Lucius: It doesn’t matter anymore (Buddy Holly cover)
John Lennon: Watching the Wheels (Acoustic)
Fleet Foxes: Blue Ridge Mountains
Emil-isms
Emil is at the best age right now. Sometimes he says the funniest things:
One afternoon I found a chocolate bar in our pantry. I asked, “Who would like a little piece of chocolate?” Emil responded, “I do because I have a mouth!” Good point, my friend.
Emil often wears a superhero costume, like Captain America, out and about. But he doesn’t like people to notice it. So when someone says, “Hi Captain America!” He says, with a very serious face, “I’m not Captain America. I’m just EMIL. And I don’t like you.”
At nighttime, he sometimes gets out of bed, lies down next to his (doorknob-less) door, and whispers in a pathetic little voice under the door crack, “Papa, I need a hug. I just love you.” Gets him every time.
From the bath tub, “Mamaaaaa! I need more toys in here. Like a shark. And a cup. You’re welcome!”
There’s so much more. He is just the funniest little guy.
Hope you enjoy your weekend!
P.s. — Funny, the article I wrote for the Post made it (indirectly) to Good Morning America!
River Arts District
On the last day of the trip, our wonderful friends Cat and Garriy, who had driven up from Knoxville the previous night, accompanied us to Asheville’s River Arts District, a great area by the French Broad River filled with artists’ studios, galleries, music and performing arts venues, and restaurants. Parking is free in the district, and we had no trouble finding a spot on a Saturday around lunchtime. 
Many studios are open for observation, and kids are welcome. We were drawn into Asheville Glass Center, where the boys were mesmerized by the artists taking time to explain every step of the glassblowing process. Oliver in particular was smitten. 
Oliver and Cat sharing a moment (one of many!)
We also stopped in the coolest custom lighting, antiques, and art store called Splurge, run by artist Robert Nicholas, whom we were lucky to meet. He was so kind and responsive to our boys, even showing them how the above carousel worked. Such a beautiful place!
After a bit of browsing, we headed over to White Duck Taco Shop for lunch. It was soooooo good and worth waiting in line for. I highly recommend the fish tacos. And the outdoor seating was very nice for children (and puppies), though ours weren’t as well-behaved as the puppy sitting near us. Oh, well. You can’t win them all! 
Read more about the River Arts District here.
And this is the last of our Guide to Asheville posts! I hope you have a wonderful weekend. We are heading to a campfire tonight at our boys’ school. Can’t get enough of the outdoors these days! Happy Friday!
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
Andrew wanted to surprise the boys with a special adventure during our Asheville trip. And though they have been on plenty of city trains, the thought of an open-air car traveling through the Smoky Mountains to a pumpkin patch sounded too good to pass up, even though it was a bit of a splurge. I have to say, it was a completely different experience to have fresh air blowing in through the open car, traveling alongside a river, beautiful rolling hills and fields, and across an old bridge. 
Oliver stood by the window the entire trip, being careful not to reach out the open windows. But Emil was the biggest fan, as he has recently been a bit obsessed with trains. He talked about the train for a good part of the drive there, and then after as well. I think it kind of blew his mind. 
On the ride there, someone read part of “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” and when we arrived, we were greeted by Charlie Brown, Lucy, and Snoopy characters, along with a whole field of kid-awesomeness (and plenty of kitsch). It was the kind of amusement-park silliness that is sometimes necessary. They ate it up. 
There was trick-or-treating (they did NOT skimp on the candy…), marshmallow roasting, there were games and a pumpkin patch, where the boys each chose a pumpkin to take back with them. 
And then the ride back… we lucked out with more rain in the forecast. It held off until we stepped off the train, then started to pour on the drive back to the cabin. 
It was such a treat! If you’re interested in going, here is the website. They do a Polar Express train on Christmas Eve, which sounds like a blast!
Graveyard Fields & Ridge
I have to apologize if you are tiring of these Asheville posts, but we just had so much fun and wanted to share all of the highlights of the trip. I will be posting the rest of our pictures and stories twice a day until I get through it all — a warning, it will take us through until Friday, but next week I’ll be back to regularly-scheduled posts I promise!
As I write this, my heart just aches. I am looking at the pictures from this day, in my opinion the best day of the whole trip. There is so much good in Asheville. The people, with their kind eyes and artists hands, the amazing food, the care people take of their little city streets and shops, the obvious pride they have in their artists and musicians. But the mountains, oh the mountains! 
The mountains are everywhere in this place. The Smokies, the Blue Ridge, all of it seems to go on forever, and I forgot that these wild places still exist and are protected (thank goodness) and cared for by many. This place touched me in a way I can’t explain, only to say that somehow as a child I had this connection to a similar place and it has imprinted on my soul. Revisiting places like this — with mountains and nature and water flowing clean and clear — it makes me feel awake. 
In choosing hikes near Asheville, we were conscious of the fact that although our boys love nature and seem to thrive in it, they are not used to long hikes. I was nervous about Oliver in particular, who is sturdy in some ways, but has not proven to be the happiest long-distance walker. This time, he was happy as a clam to walk over 4 miles with just a short rest. No joke — there was not one complaint of tired legs or boredom. 
Find a good description of the hike and how to get there here. And please note that this time of year is a stunning time to visit, but if you choose to visit in May, you will be greeted by a thicket of rhododendron bushes so thick, the flowers will eventually carpet the main paved pathway down to the river in early June. Though the areas around the falls and river are paved and supplemented with board pathways and steps, if you choose to hike up higher on the ridge, it is all footpaths, which is real hiking, in my opinion!
Emil was impressive. At three years old, not only did he keep up, he kept pace, racing ahead and then stopping to wait for us. He asked to be carried once during the whole four mile hike, and after a short jaunt on Andrew’s shoulders, he wanted to go on his own again. We hiked uphill to the high ridge overlooking the other side of the fields and stopped for lunch smack on the trail between two streams. Four burly hikers passed us while we ate, carrying pots and pans, sleeping bags and extra shoes hanging off the back of their packs. They were headed on an adventure and our future flashed before my eyes — there we were, two adults with three strapping teenaged boys, rugged from years of hiking and camping and living close to the wild, on our way to camp where only the sturdiest could make it by foot, to a place no cars or campers could reach. Oh, the things my dreams are made of. 
Sometimes trips like these make my dreams run wild. I could, we could, live a life so happy near a place like this. Little man, maybe some day!