Reminiscing over Asheville

As we weather the speed bumps of life, I can't help but miss one of my favorite cities of Asheville NC. Andrew has taken a hiatus from Warren Wilson College and regrouping to get his degree finished. We spent a good deal of time in that charming city, where street musicians were common and restaurants used only locally grown produce. It is small, yet artsy and eclectic. It reminds me of a California hippie town in the south.
Maddie and I found ourselves in Asheville on a weekend where the Ravens were playing a in a playoff game. Against the Steelers no doubt. I prepared carefully...found a sports bar close to the hotel. The hotel, by the way (and not known to us) was 4 feet from the train tracks. Quite an eye opening experience at 3 AM. We wander into the bar..no one is in there. Okay..perhaps there's no football fans here. Bartender informs us the kitchen is closed and they are offering only alcohol. That won't do. So, now we have to scramble.
We head into Asheville, which is charming, but parking in challenging as in any city. Stress starts to set in as we comb the city for parking and dash to a bar we hope will have the game on. Luck is on our side..huge big screen. However, the live music is setting up in front of the screen. I have to thanks the owner of the bar..he politely asked the band to wait until the game was over so we (just maddie and I) could watch uninterrupted. It was a brutal loss...ahead by 20 points and we last in the last quarter. We headed straight to Appleby's for alcohol and chocolate.
I miss Laughing Seed Cafe, a vegan restaurant that's off the charts. I miss the art galleries. The music. The mountains. Perhaps when Bob abd Carol make their move to Greenville, I'll have another excuse to make a visit there.

more fun

And here is the latest segment of incidents in your local library. I will add we cut security out of the budget 2 years ago-seems this needs to be funded again...


Monday, April 9-
In the bookdrop this morning staff found a dirty bra, a backpack and a large wad of chewed gum. The book that the gum stuck to had to be discarded.


At about 1730, __________ alerted me that she had learned from one of her staff, _________, that a patron in the fiction area had urinated while sitting on one of the chairs. I walked over to do a "book check" and fortunately, was unable to detect any odor coming from the area. The patron and older male was in the company of another person. He did not strike me as being inebriated Since the chair was already soiled and there was no notable odor I consulted with Peggy and we decided to simply wait until they left to retrieve the chair and spray it with disinfectant.

Peggy was able to remove the chair from the floor by about 1830 (I was monitoring Ask Us Now); I retrieved a cleaner from the custodial closet and sprayed it down. Tomorrow, I will consult with our building coordinator and we will decide whether or not to remove the chair from service. Being that it is wood and therefore porous, I despair for its future as anything other than spare parts.


Banned for Vodka in the Library

This afternoon we were keeping an eye on patron_____________, who was using PC #7. He seemed a bit intoxicated and we had already sent him out of the library once for intoxication and once for smoking in the lobby on other days. At 4:15 I was using the microfilm machine in the Quiet Room when Lois came to get me. She said that Mr. Marshall was drooling on his keyboard and she saw a bottle in his pocket. We approached him and I asked him if he'd been drinking. He gave me the thumbs up and said that he had. I told him that he needed to leave the library immediately. He gave me the thumbs up again, but had trouble standing. I asked he could use some assistance and he said yes. As I was on the phone with the police he staggered over to the men's room and then back to the computer. Lois checked behind him and found a vodka bottle in the hall by the men's room.

Officer Bouie and another officer responded. Mr. Marshall told them that he had not been drinking, but at that point he was swaying in his chair. I told Mr. Marshall that we were banning him for one month. He gave me the thumbs up again. The officers assisted him with his bags and helped him out of the building. They were going to drive him back to his hotel room where he is staying long term. They said that Mr. Marshall will probably be back tomorrow, and that we should call the police when we see him and they will arrest him for trespassing.



Domestic Dispute on Lawn

While doing foot patrol around 5:15, Security Officer Mike Shea observed a man and woman in a heated argument on the front lawn. They had a young son and daughter with them (perhaps ages 10 and 8). Mike noticed the situation becoming more tense and began watching to see if the man became physical. We were both observing the situation from the windows when regular patron Jordan C. (age 13) came over and said "Don't worry, those are my parents."

