Starting last summer, we contemplated all sorts of ways to spend winter break.
We considered reconstructing part of our COVID-cancelled summer trip of 2020 to Portugal and Spain. After shopping for plane tickets, which are about three times the price around Christmastime, and fearing testing positive and not being able to come home on time, we bagged that idea.
We thought about joining some friends on their trip to Puerto Rico. Being a US territory, we wouldn’t have to fear a quarantine. Our friends had points to use at a resort, so they could stay for free. We did not. Plus, I’m not really a resort kind of person. I found a cute little cottage a mile down the beach from the resort, but I just couldn’t justify the price of plane tickets. They, too, were about three times the price they normally would be – plus, to get a remotely affordable ticket, you would have to fly around your elbow to get to your…you know.
We then thought about joining some other friends on their ski trip. No snow + Edwin not being a fan of skiing = never mind.
So, here we are, cozy as can be at Chris’s parents’ lake house in Brevard, NC. They had been searching around for a place all last spring and summer and finally found their spot in late August. It’s a charming three-bedroom on a small lake in a mountain community. We have spent the last three days playing games, reading books, hiking and browsing the shops in Brevard. We drove the 45 minutes to Asheville yesterday and wandered the streets, stopping in a brewery (I highly recommend Burial – some of the best IPA I’ve had yet), browsing the art galleries in the River Arts district, and ducking in and out of shops. The kids were impressed by Asheville, and Edwin said he could see himself living here. I guess it has the right balance of art, progressive sentiment, and respectable coffee shops (now that he’s getting his barista training, his standards have risen).
I’ve finished two books and taken a nap the past two days. I think we chose well.
My Corner of the Village 