Down the New

Molly and I drove up to West Jefferson N.C. a couple of weekends ago to paddle down the New River. We had planned to kayak but they were booked up for kayaks so we paddled a canoe instead. The weather was very nice and not too hot, the scenery was fantastic as usual and the only down side to the whole trip was some sore shoulders and backs after our 10 miles of river. Afterward we headed just down the road to West Jefferson and had an ice cream cone, then it was back to Charlotte. If you're ever in the mood to paddle anything between 5 miles and a several day 40 mile trip give the people at Zaloo's Canoes a call.

To My One And Only Sweet Thang...

I love you babe! Happy Birthday!!!

Remember summer?

Remember playing in these on hot days like today when you were a kid? Between sprinklers, pools and water balloons I'm surprised I was ever dry as a kid!

Sumer Garden

This year we planted a summer garden. I haven't done any gardening since I was 10 years old or younger with my friend Mr. Townsend who lived behind us in the house I grew up in. So I must say that the joy of seeing our garden grow and the disappointment when something dies was a little unexpected. I find myself getting excited every time I find a cucumber even if I've already found three that day! So without further ado here are how things are looking at the moment.

We have been eating cucumbers almost daily and we make it a point not to throw any away so we are constantly looking for new recipes with cucumbers. (I think some of these pictures are funny because the vegetables look huge!)

The beginning of our Ichabod Eggplants. We can't wait for these to be ready to eat. I don't think it will be too much longer because I took this picture yesterday and this morning they are twice as big!

The Bell peppers are mere days away. These will find their way into a lot of suppers on our table as well as salsa that Molly is planning on making once a few other ingredients are ready.

Jalapenos! (for that spicy salsa)

Here is a look at some of our tomatoes. (nevermind the weeds)
Not sure if you can tell but one of the tomato plants is out of control!

From that out of control plant... These are Heirloom Sun Gold tomatoes. They stay small like a cheery tomato and the taste is like no other tomato I've ever put in my mouth!! Seriously! I never knew a tomato could have such a complex and wonderful taste!

I'll be honest, I don't remember what kind these are but I'm sure they'll be very good as well.

I love this picture of our little Roma tomatoes because it looks like they are wearing sombreros! I think it's very cool to see the different vegetables start to take their different shapes.

We also have a little bit of corn and some zucchini. I think the corn will do okay but we are struggling a little with the zucchini and I'm not sure why. More updates as things ripen and I'm sure Molly will have updates as things hit the table and the pans!

Asheville Beer Tour

While Molly and I were in Asheville a couple of weeks ago we made it a point to find and try some of the city's local craft beer. We were not disappointed! We looked several up before we went and stumbled upon one by surprise...Asheville is on par with Portland, OR when it comes to micro brews and home brewing. We found out while we were enjoying a glass that Asheville has tied Portland for several years and just beat them out this past year in online poles and as well as a few other points that I can't seem to recall right now... (it has nothing to do with the beer)

Lexington Avenue Brewery
First up we tried the Chocolate Stout & the Belgian White Ale

This place was real cool, they had covered outdoor seating that had glass garage doors that could be lowered for bad weather or in the colder months.

This is a good picture of the outdoor area

Jack of the Wood/Green Man Brewery
We ate dinner here and it was very good! (Check Molly's blog to see more)
I had their Porter & their seasonal IPA

The Wedge Brewery was actually the first place we stopped. We found this by accident while roaming around the galleries in the river arts district. And I think we liked this one the best!

The wall reads "He who works with his hands, head, and heart is an artist."

Molly's fantastic Witbier and my 9.0% Golem which is a Belgian strong golden ale.

The owners wife maned the taps for us

The building was once a storehouse for food and where the brewery is now was once used to store slaughtered hogs! Most of the River Arts District looks similar to this. It is great that people are taking these old buildings and putting them to noble use again and with all the artist and creativity in the area there is detail everywhere once you get up close and look!

If you find yourself in the Asheville area don't just stay on the interstate or only go to the Biltmore, check out all the cool stuff they have going on around town and have a pint!

2 wheels bring people together...

Starting in April there was a bike night of sorts that gathers once a month at the Grapevine in Fort Mill, SC. Molly and I have not been able to go because of other things going on but last night we had the chance to ride down and check it out. Several people from the "Queen City Aces" club were there but the weather pushed most to drive their cars.
We left about 5:30 with the clouds getting darker and darker and just as we pulled onto I-485 it came down. Thankfully we were out of it in just a minute or two and tried to stay in front of it. We were in luck until we headed south on I-77 then it came down again this time it brought the wind with it! We made it down to the Grapevine pretty wet but not too bad. The bad weather didn't last long and the bikes started showing up, like this cool Bridgestone! I don't know much about these bikes but they were built in Japan then later here in the states from 1952-1973, with the largest engine size being 350cc. This one was picked up by the current owner in the town of North South Carolina.

Molly is a sucker for a BMW bike, I gotta say I am too!

A very cool modern classic, Triumph Bonneville. The owner rode up about an hour and a half from Columbia SC.

Here was a nicely done Honda CB550. Notice it's wet!

It's always fun to get together with other people that ride. Last month they had about 50 bikes and maybe 20 last night so hopefully next month the weather will be nice and the number will go back up.

Free Vintage Bike Show

This past weekend Molly and I went up to the North Carolina Transportation Museum to go to the vintage motorcycle show they were putting on. The museum is more trans than anything mainly because it is in an old locomotive repair factory. Spencer NC was on of the fastest growing towns in the state at the height of the steam locomotive era. However with advent of the diesel engine the need for repairs and upkeep fell drastically. They do however have many cool old car, motorcycles and even a few planes. One thing that I love about the museum is that is is always FREE! So with the word free in mind and motorcycle exhaust in the air we headed up for a quick afternoon fix.

2 very cool BSA's













































Just look at all those pipes! CBX's are one bad dude!





























Above is one of my favorites a CB400F














Above is a custom built CB 450 and a very cool
Triumph below.















A real British built single cylinder 500cc Royal Enfield














And there was no shortage of cool bikes in the parking lot.