Off the Beaten Track

I was able to get away from our Asheville Bed and Breakfast for a short hike while Ginger took care of some inn business. My friend Ric and I were looking at a forest map for nearby trails and found a trail to the Little Snowball Mountain fire tower site. The hike starts at the intersection of FR63 and the road to the Craggy Gardens picnic area, a half an hour away off of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The trail appears to be lightly used, crosses several ridges and has a few steep sections. Along the way wildflowers were in bloom and the long range views are fantastic...a great reminder of why I left a bigger city to come to Asheville with my wife for a complete lifestyle change. Blueberries were growing wild and ripe for the picking, so I helped myself-bush to mouth. Ric and I took advantage of this almost forgotten trail and did some exploring. It was a great day and a much needed break.

We worked up such a ravenous appetite hiking that we made a beeline for 12 Bones BBQ in Asheville’s River Arts District. One of my favorites for good down home cookin’! In my opinion, as well many others; 12 Bones is the best BBQ in all of Western North Carolina. They have great pulled pork, ribs, brisket and terrific sides of collard greens, succotash, corn pudding…I could go on and on. They also have local brew on tap. Nothing like a refreshing cold brew after working up such a sweat…Mmmm just thinking about it makes me want to go back right now…

When you come stay with us here at Asheville Seasons Bed & Breakfast for your mini get away to Asheville, NC, be sure to give 12 Bones a try and venture off the beaten path…
Oh, for you weekenders, 12 Bones is only open M-F and serves until 4pm.

A week of celebration...

Having a Bed & Breakfast gives you the opportunity to meet some really special people and be a part of their celebrations in life; even if only in an indirect way…
Last week we had such an opportunity. We had a young couple that spent 3 days in Asheville and stayed with us here at Asheville Seasons Bed & Breakfast. Interestingly enough, 3 years ago Jun 14 was their first date…3 years later almost to the day SHE SAID YES!!
We are very excited for Kurt and Lauren and wish them all the best with this new chapter in their life.


The celebrations did not stop there…
A few days later we all raised a glass of champagne to Caroline and Jeff in celebration of 30 FABULOUS YEARS!!! CONGRATULATIONS!! June 17 marked a successful 30 years of marriage and being in love. How fantastic!

We are very happy indeed and proud that we got a glimpse into the lives of these wonderful people. Our best to them and here is to many more years of celebration!!

Afternoon hike to the top of Mt. Pisgah

Family is visiting this week and yesterday TAG was able to get a little more time away from our Asheville Bed & Breakfast. He and his Dad made an afternoon hike to the top of Mt. Pisgah. It takes about 35 minutes to get to the trail head from our Asheville bed and breakfast. It was a little overcast, but the views were no less stunning. As you can see spring is just beginning at the upper elevations.

Arboretum

On Tuesday, May 6th we were able to get away from Asheville Seasons Bed & Breakfast for a couple of hours. We visited the North Carolina Arbetorum, which is just about 15 minutes South of the B&B. The Arboretum is well worth the $6.00 per car charge. The grounds are absolutely beautiful and makes for a relaxing day. You will find miles of hiking trails and well thought out gardens with many of the species marked. Following are just a few of the pictures taken while we were there. Enjoy!

The Scavenger Hunt!!!

Are you interested in a modern day treasure hunt? Well, you have come to the right place…

Asheville Seasons Bed & Breakfast is proud to be a part of this year’s AsheCache program. This jam packed adventure runs from May 20^th through June 23^rd, 2008.

Are you an avid cacher? New to the idea…? Well come join us here in Asheville, NC to see what all the excitement is about!! You are sure to get hooked and make caching your new hobby!

AsheCache combines geocaching with the intrigue of a treasure hunt for visitors staying in participating area accommodations. The Ultimate AsheCache will lead your exploration of the Asheville area. With your hand held GPS you will visit numerous spots to find clues for the coordinates which will ultimately lead you to the final treasure. Early bird gets the worm. A new treasure is hidden every Tuesday for the duration of this geocaching extravaganza! The value of the hidden treasure…$50-$320.00! The five themed caches range from culinary, arts, shopping, outdoor inspired and romance. There is something for every cacher. Do you have what it takes to find what is hidden right here in our enchanting city of Asheville? Can you feel the lure of it pulling you in?

Reserve your spot today!

Tribute to Grammie!

