Day 60 – Asheville, NC
I think the weather is finally changing in our favor. I know we had some rain last night, because I heard it on the roof. But when I went out to get the dopey paper, it was clear and sunny. Those of my party who were not favored with natural fur coats would say it was a bit cold, but it felt fine to me. It had warmed up even more when Don and I went walking. There was some very nice grass down at the end of the road, and I got some good rolling in. When we got back to the coach, Don took the truck to get it washed. I couldn’t go, because I really don’t like going through the automatic car washes; they make me feel like the truck is under attack by monsters, and I tend to whine. When he got back, we all got in the truck and headed for Biltmore, which is the big house that Geri and Don want to see. We got a parking place, and I had to stay in the truck, which I understood. You know, the hair shedding thing. So, I got a nice nap while they toured the house. When they got back, Geri told me that when George and Edith Vanderbilt lived there, they had five Saint Bernard dogs that pretty much had the run of the house, except for the kitchen. Think of the hair they dumped! But it seems they had an army of maids who did nothing but sweep and clean all day every day, so I guess it was bearable. Don told me that his favorite room was the library, which contained thousands of books and was two stories tall. He said that he would like to have a room like that in our house. Geri pointed out that our house would fit in that room, with plenty of space to spare. The tour they took covered about fifty rooms, which was about one quarter of the house. They were comparing the mansions that they had toured in Newport, Rhode Island, with the Biltmore house; their opinion was that the Newport places were elegant and beautiful, but they couldn’t compare in scope and scale to Biltmore. I guess it might be an understatement to say that they were impressed. Don had read a book on the Vanderbilt family some years ago, and thought that George Vanderbilt, the builder who built Biltmore (like that?) was among the more productive of Commodore Vanderbilt’s children and grandchildren. They were also surprised to learn that the house and the rest of the estate still belonged to the Vanderbilt heirs, who were active in managing the property.
We drove down to the estate’s gardens, and parked so that we could all get out and look at the beautiful plantings of flowers and shrubs. I was on leash most of the time, except when I got let off to do some rolling in the wonderful grass. But I was able to meet a lot of people who loved Golden Retrievers, especially me. I got a lot of pets and compliments, and I responded appropriately by smiling a lot, wagging my tail, and sitting on people’s feet. A good time was had by all. I even met a little Dachsy who didn’t want to kill me! That’s a rare thing! We left the estate and headed for downtown Asheville, but Don was looking for a gas station, as we were low on fuel. While we were searching, Geri got a phone call from Craig, also known as David, who is brother to Gary and slightly wiser. I say that because he married Jane, who is a very sweet lady. Anyway, they are leaving Maine on Friday in their motorhome and heading for Phoenix. They’ll be traveling down Highway 81 to catch Highway 40 near Knoxville, so we have the opportunity to meet them somewhere in this neighborhood in a few days. Geri and Don will be working to coordinate this, and I will be very happy to see them. They have some interesting birds traveling with them, and two smart-aleck cats who need a good talking to.
By the time we got our gas and did some shopping, the traffic was way too bad to go back downtown, so we went back to the coach. I got my dinner, and Geri and Don did some research on RV Parks near Knoxville. They had some warm-ups for dinner, and I got a few good plates out of it. We tried to watch TV, but American Idol was a disaster. So to bed, tomorrow to travel again. See ya then!