Happy New Year from the Inn on Church

To Heather "Inga" (I still say, "You did it."), Isaac Newton, "What goes up must boogie down" and the ensemble cast, to Aaron from LA and Sally returning from St Augustine, to Russ and Rita from Nashville and all the others gathering at the Inn on Church from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and all corners of the world; our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to each of you and to the Inn on Church for making more than 200 people feel like the guests of honor at their New Years Eve Celebration 2012. A Special Occasion, is like love, like music, it cannot be described, it must be felt, it must be experienced, like a song, it must be sung;

 

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And days of auld lang syne!

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

Suddenly a Spell was cast ... Who dunnit, where and how?
Questions, there were many....

 Interrogations were abound....

Between the food and drink and myrth, the plot and ploys were found

But just like that, once the ballots were cast...
The Mystery was solved!
The Cast and Crew shared a sip or two
And Our Happy New Year resolved

From the moment we entered the Inn we were transported to the 5th Dimension of a Who Dunit Mystery Theater. Surrounded by Disco Diva's and Travolta Tryhards, the actors immersed themselves into the crowd and created an aura of drama in which each of us played a part. The food, the service, the theater, simply a blend of ingredients the culmination of which was a happening far beyond what one might try to dissect into mere morsels. Yes, the cuisine was extraordinary and so to the chefs whose knowing hands and hearts created it, Bravo! And to those who served us with such wizardry and patience that our every need was measured, every whim anticipated and exceeded. You gave us your holiday in order that we might have ours, Bravo! To the entertainers who charmed and disarmed us, confused and bemused us, Bravo, Bravo! To the entrepreneurs and our gracious hosts, Stephanie and Joe, for creating an event, within a place, within a dream that they shared and brought with them to Hendersonville to make it all come true for us tonight, Bravo...Bravo...Bravo!!! That was the New Years Celebration at the Inn on Church Street. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 ....... it is 2012!
Time to make your resolutions and your reservations for the next New Years Eve at the Inn on Church in Hendersonville.

Inn on Church

Where can we sit down to a gourmet meal in a rustic inn setting with cheerful, entertaining and informative service? Welcome to the Inn on Church. We will be returning for the Murder Mystery Dinner to welcome in New Years Eve but we could not resist the charm of our celebrity waiter who invited us to lunch. He hails from LA and even though he implores that one can get a good meal in Vegas, the Inn on Church is a much safer bet. And of course we agree. Our luncheon was Divine.

And although we only live a few blocks away we are already contemplating an over night stay in order to savor the full Inn on Church Guest Experience.

Peace at Hand - Devoted to Peace of Mind, Body and Soul.

We found a great gift shop where 191 intersects with 25. When passing by you will see a cute little cottage and on closer inspection it is a beautiful little space with a bridge crossing a meandering stream and a waterfall setting within the manicured lawn.

Peace at Hand was created with Loving Care. They carry a variety of "smell goods" including high quality candles and bead scents as well as smooth stone mini sculptures like these beautiful eggs and glass apples. If you are looking for a gift for your wife you will surely find something here. In addition I found a great old fashioned shaving mug with brush which Tess scooped up for me. I love it!

Transition Hendersonville - Black Bear Coffee Company Cafe

God Created Heaven and Earth. It is our responsibility to honor, protect and preserve it.

A community that speaks, a community that listens, a community that shares it's concerns and a community that cares about solutions. Simon and Garfunkel once sang "They've all come to look for America" and tonight I felt that I found it, the heart of America, right here.

