Belle Chere

Yesterday we went to Asheville, North Carolina. It was the ‘Belle Chere’ festival where the streets of the city where sealed off, food stalls, bands and people selling all sorts for stuff filled the streets. It was a fun day and we spent that Sunday exploring the city. I also visited the home of Thomas Wolfe near the city center. I liked his books like ‘Look Homeward Angel’ and I was happy to see the boarding house where some of the great scenes of the book happened. It was a good afternoon, with pleasant weather. I wished I could have stayed overnight so I can drink and have more fun but I guess one can only do these sorts of things as a bachelor.



I liked the city and I found some bookshops selling second hand books. There were some small quaint restaurants and bars lining the street and the roads rose up and down through the hilly terrain and city surrounded by the mountains. There were also a lot of tattoo and body piercing shops as well as meditation and yoga studios. Art galleries, Tibetan statues, funky clothes shops were also plentiful. There was also an elegant arcade with high ceilings and sun gallery and expensive looking shops that remind me of Europe. The whole place gave off a feeling of artistic life and carefree living. I was reminded as well of Baguio City in the Philippines or Clermont in France.


The drive to Asheville was also very pleasant driving though the mountains to reach the city. I hope to spend more time there and enjoy the city more. I had wanted to let my son drive but he did not feel like it. We got back at about 5pm and tried to get the boys a haircut but the shop was closed. So we went to Wal-Mart instead and bought an outdoor griller. I could not load it into the car so called our friend who had an SUV. They helped us bring the griller home and we invited them for dinner. We bought roasted chicken, corn, coleslaw and potato salad from Wal-Mart. It was a good dinner and I drank some wine. Dinner was much better than lunch at Asheville. I had sausage, rice and beans while my wife had Jambalaya. It was suppose to be good New Orleans cooking but we did not like it.

This morning I passed my driver’s license. I passed both the written and actual driving test. My wife was not as lucky as she did not past the actual driving exam. I guess the paperwork is proceeding as planned and the only major tasks left are to complete the enrollment of my kids and to file our petition for a green card. I can’t help but feel that I need to rush things and get things done. I am afraid that I am rushing my kids but I think they are adjusting in their own way. After attending mass, we went again to the gym and we enjoyed exercising and playing basketball. I think my kids are getting to like exercise although my youngest son is a soccer player. My goal is to make them fit and make them appreciate the benefits of an active lifestyle to make healthy for future challenges. Hopefully, it will make them handle stress much better.

Our friend here is busy completing the purchase of their home. It’s a much bigger place than my own with about 4 bedrooms. So I started to think it I made the right decision in buying the townhouse. Maybe I should have waited and bought a much bigger house. I had a dream the previous night of my kids playing basketball in a garage of a large house. They seemed to have their own cars and they were in their 20’s. I realized after I woke up that the townhouse would not do. But looking at my circumstances, I realized that the town house was the best deal I could get, with my budget and coming expenses. But looking forward, I think this property may be useful in the future such as a rental property or giving to one of my sons if they decide to live independently. So I guess it’s not a bad investment if I have a time frame of at least 10 years.