Biltmore Village

Hello, everyone!  What did you do this weekend?  I hope you were able to enjoy the lovely spring weather.  Although homework had me occupied for a majority of the weekend, I was able to meet a friend for a walk around Biltmore Village.  I talked about this part of Asheville in this post, but I'll give you a quick refresher.  Biltmore Village is located in South Asheville, close to Asheville High School, the hospital, and of course, the Biltmore House itself.  When George Vanderbilt started construction on his estate, he had his architect design a small village that would match, closely in appearance and layout, the feeling of the Biltmore House and grounds.  This area today has been turned into a sort of leisure center where visitors who visit the Biltmore Estate can shop, dine, and relax.  It's a beautiful little area of Asheville, and home to some famous Asheville landmarks like All Souls Cathedral and the Grand Bohemian Hotel.  If you get a chance, why not explore this tiny village that allows you to enjoy contemporary Asheville and get to know better its rich historical past?

Places mentioned in this post (Visit them in person or on the Web!)
Just Ducky
Chelsea's 
Corner Kitchen 
All Souls Cathedral
Grand Bohemian Hotel 
Biltmore Estate
Biltmore Village 

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Playing In the Dirt

Today, I got to do an activity that I haven't done in a long time--gardening!  A friend invited me to meet the UNC Asheville Botanical Society, a group that works closely with the staff of the Botanical Gardens and UNC Asheville Facilities to make the area around our school beautiful.  This group began when a group of students, concerned with the glass they were finding in the stream by that Botanical Gardens, started to clean up the water.  Membership grew, and the group expanded its activities to include removing invasive species from the Gardens and planting a variety of greens around campus.  We met on Friday afternoon to do some light garden work near the Chancellor's house; for about an hour, we transplanted a number of plants to the hillside garden.  I had a wonderful time with the Society, and although I was pretty dirty by the time it was over, I felt relaxed and peaceful (something that can only be a good thing during exam week!).  The members of the Society are cool, fun students, and really deserve an award for all of the hard work they've done to make to help make our community beautiful.   

     

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Last Day of Classes

Today was the last day of classes, which means several things.  First, the semester is about a week away from being over; summer is just around the corner (sweet).  Second, because the semester is wrapping up, we are about two days away from final exams (bitter).  But perhaps more important than either of these--with the end of the semester comes the annual "Last day of Class" celebration at Chancellor Anne Ponder's house.  This event, which ends the semester on a very positive note, is nothing short of awesome.  Several of my friends and I walked up to the Janice W. Brumit Pisgah House tonight to enjoy great food, live music, and conversation in her back yard.  Although this semester has been tough, and my exams will be trying to say the least, Chancellor Ponder's hospitality tonight (not to mention the delicious dinner I enjoyed) has given me new energy with which to face the final week of school.  We had a wonderful time tonight, and I cannot wait to go back next semester.


Chancellor Ponder and some of my friends

 

Rocky, the living counterpart to our Bulldogs mascot  (he is so cute!)

A view of the house from the road

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More Images of Spring

Today’s weather was beautiful!  After a cold spell last week, today's sunshine and gentle breeze were welcome on campus.  In between, or in lieu of, classes many students were enjoying the weather by relaxing, studying, and playing Frisbee on the quad.  It's amazing how a change in the weather really brings this campus to life!  So, to celebrate (and to share how beautiful our campus and surrounding neighborhood is), I posted some pictures from this spring and last spring.  Although it's nothing compared to seeing these images in "real life," I hope that I can share with everyone just how lucky we are at UNC Asheville to live and work in such a beautiful environment.    

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