As election season shifted into high gear over the last few months, this summer’s unwelcome publicity concerning former Sen. John Edwards mostly faded from view. Still, considering the impact the news had on the former presidential candidate’s career, it’s hard to believe that only a few years ago I wrote a column that began, “Don’t … Read more
I read with shock about the destruction of George Handy’s studio on Beaverdam Road. I remember, from my very first days in Asheville, his extraordinary colorful pots for sale in the windows of his small studio. Somehow, every time I would drive by and view his works, it would remind me of our local artistic … Read more
Walk off some of that turkey: For your post-Thanksgiving-weekend recovery, check out the Holiday Open House at the new Blue Ridge Parkway Destination Center. For the free event, the facility will open its doors on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 29 and 30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Take a free tour of the visitor … Read more
Let me tell you about one of the longest days of my life. As I’ve mentioned in earlier columns, my father operated a rendering plant on Riverside Drive just south of Broadway. We bought product from many different sources, one of which was the Asheville Livestock Yard, located near where the Day’s warehouses are now. … Read more
Yankees and Southern folks differ. I have lived on the West Coast, in Chicago, the Midwest, and in Asheville for the last four years—where I’ve been frustrated with the accent and the odd food combinations. What the heck is grit? Why would you boil a peanut and fry a pickle? There are good things [and] … Read more
Thomas Rain Crowe’s newest book, The End of Eden—which focuses on the loss of personal space, even here in Western North Carolina—has caused me to come down from my mountaintop and reveal my guru-at-large wisdom to the multitudes. I can sum up and nail the solution to the world’s woes in one word: overpopulation. Do … Read more
Blocks from the AIDS Memorial Quilt In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day, the Western North Carolina AIDS Project is bringing the AIDS Memorial Quilt to Asheville’s Pack Place Promenade for a week-long exhibit, on display now through Monday, Dec. 1 (closed on Thanksgiving Day). The title of the event is The … Read more