It is kind of apparent at this point that we have themed our Asheville Bed & Breakfast around the change of seasons. When we originally purchased this Inn there was not much in the way of art or paintings. What was left behind did not fit into our plan. We operated many months with barren walls. Needless to say, we were anxious for some art and paintings, but did not want to rush out and just buy anything. We did not know what we were looking for, we just knew we would know it when we saw it. Well, that day finally came last August when TAG's father sent us an email of several different paintings. All were done by the hand of Grammie, who did not start painting until well into her 60's. Aunt Cathy tells us that is around the time she learned to drive too. Just goes to show you, it's never too late...As we viewed the paintings, it struck us as ironic that she was apparently inspired by the seasons. It seems that Winter was her favorite, as there were several more of those. How appropriate! We were honored and accepted the paintings. We anxiously waited for their arrival and promptly hung them in all the appropriate places. Who would have thought...life can be very interesting, can't it?
Grammie and Pop Pop both passed at the age of 91, just five months apart. They had a long and wonderful life together. They were married for an impressive 68 years! We are so very proud to display Grammie's paintings and be able to share them with all of you. We do hope when you come to Asheville Seasons Bed & Breakfast, you appreciate them as much as we do. We thank TAG's father, aunt, and uncle for gifting these to us. We will treasure them always. Following is a picture of Grammie and Pop Pop at their 66th anniversary dinner party and photos of her paintings. As you will see, Pop Pop was a rascal at his ripe ol' age and Grammie doesn't seem to mind!!!

Got to love their spirit!
Grammie: Dec. 11, 1915-Dec. 24, 2006
Pop Pop: Aug. 9, 1915-May 25, 2007










Apparently TAG has a few hidden talents of his own. TAG's mom gave this painting (below)to us after we were given Grammie's paintings. TAG painted it a little over 20 years ago...who knew...it must run in the family...

Trolley Around Asheville

Well, to continue with what we have been up to here at Asheville Seasons Bed & Breakfast...not only have we been making some changes on the inside, but we have been building relationships on the outside. One of those relationships is with the folks over at the Asheville Historic Trolley Tours, locally owned and operated, The ORIGINAL trolley of Asheville, NC!
Asheville, like many cities in our great nation is steeped in history. What a better way to learn the history and lore of Asheville, than by a historic trolley tour. Asheville Seasons Bed & Breakfast has arranged to have our guests picked up right outside our door. Not only that, and exclusive to us, we are able to extend a special price to our guests. The trolley boarding pass allows re-boarding privileges, so get off at any of the stops for sightseeing, shopping, or dining. Be sure to hang on to your boarding pass for free admission to the Thomas Wolfe Museum AND stop by the Chocolate Fetish for a free chocolate. YYYUM!
When you come visit us here in Asheville at Asheville Seasons Bed & Breakfast be sure to hop on board the ORIGINAL and best, Asheville Historic Trolley Tours!

Changes at Asheville Seasons Bed and Breakfast

Well our day off was short lived. We have have been going at it nonstop ever since. That being said, let me get our apologies out of the way. We apologize for not blogging on a regular basis. We have been busy with some additional changes to our seasonal rooms. We are also in the process of making some changes and additions to our website. That could be awhile, so we thought we would share with you some pictures that reflect some of the changes in a few of our rooms.
The first picture is our Winter room. We have changed the wall color in the room to a frosty blue. All of the artwork is of winter scenes, compliments of Grammie! What you do not see is our little bit of whimsy in the room. We have hung antique snow sleds and snow shoes on the walls. Just a few things Ginger picked up in Germany when she lived abroad. Good thing she hung on to them. We love the way this room has turned out.

The following two pictures are of our Spring room. We have made a few changes here. First, many of you know the story of the bed, well here is a picture for those that have not seen it. Other than the bed, we have not done as drastic a change as we did in our Winter room. (Give me time) We took a few pieces of furniture out of the room and replaced our sitting area with some great antique chairs and an adorable round table with a glass top. We have placed a beautiful credenza behind the chairs at the bay window. We found a couple of new bedside tables with lamps that work well with the mix of blooming colors in the room. We have had one of our repeats guests (I think 3 or 4 times since last July) tell us that our Spring room feels tranquil. Isn't that a nice compliment? They always stay in this room. They will be visiting us at Asheville Seasons Bed & Breakfast again here soon.










