And Now for the Fun: Our Many Trips this Year This Year’s Travels—Winter Trips
Unlike our minimal travel in 2014, we have been here, yonder, and back again this year. What a year of travel!
Our travel year began on January 1st, with a quick, New Year’s trip to Winterthur to see the costumes of Downton Abbey. It was stunning.
It seems that our theme this year was to move west with our travels. In February, we started our winter trip by heading to the mountains of North Carolina, and the western portions of South Carolina and Georgia.
Our first stop: Asheville. Since we are both craft beer fans, we headed downtown the first night to Wicked Weed Brewery. In Asheville, we learned, the bitter cold weather does not keep people home—they head right out into it. Downtown was packed, everyone walking from venue to venue. At Wicked Weed, we were surprised how busy it was; in fact, it was so crowded, we went downstairs and worked our way into two seats at the bar. Within minutes, we were in conversation with those around us, and that’s Asheville—warm and friendly. The pace is nice and the people convivial.
Though it was cold, we could not miss a visit to The Biltmore Estate. We took the house tour, of course (and, there they were again: the costumes of Downton Abbey!), yet we spent the most time in the gardens, just wandering. In a climate such as Asheville’s (zone 6B), there is much that is bare, yet winter can be a great time to see the stripped-down bones of a garden, and these are brilliant. Designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, they invite the visitor to wander and want to experience whatever is around the next corner. Underneath the greenhouse, at the end of the rose garden, is a lovely garden shop where I picked up a beautiful fountain featuring St. Francis. It now sits right outside the window where I work, so I enjoy it every day.
After a couple of days just wandering around Asheville, we headed south towards Atlanta. After a day of driving through the mountains, we stopped in Greenville, SC, for the night. Continuing last winter’s trend of cold weather, we woke to an ice storm. Our ride to Atlanta was exquisite—everything covered with ice and sparkling. In Atlanta, which had escaped the worst of the ice storm, we stopped at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, then drove through many of the beautiful, old neighborhoods in close-in Atlanta. Google helped us find Miss Daisy’s house from Driving Miss Daisy—there it was, just as we remembered it in the movie. We braved the strong, cold winds and met old friends for a fun evening out at Henry’s, then headed to a couple of places for drinks. Our hotel was right across from the old Fox Theatreon Peachtree Street. Very comfortable and convenient.
The next morning, waking up to a cold 10F, we headed to Athens, GA, home of the University of Georgia, where we attended the Organic Farming Conference. Athens! Small, lovely, sophisticated—who knew? Excellent restaurants, nightlife, and everyone nods and speaks when they pass by. Such a warm town! One of our classes took place at UGA’s horticulture farm, and my days of horticulture classes at Virginia Tech flooded back—it was great to be back in the university environment and learning, yet again. While at the horticulture farm, we noticed some old windmill palms covered with seeds. “Could we harvest them for our little nursery in North Carolina?” we asked. “Of course, and here’s a pole pruner to help you harvest them.” Everywhere in Athens, there is such warmth and friendliness.
When the conference was over, we reluctantly left Athens and, fleeing the continued cold, thought we’d head to Savannah for some warmth. We drove through the middle of Georgia, which we’d never done, and stopped for lunch in Milledgeville, another old, lovely college town, home of several schools. Once in Savannah, we had our usual dinner at the Crystal Beer Parlor and saw our beloved friend and hostess there, Miss Felicia. The next day, we visited Bonaventure Cemetery, but had to cut our walk short when a hard, cold rain came in. It sure felt warm in Tubby’s, in Thunderbolt, where we stopped for lunch. Thunderbolt is right along the road that leads from Savannah out to Tybee Island. Later that day, we drove up to Beaufort, SC, and stayed at the City Loft, our favorite hotel there.
The cold, rainy, raw weather continued, so, on a whim, we got in the car and headed south again to Florida, trying to find warmth. When we hit Gainesville, home of the University of Florida, finally, finally, the sun came out and it warmed up to 70F. Heat wave! We spent the night in Gainesville, then headed towards Orlando, cautiously hoping for “shorts” weather. From Gainesville, we headed down Route 441, which is a slower route through many of Central Florida’s old towns. We stopped in Micanopy, had lunch, and wandered the shops and town. Back in the car, we headed toward the town where I lived right out of college: Apopka, the “Indoor Foliage Capital of the World”. Back in 1980, when I moved there for my first job, after graduating from Virginia Tech, there were maybe 1500 indoor plant nurseries in the Apopka area. Thus, it was full of young college graduates (many of whom had graduated from VA Tech). Apopka then was a small, country, sleepy town, 20 minutes from the big city of Orlando. Not anymore. It had been 30+ years since I’d been in Apopka, and I couldn’t find anything…there were new freeways, roads, buildings, and many of the old nurseries sat there rotting. Some looked like they just gave up, after having been severely damaged in the hurricanes that Florida experienced a few years ago. But I did find, and visited, the nursery where I had worked. I stopped, said hello, and got to walk around and remember that time in my life. Many of the wonderful old folks I worked with back then are no longer with us; we walked around the old cemetery across from the nursery, found many of their graves and paid our respects. Of all the places I’ve revisited since college, I think Apopka has changed the most—from little town to big city suburb.
On to Orlando. I used to love Orlando. I don’t anymore. It is sprawling and big—to me, just another big city without a great deal of charm. I once knew it well, and it had its own personality, then. Now, its lures are to the west, out I-4: Disney, Epcot, etc. But one jewel within the city is the Harry P. Leu Gardens. Just gorgeous. Very tropical, which felt especially good, at least visually, on yet another blustery, cloudy, raw day in the 50s. And let me tell you: when it is cold in Florida, it is cold. As many of you know, I have lived for a time and visited much of Florida over the years, and there is something about a Florida cold that gets down to your bones. Maybe it’s that the cold is unexpected, or maybe it’s just the humidity down there. Until I experience it again, I always forget how cold it can get sometimes. You really have to go south of Palm Beach to get the really nice, warm, balmy weather in the winter. Even then, that cold can nip you, even in Miami Beach.
On our way back to North Carolina, we stopped to visit and stay with our dear friends who own the Open Gates Bed and Breakfast in Darien, GA. We always eat at Skipper’s Fish Camp, where, as I’ve said before, they have the best damn shrimp and grits I have ever eaten! And awesome collard greens.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Lead Story
Preparing Our Gardens for Winter
This Year’s Travels—Winter Trips
This Year's Travels—Summer Trips
This Year’s Travels—Short Trips
In Closing