Summer is Officially Here

I feel like summer has been upon us for quite some time, but technically, it has just started.  Now that I think about it, just this last week the pool finally got comfortably warm, the forecast became steady at 90 degrees, and ice cream and popsicles have become staples in our diets.  Yes, summer is officially here.

Greenville summers are very humid and hot.  Pyper makes sure I know that she is "sweaty" when we are out. I also am uncomfortably sticky upon leaving the coolness of our AC.  When I speak of my beloved AC, I'm not talking about icebox cold.  We have our thermostat set at 74 degrees.  Cool enough to feel cold when you step in the house, warm enough you don't need a jacket inside, and dry enough to keep the wetness off your skin.

But we are outside folk and the AC doesn't come with us.  Water features, along with those cold treats, are a daily must for cooling off.  If it were up to me, I'd choose to play at dawn and retire to AC around 10am, at which time it is almost unbearably hot already, then I'd relax in the AC and blog, sew, or read until the evening time to play some more.  But I'm on Pypertime, not a bad thing, and blogging, sewing, and reading are not relaxing when she is awake.  

Today we left the house by bike and trailer around 9:30am.  Our mission was water.  We decided to head downtown by the Reedy River for some fountain play.  We were successful at cooling off, having fun, and burning up some 2 year old energy.

At the kid friendly "waterfall" along the river.  There's a real one too, but not kid friendly. 

Along the bike trail by the river there are swinging benches that are usually occupied. Today we spotted a vacant seat to the delight of this girl. 

Pyper always asks to take pictures.  She's my little personal "GoPro" camera. 

We also decided to cool off at the pool after Pyper's nap.  It's been fun watching her figure out the mechanics of swimming, breathing and not breathing, and floation.  Today she started jumping into the pool by herself and doggy paddling around, telling Andy to stand further away or stop holding her.  Ah, it's happening so fast!

Old & New Stomping Grounds: Marshall, NC

According to locals surrounding the area, mainly Andy and his mom, it use to be that one never went out alone after dark in Marshall.  If you weren't from the immediate area, you were warned that outsiders wouldn't be welcome, especially if you had an accent or were obviously of foreign decent.  So as I stroll out on the streets of Marshall, I'm actually not surprised by the curious looks of the local older folk sitting on their porch on this warm muggy evening.  I don't usually give it much thought, as I know once inside the coffee shop, the owner will probably comment on our long absence from the place.  Funny thing about being an Asian female toting along a small child, most people in the South always remember us because we are an oddity, even if they only met or saw us once.  I've gotten use to it, I don't necessarily like it, but we just greet and wave to people like old friends, which usually throws them more off guard than their stares at us.

As we head into Marshall this fine summer evening, we are looking forward to the Thursday night Bluegrass Jam with Bobby Hicks they hold at the Zuma Coffee shop every week.  We got there early hoping to grab a table and eat the dinner special, but it was already a packed house, so we headed across the street to Pork & Pie.  The folding menu board on the sidewalk advertised "tuna crudo" and "clam necks."  I was thinking this was a BBQ and Pizza joint, but it was more like a fancy bistro with good prices.  

The original restaurant was the Rock Cafe Restaurant, which was built in 1947 at the front of the 1847 Brigman House.  The building served both as a restaurant and Greyhound Bus Station. When the original Rock Café was owned and operated by Page Brigman, the family raised almost everything they cooked—the original version of “farm to table.” In the old style of serving, if the people at one table didn’t eat their bread, the bread basket was moved to another table!

The entrance of Pork and Pie in front of the iconic Marshall Court House undergoing restoration.

After a 20 minute wait we sat down and were informed of what they no longer had; I guess it was a good night.  We ordered the last Tuna Crudo, and Queen Margarie Pizza.  Pyper was quick to realize Tuna Crudo translated into "sushi."  She ate most of it.  The waiter let us know the tuna was caught two days ago.  It was easy to finish everything and then order the two desserts they offered as well, which was four beignets with chocolate and whip cream, and a white chocolate raspberry bread pudding.  It was completely overboard, and totally worth it!

Pyper is not afriad to show her enthusiasm for dessert or sharing.  Yummy in our tummies!

We were completely ecstatic about this new found dining establishment only to be disappointed that they were closing this location down in two days.  "Buttons come and buttons go."

With full bellies we headed back over to 7 Main St.  Built in 1947 as Home Electric and Furniture, the business was operated by Delmar Payne and Leonard Baker. When Rural Electrification Administration came to the area, bringing electricity, the owners doubled as electricians to wire the houses and salesmen to sell the electrical appliances. The business also sold musical instruments and records and thus, became a gathering place for musicians.  

Back for the Bluegrass that was now in full swing, we waded to a little corner near the register, and Pyper promptly switched her shoes to taps.  The lead violinist made sure we had some dancing music.  She was shy about it, but wasn't afraid to tap and stomp to everyone's entertainment and melting hearts.  It was a great night in Marshall.

There was a lot of happy moving, so everything is a little blurry.  Blurry in my book equals lots of fun, dance on!  This girl has got some moves.

