Shadow of Memory #ShadowshotSunday

Taken September 19, 2012, at a tailgate market in Asheville, North Carolina.

(This is what we call a farmers market; as I recall, they differentiate between a permanent market and what is not (tailgate market).

At a tailgate market, also September 2012, at or near the University of North Carolina in Asheville.

My spouse and I visited Asheville twice; this was the second visit.  Here's a post about my first visit in 2010.

And another one. 

Oh, how about one more Asheville visit?  A visit to 12 Bones BBQ and how I acted like a weird person under the influence of Cheerwine. (which, just for the record, is not alcoholic).

I have fond memories of Asheville, and it breaks my heart to see what the tropical storm that was once Hurricane Helene did to the area.  Because I saw firsthand (in 2011) what floods can do, and our flood was only a fraction of what happened to Asheville, Chimney Rock, and other area places too numerous to list, I know they will have a long road to recovery. Not just from the physical damage (and mental damage) from the flood, but the aftereffects.  

I-40 was decimated by washouts and mudslides. It will necessitate major detours.    It's happened before, in 2009-2010.  But this time, even damage to secondary roads is extensive.

We can hope that the recovery benefits the region in the end.

Joining Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventures for #ShadowshotSunday.

A Living Mobius Strip

Travel, as they say, is a broadening experience.  And, sometimes, a frustrating one.

In 2010, we found a living Mobius strip.

It is called Asheville, North Carolina.

Asheville is famous for a lot of things, including its"New Age" population.  Some of these people believe that Asheville has special energy fields.  Upon feeling these fields, people have been known to move to Asheville immediately, and never leave.

The really strange thing about visiting Asheville, for my spouse, was that normally he can find his way around nearly anywhere.  He can drive somewhere once and (even years later) can find his way around thereafter. 

Not in Asheville.  He was so scrambled up (and of course wouldn't ask for directions) that he kept getting lost.  And even I felt somewhat disoriented, and I have no sense of direction at all.

Spouse kept saying his ability to tell direction was totally not working, and, for him, it was so frustrating.

At one point, trying to navigate I-40, I-240 and I-26 in a vain attempt to find a Wal-Mart we never did find (confession: yes, we sometimes shop at Wal-Mart), spouse remarked that Asheville was one huge Mobius strip. 

If you don't remember Mobius strips from science class, check them out on the Internet.


We still don't know why that is, but we have never experienced that before.  And maybe never will again.

When we visited Asheville again, in September of 2012, I owned a smartphone.  This time, thanks to Google Maps, we did not get lost, but my spouse continuously argued with the app - although it was right every time.

We kept meeting people from New York State (our native state) in Asheville.  Maybe they were lost, too.  Maybe Asheville is full of lost souls who gave up trying to find their way, and decided to retire there.

So, what is so great about Asheville?  Many things.  Great shops, great food, the greatest Farmers Markets..excuse me, Tailgate Markets ever.

That's what makes a city great.

To me, the coolest thing I saw in downtown Asheville were the Woolworths and the Kress's.  But wait.  Didn't these go out of business years ago?  Well maybe they did worldwide, but not in Asheville.  There is that "other dimension" again for you.

Take a look.  There's a simple reason why downtown Asheville has so many of its historic buildings.  It was simple - in the 1970's, when urban renewal ended up claiming so many historic buildings throughout the United States, Asheville didn't tear theirs down.

They couldn't.

They were bankrupt.  By the time they had dug themselves out, what was old was now desirable.

It still is.

Woolworths and Kress's are fixtures of my childhood, living forever in my memory on Fordham Road in the Bronx.  And now, in Asheville, North Carolina, the buildings remain - although these have been converted to indoor shopping malls.

But it was nice thinking we had gone back in time, if even for a few minutes.

Day 17 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge #blogboost

Throwback Tuesday - North Carolina Moonshine

A post from 2012.  Apparently, Troy and Sons (which is what it was called when I took the tour in 2012) is now named Asheville Distilling, although Troy and Sons remains one of their products.

Since I first posted this in 2012, legal moonshine is now made in many states, including my native New York State.  I've had it in various places, but this product made in Asheville was probably my favorite.

This is edited slightly, to reflect the name change.

Sustainable Saturday - North Carolina Moonshine

A legal moonshine, distilled in Asheville, North Carolina, is made from a heirloom corn variety believed to be lost, in a distillery owned by a woman. 

"Moonshine", a.k.a. corn whiskey, has a very long and distinguished history in our country.  Made right, with high quality corn, and high quality water (and nothing else) it distills into a very smooth clear whiskey.  It can also be aged in barrels once used for bourbon - a type of recycling as bourbon barrels can only be used once.

