed between a cafe with specials of the day featuring quiche and bisque and an art gallery where they all commented on Cole's curls. I had read in the Asheville paper earlier in the week that Pat Conroy was going to be signing books between 1-3pm at Cyrano's, and I really couldn't pass up the chance to meet one of my favorite authors. Apparently he has been up in Highlands all summer working on his next book, and had consented to sign books at the store because his wife (Cassandra King) and the bookstore owner had become friends.
Since we arrived early, and miraculously secured a front-row parking spot, I figured we'd be able to get out of there fairly quickly, but alas, we were back in the children's section perusing books (there's a new Olivia book out now) when the line started to form. So, unfortunately, we had to wait longer than anticipated, but Cole took it all in a stride and was very good. I think it had something to do with the fact that our next stops were going to be the toy store and the ice cream shop! He shook Mr. Conroy's hand and watched as Pat signed a book for him as well as Beach Music for me.
What I love most about attending book signings is not the actual signatures but instead the little glimpses you see of the authors' personalities. For instance, I expected Pat Conroy to be a little gruff, as his stories always have a hard edge to them. But instead, he was warm, genuine, and funny, and asked most of the people in line where they lived and seemed to know a little something about every single town they named. He spent time with each person instead of signing and handing off books at random, and while it caused the line to move a little slower it was definitely time well spent. Plus, the lady in front of us in line (Kate) gave me a whole bunch of new book recommendations to read, which is great.
So anyway, after the book store, the toy store, and the ice cream shop, we headed a little further out of town to view another waterfall. Considering that Looking Glass Falls is quite beautiful, we were perhaps a little letdown by the smaller size and trickle of Bridal Veil Falls. Apparently you used to be able to drive behind the falls, but alas, a big boulder fell down on top of the road, preventing this. I think if we'd been able to view them from a higher point it would be prettier because we could have seen more of the actual falls.
Here's the view from behind the falls. (You can see a small portion of the boulder to Cole's right.)
So anyway, that was most of our Saturday. Then we returned home to Harper and Mark, who had spent a leisurely day napping and watching tv. When I put Cole to bed that night he said, "Mommy, next time can we buy the firetruck book?"
Yes, Cole, I suppose we could. ; )Labels: Asheville |
| posted by Joanna Bolick @ 7:44 AM |
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| Friday, September 01, 2006 |
| Friday |
Took this one this morning.
Also spotted two vagabond children while I was there, stripped down to their skivvies and playing in the water as if it was just as warm as the ocean last week. ; )
Happy Labor Day weekend!Labels: a humorous life, Asheville |
| posted by Joanna Bolick @ 3:10 PM |
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| Tuesday, July 11, 2006 |
| just a flutter by post |
We met some very cooperative butterflies and moths this past weekend at the Nature Center. Cole liked the butterfly until it crawled up his arm and hovered near his neck, and Harper was more taken with the piglets. But still....it was fun!
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| posted by Joanna Bolick @ 12:41 AM |
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| Tuesday, June 13, 2006 |
| Tuesday |
Saw this scene yesterday but didn't have the camera along so I loaded up the kids in their pjs this morning in order to capture it. I just love these misty mountain haybales!
That cool photo edge is by the amazingly talented Rhonna, and is available here.Labels: Asheville |
| posted by Joanna Bolick @ 10:42 AM |
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| Thursday, May 25, 2006 |
| a fleeting encounter |
around noon today
PS. take a closer look at the upper right-hand corner
PPS. Yes, it's real! only took me 150 photos or so to get that 1...butterflies are fast little buggers.Labels: Asheville, Cole |
| posted by Joanna Bolick @ 5:56 PM |
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| Sunday, February 26, 2006 |
| inspired |
Looooooove this new piece of artwork courtesy of Aaron! The colors make me happy.
I took a close-up of it so you could see the texture (paper on canvas) as well as the picture of a little girl, which is one of my favorite parts besides the mix of colors.