The last picture is of our Cottage room. It was a sleeping porch many many years ago, over 100 years ago. WOW! Don't you just love old homes? We moved the medicine cabinet to the opposite end of the room facing the bed to give a more open feeling. By doing this we were able to create a sitting area for two. Yes this is a small room, but quite a popular room. It is very quaint and cozy. We have changed the color scheme and hung a few odds and ends on the walls for visual interest. It is still kind of a shabby chic kind of room and it feels happy.

Well, I hope you have all enjoyed viewing our pictures of our rooms. We will get our website updated as soon as we can. Also, look for some upcoming specials and packages we will be introducing on our website. We can't wait to see you all here in Asheville and we look forward to your stay at Asheville Seasons Bed & Breakfast!

We apologize for the pictures. TAG is a novice photographer.
Log in again in the next day or two. We will be doing a tribute to Grammie!

Taking a Day Off

TAG and I decided to take the day off from the day to day business of running Asheville Seasons Bed & Breakfast. We started out with good intentions. Had a full day of work planned. By noon TAG decided it was such a beautiful day, he couldn't be inside working any longer. So, we took a drive to the DuPont State Forest to do a little hike. It is only about a 40 minute drive SW of Asheville. The DuPont State Forest is a massive 10,000 acres with about 900 hiking trails. BOY ARE WE TIRED! Kidding....We actually did a small hike to Triple Falls and Hooker Falls, which is about a 3 mile RT trek. Before Triple Falls was actually in our sights, you could hear the orchestra of the rushing and falling water. What a breathtaking sight. Nature never ceases to amaze us. Needless to say, it was a much needed break. We went for relaxation and rejuvenation and that is exactly what we got. We definitely recommend this little trip to Triple Falls. There are even picnic tables and primitive bathroom facilities (port-a-potty) if you want to make a longer day of it. Pack a lunch, bring a book, and just relax by losing yourself in nature. Don't forget your camera...
Following are a few photos of our day.

Tag with his Daisy dog.

We've been busy!

First, let me start off by saying we went into the test kitchen last week, and TAG's memory did not fail him. He made another wonderful batch of cookies. They are a hit. I say, I think we have a signature cookie...hey, maybe TAG should start making the breakfasts in the mornings...

Well, the winter has been nice, but not quite as busy as Spring, Summer, and Autumn. We have taken advantage of some of the extra time and went to work on making a few changes...maybe a better word would be additions. We finally went to Orlando to get our Armoire, which is now the focal point of the Foyer. We also have started that library that has been "coming soon". We really like how it looks so far. We have added some artwork, sconces, and mirrors here and there through out the Inn. We hope you all like the small additions we have made. Our hope is that you feel comfortable, relaxed, and welcomed the minute you walk through our door.
With all of the additions, if you have stayed in our Spring room in the past, then you know the story behind the bed. Our "Spring" bed delivery was delayed by 3 months and a few days. A few of you have already seen it. For those of you that haven't we will take this opportunity to include a sneak peak of a picture. It has not yet been updated on our website www.ashevilleseasons.com.

a peak at the "Spring" bed

I just love the details

definitely the focal point in this bedroom

the new armoire in the Foyer

again, it's the details...

get comfortable and enjoy a book

a little addition to our Autumn room

a little find that has winter all over it

Be sure to log back in to check back to see what other exciting things we are up to.

In the kitchen with...TAG...?

In the Winter, Asheville experiences her shoulder season. TAG and I have had a little more time on our hands. Not that we aren't busy. More on that later.
TAG, who only cooks if a grill is involved, was having a major sugar craving. He decided to actually get in the kitchen and experiment when he realized that I wasn't interested in giving in to his addictive state. I have to say, the outcome was surprisingly good. No, fantastic! He actually created the most delicious cookie I think I have ever had. I was impressed. So much so that I was frantic for him to write down exactly everything he did and how much of whatever ingredients he put in this YUMMY batch of cookies. Unfortunately, he doesn't know what a measuring cup is. We will put his recipe and memory to the test this weekend. If they turn out the way his first batch did, I think these cookies will become our signature cookie at Asheville Seasons B&B.
...now to put a name to the cookie...

A New Year

Well here we are well into January. Our first five and a half months as new B&B owners just flew by. Again, we want to thank all of our guests for choosing Asheville Seasons B&B while visiting Asheville.

Well, TAG and I have decided to start a Blog. We will write something on a weekly basis. We will let you know what we are up to, what is coming up in Asheville, and just talk about whatever we feel like at the time. We may even post some pictures from time to time. We hope you will all log in.