May, the Present and Past Hodgepodge

At the end of April and beginning of May in 2014 me and our daughter were on a journey from Seattle to Jacksonville North Carolina to set her up in an apartment before her husband returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan. On May 3rd we were at the Biltmore Estate and Gardens in Asheville, North Carolina. Talk about beautiful May flowers!

Speaking of May flowers Jo From This Side of the Pond has some timely questions for Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1. May Day! May Day!…last time you shouted for help? Or maybe just asked?

I was shouting for help the whole month of April and mostly from my spouse. There were others I called into service to help me but the best help by my side for huge functions is Dear. We can depend on each other for good consistent effective help in getting an event ready and done. If my sisters lived nearby I’d call on them. There’s a level of good help that comes instinctively. People who walk into a situation and know what needs to be done without asking a million questions. Someone who doesn’t have to ask but sees and gets the task done. When I can’t depend on that kind of help I’m learning to write out detailed instructions and steps to execute an event. I tape those instructions on the kitchen cabinets at church so all can follow along and get things done step by step.

2. What’s something you may do this month?

I may schedule myself a massage.

3. ‘April showers bring May flowers’...is this true where you live? What’s blooming? What’s your favorite springtime blossom?

The daffodils have bloomed and are waning with the Lily of the Valley starting to sprout. The Johnny Jump Ups are showing. The first harvest of rhubarb is just about ready. The peonies are sprouting but won’t flower for a bit yet. The most healthy blooms right now are the dandelions! By the end of May we will see lots of beautiful blooms.

Some of my favorite Springtime blossoms are lilacs, azaleas, peonies, and wisteria.

4. What’s something you learned at your mother’s knee?

That the Bible is the book to cherish.

5. Share a thought about motherhood.

Motherhood is a privilege to cherish and not take for granted and grandparenthood is one of the rewards for enduring, the cherry on top!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

More beautiful blooms from the Biltmore 8 years ago…

A very Happy Mother’s Day is wished for any mom who visits here!

And…

May the fourth be with you! 🙂

Historical Hodgepodge

1. What takes you out of your comfort zone?

A very manicured home or a completely cluttered home. I like something in the middle with comfortable places to sit. Driving on snow and ice throws me over the edge. Lying in a dentist’s chair makes my blood pressure go up. Right now because my master bathroom is totally gutted (see photo above) I’m way out of my comfort zone.

2. Your least favorite spice?

This is a tough one for me. I like a variety of spices but not used in an overpowering way. I’ll say my least favorite is curry.

3. What’s a small change you’d like to make?

Flossing so I can use up the 500 free floss containers the dental hygienist has gifted me over the years. BTW: she wouldn’t think this is a small change.

4. Do you enjoy visiting historic homes? What historic home near you is open to visitors? Have you been?

Yes, and yes. The closest historical buildings I’ve been to are located at Bothell Landing. Yes I’ve been to the landing but I’ve only seen the outside of the buildings.

Southern Living rounded up eleven of the best in the southern part of the US and they’re as follows-

Monticello (Jefferson’s home in Virginia), Nathaniel Russel House (Charleston SC), Swan House (Atlanta), Ernest Hemingway’s home (Key West), The Biltmore (Vanderbilt home in Asheville NC), Mount Vernon (Washington’s home in Virgina), San Francisco Plantation (Garyville, Louisiana), Windsor Ruins (Port Gibson Mississippi), Longue Vue House and Gardens (New Orleans), Whitehall (Palm Beach FL), and Pebble Hill Plantation (Thomasville GA)

Have you been to any on the list?

In the early 1970’s my best friend and I made a trip east from Southern California and one of the places we visited was Mount Vernon. I have a post about my first plane ride and all we saw and experienced here.

Our daughter and I were at The Biltmore in Asheville in May of 2014 on a cross country trip we made. I have several posts of the gardens and grounds. One of the posts and photos is here.

If so, of the homes you’ve visited which one was your favorite?

I’ll have to say that the Biltmore was my favorite of these homes.

Of the homes listed which would you most like to visit?

Since I’ve never been to New Orleans I’ll say Longue Vue House and Gardens.

5. What’s something you think will be obsolete in ten years? Does that make you sad or glad?

Dvd’s and dvd players. I’m pretty neutral about it.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

We are having an early family Thanksgiving this weekend. We are going over the mountains and through the woods to granddaughter’s house. She’ll be 8 months old on November 20th. We’re slowly accepting some big changes at this old house. We are finally saying that Dear is retired instead of unemployed. With that fact there are many new choices to consider.

Here we are halfway through November! How did that happen?

Linking up with Joyce From This Side of the Pond for Wednesday Hodgepodge.

Good Golly…

We are already on the letter G for ABC Wednesday! Thank you to Denise Nesbitt and the ABC team!

I’m going with Green and Gargoyle for the letter G. Green moss is something that we have quite an abundance of here in the great Northwest.

Our apple tree is covered in moss.

