Jongo Java and Happy Trails to You

 

 

Nothing says Good Morning! like that first cup of coffee. And no-one blends that perfect brew quite as nicely as Jamie and Dan at Jongo Java.

 

 Jonga Java is the culmination of Labor, Life, Love and Art. Coffees, Conversations, Sweet Confections
and Artistic Inspirations.
Everything is Local, Everything is Fresh, Everything is made with Love and is Downright Delicious!

At the corner of First and Main, Dan and Jamie share a space that helps make Hendersonville a cultural, epicurian delight and destination. Surrounded by the Downtown Flat Rock Theater, the brand new Square Root Restaurant of Brevard, West First Wood Fired Pizza and Never Blue Tapas Bar and Grill.

First and Main is Hendersonville's Welcome Home.

This has been a special week in Hendersonville for Pete and Tess and our out of town family guest. The sun is shining, the air is crisp and clear and my sister Linda visited us for the first time in Hendersonville traveling all this way from New Jersey and giving me the chance to show her just a few of the One Thousand Reasons I Love Hendersonville. So much to do and so little time.... I wanted to show her everything.
Start with Breakfast at Mikes on Main, ride the Oklawaha Greenway and the Swamp Rabbit Trail. I hope she will return some day to ride the much anticipated Ecusta Trail.

 

 

 

Visiting with the animals at Johnsons Farm,

 

 

 

 

dining at Sol Y Luna, West First and Lime Leaf to name a few, ending the evenings ...

viewing beautiful sunsets at Jump Off Rock

 

 

and making silly little dogs feel special.

 

The week was filled with precious memories of people and places and things we shared. Dolce will miss you Linda and your family in Hendersonville too. Enjoy the "Big Apple" but Please come back soon!

To Hike, Bike or Trike... That is the Question???

This has been quite a week. It actually began when I decided it was time to get a summer grade of hiking shoes. I went to Mast General where I found a great pair of Merrell's with the help of the Expert Staff @ Mast.  
Later I brought my bike into Sycamore Cycles at the corner of Third and King for a tune up and long story short I rode home on a new Specialized Hybrid. Monday I rode with the Sycamore Cycles sponsored 20 mile ride and my investment paid off with a much faster street roll than I was able to get on my Trek mountain bike.

I really wanted to get Tess back on her bike so we could share some of these adventures but, after a 30 year hiatus, "it's just like getting back on your bike again" wasn't working out too smoothly. While venturing the bike trail in Brevard someone streamed by on a low slung three wheeled silver bullet, an epiphany emerged... maybe that could be the solution to all that was held in the balance (or lack thereof).
In the days that followed we discovered the world of TerraTrikes. 


A new breed of biking that I believe will soon be taking the world by storm. It certainly stirred up ours. We made an appointment to check out this unusual vehicle just a few miles down highway 25 in Greenville. Tandem, Touring and Recumbent Bikes or TTR to their friends and they have many!



Terra Trike is a company in Grand Rapids Michigan that is putting a new crunch in Bike Crispies. Like playing the dating game they added the third wheel making their Tadpole Trike and its' driver the perfect couple. Tess and I met with owner Nathaniel and Techspert Mark to test drive the Rover. They were extremely knowledgeable, helpful and generous with their time and talents. Nathaniel encouraged us to take the Rover out on the Swamp Rabbit Trail and try her out. Tess and I were "sold" within minutes. All of the anxieties of balance and control were eradicated as soon and she took her seat at the controls and began pedaling. The Rover is nothing but sheer pleasure. The three wheeled "Tadpole" design (Two wheeled front, Single drive wheel behind) is smooth and steady with nothing for the driver to do but sit back, relax, pedal, steer and enjoy the scenery. We rode 7 miles that first day and 10 the next without a hint of anxiety or fatigue. We would have been happy with the Rover but opted for the sportier Tour II with 24 
speeds, disk brakes, linkage steering and a super comfortable adjustable reclining drivers seat. This experience has suddenly and dramatically changed our lives. The daunting and somewhat discouraging task of relearning to ride a two wheeler is over. Now we are excited about our weekend and holiday adventures looking forward to riding all of the Rails to Trails we can find and now, thanks to Terra Trike, we can do it together!

Jump Off Rock - A Leap of Faith

The late afternoon sun played hide and seek behind an obliging team of thick clouds. It could even rain again, or maybe not. It was just that kind of day. It's been several months since I've ridden to the top of Jump Off. I always love that ride because it has a defined beginning and and very well defined end. You can almost hear the ratchet of the straining chains as you inch up winding hills like the aged coaster at Palisades Park as it escorts it's pensive patrons to the pinnacle overlooking the Hudson. In this case the pinnacle is the highest peak for miles with views that challenge the minds eye to seeing beyond the village centers below to perhaps the very dawn of civilization. Within that eternity, one visitor shared with us her story behind the legend of Jump Off Rock. The American Native  Ingénue  having lost her love to the insanity of war chose to end her life in a fatal leap of faith from a ledge from which she felt she could envision heaven. 