Let's take a little tour of the Asheville Distilling  moonshine operation in Asheville.

Our tour guide, the sister of the woman who owns the distillery, walked us through the process of making "moonshine". (Incidentally, although I believe the term "moonshine" is a common description for the product of unlicensed liquor making, this product is marketed under the name "moonshine".)

First, a mash of a heirloom corn called "Crooked Creek Corn" and water, is allowed to ferment.  Up to this point, the beginning process is something like beer making.

Crooked Creek Corn is an open pollinated white corn with a high fat content.  It only produces one ear per plant, and the finicky plants are susceptible to wind damage. The tour guide assured us that they have no plans to genetically engineer this corn, which their operation will hopefully save from extinction.

This initial fermentation is done in the blue barrels you can see in back of the still below.

Unlike beer, however, no hops are added, and a distilling process is begun in this still.  The resulting 190 proof liquid is cut with water down to 80 proof.

The result is a very smooth clear whiskey that warms your stomach quite nicely - what locals would call a good "sipping whiskey".

I'm not that much into whiskey but I could definitely see this being added to certain mixed drinks.

The other variety Troy and Sons made in 2012 was amber colored, aged in these former bourbon barrels.

The ceiling of the tasting room is lined with wood from these barrels and the walls are nicely decorated, too.

Yes, we had to buy a bottle - in a North Carolina state owned liquor store.  I was pleased to see that these stores promote North Carolina products.

 A toast, to liquid sustainable agriculture.

Mystery Blondes

 Blonde apples.  A joke?  No.

The apple crop in our part of upstate New York is not good this year.  Many local orchards are not offering U Pick. This is a blow to our local agricultural industry, but at least we have enough apples for regular sales, and for cider.

This was the result of our early spring, which came to a abrupt stop with a night of temperatures in the teens.   The apples were in bloom, and the freeze killed many of the blooms.  The only thing that saved our crop was the fact that apple trees tend to produce a lot more blooms than they need.

We weren't the only ones to experience Apple Fail.

Hendersonville, NC, which my spouse and I visited last Friday, also has apples in short supply. 
Hendersonville is in a major apple growing area of North Carolina, and some of these apples make it into the larger city of Asheville.

Some of the apples we saw at the tailgate markets in Asheville, NC, were seriously pockmarked with hail damage.  But, I understand from talking to farmers that the cause of their Apple Fail was similar to ours.

Finally, on the way home, we visited Maryland.  Seems like they had a good crop. At Catoctin Mountain Orchards near the Maryland/Pennsylvania border, we finally found some good apples- apples I haven't seen here in the Binghamton, NY area.

We bought some of these Blondie apples. 

But when I got home and looked these up online, I did not see anything on "blondie" apples.  It wasn't handwriting; these are listed on the orchard website as "Blondie", too.

I thought maybe I saw a heirloom apple. But it wasn't.

What I found online were references to "Blondee" apples, a yellow Gala-type.  The orchard did have Gala apples - they were even offering whole Gala apples for sampling. 

I wonder if this mystery "blonde" is a Blondee apple.  When I taste it, I'll see how Gala-like it is.

I love apple time. Do you?

Cheerwine Ribs and Green Man Beer

There are three things you talk about in North Carolina at your peril if you are a tourist:
1. Politics
2. Religion
3. Barbeque

#1 and #2 are obvious.  #3 - well, barbeque is a religion in North Carolina (I was told that by several people) and everyone has their own theory on which style is the best.  After talking to several people, we had several recommendations.  No two were the same.  As tourists in North Carolina visiting from upstate NY, we now had a problem.  Where should we go?

We ended up in a "casual barbeque" restaurant in Asheville, NC called 12 Bones, where #1 and #3 merged.

We never made it there two years ago when we visited Asheville for the first time.  First, we were never able to find it and second, we never realized it was only open for lunch.  (Not being able to find things in Asheville is the norm, as the highways in Asheville form a Moibus Strip.)

12 Bones has become nationally famous because a certain person who happens to be the current President of the United States has visited.  Not once, but twice.

(Photo on the wall of 12 Bones - hopefully OK for me to take picture of.)
Of course, being tourists, we had to ask where Obama had sat, and our waitress pointed to the table next to where we were sitting.

And that is where Ms. "I don't care about politics or celebrities" swung into action. Of course, the waitress could have been putting us on.  But let's assume she wasn't.  I had to sit at that table!  The table where the President had sat!

We looked at the nice couple sitting at that table, who (to their amusement) had overheard the conversation.

