A Spring trip to Asheville, NC

Asheville.  I love the city.  It's a city brimming with music, arts, and crafts nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.  About ten miles north of Asheville is a small town called Weaverville - home of Mangum Pottery.  Mangum Pottery is my favorite pottery store.  It is also where Ron proposed to me. 

Needless to say, it's a very special place to me, and any time I get the chance to visit both Mangum Pottery and Asheville, I get very excited.

Ron and I have been planning a day to Asheville for some time now.  Yesterday, April 2nd, was that day and we had been eagerly anticipating the day for weeks.  It was perfect timing.  With much going on in life, we were eager to get away even if just for a day.  Also early April meant that spring is in the air with signs of life popping up everywhere.

On Saturday morning I packed a lunch for Ron and me.  We grabbed our sunglasses and our lunch, and we hit the road.  The car ride allowed us to several hours to talk, listen to music, enjoy the beauty of the foothills and mountains.  I had envisioned stopping at an scenic overlook and eating lunch, but we ended up wanting to get to Mangum Pottery as soon as possible so we chose the following option:

It was great and added a little bit of humor to our day.  We arrived at Mangum Pottery around noon and bounded into the store (OK, maybe I bounded in and Ron simply walked.  I tend to get a little more excited about pottery).  Rob and Beth Mangum were busy crafting their art with Beth molding the pieces and Rob working in the back with the glazes and kilns.  We caught up with them chatting about their girls, our wedding, the pottery we received from our wedding registry - gifts given by generous family and friends.  It was great to see them and take in the beauty of their work.

After Mangum we headed to the River Arts District.  Ron had heard about this district from a co-worker.  We were excited to go, because neither of us had been before, and it was apparently a hub for dozens of local artists.  It was as exciting as anticipated.  The mile wide area was filled with buildings and warehouses that had been transformed into studios and galleries for artists who worked with numerous mediums - pottery, fabric, glass, etc.  As we walked around and went from studio to studio we were able to meet many of artists who were busy at work but still kind of enough to talk and share a bit of their story with us.  At one such store we entered into a pretty intense staring contest. 

The busts won.  They always do!

Next we headed to downtown Asheville.  We hit a number of our favorite spots: 10,000 villages, Woolworths, The Chocolate Fetish, and Kress Emporium.  At each stop we saw beautiful pieces of art crafted by incredibly talents folks.  Few realities reflect the nature of God more than artists creating their masterpieces.  It reminds me of one of my most favorite verses - Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."

Our last stop was the Grove Park Inn, a beautiful hotel that was built at the beginning of the 20th century and has been a respite for many celebrities and dignitaries.  It was also the sight of our wonderful dinner when Ron and I got engaged a little over a year ago.  We drove past and couldn't help but remember the sweet memories of our engagement.

We ended our day at a Japanese Steak House, one of our favorites.  After a delicious meal, we hit the road back to Winston-Salem.  It had been a wonderful day.  Not only had we been inspired by many talented artists, but we were inspired by The Creator and his beautiful creation that was literally budding with life.  Spring is such a vivid reminder of God's redemptive nature to take what is dead and breathe life into it.  With the trees budding and the flowers bursting from the soil, signs of life were everywhere.  Praise God that He is making all things new and gives us glimpses of what is to come through His creation.