The icing on the night was racing the frieght train all the way back to Grandma's house.  The conductor was nice enough to honk and wave lots.  Awesome night out on the little town; some call it a village.  

When we stopped to take this picture, we didn't realize it was going to start a train race.  

Old & New Stomping Grounds: Asheville

Andy grew up in Asheville.  His parents, Glenn and Jody, are still living in the house he grew up in. We come up to visit often now that we live within striking distance, an hour and a half drive.  His sister Grace and family also live here with a new addition, little Ronin, and that's reason enough to visit.  He's super cute.

Uncle Andy and Ronin, and Grandma Jody hanging out with the grandkids

When I started coming to visit Asheville with Andy almost 10 years ago, Asheville was still in the "getting trendy" stage. Asheville today is a hub of music, arts, and eats and people speak of it fondly as the place to be.  It has a vibe and charm of it's own that's hard to describe.  You'll find all types of people from all walks of life visiting, but the locals carry a certain Ashvillian air that's quite unique, though a "real" native is rare.  

Asheville pops up on national rankings for a variety of things: "a New Age Mecca" (CBS News' Eye On America, 1996), the "New Freak Capital of the U.S." (Rolling Stone, 2000), one of "The 50 Most Alive Places To Be" (Modern Maturity, 2000), the "Happiest City for Women" (Self, 2002),  one of the "Best Places to Reinvent Your Life" (AARP Magazine, 2003), one of the "Best Outside Towns" (Outside Magazine, 2006), one of the "Top Seven Places to Live in the U.S." (Frommer's, 2007), one of the “10 Most Beautiful Places in America" (Good Morning America, 2011), one of the "25 Best Places for Business and Careers" (Forbes, 2012), and one of "20 Great Cities For Writers" (Flavorwire, 2013).  Asheville has been listed as one of the "Top 25 Small Cities for Art" in AmericanStyle magazine's annual list from 2000 to 2012 and has reigned the champion "Beer City USA" each year from 2009 to 2012.  Does that give you a better feel for Asheville life?

Today we headed into downtown for lunch and play.

Exploring a new feature called Splashville at Pack Square Park in Downtown Asheville. Pyper doesn't realize she is standing right on a gyser ready to go off.  

I think every time we head into town I discover a little more of Andy's past.  "We use to skate here when it was...." "I washed dishes here."  "Wow, I can't believe that's still here." "If it was like this when I was younger, I wouldn't have ever left."

When you walk around downtown, you can visually see the old and new styles collide in a very overwhelming way as lots of old buildings are filled with new businesses. It seems like every time we visit there's 5 more new restaurants in town. It definitely makes choosing your meals difficult. We even had that issue today.

So although it's an old stomping ground, it's ever changing personality keeps it fresh and fun for everyone in the family. 

Aircraft Lesson 1 & 1.1

I want to learn more about aircraft, and so does Pyper.  So now that I have the blog, I can take it one at a time. 

Today we headed to Donaldson Center Airport to visit Andy. He ended up getting stuck in Naples, Florida last night due to weather, and us girls missed him too much to wait for him to get off work.  When we arrived, there were a couple "new" planes on the ramp.  

Us, and Pete the Cat, taking shade under the Short 360 wing.  The next time I introduce an aircraft, I'll be sure to take a picture of the entire thing.

I immediately recognized the silhouette of the larger of the two visitors.  It looked very similar to a "Sherpa" airplane used to deploy smokejumpers out of Winthrop, WA.  Andy informed me that it was probably a Short 360.  I've done a little research now, and the "Sherpa" is a military variant of the Short 360.  

Pyper checking out the back portion of the plane.  Andy making sure that you are learning something right now.

The Short 360 is an airliner with very good short takeoff and landing (STOL) performance, allowing it to be used in places with very small runways. The name Short wasn't given because of this, but because it was designed by Short Brothers, a company based in Belfast, Ireland which has been operating since 1908, making it the oldest aviation company in the world.  In fact, two of the three Short Brothers had been selling hot-air balloons since 1902, a year before the Wright Brothers made their first flight in a heavier-than-air plane. The Short Brothers even built six copies of the original Wright Flyer under license, and so became the first aircraft manufacturing company in the world.

Photo of the same plane found on the internet taken by Reinhard Zinabold

The Short 360 can carry up to 39 passengers, but is also operated as a cargo plane. The boxy shape of the plane makes it very practical for airline and cargo operation, but it does look quite strange, and the wings look far too small to support the weight of the plane.  Nevertheless, this has been a very successful design, exported to many countries and a modified version is still operated by the US Army and Forest Service as the C-23B Sherpa.  Short Brothers introduced the Short 360 in 1981 and produced a total of 165 Short 360s over 10 years.  

So there's the "Short" of it.  I hoped you enjoyed your first aircraft lesson.  

Pyper & Pete helping Andy "tug" their plane into the hanger.

Lesson 1.1 The difference between an aircraft and an airplane

The dictionary defines an aircraft as any craft that flies through the air, whether it be an airplane, helicopter, missile, glider, balloon, blimp, or any other vehicle that uses the air to generate lift for flight.