"We were getting ready to leave anyway" the woman said.  "Would you like me to take your picture? You can sit here and we'll take it."  So we quickly scooted over to The Table.

And so she took our picture.  I'm not going to post it but I immediately sent it to a long list of friends.

Instead, I will post a picture of my meal, on The Table. Ribs, corn pudding, vinegar cole slaw, and corn bread.

The beverage is Green Man beer, one of Asheville's many local beers.  Yes (as the locals would say) I am a Drinking Woman.

These are baby back ribs, and they were cooked with a Cheerwine glaze.  I know purists all over North Carolina probably would not vote for these flavors, but this Northerner would vote the straight Cheerwine ticket if it was on the ballot.

The walls are covered in stickers.

Of course, there was an Obama sticker.

Some other stickers.

And last but not least...I don't know if this was political commentary but I got a big kick out of it.

I don't know if this was 12 Bones' recipe for Cheerwine Ribs, but it sure sounded good.

Whatever we had yesterday, it sure tasted good.

Vote, vote for Miss Rheingold...I mean, for Asheville, NC Beer

Asheville, NC, population around 75,000. has 8 microbreweries (if memory serves). We bought a small case from one back from our visit the end of March, and have been enjoying the beer.  We hope to go back one day and enjoy some more.  Late March isn't the time to visit but that was when we were in the area.

For now we will have to be content with voting in this contest.

Haven't been to Portland, OR (the current leader) in years and years...hmmm, maybe after we go back to Asheville...(sigh, life is too short.)

Asheville BBQ

Asheville, I am not done with you yet.  It's time to talk some more about its food.

President Obama recently did something we were unable to do during our recent visit to Asheville, NC-eat in a BBQ restaurant called 12 Bones.

May I greatly suggest two things if you ever decide to visit Asheville?  (besides taking a GPS). 

1.  Don't visit on Mondays.
2.  Remember that some of the best restaurants are open only for lunch.

I read about 12 Bones when I was in Asheville, but by then my laptop was broken and the internet connection where we were staying (in their public computer, anyway) was worse than dial-up.

We ate instead in a place called Ed Boudreaux’s BBQ in downtown Asheville.  We lucked into parking right across the street (which, in downtown Asheville, is no mean feat).

I am told this is definitely not your usual North Carolina BBQ place. (for one thing, it was open at night when we stopped by.)  Late at night, things, (we are told) really start to get going.    However, we did not go for the live entertainment and we, in fact, left before it was scheduled to begin.  After all, we had to try to make our way back to our motel on the mobius strip of Asheville interstates.

The one thing I enjoyed was the BBQ Sauce bar.  It featured both vinegar based and mustard based BBQ sauces, of various heat intensities.  As I recall, there were 12 different sauces to try. 

I've read this place is more of a tourist place.  If so, I was a tourist, and I enjoyed the BBQ.

But in Asheville the food is so great, I must return.  So I hope I can visit 12 Bones one day. 

The Vanderbilt Town

It is said that George Washington Vanderbilt, youngest son of William Henry Vanderbilt and grandson of the famous steamboat/railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt, enjoyed visiting western North Carolina so much that he ended up buying the place.  Well, 125,000 acres to be exact.


Calling Asheville a Vanderbilt "town" is not quite accurate, but it is safe to say that the Vanderbilts left their mark on the area.  And were they ever huge marks.  Their most famous landmark, the Biltmore House, covers 4 acres all by itself.  There is Biltmore Forest, Biltmore Village, and...the Pisgah National Forest.  No, that isn't a misprint.

When your property is turned into a National Forest, you know you have arrived.  (bad, bad transportation pun....)

No...I'm not going to post pictures of the Biltmore House.  That is because I didn't go there.  Going there is like going to a small city.  It has to be a destination in itself, and you could easily spend a couple of days (and spend a small fortune-which, unlike the Vanderbilts or their related family who now own Biltmore House, the Cecils-my spouse and I do not possess.)

I'd like to visit one day though, as the Cecil/Vanderbilt legacy includes one of (quoting from their website) "self-sufficiency, environmental stewardship of our natural resources, protection of the integrity of our mountains, and commitment to ensuring our community remains a model for living well and living purposefully."  I'd like to investigate that further.

Biltmore wine was sold all over Asheville.  I wish I could have toured the winery without paying the very steep admission charge to the estate.  But we'll save up for next time, and I think there will be a next time.

What we did visit, briefly, was Biltmore Village.  Generally, I am not into upscale shopping but this was worth a visit for the historical content.
Some of the original buildings are still there such as the All Souls Cathedral built as a house of worship for Biltmore workers.