Don, Mike and I continued to observe, trying to be careful of Jordan. When Mr. C. leaned down and began grabbing and shoving Mrs. C., I did come in back and call 911. At about 5:25 the family began walking towards 11th Ave and once they had left sight (5:30) I called back to cancel the call. The police still wanted to come out, though. At about 5:35 Officer Wright reponded. We gave him a synopsis of what had occured and a description of the family. He left to see if he could find them.

bonaventure cemetery

We had an hour before the cemetery closed, but we got ourselves togther and headed out to see Boneventure Cemetery, the famous cemetery from the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, as well as a number of famous people who are buried there. There's Johnny Mercer, singer/songwriter; Conrad Aiken, novelist; and various civil war generals. What is so really cool about this place is the ambiance..its creepy. Tombstones are ornate, large in size, and in some cases, caskets appear above the ground. We were there in the late afternoon, there was a thunderstorm going on, which made it creepier.
Needless to say, Maddie and Dylan loved it. It was almose like you could see the ghosts of this place, which, from what I understand is one of the most haunted in Savannah. Well worth the trip out there.

Savannah

What a beautiful city! We spent a great deal of time walking the squares and seeing beautiful homes. And some great eats as well. WSe took a gander at the Telfair Museum, which was alot of fun and quite beautiful. The age of the city really strikes you.

I have to say one thing we haven't been too hap;py with here in Savannah...service at the hotel. Minimal information at the desk. You can ask for a grocery store and they will say..yep up the street. No dirextions. Poor Dylan is sleeping on the sofa and we asked for a blanket. None available. However, everyone else has been great. Now we simply ask the front desk a million questions just to piss them off.

Tomorrow in Tybee Island and pizza at Huckapoos. Beach time!

folly beach

After a very slow start, we packed up the car (which took some careful planning...we have enough stuff for a trip out west for 2 months) and headed to Charleston's Beach resort, Folly Beach. It is a small resort about 20 minutes from downtown. It consists of only local businesses, a stretch of about 3 miles total. Very quaint and quiet, at least at the moment. In the middle of the town at the end of the only road in, is a large hotel, which probably houses most visitors. Fortunately, they had a great beach bar, where we camped out in the shade mind you. Temp was 97 degrees.

We headed out around 3 and headed for Savannah. Hotel is in a questionable neighborhood by my city standards, but I am assured it is a safe area. We walked to the Riverfront, an area that has been restored from the 1700's, with businesses and restaurants. A little touristy for my taste, but the architecture is quite amazing. ANd Spanish miss is everywhere. Unlike in Charleston, where it was wiped out with Hurricane Hugo.

Think I need to get this group moving...they are still sleeping. Pics later..camera in charging.

charleston...and more

This is a second attempt to get this blog up and running..I had posted yesterday, but alas, it was a no show. Lets see if I am successful this time.
We started our trip in NC visited the Bennetts, who are both librarians in their former working life and now retired in Cary (Concentrated Area of Retired Yankees). They were the hostess with the mostess-and so good to see nancy..haven't seen her in 30 years.

We made a pit stop on our way to Charleston at SOuth of the Border. Maddie and Dylan had never been..and wowsa, after 49 signs invited us along route 95, we relented. We even bought a giant box of fireworks. Not the 700.00 box, the maximum amount of fire power allowed by law.

Our first day here in Charleston was rainy, but it didn't stop us from tromping thru the city getting wet and gaping at giant homes and churches. However, today was a picture perfect day..in the 70's and beautiful. We began with a trip thru the open market, where they sell sweetgrass baskets made from 5 generations of african american women. Very pricey, but it is hours of labor and they are beautiful. We decided on a tour, which is the way to go. it gave us a great overview of the very walkable city and lots of history. I even think the young adults enjoyed it.
We walked, enjoyed the sunshine, ate great baked goods, and finished the day off with a great meal at Magnolia's. I had the best collard greens ever..and I am normally not a fan. Our waitress was having her first night at Magnolia's and being April Fools Day, we told her we wanted of of every dessert on menu. She was very professional for a while, until Maddie ordered 5 desserts...she finally caught on.

Tomorrow we are making a stop at Folly Beach on out way to Savannah. Loving the southern charm and graciousness. Could do without the Newt Gingrich signs however.