The term airplane, on the other hand, is more specific and refers only to a powered vehicle that relies on fixed wings to generate lift.

A Boeing 737 commercial airliner is both an airplane and an aircraft while the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter is an aircraft but not an airplane.

A Very Groovy Day with Eric Litwin & Pete the Cat

We got an early start on the Swamp Rabbit Trail this morning, early meaning that we were riding by 8:35am, pretty good considering preparation time and two year old delay time.  Andy helped load up my bike and trailer in the truck before he headed into work, which is probably why we had such a successful morning.  

We started our ride at the Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery.  Our mission today was a children's summer reading program at the Traveler's Rest Library, 7 miles North of Greenville, going uphill.  It's not a bad ride, but when you're hauling 30lbs of babe with 20lbs of trailer, plus provisions and some library books to return; I was towing probably close to 70lbs.  That kind of weight sure made the easy climb into Traveler's Rest a monster.

Pyper's view of the ride.  I deleted about 100 Pyper feet pictures.

We made it to the library in time to get a ticket and stand in line.  This program starred the now famous Pete the Cat author Eric Litwin, so it filled up fast.  It was a free ticket, but the library does have to abide by the fire code, thus the limited amount of tickets.  It was a fantastic program with lots of singing and fun.  Eric read/sang his classic first book, Pete the Cat and His Brand New White Shoes, then read a brand new book ready to hit the shelves at the end of July.  We were also privy to new stories, that didn't even have a book.  We had Eric sign our very well loved copy of Pete the Cat, and a couple copies for our favorite children's librarian in Maple Valley, WA.  I had just enough cash to purchase Pyper her very own Pete the Cate plushie.

Here we are with Eric Litwin and Pete the Cat.  

To hungry to make it back to the Greenville for lunch, we went in search for food locally.  We were very successful in filling our bellies at The Cafe at William's Hardware, yup, an old hardware store.  They recognized us and commented upon Pyper's growth, which in their eyes was a whole foot.

It's always about the food! Turkey, bacon, avocado, tomato, spinach, on a croissant with a side of apple gorgonzola coleslaw, delicious after that morning ride.

I'm using my mountain bike to pull the Burley trailer.  I think we even found the swamp rabbit on way home.

We loaded up for the ride home and Pyper promptly feel asleep.  We made it back to the Cafe without any issues other than my complete dislike of the nasty sticky heat of the South.  We called it a groovy day with King of Pops Popsicles, a Chocolate Sea Salt one for Pyper and a Grapefruit Mint one for me.  We finally made it back to the house around 3pm, as thunder boomed all around us.  Thumbs up to early literacy and groovy authors.

I thought this post was finished, but I'll add that we ended up attending a second Eric Litwin program at the library branch a couple blocks down the street from where we live this evening at Pyper's request.  He told the same jokes, but the content was different.  Pyper turned to me part way through and said, "this is fun mama."  I'll also add that we attended this program under our own power as well, by foot.  So all in all, we probably covered around 16 miles total today.

Everyday is Daddy's Day, Especially Today

Pyper loves being with her Daddy and checking out airplanes.

Daddy was working this fine Sunday, so we grabbed some lunch provisions and headed to the Donaldson Center Airport. We first gave Daddy a flower, a homemade card, and a Lego plane to build.  

The best part of giving a present is opening it and then being able to play with it.  She's already paying attention to the instructions!

Just as we were finishing up the little Lego plane, the work phone chimed and Andy was paged to head to Naples, Florida.  Pyper then said, "Daddy's going to fly naked!"  Naples, naked, I hear the similarities.  About 10 minutes later, as the crew was loading up, the flight got cancelled.  This is actually a regular occurance when we are visiting.  We are always disappointed that our visit was so short, but then super happy our visit is extended.  

We continued our visit with a tricycle ride to the different airplanes sitting on the ramp.  The first plane we visited was the Bonanza, which Pyper repeated back as "the banana plane."  It's actually funny because the plane was yellowish in color.  She next rode to the Lear Jet, then finally back to Andy's King Air 90.  It wasn't long ago those tricycle pedals were just out of reach for her little legs to get any purchase, but now she's the perfect height and strength to make that thing cruise.

Did you know the first Father's Day was celebrated in Washington State in 1910?  

Greenville's "Tiger Lion"

Pyper and I came across Echinacea today flowering beside one of our favorite places for a yummy treat, the Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery.  We stopped to admire it after a tasty ice cream sandwitch, chocolate chip scone, and tandem bike ride.  

We borrowed this kid tandem for a couple miles down the Swamp Rabbit Trail.  Pyper had a blast ringing the bell as we passed folks on the trail.

She's been able to recall many plants by name of late, like Rosemary, ivy (even the poisonous kind), and different flowers.  Yesterday we came upon a small patch of Tiger Lily and Andy asked her if she remembered the name of it.  After a pause, she announced it as "Tiger Lion."  Much like the name she has for Dandelion, which is "Daisylion."  I love how the blossoming mind works.  And in quite the fasicinating way, it really makes sense.