 For those of us who yearn to 

capture these images of splendor so that somehow we can keep them, it's our awareness of the transient nature of our fragile lives, the novelty of our digital canvas to isolate and preserve each moment with a click and our leap of faith to be there in the moment.

Art Loeb Trail - First Trip

After Lauren and Sam camped out in the Shining Rock Wilderness  Area I decided I needed to learn about it myself. So I ventured out to Black Balsam Knob Road, Canton, NC (you can insert that into Google Maps to Find and Navigate there) and 45 minutes later I was venturing onto the Art Loeb Trail. 

The initial climb is a little steep and very rocky but not really too strenuous and it quickly brings you to some beautiful 360 degree panoramic views. Although in the heart of Pisgah Forest and minutes off the Blue Ridge Parkway, the scenery made me feel like I was somewhere in rolling hills of Loch Lomond. You are never really in a forest but rather traversing a series of grassy hills and rock faced knobs and outcroppings high stepping in a rutted trail that is often 12 to 16 inches deep. 

The wind was strong and steady and a nippy chill in the air that had not been the case when I left home less than an hour ago.

I met this hearty couple who were here to celebrate their  anniversary. Although I don't know how many years they have shared, I know that this anniversary, in the majestic beauty of these hills, is golden.
I stopped by Looking Glass Falls on the way home. All in All a very Glorious Day and all less than an hour away!

More Pictures>>>

Wilhelmina's Tail - Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area

We are fast becoming regulars at this eating establishment we've created mid way out on the Pinnacle Pass Trail. This time we arrived via a whole new route. I dropped my car at the foot of Oil Creek Camp Road and we drove back to Jones Gap. The result was a 7.5 mile one way trek with Brats and a Craft Brew from Marble Brewery in Santa Fe New Mexico.

Along the way we met some very nice folks with an extra special dog. An Australian Shepherd named Wilhelmina. Not only a trusted companion and trail blazer, but a true rescue dog as well. It seems that mans best friend had been cast aside in her early life and had taken refuge deep under a wood framed porch in an abandoned house. She had fashioned herself a home of sorts and was prone to keeping her privacy. A persistent protector tried to coax her out with fresh food and water but she was a bit gun shy and nipped at his advances. Time and dedication won out and the "little mean dog" eventually worked her way back into civil society and into the hearts of her new companions. Her name evolved from "little mean dog" to Wilhelmina, from whence she honors her earlier days. 

The flora and fauna were abundant during this very early spring weekend of April 1st and if we waited a week we might have missed the best part of this years display.

As it turns out I got home in time to run down to Hannah's for an order of Fish & Chips where this spry young lassie reminded me that I was an April Fool in deed.

West First Wood Fired Pizza

Last night we thought we would go downtown to Hannah's for a wee bit of the blarney on St. Patrick's Day in Hendersonville. The streets are under renovation and the parking situation is a wee bit more difficult these days so by the time we found a spot we were down to 1st Avenue. 

We were long past Hannah's and several other fine dining establishments so we decided to pop in to West First Wood Fired Pizza. 

We have dined at West First several times with friends and family, we always enjoy it and tonight was another great experience due in large part to our super energetic, engaging and "Alarm"-ing hostess Marla. Alarm, as she explained it, is Marla rearranged. Marla was so entertaining, amusing and informative we gladly returned our beeper when our table was free, to have our dinner served at the bar.
I would describe West First as uptown urban chic in decor and atmosphere with a selection of incredible brick oven baked Italian dishes. One of my all time favorites is their Vegetarian ultra thin and crispy Pizza with Pistachio nuts and their Eggplant  Parmigiana – in herbed house bread crumbs with scratch marinara & mozzarella cheese atop fresh fettucini,  but tonight I returned to the Cheese Pizza with crushed tomato sauce & mozzarella. and house-made Italian sausage, while Tess got the House Salad – roasted pistachios, sundried cherries, local goat cheese, & house balsamic vinaigrette on organic mixed greens.
I asked Marla what she recommend to compliment a Baileys Irish Creme and she suggested a delicious craft brew of Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout. Mixing the two in your mouth created a flavor sensation reminiscent of the chocolate egg creme of yesteryear with a wee bit of Hop!

Jones Gap - The Bratwurst Experience @ Shock Top Ridge

This rock faced view point is very similar in terrain and view to Drawbar but it's in a different part of the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area. We started in Jones Gap State Park, spent time on John Sloan and Pinnacle Pass Trail to this!