On our trips to Great Britain we enjoy looking up to see the Gargoyles that are here and there.

We have gargoyles here in the U.S.A., too. My daughter and I toured the Biltmore House and Gardens and these creatures looked down on us.

One last addition to the letter G is my Bible verse card for the week. Timely indeed because of the letter G and because of present circumstances!

Hope you are enjoying the last week of February. So many of you are enduring some harsh winter conditions and I hope things settle down to a more mild clime. We have some rain in the forecast again here in the Northwest after enjoying several dry sunny days.

Established 1985!

On May 3rd during our cross country road trip from Seattle to Jacksonville, N.C. Katie and I were able to spend two days in Asheville and on one of those days we toured the Biltmore House and Gardens including Antler Village and the Biltmore Winery. Our Katie was born in 1985 so we thought we’d pause at the door to the Biltmore Winery and snap a photo of Katie under the sign. The tour of the winery including a wine tasting was free.

Before it was Biltmore Winery this was Biltmore Dairy. This might be interesting for Judy at My Front Porch!

The tour was short and informative. The wine tasting was extensive and gave you a full range of what the winery has to offer.

After our long day at the Biltmore Estate we decided on finding a grocery store to purchase items for a picnic dinner in the hotel room. It was good just to put our feet up and enjoy our picnic.

So thankful for Katie and my time together on our road trip and stops along the way. Also thankful for our time together in Jacksonville, North Carolina working hard to get things set up for Andrew and Katie’s reunion and short time left there.

Back to Washington State and this old house. I’ve been able to do enough around home that I seem to have found my comfort zone again. Such a good feeling to be able to relax amidst any turmoil that comes my way.

I’m joining Mrs. Olsen for Share Your Cup Thursday #104.

The party where you share things that make you happy.

Adventures with my children and husband make me happy along with sitting down to a nice meal.

Biltmore Bass Pond and Waterfall

When we were done at the Bass Ponds we found our way back to the Biltmore House and took the bus back to the parking lot where we parked our car. We then drove to Antler Hill Village. After all our walking about the grounds and trekking through some warm trails we were really ready for some nice refreshment.

We had a great lunch at Cedric’s Tavern named after the family dog. “Named for George Vanderbilt’s beloved Saint Bernard, Cedric, this warm, relaxing tavern overlooks the village green at Antler Hill Village. The décor, ambience, and menu pay tribute to the neighborhood pubs of Britain and Ireland. Enjoy satisfying pub fare alongside robustly flavored American and global cuisine presented with Biltmore flair.”

We weren’t disappointed by the food or drink at Cedric’s.

So I’m still catching up on our Road Trip posts. I only have a couple more. I was so busy over the weekend I really didn’t have time to come up with something more current. Here we are in the last week of May. Soon the wedding month will be here and this year we actually have a wedding to attend in June. We also are getting some visitors in June. This week we will make some decisions on our main floor bathroom. We were so gung ho to have it gutted by now but here we are dragging our feet. It’s hard to decide how much to let someone else do and charge you an arm and a leg for…

What’s happening this week in your world?

Biltmore House Azalea Garden

These photos are from our time at the Biltmore Gardens on Saturday May 3rd.

I want to finish up my posts from Katie and my cross country trip before June. I still have a few posts from the Biltmore House and Gardens. A few of these posts are visual with no need of commentary. Remember if you visit the Biltmore to wear comfortable shoes and clothing. There are lots of trails to explore.

It’s amazing to think of all the miles we logged and all the beautiful sights we were afforded on our cross country trip.

Today I’m home again home again jiggity jig. Dear and I got home at about 11:00 P.M. on Tuesday night. Dear was off to work on Wednesday at 5:00 AM and I had my annual doctor’s visit just after 8:00 A.M. on Wednesday. On Thursday I will be mowing our overgrown lawn (mostly weeds). I’m pleased with the Spring growth that has bloomed while I was gone. I’ll have to take some photos of some things that surprised and blessed me on my return. I’ll share my sweet memorial azaleas for my dear mom that bloomed so pink and pretty.

How are things in your corner of the world?

Biltmore Walled Garden and Conservatory

We were at the Biltmore on Saturday May 3rd so the flowers that were blooming well at this point were the Azaleas and the Wisteria still hadn’t lost it’s glow. This walled garden will probably be spectacular when all the roses bloom.

Today is my last day in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Katie will be driving me to the little airport for my flight to Orlando, Florida this afternoon. I won’t be escaping the heat in Florida as the forecast is calling for temps in the upper 80’s the 5 days that I’m there. I’m happy to report I was able to jam everything into my one medium suitcase for this leg of my trip. I’m leaving a small suitcase here for Katie and Andrew to use on their return trip to Seattle. I wasn’t sure I could shlep around 2 suitcases, a computer bag and camera bag around the in Orlando while I wait for Dear to arrive on a later flight than mine so I’m pleased that I can leave a suitcase here.

Can you believe it’s the fifteenth of May already?

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage

Tag Archives: Biltmore House and Gardens