I would post one caution about Biltmore Village though: because these are historic buildings, some have stairs in the front and may not be handicapped accessible. (this is a personal concern to me as I have knee problems).  There may be other ways to get into some of the shops without climbing stairs, but I was on a tight time schedule and I didn't have time to check that out.

But:  do come for the history.

The City the Great Depression Saved

Herewith are some more pictures of downtown Asheville, NC.  Enjoy!

This first picture is one of the many artworks along Asheville's Urban Trail.   I wish we had more time to explore this-if there is ever a next time for Asheville, we will return to this.  I have no idea how I visited Asheville without investigating the Urban Trail.  It is almost like my mind was in the same Mobius strip as I wrote about in my last post.

The second picture is the old S and W Cafeteria building.

This is a gem of Art Deco decorations, built in 1929.  Actually one of the few styles I have some knowledge of.

 This next one is a plaque on the S and W building.

This is Pack Square over on the left.  The obelisk is the Vance Memorial.

This sign is part of a written "tour" detailing the history of the Jewish people in Asheville.  The role of Jewish merchants in 19th and 20th century mercantile life is mocked in certain quarters, but Asheville is proud of it.

Here is one more picture; unfortunately I can't remember what I took a picture of.

The reason why Asheville has so many old buildings in its downtown is quite fascinating.

I'll let the link above tell the story.  But, in a way, you can say Asheville is the city that was saved by the Great Depression.  Of course, it never would have happened without city fathers who believed in paying their debts back.  Even if it took until 1976 to pay them all off.

Just think of that, in our era of instant gratification, and instant (or else) problem resolution.

And all of us tourists, and the locals, can be thankful for that.  Due to this intregrity, we get to enjoy some 170 historic buildings in downtown Asheville.

You can't talk about Asheville, of course, without talking about the Vanderbilt family.  More on them in another post.

Asheville NC-the Living Mobius Strip

We have found a living Mobius strip.

It is called Asheville, NC.

Asheville is famous for a lot of things, including its...shall we say, "New Age" population.  Some of these people believe that Asheville has special energy fields.  Upon feeling these fields, people have been known to move to Asheville immediately, and never leave.

The really strange thing about visiting Asheville, for my spouse, was that normally he can find his way around nearly anywhere.  He drives somewhere once and (even years later) can find his way around thereafter.  Not Asheville.  He was so scrambled up (and of course wouldn't ask for directions) that he kept getting lost.  And even I felt somewhat disoriented, and I have no sense of direction at all.

 Spouse kept saying his ability to tell direction was totally not working, and was it ever frustrating.

At one point, trying to navigate I-40, I-240 and I-26 in a vain attempt to find a Wal-Mart we never did find (to check out a Wal-Mart that sold wine: unknown here in NY), he said that Asheville was one huge Mobius strip.  If you don't remember these from science class, check them out on the Internet.

I am a firm believer in a quote attributed to the late Mayor Wagner of New York City, to the effect that "New York is a great place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there."  In other words, places you fall in love with when visiting are great for visiting..and that's it.  But I don't think Mayor Wagner ever met a city that somehow you could never find anything in, as if what you were trying to find was hiding in a different dimension.

We still don't know why that is, but we have never experienced that before.  And maybe never will again. (Cue music from "The Twilight Zone"...and we can do this, living in Binghamton.)

Another fact:  When spouse and I visited Asheville last month, we had no way of knowing that Asheville, according to at least one authority, tops the list of popular cities in which to retire.  And, in the 2010 list, one place that left the list was my vacation spot of last year, Sanibel Island, Florida. (that's a story for another day.  I'd move to Sanibel immediately if I ever won the lottery.)   We kept meeting people from New York in Asheville.  Maybe they were lost, too.  Maybe Asheville is full of lost souls who gave up trying to find their way, and decided to retire there.

So, what is so great about Asheville?  Many things.  Great shops, great food, the greatest Farmers Market ever (see last post) and....a city that cares very much about its history.

That's what makes a city great.

To me the coolest thing I saw in downtown Asheville were the Woolworths and the Kress's.  Huh?  Didn't these go out of business years ago?  Well maybe they did worldwide, but not in Asheville.  There is that "other dimension" again for you.  Here is some proof:  (actually, I am joking - there are businesses in there, but not the original ones - and the "Woolworth's" even has a soda fountain.)

 Woolworths and Kress's are fixtures of my childhood, living forever in my memory on Fordham Road in the Bronx.  And now, in Asheville, NC.

More later.