March Madness, or something like that

When it comes to blogging, Taylor has proven to be my greatest resource. It is she who gently nudges me to post when I have not done so in a while. It is also Taylor who will remind me of an event (her recent trip to North Carolina) that is blog worthy. Bless her heart. Unfortunately, I will probably never be known for blogging about things in a timely fashion, and the further I get from her visit, the less I have to write about.

We were fortunate to have really exceptional weather when Taylor was here. One of my favorite things about living in North Carolina is that we get a true spring. Spring and fall have always been my favorite seasons, as they both have lovely transitional temperatures and do beautiful things to the trees. For the last few years I have lamented about the disappearance of "nice" weather. Spring in the northeast consists of temperatures below 55° until mid to late April, followed by alternating 83° and 36° days until June. Fall functions in a similar fashion. Sweltering temperatures until the first freezing day in November. Needless to say, I was happy that the weather was nice enough to provide Taylor a bit of a respite from the unusually snowy and harsh winter.

We tried to provide Taylor with a taste of Winston-Salem, but wound up taking her to two "attractions" and then a bunch of somewhat local stores. But that counts, right? Her first stop after getting off the train in Greensboro was Cook Out, a small, regional fast food chain specializing in burgers that taste like they are fresh off the grill in your backyard. I think she enjoyed her meal, but what's not to like about a place that let's you order a corn dog in lieu of fries? Cook Out was the first of many new foods that Taylor tried. Here is a list of things we forced Taylor to eat while she was here:
1. A blackberry
2. Chicken sausage
3. Olives
4. Goat cheese
5. Pecans
6. Grits
7. A chalupa (not from Taco Bell)

The two legitimate places we took Taylor were the Reynolda House and Pilot Mountain. The Reynolda House is right down the road from our apartment which naturally makes us feel very ritzy and prosperous. We saw a photography exhibit, toured the house and walked about the gardens. It's a particularly pretty (and large) house on a grassy and tree filled property, perfect for relaxing and reading a book. Please note that these are not my pictures, as I did not have the good sense to take any.




The following day we went to Pilot Mountain. I was kind enough to suggest that we not hike to the pinnacle, but instead gaze upon it from one of the paths close to the parking lot. I can't be sure, but I think Taylor was grateful for this.




Taylor and I also made trips to Barnes and Noble, Walmart, Goodwill, Edward McKay (used books and more!), and World Market (more than once). She also enjoyed the culinary stylings of Krispy Kreme, Popcorn Fanatic, La Carreta (where Taylor graciously paid for lunch but then ungraciously forgot to tip), Simply Yummy and The New South Diner (not a diner at all, but a very nice restaurant). Oh, and Brew Nerds. Who can forget Brew Nerds? I think her visit was successful and Steven and I have decided that she is allowed to come back.

Now, if my readers will fast forward roughly 7 days they will find themselves on March 25, the day of my birth. I received some lovely gifts from my parents and sister. Steven gifted me with a Helmer from Ikea for nail polish storage. Its drawers are the perfect height and when completely full can hold roughly 400 polishes. I don't see myself outgrowing this storage solution any time soon. Steven also took me out to a fantastic restaurant. I had the sea bass, he had the rib-eye topped with lobster meat. Um, whose birthday was it? My larger gift was an overnight trip to Asheville with a trip to the Biltmore Estate.

Asheville is one of my favorite cities. It's about 2 hours from Winston-Salem in a very mountainous part of Western North Carolina. Despite the distance to another major city, there is a lot to see and do in Asheville. It's something of a hipster mecca, with an emphasis on locally grown foods and micro brewed beers. There is a big arts scene and lots of cool shops downtown. And of course, the Biltmore House. Unfortunately my birthday was the last day of nice weather we would see for a while. The day after we were hit with nearly a week of rain and chilly temperatures. Fortunately the weather held out long enough for us not to get drenched seeing the house and gardens. There is little to say about the Biltmore House that can't be assumed from pictures. It is huge. Immense. And terribly grand. Picture taking within the house is prohibited so most of the pictures I took are of the gardens and green house. The picture of the Biltmore House under sunny skies is from Google Images. The picture of it looking rainy and ominous is mine.