8-7-11 Sunday (Waffle Fuel)

It’s been a pretty laid back weekend.  While I was at work on Saturday, Jim packed and organized some stuff for the move.  We ordered a pizza, and caught up on some TV shows we had recorded.

Sunday we went to Ruby’s house for brunch.  Jim and I brought Mimosa supplies.  I also broke down and bought a waffle maker.  It was under $30 for it at Walmart so what the hell?  We brought that, along with syrup and the batter which I had prepared at home ahead of time.  They came out yummy.  I had a Mimosa and Ruby’s wonderful Bloody Mary.  I made all the waffles, stood there with a great buzz… like I was in my own world… making waffles… one after another… I actually had fun. 

Above: Waffle making fuel.  Mmmmmm.  And yes, it has pickled okra in it.

Above: My new waffle iron.

Above/Below: Ruby’s child, Little.

 

Above/Below: Beth, obviously not appreciating my photographic tendencies.

After brunch, we departed and went to BJs for some supplies.  We also went to a Sears Clearance Outlet center.  We looked at a few washers/dryers/refrigerators.  I snapped some photos of what we liked along with the model numbers so we could research them with our Consumer Reports subscription. 

The prices seem awesome.  Each item indicates if it was a return, defective/repaired, last one, floor model, etc and still has it’s warranty.  I think I’d like to buy them from here rather than Craigslist.  I’ve had bad luck with Craigslist while job hunting and today Jim experienced a scam.  Craigslist has a free stuff category.  It’s made for people who are putting things out to the curb and giving everyone warning that if you’d like it, take it.  Or instead of putting it to the curb, it’s still in their garage or storage unit and you can pick it up and take it for no cost.  Well Jim emailed someone who was giving up old kitchen counters.  The woman said someone else had replied… well see it all here:

Above: Click to big-a-fy.

I hate Craigslist… most of the time.

As we finished up our shopping, we called Deanna and Beth and told them we’d be going to the new house for a tour.  They had previously expressed an interest to see it’s progress.  We met up at the house and strolled around.  Here’s some photos:

Above: Living room.  All of the holes on the back wall are for audio/video equipment.

Above: Dining room.  We did not get to pick out the chandelier so it will probably “go”.  And yes, I know, some people think it strange to have a dining room as the first room.  We like it.  We’re strange.

Above: Our gorgeous banister and rail!  The builder will stain it to match the wood floors.  The stairs will be carpeted (budget reasons).  That little section of iron is $600!  Was it worth it?  We think so.

Above: We have house numbers and a garage door!

Above: Our can lights and cabinetry.

Above: Huge kitchen.

That’s all I got!

8-3-11 Wednesday (Got A Buck?)

I grew up in New York.  Bayside, Queens to be more exact.  I didn’t grow up around deer, or rabbits.  Not even lizards.  It’s no wonder I’m always so excited to spot wildlife.  Today I stopped by the new house, strolled around the backyard and spotted:

Right in our new backyard.  Then on the way home (to the rental), I spotted this in my rental neighborhood:

Above/Below: Bucks!

I love it.  Anyway, here’s current house photos:

Above: The siding is done!

Above: Kitchen shot from our salesperson.

Above: Our decorative rail is in!

Linoleum (upstairs) is installed, plumbing fixtures are in.  Towel rods and other hardware are complete.  Shelving is done.

I think the remaining items are: stain the banister, carpet, wood floor, electrical fixtures/outlets/switches, and sod/seed/landscape.

Holy crap… almost done! 

I did get 4 boxes packed.  Most of our stuff is still boxed up and stored in one of the guest rooms so I don’t have to deal with many knik-knaks.  If you remember, we saved all of our boxes from our FL to NC move and had them store in the garage:

Above: Image taken from 1-18-10 entry.

Jim and I stopped by the house in the evening so that he could see it.  Sometime since my earlier visit and now, they even managed to get the house numbers up.  Looks fantastic.  I’m sure they’ve done a lot of other stuff inside too.

