Peppy's Dream Moving Adventure Blog

I have SO much to talk about.  We were all over the place today – Pisgah National Forest (in Brevard), Barnardsville, downtown Asheville, and outer Asheville, where our motel is located. 

We woke up at 8:00am, left the motel at 9:00am and headed 42 miles to Sycamore Cycles in Brevard, which is right down the block from Pisgah National Forest.  Eric rented his bicycle, bought a Western North Carolina mountain biking book and a map and I dropped him off at the Ranger Station at 11:00am.

I decided to drive to HENDERSONVILLE, because it was the next town over.  Unfortunately, I drove over 10 miles down a road and there was nothing – I mean nothing. 

I loved driving our rental -- the Nissan Altima!

I eventually turned around and came back, because I had seen a little coffee shop across from the bike shop and I was sure I could plug in my computer there.  I figured I’d have a latte, read my emails, and hang out until 2:00pm, when I was supposed to go get Eric.

The place, called INDIE COFFEE HOUSE, was SO cute!  The minute I walked in I absolutely LOVED it.  There were little seating areas – a gorgeous chartreuse couch with two chairs across a coffee table, a seating area with a rocking chair, a 50s rattan chair and some other funky vintage chairs.  There were 50s and 60s hanging lamps, 70s owl pictures, a series of three adorable cat pictures and a big painting of the comedy and tragedy masks.

After a few minutes I noticed a theme – there was a lot of Indie movie memorabilia, including pictures of film reels on the counter in front, posters of Indie movies, and you could even rent Indie movies for $2.  I ordered a skim mocha latte and told them how much I loved the décor, since I was really into vintage.  I asked them how long they had been open and they said, “Since Monday!”  I couldn’t believe it!  They are the second business I was in in two days that opened this week!

I went and got my laptop and settled in at a table in front, so I could look outside while I worked.  I answered emails, made a few phone calls and read some YAHOO news.

I started talking to Keith, one of the owners and I told him that I’m an Indie Artist and that I now live in San Diego, after moving from New York.  Turns out this guy and I had something in common!  He collects vintage costume jewelry!  He and his wife are really into theatre and movie-making and just completed an Indie film called HOUSE OF POETS, which you can read about by clicking on the link.

Here's the new owner, Keith Bramen.  I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of his adorable wife, Amy!

They were the cutest couple and I thought it was so great that they make movies together, and just invested everything they had to open this great coffee shop in Brevard.  I gave them my business card and showed them my website.  I told Keith he should make some jewelry boards to hold his great collection of vintage pins.  His wife, Amy, was also interested in my crafts.  I really enjoyed talking with them and stayed there until 1:00pm.

I had noticed a nail salon right down the block and, even though I just got a manicure in Delray Beach on Tuesday, my nails were all chipped.  They were a mess, so I decided to get a fast manicure before I picked up Eric.  I was done just at 2:00pm and went to pick him up.  He had a good ride and even met up with a couple of locals for a while, before they parted ways.  He said it was a great place with lots of trails, but he just did a half loop that took him just under three hours.  He was excited to ride again in an environment that really makes him happy – even though the trees are just starting to bloom.

After I picked Eric up we headed back to Asheville, but we were both starving, as all we had for breakfast was NUTRISYSTEM oatmeal at 9:00am.  By the time we got back to Asheville, it was 3:00pm.  We stopped at SUBWAYS, got a foot-long tuna sandwich, and brought it back to the room.  We ate quickly and then Eric showered and dressed so we could go meet my sister, Audrey’s friend, Judy, who lives in Barnardsville, right outside Asheville.

We got there around 4:30pm.  She lives in a huge house, which she had built 2 years ago.  It sits on top of a big hill and has a view of the mountains, the road below, local farms, and other beautiful vistas.  When we walked inside, I was amazed at the beauty of the architecture, the décor, the artwork, and the views out the huge windows.

We sat in her living room, looking out on her porch and the mountains beyond.  She has bird feeders on the porch and Eric and I were amazed to see the reddest cardinal we’ve ever seen, along with finches, and other small birds.  Judy served us cheese and crackers and offered us wine or other drinks, but we just had sparkling water.

