it's good to be "home" -a pete perspective

"hello everybody, pete here"

it's been a while since we have been to indialantic, fl, which is where my mother and her husband dennis live.  i have to say that it was great to get back to the old stomping grounds.

after a three hour drive south from st. augustine, we got to wayne ave in indialantic.  we were greeted with hugs and kisses as we toted our luggage and escher into the house.  we were glad to be off the road.  mom had a chicken and wild rice soup brewing so our bellies were glad too. as our bellies would be for the remainder of the stay!  mom and dennis were our gourmet hosts... we all enjoyed many great meals. dennis's great pasta casserole, and moms guiness meatballs were among the highlights.

guiness meatballs, cheddar chive mashed potatoes, and sauteed cabbage

tinker, tailer, soldier spy was the first order of business on our first day.  we went to oaks cinema ten where we enjoyed the fantastic film. anything "focus films" puts out is fantastic. Go See It!

 view of the mossy oaks in the cinema parking lot

after the movie, my friends at Optique Unique were very accommodating.  they all stayed a little late to help me get some new specs, along with some great tips for western travel.  thank you dr. thomas for making us stop in new orleans (we'll blog about that stop later).

we were also glad see all our friends back home. urcan, booger, snoop, alex, don, roof, and sarah just a few as the list would be never ending.  we also got to see sarah, dennis's daugter and her husband brett and their little baby graham.

escher loved graham, because graham would let escher lick the food off his face.

the next day i wanted to take a dip in the pool, which is a must every visit home.  i under estimated the temp though and it was so cold it took my breath away.  shortly after the "i was in the pool!" "i was in the pool!" (seinfeld), we went up to the boardwalk and got BIZARRO'S, new york style pizza...

with slices the size of you face.

next we went to wickham park where there is a pretty cool disc golf course.  the course itself is very forgiving with many wide open fairways.

there are twenty-two holes, with last, a par three over water, a favorite.

indialantic is about an hour and a half away from orlando, home of universal studios and islands of adventure.  the wizarding world of harry potter, which was under construction the last time we were there, is now open and operating.  what more would two huge harry potter fans want?!  and then there's icing on the cake...our friend leah is working in orlando for big wheel provisions, the brain child of one of her culinary inspirations, tony adams.   she invited us to the audubon park community market where the bw food truck was serving up some the most flavorful, fresh, and local eats every tasted.  check out the schmorgasboard...literally!

the schmorgasboard open-faced sandwich special

 

the cheesy tots

and the brussel sprouts were among a few of the delicious menu items we were treated to!

the next morning, adrenaline is pumping.  leah joined us at are hotel across the street from the park and we hopped on the shuttle, arriving before the park opens.  we already had our tickets, so we booked it back to harry potter's wizarding world.  walking through the arch welcoming you to hogsmeade took our breath away.  the construction of everything is magical and you really feel like you are inside the books.

with a wait of only 10 minutes, the three of us jumped in line for "the forbidden journey" which has been given a lot of hype.

winding through maze of bars to get to where it starts, the riders get to walk through some memorable areas of hogswart which build up the anticipation.  the ride seats four in a booth style car, with individual seats and harnesses.  once you're in there's no turning back, and POOF, you're sent up the chimney with floo powder!  bits and pieces of the ride were well thought out, however, overall, the simulation was dark and blurry and the effects were under par.  with everyone in agreement, we were happy that we only waited for 10 minutes!  our highlights were the spiderman ride and the rip ride rocket.  emily overcame some fears by going on the jurassic park ride and keeping her eyes open on the spiderman ride.

windblown from a ride, leah and emily rocked some "dallas" hair.

leaving the park, we met up with tony at lee and rick's oyster bar.  this place looks like a total dive yet is an oyster lover's dream on the inside.  belly up to the turquoise bar, place your order, and sit back while your server shucks each oyster right in front of you!

we stayed the evening with leah and tony.  not feeling so great, it was nice to save the drive home for the morning.  tony made us an amazing meal of...

skate wing, farro, corn and tomato salsa, pea shoots, yellow foot mushrooms, and spinach.  

 on top of the amazing hospitality, he sent us home with a huge goodie bag of big wheel treats!

escher was happy to be able to run around in the yard,

rest in the sun, and tease the neighbor's dog, marley, through the fence.

for our last day in indialantic we wanted to take a bike tour of the town.  our friends dan and alex let us borrow their bikes for the trek.

the weather that day was ideal for a cruise. seventy five degrees with a light wind from the north. we rode along the indian river stopping at various points to check out the scenery.

 

then we rode a quarter mile east to the atlantic ocean.  indialantic is a barrier island sandwiched by   the river to the west with a small stretch of land  to the ocean on the east. not much wave action that day, though it was nice to walk on the warm sand. as the day was coming to an end we returned the bikes and concluded our tour.