For Jim’s birthday, his Mom and Morgan sent him a 40th birthday “care package”.  It was a hoot.  40 different items, each with a note attached crammed into a FedEx box.  Things like an adult diaper, denture care products, etc.  I’m sure it was difficult to find 40 products with a story.

7-31-11 Sunday (Pros No More)

It’s end of month and you know what that means?  Absolutely nothing to me… and I love it that way.  There’s nothing to “close out”.  No sale to preclose.  Nothing to slide in on the books.  Nada.  Stress-free.

We made pretty good time packing up the RV and hitting the road.  As usual, I prepared the inside (slide in and strapped, loose objects secured, clean windshield, empty trash, etc) while Jim prepared the outside (pedestal connections, awnings, outdoor furniture). 

When it comes to hooking up the Jeep to the RV, we’re both pros at that.  We have to hook up the auxiliary braking system (Even Brake), put the Jeep into 4 wheel drive neutral, then connect the 2 tow bars, the 2 emergency cables, the emergency brake cable and the power cable for the tail/brake lights.  There’s a lot of responsibility there and luckily we’ve never screwed it up.  Incorrectly hooking this stuff up can be disastrous.  At some point we both double teamed the connections and something was left undone.  OR someone screwed with it when we stopped for lunch.  Most likely we screwed it up.  When we got back to Charlotte, Jim found one of the tow arms barely attached.  The safety pin to secure it wasn’t in place.  The main pin had partially worked itself out.  Luckily the keyword there is partially. 

Jim parked the RV in the driveway and we began our multiple trips of emptying out our clothes, food and other belongings.  I stripped the bed, gathered all the towels.  Blah blah blah.  We were sweaty messes by the time we finished.  We took the RV to the storage place and headed to see how the house was coming along.  We were totally in luck as the back door was left unlocked!  We had just planned to peek in the windows but this was even better.  We were tired and didn’t look at everything closely today but we spotted a few concerns.  The house interior is painted, the cabinets and counters in, bathroom cabinets and counters, interior doors, etc.  Very exciting!

My kitchen photo came out bad.  I’ll take more photos next time.

Above: Out biggest concern right now is the water laying across the driveway.

Above: The porch columns are complete!

Above: The dining room moldings have some issues but in general it’s gorgeous.

Back to work tomorrow.  The house will probably be ready at the end of August so it’s time to start packing and organizing.  Oy.

7-30-11 Saturday (Electronic Bitch)

We met Ryan and Dennis at their hotel today and then went to Tupelo Honey Café for lunch.  Jim and I had been here earlier in the week but thought the boys might enjoy something non-chainish.  I think we all enjoyed our meals and Mega-Mosas.  Mmmmmmm.

Above: Ryan was very busy with his phone.

Above: Ryan continued to be busy with his phone despite his food presence.

Above: Dennis shows off a flower in his hair.

Dennis went back to the hotel for a nap, Jim went to the RV for a nap, while Ryan and I went to the Dillard’s Clearance center.  Yes, I’m well aware I’ve been there 3 times AND that I don’t like to clothes shop.  Oh, the sacrifices I make…  Ryan was thrilled with the low pricing and naturally bought 10 shirts.  Good stuff.

Sometimes a GPS can be down right evil.  We often refer to ours as the “Bitch in the Box”.  Ryan and I plugged in Walmart and set off through a twisty, windy part of town.  We ended up in a residential part of town with no signs of commercial life including a Walmart.  We selected another one and off we went.  Sometimes these things are so wrong I want to throw them out the window.  It gets frustrating.  We did eventually make it there.

Time went by so fast today!  It was evening.  We picked up the boys at their hotel and went into downtown Asheville to catch the last of the festival.  It ends at 10pm, and by going in the evening, we could have dinner, take in the sights, and enjoy the slightly cooler weather.

