Out on the Blue Ridge Parkway, our first stop was at the Folk Art Center, home of the Southern Highland Craft Guild. These are weaving samples that Caroline requested photos of so that one day she may take inspiration from them and try to duplicate their pattern.

This could well be the largest collection of craft books ever assembled in one place here at the Folk Art Center. While Caroline may have wanted to stay for hours, I think we were able to spend less than two hours here before getting back on the parkway.

Hmm, maybe we were at the Folk Art Center longer than I think because before I know it we are hunting down our lunch, or maybe our lunch is hunting us? We are drawn back to more BBQ (in case you were wondering, we couldn’t find a place with BBQ for breakfast), and it was 12 Bones Smokehouse that brought us in. President Obama ate here, so it had that going for it; by the way, I’m fairly non-partisan when it comes to food and eat at TeePee Mexican Food in Phoenix where George Bush ate.

Smoked pork ribs, green beans, coleslaw, and a piece of cornbread for $23 was a bit on the pricey side, but we didn’t care as the only thing important during these days is that we get the widest sampling of BBQ humanly possible.

Right next to the outdoor seating, the French Broad River slowly passes by and seems to help set the speed at which we are enjoying our time decompressing from the grind of Phoenix and our careers.

We’ve been enjoying our leisurely visit to Asheville with no need to hurry along or be anywhere in particular. Caroline is in front of an obelisk set as a monument to Zebulon Baird Vance here at Pack Square.

If it’s dinner time, it must also be time for more BBQ; this visit is at Buxton Hall BBQ. The drink is known as a bourbon Cheerwine slushy, and the Cheerwine part of it is a Carolina cherry soda.