A Little Mountain Air

Ever heard of Mountain Air Country Club?  Me neither, but I'm so glad that Michael's sister and her fiance invited us to go this past weekend!  What they said was true, no false advertising here:

"Atop the placid Blue Ridge Mountains, just 35 minutes from Asheville – "North Carolina's most vibrant and charming city" – resides a community that embodies the soaring spirit of the mountain beneath its feet and the divine beauty of the forests that surround it.

We welcome you to browse our website and discover why Mountain Air was named "America's Best Community".

Video I took of the sunrise.

It also just happened to be Asheville's "Bele Chere" Festival which hosted music, art, food vendors, and of course a little bit of beer.  We decided to beat the heat and camp out at Wedge Brewery which turned out to be a very cool place.  The beer was good, the atmosphere was unique with metal art throughout, and the best part was that I got to meet up with my cousin, Kevin, whom I never get to see.

Hole right outside the cabin.  

We headed out for North Carolina on Friday evening and arrived to an absolutely amazing mountain view, complete with a stunning golf course and some of the most beautiful "cabins" I've ever seen.  Read:  these weren't cabins.  This gated community is one of the most immaculate I've had the pleasure of going to.  The landscaping was perfect, the view unmatched and it was a great weekend with perfect weather and company.  The dogs didn't mind it too much either.  Pete was right at home on the balcony and didn't seem to want to leave it!  Rigby was a little anxious at first but she eventually settled.  Cousin pup, Neko, wasn't a huge fan of the balcony but had fun playing with our dogs when they'd come inside.  I woke up each morning to see the sunrise and beautiful clouds roll over the mountains.  I snapped some pictures and returned to bed, but didn't want to miss the scene.  I'm glad I didn't!  It's pretty during the day, but you can't beat the fog rolling in each morning.

Mountain Dogs

O hai!

We also ran into some "locals" on our way back from Bele Chere on Saturday... two baby black bears and their Momma!  They were just casually crossing the street and when we pulled closer to take some photos the babies ran up the tree as fast as their little legs would take them.  Momma waited on the ground to make sure we weren't going to do anything.  Pretty cool.  It's the closest I've ever been to a bear in the wild.  I was surprised how small they were, even the mother.

Whit and I at Palomino

After my trip to Indy last week for a conference, I'm beat.  I was so happy to spend some time with Whitney and say hello to my former residence, but I'm fine with not going anywhere for a while!  Next up is a conference in Denver in which I return five days before we depart for Europe.  Oy Vey!  It's gonna be a busy Fall!!!  Have I mentioned, I'm ready for Fall?