Imagine coming home to this .....

Nick posted this week about our trip to Asheville .....Asheville and the mountains of Western NC have long held a special place in my heart.....the Mountains are not just a place for me to visit ...for me its like home....My paternal grandfather was born and raised in Boone,NC, when he was 23 years old he joined the army and became a pilot trainer for the army air corps and that took him to Tuskegee,Al...I spent my summers visiting my great-Grandparents house in Boone and visiting with all my cousins .......it is almost unreal the pull and attraction I feel towards these wonderful places ........George Vanderbilt also felt this pull when he first visited the Asheville area in the 1880's...If you have never visited his home that he built there you owe yourself that pleasure....and when you stand outside that house and think that it is still owned by the Vanderbilt family heirs...Not a trust ....not some corporation, it is still a family home that from time to time hosts dinner partys , wedding receptions for heirs and holiday celebrations...Check it out the next time you are in the area......Right up the Blue Ridge Parkway from Asheville is Mt.Mitchell State Park.....at 6684 feet in height, Mt Mitchell is the highest peak East of the Mississippi river.... with tons of hiking trails and camping facilities its another WNC treasure...Check it out somtime http://www.ils.unc.edu/parkproject/visit/momi/history.html