oh, asheville

Asheville, there's no place quite like it.  There's a buzz to the city that enlivens and kind of makes you feel like you're always on vacation.  It's filled with vegan dive spots, a delicious chocolate lounge that's open late, so many amazing breakfast places, and a huge art scene.  I love it there.  I didn't realize how much I'd missed it until I went back. 

I went swimming with old friends, did a lot of porch lounging, and spent some solo time in the botanical gardens that were once my favorite retreat spot.

And as for this past week, I've started early, early morning bread classes.  It's nice to be back working with dough, but I forgot what it's like to begin going to sleep before the sun has set, and waking up when it's still dark outside.  Anyway, I'll get used to it.  In this class we're developing our own bread recip, so, I've had all sorts of fun experimenting with creating my very own natural sourdough starters for the final product!

midnight hole.

 

A sweet swimming spot, back with some old friends, made some new friends, all in the idyllic North Carolina mountains.

 < 3

baby ducks.

I actually took about 75 photos of these ducks - they were just so cute.  Upon arriving to Asheville we spent the time in a stream at the botanical gardens and watched these fluffy things look for food.  Life's not so bad sometimes.

finally, asheville.

I feel like I'm back where I supposed to be. Asheville holds a lot of my best memories.  I've been able to catch up with old friends and mainly spend a lot of time reading and writing on a rock in the middle of a stream.  I wish I could just live this life forever.

back in asheville!

For the last 3 days I've been in my old home: asheville, nc.  So, I've been doing my best revisit all the old favorite places.
i-ii. Melissa and I's old sunday morning favorite, the Corner Kitchen! We brought Leah along too and we all had the most amazing brunch.  Man, it is so great being back in the land of sweet tea.
iii.  A chocolate lounge date with Melissa - are you seeing that chocolate cake?!
iv. The Goodwill outlet! A place where you rummage through bins to find the tack and best things and everything is only 1.10 a pound!?  It is probably the only place you can find a dress with cows all over it and medical scrubs in the same place. I missed it so much.
v. Chai and hot chocolate at a cool little house coffee shop in west asheville.
vi. Fancy taiwanese tea at Matthew's!
vii. Mango eatin' and just messing around on my old college campus.
viii.  Indian food with all the best people.
It's been so nice to be back.

an ode.

All right, I was really bad at photographing this weekend, but just trust me when I say that it was filled with good things: fireplaces, hot apple cider, laughs, the picture game, a skype date with my brother, exploring, and, and, and.  Anyway, last night I put on some Devendra and really started to miss my old home, this place called Asheville, NC. So, go sit out on your porch, drink some weird tea in a mason jar, put on some Nick Drake, and look at these photos.

i miss: picnics in the botanical gardens and this enchanting lady (SO MUCH)

granola at Tupelo Honey and milkshakes at the Chocolate Lounge with this ^^ lovely lady.

sneaking breakfast into the art lecture

just laughing and experimental baking in my kitchen,

house izzy's!!

shared breakfast at the corner kitchen (please go there)(favorite day)

photo excursions at warren wilson

when this amazing lady would come visit (exactly one year ago!)

and more photo excursions/late night ice-cream runs at the Hop with Sara!

What I'm saying is that if you've never been to Asheville you should go.  And now I am in a wispy state of nostalgia.