We talked for a while and then I asked for a tour.  The house is so magnificent.  She has decorated it in a style that’s so perfect for Asheville, with lots of original art, tons of books, a baby grand, and antique furniture.   Every room was beautiful.

Three views from Judy's porch:

As we approached the road to Judy's house, we noticed a big house up on a hill.  Eric said, "Maybe that's her house!"  I said, "I sure hope so!"  Of course, it was!

Judy filled us in on a lot of information regarding life in Asheville, including the job market (not so great), the rents (pretty cheap), and the crafts and culture (tons of each).  It seems like a great place to live, but my problem is that as soon as you leave the actual town of Asheville, it gets pretty countrified pretty fast.  It just isn’t the type of place I could live, unless we were very close to the city.

We left Judy’s a little after 6:30pm and headed back to the hotel.  I changed my clothes and then we went back downtown to go to a restaurant that Judy had recommended, which is on Patton Avenue.  SUGO serves Italian cuisine and has a very modern décor with dark red walls and original acrylic paintings by JONAS GERARD all over.  His abstract expressionist paintings have a “mesmerizing explosion of color, contrast and movement.”

We decided to have a drink – a Cosmo for me; a White Russian for Eric.  They brought us each a small brushetta with olives, tomatoes and mozzarella on a crust of bread.  We shared one appetizer – Crispy Fried Goat Cheese Truffles served on strawberry and spinach salad with and roasted pumpkin seeds.  Fantastic! 

Eric ordered the Local Trout, which was a whole fish that was stuffed with herbs and came with greens and fava beans.  I had the grilled North Carolina Striped Bass, which came on a lemon risotto (heavenly!).  They were both delicious, but Eric’s fish had tons of little bones, which made eating it a chore.

We were stuffed, so we didn’t order dessert there and instead walked around a while and decided to go back to Kilwin’s for a little more ice cream (can you ever get enough ice cream?).  We were so lucky, because it was supposed to rain all day, but it never did.  It must have poured while we were eating, because when we came out the streets were soaked.  We walked a few blocks to the Ice Cream shop and they were very happy to see us again!

I got the Chocolate Peanut Butter and Eric got the Rocky Road.  We brought it back to the room and enjoyed it while we watched some comedians on COMEDY CENTRAL.

We were going to leave very early for CHARLOTTE tomorrow morning, so Eric could ride and I could take a yoga class, but luck is not with us, because it’s supposed to rain tomorrow, Sunday, and Monday.  Eric feels it is a waste to keep the rental bike for three days, if he’s not going to be riding, so he wants to return the bike tomorrow and in order to do that we have to stay here until they open at 10:00am.

We will still go to Charlotte, because we really want to meet with Steffie and Dave and we really want to see Charlotte, but it’s VERY disappointing that Eric won’t get to ride for the next three days.  I know the mountain biking here is great and he knows it’s much better than San Diego, but we still wanted him to experience it and enjoy himself for a few days.  It looks like he might only get to ride again on Tuesday, if it stops raining.

Tonight, Eric and I discussed moving.  He always starts to vacillate when we go away.  Last time, when we were in South Carolina, he said, “We can’t move here.  Let’s just go back to San Diego.  I’ll be fine.  I’ll just adjust.”  I believed him, but it never happened.  Now, he’s saying, “Maybe we should move to Northern California,” but I don’t think that’s the answer.  I think moving back to the East Coast, so we’re a lot closer to my parents, is a good thing, and I know Eric will get to enjoy the change of seasons, which he says means a lot to him.

It’s very confusing, and it’s stressful not knowing what the future holds, but we just have to hang in there.  I told him we still have to see Charlotte and at least we’ll be hanging out with a couple who moved there specifically so they could mountain bike all year long.  After all, her email address is DIRT PRINCESS, so you know they’re really into it!

Charlotte is a really big city, which I didn’t realize.  It’s the 17th largest city in the country, so it’s not like anyplace in South Carolina, or even Asheville.  It’s very metropolitan and cosmopolitan, which means a lot to me.  I just have to see if it has other things to offer besides mountain biking and business!