The View is Worth the Climb! That is the basic mantra behind every weekend hiking excursion. If you want a little adventure It would be so much easier just to watch Nat Geo but a better idea is to get up and go; so we do.

There is something about gathering the wood, breaking and arranging into a campfire pyramid and coaxing the initial sparks into a roaring flame that soothes the primal instincts. And then there is the ice cold Shock Top beer, the piping hot Johnsonville Brats, set against the rush of the stream, the roar of the wind and the heat of the sun in our face.
You can't get all this with a Remote!

<More Pictures>

Melody Makes Things Happen - Two Guys Pizza and Ribs

We started out at Southern Appalachian Brewery a great place on Locust Street. Our intention was to have a beer, talk a bit and head on home early... But.....
John was hungry, Phil had not eaten since two PM and I've never been known to turn down a pizza (topping) so when it came up for suggestions I mentioned Two Guys Pizza & Ribs and off we went like 3 of the 13 Rebels. John and I are Jersey Boys who grew up on New York Pizza, in fact John has traveled the world including three trips to Italy and Sicily in his repertoire. With all that gourmet worldly knowledge he gives 2 Guys in Hendersonville a Big Thumbs Up for quality food and service.
The place was jam packed with people and buzzing with excitement. Yet despite the crowd and high energy Melody, Mandy, Raf and John greeted us and treated us like special guests. This is the Beauty and this is the Magic of 2 Guys Pizza and Ribs on Church Street downtown Hendersonville NC. They Love what they Do and they Love You! We played a quick round of air hockey and mini basket ball in their Game Room and while I was shooting hoops a father treated his little girl to Skee Ball. 2 Guys is a Family Place that treats you like you're part of the Family.
Despite my best intentions to keep my camera in my pocket we started having so much fun I just had to capture a few memories. With many thanks to a very charming lady, Tiffany at Morning Glory Productions, who not only offered to take our picture, she had the presence of mind to adjust the camera setting so we could see, we have a few Flash Photos to preserve the evening. My personal thanks to JoLynn, John and Phil for being so kind to fill the evening with their wit and wisdom and to Melody for Making All Good Things Happen at 2 Guys!

Next Week 2 Guys will feature headliner Raf's Rock, Roll, Rhythm and Blues Band!

George and Ruth

Love is a wonderful experience when shared and expressed in so many ways and for so many years. I have the pleasure of working with two very dear and special people who recently celebrated their marriage of 50 Years. With so many years and so many memories what can someone do to make your loved ones birthday special? George began Ruth's birthday project over a year ago, carving this incredibly beautiful bird.
This finely detailed creature has just landed on the branch to guard his precious cargo. George brought his Cardinal to life sculpting each nuance with dedication, devotion, determination and love. The winged father has just landed and is still poised with tail feathers spread to cushion his landing. George has captured the heart of his subject and crafted the image with the hands of true artistry. He did it with love and more importantly, he did it for love so to this I add my own Happy Birthday Dear Ruth and thank you for your inspiration.

Wright's Hearth Heat and Home

It's the very things you take for granted that make for a happy home and our gas fireplace is one of them. We have grown accustomed to flipping a wall switch and enjoying instant Heat & Glo from our gas log fire place and so Saturday night when it failed to light... "Hendersonville, we've got a problem."
I searched Google and called Wrights Hearth Heat and Home and they had me at "Hello". The receptionist greeted me and understood my concerns immediately. She transferred me to service, he diagnosed the problem in seconds and set up a service call. This morning Levi arrived at 8:30 AM as scheduled. After a warm greeting by our sentinel Shih Tzu, Dolce, he set out is protective drop cloth, opened his tools, diagnosed and fixed the problem within minutes. This video is a part where Levi fixed a problem that I, in my DYI mode had created the night before.

I took the logs out in an effort to investigate and solve the problem but, in point of fact, I made it worse. Patience is a virtue which at times I do not have.
Ultimately Levi was able to make a call and have the entire fireplace cleaned and reassembled and working better that we have ever known in a few short minutes.
I highly recommend Wrights Hearth Heat and Home and look forward to keeping our home safe and warm, with their service, in the future. Wright's is a Family Business in the truest and best sense of the word. Mr. Wright started the business 20 years ago, he was joined by his sons and they literally know the business from the ground up or from the Chimney Top down in this case. They are Knowledgeable and Honest and look for ways to help you save money. If you want to get the job done... Get it done Wright!

Carl Sandburg - First Run

I decided to start running up the hill. I thought about last years first annual Oktoberfest when I rode my bike as and escort. I still don't think I'll want to run the 5K but if I run the Carl Sandburg I can complete the workout faster and burn as many calories in the process.

Well the computer doesn't quite agree and neither would Dolce. He thinks we should just do it for fun....
Good Idea!