A Tourist Escape

Coming off the tale end of the great summer funk (as I am now calling it because of it's unseasonal appearance and length), the dude and I decided to take a quick weekend trip across the border into Asheville, NC.

As we drove North into the mountains I could feel a weigh lifting off of me. Mountains, like the ocean, are one of the few things that will chase my depression off like a thief in the night. Getting into town and just spending a day doing touristy things, laughing, window shopping, trying a few different beers and not having a worry in the world were just the icing on the cake.

First thing we did was roll up to the visitors center and hop onto one of their shiny bright red trolleys. Not only was the tour interesting but it offered hop off/hop on service at several places around the city. We totally took advantage of that, since Joe's foot is still not completely healed and feeling great.

We saw some interesting architecture.

Visited some arts and crafts shops.

Met some interesting characters.

Found an excellent pub...

..and a drawing model of a dinosaur.

While our original intention was to go apple picking on Sunday, Joe's foot was hurting (despite his best efforts to pretend he wasn't limping) so we took a quick peek at Biltmore Village before any of the shops opened up before heading home.

I needed this wee escape more than I realized but while I feel way more relaxed and peaceful than I have in months, I'm still not looking forward to going back to work today. You can't win them all! ;-)