We spent a while finding a parking spot, then additional time finding a restaurant.  We settled on Ed Boudreaux’s Bayou Bar-B-Que.  Another great meal.  We had an awesome table in front of the window so we were able to do some people watching.

Above: Yes, I look constipated and Dennis looks stoned.

It was approximately 11pm and time to head back.  Tomorrow Dennis and Ryan depart for Atlanta while Jim and I return to Charlotte.

7-29-11 Friday (Hunting)

We didn’t plan it this way but while here, Asheville has it’s Bele Chere Festival

What is Bele Chere?
Bele Chere is a street festival with a wide variety of arts, music, food, beverages,
events, and children’s activities.

How long has Bele Chere been around?
Bele Chere started in 1979 and was located on a whopping three blocks of downtown Asheville. It was the brainstorm of a handful of downtown Asheville merchants and business people with the vision of revitalizing our downtown business district, which was largely abandoned as retail businesses & residents moved to the outskirts. Now, downtown Asheville is home to restaurants, galleries, retail businesses, theatres, art exhibits, and a growing number of residents who call downtown "home."

How many people attend Bele Chere?
Our most recent estimate is about 300,000 to 350,000 people over the three days of the festival.

It’s huge!  The bad thing?  It’s frickin’ hot.  Hot, hot, hot.  Holy crap, it’s hot. 

Right in the heart of it, we went to Mayfel’s for lunch.  We’ve eaten here previously.  They specialize in New Orleans foods.  Tasty.  After lunch we headed back to the RV park but first a small detour to the Dillard’s Clearance center again.  It’s Jim’s birthday today so he gets to pick out any shirt under $3.  OK, that’s half true.  It is his birthday though. 

Onward to the campground for a refreshing dip in the pool.  By now, friends Ryan and Dennis have arrived to Asheville, went white water rafting and are planning to meet us for dinner (Groupon) at Neo Cantina in Biltmore Village.

Above: Jim and his birthday dessert.

We’ll see more of Ryan and Dennis tomorrow.  Next for Jim and I is a walking ghost tour.  A Groupon purchase for Ghost Hunters of Asheville.  It was hot.  Very hot.  Even though the sun went down… it was hot.  Very.  The tour?  Well, interesting but not really sure.  Jim and I were left with mixed emotions.  Here’s some photos I snapped:

Above: She carried a crystal.

Above: Spooky door knocker.

Above: Jim airing out his pits.  It’s hot ya know.  Oh, and that’s a new shirt.

Above: The tour guide.

 

And now, for a ghost photo:

 

 

 

 

Isn’t he cute? 

We met up with Asheville local, April and her boyfriend Anthony.  We went to a hippie bar!  It’s called Vanuatu Kava Bar.  I did partake in some Kava and did get a small buzz.

An excerpt from a new article about the bar:

“Of course, already on the menu is fresh-squeezed kava-kava juice, made from the milled root of Piper methysticum, or the “intoxicating pepper.” The elixir has been used as both a relaxing social beverage and ceremonial libation by tribes throughout the South Pacific for centuries, and is said to have relaxing, euphoric qualities. 

The kava at Vanuatu Kava Bar comes from Vanuatu — thought to have the strongest varieties in the world. The nation’s laws mandate organic growing of all kava as well as a minimum-per-kilo rate that is paid to growers, to ensure fair-trade. Pictures of those who harvest and clean the kava for VKB adorn the walls, involved in various stages of the process, scribbled with “best wishes” and words in Bislama.

Vanuatu Kava Bar strives to be a true nakamal, the Vanuatu word for a place to drink kava, which translates as “place of peace.” Thus, there is no alcohol served, but with the selection of drinks and herbs, there is really no need for it. The space also functions as a gallery for handcrafted tikis and cypress furniture that is available for purchase. “

Here’s the Wiki article about Kava.  Here’s 2 photos:

Above: Jim and April.

Above: April and Garret.

She doesn’t like photos, hence the sunglasses.