20210815 - 0819 Potosi, MO - 20210903-0910 Asheville , Candler, NC

Potosi, Missouri, 15 August - 19 August 2021

Twin Eagle Lake Estates & Hideout - 16 August 2021

We have visited this campground before and found it quiet and conveniently located near Bob's cousin. The dogs like to look at the lake but we just can't convince them to even wade in to cool off during these "dog days of summer". The only thing that would make this a nice place to stay would be some additional trees growing up.

Visit with Loretta - 17 August 2021

We heard many stories from Loretta before getting down to business. Bob's sister, Betty was in town so our timing was good. 

St. Peters, Missouri, 19 August - 22 August 2021

Family Picnic - 17 August 2021

Staying at the 370 Lakeside Park in St. Peters was a good place for a big family gathering. Lots of food, entertaining kids and a well attended wiffleball game.

Prelude to the wiffleball game was a short Nerf football warmup.

Asheville, N. Carolina, 03 September - 10 September 2021

North Carolina Arboretum - 7 September 2021

Getting our gardening fix, we found the arboretum to be relaxing and a good way to get our steps in while having fun. Contained in 65 acres of one of the most diverse and beautiful natural settings, the arboretum contains cultivated gardens, cultural heritage, water features and special exhibits.

Our favorite location was the Bonsai area. Hundreds of plants in varying stages and ages. We do miss our bonsai trees.

Summer flowers are mostly found just in the spots we want to sit and relax. In the shade. We were very lucky to find rocking chairs. Footstools would have made it perfect. But the wildflowers sprinkled throughout the gardens were a delight.

On our walk around the back of the main building, this hawk flew onto a branch with a small snack in his talons. He did not seem to be too concerned with our presence so this must be a routine and a common feeding location. Just for the kids and kids at heart there is an exhibit with a town in the Rocky Cove Railroad.

The grounds offer several quirky exhibits of carved wood, patchwork flower quilts and even wings of flight. Additionally, there were eight stations celebrating the legacy of Frederick Law Olmstead to learn about his influence in design principles around the country. Famous for his first park design in Central Park and his final plans on the Biltmore Estate, Olmstead's outdoor exhibits scattered across the country include parks, greenways, campuses and estates. 

Gray Line Trolley Tours of Asheville - 8 September 2021

In 1904, Dr. Robert Carole came to Asheville from Duke University to build Highland Hospital. In 1927 Homewood was built as Dr. Carole's private home. The English Stone Manor design was influenced heavily by Dr. Carole's time at Duke University.

Pack Square Park in downtown Asheville is the site of the city's historic public square. It has been a focal point of central downtown since the city's creation in 1797. The Art deco City hall on the right and the County building on the left front the Roger McGuire Green overlooking a main stage, three water features and original art by local artists. This area is a wonderful venue for festivals and concerts. Additionally, the Urban Trail, a self-guided 1.7 mile walking tour through the streets of Asheville, tells the history  of the city through arts installations.

Basilica of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr, while not technically a part of the walking tour can be seen along with the other historic buildings. 

Painted murals, flat iron building, eclectic shopping and unique eateries are all available on the tour. 

Basilica of Saint Lawrence - 9 September 2021

The front entrance was having some repairs and painting done so we had to access the interior through a side door

The uniqueness of St. Lawrence Basilica is obvious both inside and out but best seen inside. First, the dome is not a standard form. It stretches 82' by 58' and is considered one of the larger free standing elliptical dome in North America. The only church designed and built by the renowned Spanish architect and builder, Rafael Guastavino, who had arrived in Asheville in the late 1800s to work on the Biltmore House. The entire building is made of a variety of tiles and other masonry without the use of wood. Guastavino's patented method of tile building is now found in a thousand buildings in this country, including Grant's tomb, the Great Hall at Ellis Island, Grand Central Station, Carnegie Hall and the Chapel at West Point. His work is found in North Carolina in the Duke Chapel in Durham, the Jefferson Standard Building in Greensboro, the Motley Memorial in Chapel Hill and St. Mary's Catholic Church in Wilmington.    

The patron, Lawrence, was a deacon in the 3rd century and a faithful disciple of Pope St. Sixtus, who was martyred three days after the Pope. The statue of St. Lawrence shows him holding a feather pen as the patron saint of schoolchildren and librarians. Then St. Patrick and St. Rose of Lima. Finally, St. Cecilia, the patron of music. 

Behind the altar, the wall is called a reredos, an ornamental screen covering the wall. It has been executed in polychrome terra cotta and bears life size reliefs of the four evangelists, Matthew and Mark on the left; Luke and John on the right. The tableau depicting the crucifixion was hand carved in the 17th century in walnut showing Mary, the Mother of Christ and John, the beloved disciple. 

Blue Ridge Parkway, Newland, NC. The Linn Cove Viaduct is a 1,243 foot long, concrete segmental bridge which snakes around Grandfather Mountain. Construction started in 1979 and finished in 1987. Parkway planners designed the viaduct to protect the fragile habitat of the mountain and was the last portion of the Parkway to be completed. A marvelous feat of engineering, the Viaduct contains 153 segments weighing 50 tons each and is designated a National Civil Engineering Landmark. The exact route location created controversy over environmental concerns regarding how to build a road at 4,100 feet elevation without damaging on of the world's oldest mountains? The developed bridge design and construction method resulted in the most complicated concrete bridge ever built, snaking around boulder-strewn Linn Cove in a sweeping S-curve.  

Blue Ridge Parkway, Yonahlossee Overlook is located near the Linn Cove Viaduct which can be viewed from the trail south of the parking lot.