Just a few decades ago at the corner of McDougle and Bleeker NYC. The Cafe Wha?, The Gaslight and The Bitter End, The Village Voice of a generation honored peace, love, happiness and hope for equality in a better and stronger America. A generation that believed In God We Trust as well as the power of human compassion and kindness. That power is still believed and still generated by those who come together to share it with others at the Black Bear Coffee Co Espresso Bar and Cafe. Tonight was a very special night for us. The food, delicious, the coffee, sublime, but the positive energy of all the people participating in Transition Hendersonville felt like the convergence of the optimism and idealism that fueled my youth and gave direction and purpose to my life. It is so good to know in my sixties, that the best of the 60's still survives and thrives in sacred corners of our world. Conservation: To preserve and conserve our environment so that our children and our children's children can breathe clean air and drink clean water. Tonight, through the poetry of words and music, that idealism is still alive and well. Tonight, there were many village voices, each equally earnest and articulate in their message. Yet tonight, one voice seemed to capture the essence of the evening. She sang with the voice of an angel still timid with her wings still untested yet yearning and compelled to fly. As the evening progressed her voice grew stronger but it's message remained pure and true. Age has it's privileges. My years allow me to look back. I can say I was there when the Beatles first took the stage at the Ed Sullivan Theater. I was there when James Taylor introduced a rather stage awkward songwriter Carole King and someday I will say I was there when Sarah sang out her heart to us at the Black Bear Coffee Cafe. Her lyrics floated on a soft melodic stream of conscience that captured and revealed her observations and feelings in those most meaningful moments of her life. Her insights were pointedly mature and congealed in a unique series of chords and harmonies that drew in my attention and made me want to stay and hear more. She captivated her audience this evening and I believe this is only the beginning of a meaningful career.

Truth is both relative and absolute, temporal and eternal. The artist, the poet, the musician all seem to somehow feel the truth deeper than the rest of us. They seem to know the truth truer than the rest of us and in their moment of inspiration they capture the truth and try show it to the rest of us who are open and willing will see. Tonight I was listening and I say thank you. Thank you to Diane and the others who fostered Transition Hendersonville, thank you to the scientists who study, the environmentalists who preserve, the artists who capture and communicate. And Thank you to The Black Bear for being such gracious hosts. Much more than a coffee house, you are a family and a coffee home.

Hop over to the Rabbit

If you insist on cooking then you must insist on cooking with the best and if you insist on the Best then you will find it at The Rabbit & Company on 4th Avenue 828-692-6100 in Hendersonville. Eating is a pleasure because cooking is an art and after after starting the fire the culinary arts begin with the finest design and quality in cookware and kitchen essentails. Now granted you can find 'kitchen stuff' hanging on the grocery shelf but you won't find Le Creuset unless you go to William Sonoma.... no sorry I'm wrong again. You can find Lecreust at Rabbit and Company right here in Hendersonville.

 The lovely, knowledge, helpful and most charming Katy Kistler will guide you through the maze of culinary concoctions and make you feel like You are the Galloping Gormet, Julia Childs and Rachel Ray.

From Cussinart to cutting boards and cutlery to cake pans, Rabbit has exactly what you need and want to make your house a home and your kitchen your castle.

Katy will help you find your inner Emril and put the Bam back into your Holiday cooking spirit.

Tess and I have found that "just what we were looking for" experience at the Rabbit and you will too!
So here's the 'pun'ch line:

Hop on over to Rabbit today

and

Catch the Rabbit for yourself

before she hops away!

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Breakfast with Mr. Mustard

I am the Eggman, we are the Eggmen, I am the Walrus Coo Coo Ca Ju, Coo Coo Ca Ju. This morning we had breakfast at Mean Mr. Mustard's Cafe and Oh what a breakfast it was. Creative and Delicious! A tasteful, lyrical experience for mind, body, heart and soul, "I want to Tell You" that Mr. Mustard's Cafe is a "Magical Mystery Tour" of sight sound and taste sensation created by the collaborative genius of Monte and Diane Rosemond.

I had the Eggs Abraham and "I Will" venture to guess that Mr. Lincoln would be proud to honor this dish as a Declaration of Independence from your every day breakfast fare.

I was born to love the Beatles. Of course I didn't know that until 1963 when "I Want to Hold Your Hand" became our generations warmest romantic gesture and "She Loves You" was the answer to my adolescent prayers. I remember laying awake at night listening to the AM Radio until Cousin Brucie finally played something by this new British Group as he rotated through the top 40. Submarine race watching from the Swingin' Soiree with Murray the K took a nose dive when Ed Sullivan introduced these fine young lads from Liverpool.