PS. You can see more of Aaron's work here.Labels: Asheville, NC artists |
| posted by Joanna Bolick @ 4:33 PM |
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| Friday, November 04, 2005 |
| Serene |
That's the best word I can use to describe our hot air balloon flight. Other appropriate words would be tranquil, peaceful, and awe-inspiring.
I'd originally planned to surprise Mark with a sunset flight last Friday, but the forecast called for high winds, so we changed the flight to Friday morning. Which meant I didn't have a babysitter scheduled and also meant that the whole family had to get up very early. I had warned Mark ahead of time that we'd have to get up early, but I kept our destination a secret. We left our house about an hour before our departure time and I bribed my two sleepy male passengers with a stop by Krispy Kreme for doughnuts and hot chocolate (in preparation for the 30 degree weather.) When we pulled up to the offices of Mt. Pisgah Balloons Mark looked a little incredulous at the idea of taking a hot air balloon ride, but he was a good sport and willing to give it a try.
The staff was soooooo welcoming and friendly and they even had toys for Cole to play with as they talked to us about what to expect, what to wear, etc. Then we loaded the carseats in the back of their Expedition (with basket and balloon in tow) and headed to the launch sight. Mark helped hold the balloon as it inflated, we posed for a few photos in the basket, and before we even knew what was happening we were up in the air! It is one of the smoothest rides I've ever taken, and because you're gliding at the speed of the wind you're hardly even aware that you're moving. Except, of course, when you look down and notice that the houses and people are becoming smaller!
The flight was the perfect way to start our morning. The air was chilly and the ground was covered in frost, but we were quickly warmed by the burners in the balloon as well as the rising sun. It was breathtaking to rise up out of the misty valley, be eye-level with the Blue Ridge Moutains, and then feel the sunshine on our faces as we floated above the mountaintops.
We flew with another balloon that carried 8 passengers, which was fun for us because then we had a balloon to photograph. (The only hard part about being in a balloon is that it's impossible to photograph yourself and the balloon in its entirety when you're in it!)
We went up to 4500 ft or so, then swooped down above the trees so Cole could catch some leaves and so we could spot deer leaping over bushes near the quarry.
After an hour in the air we landed near an elementary school (we could just picture the kids looking out the windows at the balloon and the teachers getting tired of the disruption!) We were sad that the flight was over, as we probably could have stayed up in the air for hours, enjoying the sights and sounds below us. It truly felt like we were gliding in the air and we would definitely do it again in a heartbeat (if funds and time allowed, of course!).
So that's the story of our flight. This Friday really is not as exciting in comparison, except that we're preparing for SOMEONE'S 3rd birthday tomorrow. Oh! One more thing - when I first saw our balloon it totally made me think of this::
Elmer
Happy Friday!Labels: Asheville |
| posted by Joanna Bolick @ 8:23 AM |
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| Monday, September 19, 2005 |
| Monday, Monday |
I thought I'd use a "monday morning green" filter on this photo in honor of the fact that it is yet again Monday. This is the luscious green scene that greets us each time we return home from spending a weekend in Charlotte. I love this view!
Seeing the mountains this way never fails to remind me of the first time I encountered them. Aboard a teeny prop plane on its way to the Asheville airport, I remember staring out of my smudged window, incredulous at the vast amount of trees I was viewing below me. Coming from rural Minnesota, I was used to rows and rows of cornfields and an open road, and not at all familiar with the twists and turns of mountain living! I was flying into Asheville for an interview with a children's book company, one that would thankfully hire me and turn my life upside down (in a good way, of course!)
It's a little hard to believe that it's been 7 years since that first glimpse of North Carolina. 7 years since I left my childhood home and created a new one here. 7 years, two jobs, one husband, two kids, and a house of our own to call home. I am so thankful for this view!Labels: Asheville |
| posted by Joanna Bolick @ 1:38 PM |
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