Loose Leaf Notes

A lot can happen in 24 hours, as we just found out during a quick trip to Asheville to visit my son, which turned out to be a feast of artistic sights and tastes and a fulfillment of loving connections. After the 3 ½ hour drive (we arrived at 4 p.m. and left at 4 p.m the next day), we checked into the Downtown Inn before heading over to the River Arts District where we found Josh at his Clayspace studio working on a pot the size Rhode Island.  “This one won’t fit in the Miata,” he said.

It was love at first sight, so I gave it a hug. Watch a video HERE.

Out front, I got the shot, I call “the album cover” before heading over to the Wedge Brewery at the opposite end of the building to get a hearty cold one and talk to a friend of Josh’s about the Red Sox.

Turns out that Wednesday is CSA farm produce pick-up day in the lot behind the Wedge Building and the scene serves as a meet-up for Josh’s friends, most of whom are artists and farmers and people he has known since his pre-UNC days at Warren Wilson College.  That’s Josh’s friend Ted’s graffiti art on the truck.

We met up with Josh’s girlfriend Christy, and we all had some laughs together as sun lowered in the sky and cast a warm glow.  Video clip HERE.

Bikers and farmers and trains, a little kid playing baseball with his dad and good brew were all part of the down-home, kick-back scene.

At one point, I wandered off with my IPA in one hand and my camera in the other to zero in on a few scenes worth taking pictures of. 

I took a little time from meeting and greeting to browse through the Wedge Building art studios, including the outdoor metal sculpture garden.

We met Christy’s chickens before dinner and got the tour of her Old World, hippie farm house, tucked away on a side street in the city.

The house is a work of art. Every nook and room, every fireplace mantel and tapestry hung wall was a photogenic scene that drew me in.

We were living the high life, pampered with the flavorful creations of the chef at The Imperial Life (pictures came out too dark).  For dessert we visited the decadent den of a gourmet chocolate lounge.  I got hooked on the gift box chocolates that Josh and Christy have brought me in the last couple of years and made sure to get my favorites, a raspberry and a maple truffle.  Joe and I also liked the Indian Kulfi, made with cardamom, pink roses, and toasted pistachios in milk chocolate ganache.    I decided that all of these Willy Wonka-like creations are best eaten with eyes closed.

The next morning we met up at a fantastic tearoom, a cross between a church and a pub, where we were given a bell to ring when we were ready to order, and where we sipped the worldly flavors without calories to our heart’s content before heading out to Josh’s property in Madison County, where another work of art is being manifested:  the subject of 24 Hours in Asheville, Part II, which is HERE.