Asheville, North Carolina and grandsons

Happy Easter! I hope that you and yours are having a truly blessed day. I know holidays can be hectic, but my prayer is that you will find His peace that passes all understanding today and every day.

The Lord has risen, He has risen indeed!

This past week has been so good for my soul, crazy and very tiring. Tara and the boys arrived Monday and it has been nonstop action since then. It was a lot of fun, and I am such a proud grandma. These boys (and our oldest) are amazing. Hubby got almost 14,000 steps in on Tuesday alone. We started off with a "Big Breakfast" Tuesday morning. The menu included: scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, fruit, biscuits, cinnamon rolls and pancakes. These growing boys had a feast that they loved. Of course, for dinner it was Taco Tuesday, along with homemade salsa, guacamole and quesadillas. 

Blueberries, strawberries and pineapple. I like the way they turned out.

Hubby caught Charley and I cooking. 

Charley held down the bacon station.

Three out of four playing basketball. These boys

 make friends wherever they go.

Wednesday, we had an Easter egg hunt and they decorated cookies. They still hunt for eggs because of what is inside. Each one had an egg with their names on it and they could only choose their name. If they found one of the other eggs, they had to not say anything and move on. We also made it out to the Pinball Museum. Of course, I had to explain what pinball was, but once they got inside, they had a blast. Charley even bought a Lava Lamp. How retro are we? 

Charley

Cody

Cameron

Chase

But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those 

who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children, Psalm 103:17

I love my grandson(s) not only for who he (they) is, but for whom I am with him (them). 

Proud Happy Mama.

Fun fact: from the early 1940's until the mid 1970's in most of America's big cities pinball was illegal. Many believe pinball was a game of chance, not skill, and so it was a form of gambling. The game was robbing schoolchildren of lunch because their parents have given them nickels and dimes for food but they were playing pinball instead. 

This happened a few years after prohibition had ended (1920-1933).

Thursday, Tara and I were able to spend some time together exploring Black Mountain. It was nice to have some girl time and hubby was great at keeping the boys entertained and fed. After we came back hubby and I took the boys to see "Dungeon and Dragons" movie. Tim recommended it and even though I have never played I enjoyed the movie. The boys thought it had a slow start but then really got into it.

I had asked Chase to move closer to Charley so we could see the words. 

Hubby took the picture while Chase needed to see the words I was talking about.

Friday was a rainy day, but I didn't mind. We all crammed into the living room in the rig and binged-watched season three of The Mandalorian. I love making these memories with the boys. I am a huge fan of "Baby Yoda" (I know that isn't his name) and hubby even bought me a plush toy of him. He sits proudly upon our bed. 

Mando and Grogu.

Saturday was also a nice day, well, except for all the rain. We met up with Tara and the boys for lunch and then they headed for home. We went to The Social to eat but they also have pool tables and I thought it would be fun for them to play pool. They had two tables there. Tara, Cameron and Chase were on one and Cody, Charley and I were at the other one. They had never played before; Tara and I have. "Keeping it real", I haven't played in a long time, neither had Tara, so we not only had to remember ourselves how to play, but also teach them. I just really love making memories with them. It was hard to watch them leave, but I can't wait to see them again. 

Charley making his shot.

Cody making his shot.

Cameron and Chase watching Tara making her shot.

Just had to get a photo with this mannequin and the boys.

Our gang. Not sure why Cody is making that face - LOL.

Some interesting history about Asheville, North Carolina. Before the Europeans arrived in what is now North Carolina, the land around Asheville was a part of the Cherokee nation. After the American Revolution, Colonel Samuel Davidson and his family received a land grant from the state of North Carolina to settle in the Swannanoa Valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains. This early settlement in 1785 paved the way for the future of what would become the city of Asheville. In 1792, Buncombe County was established with a city called "Morristown" as its county seat. In 1797, that city was renamed Asheville after North Carolina Governor Samuel Ashe.

Governor Ashe

As a city in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville was an outpost in 1797. Frontiersmen such as Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett traveled through in the early days. Asheville primarily served as a crossroads of Indian trails on a plateau surrounded by mountains and rivers on all sides.
 
When the railroad arrived in the area in 1880, it transformed Asheville and Buncombe County into a resort and therapeutic health center. Asheville became a hub for visitors searching for a mountain escape, its population climbing to 10,000 permanent residents in 1890.
 
Among the most notable, George W. Vanderbilt came to Asheville in the late 1880s and purchased 120,000 acres to build a grand estate: Biltmore. The endeavor took six years to complete. 
 
Asheville rose as a hub in Western North Carolina. The city moved its public library into a beautiful new building and constructed a brand-new courthouse. 

The Library

The Courthouse

But when the stock market crashed, Asheville was hit hard. With so much bonded debt to pay for new construction in the "Roaring Twenties," Asheville had no money to invest in urban renewal projects that were so popular in other cities following the crash. While growth slowed in Asheville, the difficult times helped preserve the city's historic architecture. The magnificent buildings built during the boom years were spared as a result of Asheville's commitment to repay its debt. This is why Asheville remains a snapshot of what an American boomtown looked like during the turn of the century. 
 
The moon was so full this past week and I was able to get a picture before the rainy days. Hope you enjoy God's handiwork.

What a moon!

On the next blog I will have pictures of The Biltmore and our friends Art and Caroline. They arrive tomorrow and I am so excited to see them. The last time we saw them was a year ago.

 

If there is something special you would like me to take a picture of, please let me know!
 
Drop a comment for me and let me know your thoughts on the blog.
 
God, the RV & me...