 I was there!!! My Dad (Mr. Peter Martin Tintle, henceforth Super Dad) worked for NBC and got tickets. I sat somewhere in the  10th row of the theater thinking... I'm sure all these girls aren't going to start screaming (like news clips I had seen). Boy was I wrong about that. Pandemonium broke loose just like we were shooting a scene in a "Hard Days Night". The Beatles provided the soundtrack for our generation. My friend 'Winkee' and I started a band. I bought a guitar from a pawn shop on Canal Street in the city. We learned the 'chords' and practiced til we had "blisters on our fingers", looked for a 'drummer' a 'base' and someone to play 'lead'. I emerged one day after wrestling practice where the shower had flattened my hair across my forehead and down to my ears, some girl took notice and I never used Brylcreem again! John, Paul, George and Ringo were the first and probably only "group" I ever knew by individual names and I came to realize how universal the impact was when, decades later, I heard Chis Rock declare "I wanted to Be a Beatle". That really was it in a nutshell. It wasn't just the songs or even the music... it was them! All of us wanted to Be The Beatles!
So if you want to dine on Great Food, with Great (treat you like a rock star) Service in the presence of the Greatest Band of All Time, "Baby You Can Drive My Car" to where the Beatle reunion begins
with "Good Day Sunshine" every morning at 7am, you can "Come Together" right now and  "Get Back" to where you once belonged with a "Little Help from Your Friends" and "Strawberry (jam) Fields Forever" at Mr. Mustard's Cafe on "Penny Lane" and 4th Avenue off Main St. in Hendersonville. "All You Need is Love!"

The Little Church with the Big Heart

One thing leads to another. That was the "One Great Truth" that one of my teachers shared with us many years ago and as it has revealed itself to me over and over... it is so true. Whether things happen for a reason or reason provides meaning to things that happen we may never know. Whether it is the Blind Watchmaker or the All Knowing Watchmaker who defines our path, we are still but mortal seekers. Between our own beginning and our own end there is the mystery, pain and joy of the middle we experience and shape. Each of us prays for guidance in our own way as we stumble through. Thank you for exploring life and sharing a portion of yours with us and for shedding light in little dark corners (to accept people where they are).

So to all the little things that lead us to having our dinner together last night, I say Thank You! Thank you for allowing us to explore the mystery honestly and openly. For not setting or abiding by superficial boundaries and artificial pomp and protocol. Thank you for being genuine, tangible and real.

I just love your enthusiasm and your spontaneous expression thereof, it brings such happiness and means the world to me. Tess came to life in your presence last night and I can't tell you how thrilled I was when I heard her showing you around our home. It was a small thing but it was a very special and unique experience.

I am so very happy that all the little events leading us into the church, your church, brought us to this point and I want us to continue to develop our friendship. Your message, Richard and Janet, is vital and important to us and to the community. The honesty of the words you speak, the pictures you take, your Open and Affirming Kindness, your example is what is real and valuable to us. Your partnership with each other, the love you create and share with each other, your two children and your Poodle, these are all the good things. These are the things that make yours, The Little Church with the Big Heart. We are grateful to be a part of it and want to be with you and support you in keeping it true.

Bright Water Stained Glass Works of Art

Why don't churchs have clear panel, double hung, triple track low e thermal coated windows? It is not because they do not respect the environment no, it is because they cherish and choose to enhance it. 

Stained glass is a work of art. The creation of stained glass artwork dates back to  300 AD and gained momentum in it's application through the Gothic, Medieval and Renaissance periods where great cathedrals were built with grandeur worthy of claiming to be God's House. Artisans throughout the ages were commisioned to create these magnificent works of art that have been protected and cherished by their peoples as icons of their countries culture, history and heritage.

 Today few such dedicated artisans survive in a video game and Styrofoam culture. Yet they can flourish in our community where our people recognize, respect and have the opportunity to cherish these works of art in their own home. I am not really sure what drives an artist to labor so long and hard to bring works of beauty into this disposable world fully knowing that theirs is first and foremost a labor of love. That the love they put into the measured, cut and sculpted pieces of glass that gradually coalece into a mosaic of deeper meaning may somehow communicate that love and that meaning to another human being. That in that one instant when the love that the artist has put into the object leaps out and across to touch another persons heart. That is the moment that transcends the ages from the caves to the Romans to our electronic age. Art is the adhesive of our human bond and maybe being a part of that is ultimately the only reward needed.