 

"the in between" pt. 1

shortly after crossing the georgia border, the rain subsided.  in need of some major leg stretching, we stopped at the tallulah gorge state park, on the south carolina border.  the visuals were stunning, even through the foggy mist, and the park was well-maintained.  walking through the recreation office offered a good laugh as it reminded us immensely of the show parks and recreation.

 

imagine using this...

 

to walk across the gorge 750 ft below

 

following another recommendation from foodie friend leah, we headed towards atlanta en route to dekalb market.  holy cannoli!  this massive market looks like a warehouse from the outside with meat, seafood, and produce departments, each the size of a convenient store.  the staff represents a rainbow of cultures and are at every corner ready to help.  completely overwhelmed with the possibilities, it was necessary to stick to a small list this time around.  (there are plans to return in the future for a full-fledge shopping spree!)  having success baking with chia flour over the holidays, we grabbed some in bulk along with chia seeds.  (learn more about the health benefits of chia.)  we were able to purchase 31 oz for a fair price.  a great wine selection offered a perfect hostess gift and the market-made, hot, Italian sausage for pete's mom and step-dad inspired a yummy dinner.  stopping there allowed for us to totally maneuver around the city and miss the rush hour traffic!

we cut through the state diagonally, heading southwest on I-23 towards ponte vedra, fla, just south of jacksonville for a last minute visit with one of pete's best friends, kris, and his fiancé, jenny.  arriving on the later side, we were so grateful for the clean, comfy space and were greeted with homemade chili.  escher made a new friend in their dog cash, and we look forward to celebrating with them in november at their wedding!

the next morning offered much better driving conditions!

hearing good things about st. Augustine and interested in something fresh, local, and yummy for lunch, it seemed like a perfect place to stop.  after a little restaurant research, the floridian cafe, a local farm to table joint, looked most appealing.

fried green tomatoes, pickled veggies, house-made pimento cheese spread and buttermilk ranch, served with artisan bread

 

oh yeah, that bite looks good!

arugula salad with roasted fennel, grapefruit segments, red pepper, goat cheese and a raspberry dijon vinaigrette

local fluke spicy melt

located in the northeast section of florida, st. augustine offers a beautiful blend of history with tourism and is easy to walk.  the city was founded in 1565 by pedro menéndez de aviles and  just happens to be the oldest continuously occupied european-established city and port in the continental u.s.

 

onward to pete's stomping grounds!

there's something to be said about asheville

the days were wet and gray, the cabin was different that expected, and the evenings offered a fairly mellow nightlife.  all of which made for a most pleasing experience to place worth going back for a visit.  the food, the drink, the sights, and the artsy mountain folk.

arriving after a cozy and slightly cramped night's sleep, we took advantage of the kitchen in our cabin, far out from civilization.  lunch consisted of grilled cheeses on seeded multi-grain bread with a local holiday cheese (nice nutty flavor), and sauteed garlic and spinach with a side of vegan butternut squash and apple risotto, all from the farmer's market in coventry, ct.  outside was damp and soggy, so it only seemed right to take advantage of the hot tub, warm up next to the fire, and take a nap.  the rain stopped just in time to venture into downtown for dinner.  a short walk up biltmore ave offered many restaurants, all very desolate.  with tummies starting to grumble, we stumbled up to a very crowded Vietnamese restaurant with hearty portions.  it was pete's exectutive decision that brought us into doc chey's where we sampled

some delicious local brews...

and thai basil and Thai spring rolls...

followed by a Mongolian steak and rice plate for Pete...

 and japanese miso bowl for Emily.

all the meats are legit and the produce sourced locally.  the dishes were so well prepared, fresh, and not loaded with salt.  feeling full and seeing that not much was going on around town, we headed back and settle into the cabin for the night.

breakfast at the early girl eatery, began a day of biscuits and grits.

the early girl benedict is a well-balanced tower of a meal with a crispy grit cake foundation, then steamed spinach and a poached egg, topped off with a tomato hollandaise and served with a homemade biscuit topped with local imladris farm handcrafted jam.

obviously, food is very important to us and has played a critical role in the decision to stop at many of our destinations.  another resource that has offered inspiration is 1000 places to see before you die, a nice sized book guiding readers country-by-country through the world, pinpointing the most important sights, hotels, festivals, and places to eat.  this trip's first stop from the list just happened to be the biltmore estate located just south of downtown in the mountains.  driving up to buy the tickets, we had no idea what lay ahead of us.  the drive to the parking lot winds through just a fraction of the estate grounds that stretch 140 central parks.   with the estate still out of view and the anticipation building, patrons walk through an alcove revealing a pristine lawn about 5 football fields long with this stunning, ginormous, french inspired "home" sitting at the end of it. 

 after picking our jaws up off the floor, we toured the estate with an audio guide and marveled in the structure, lifestyle, and history of the biltmore.  photography is prohibited inside, so to marvel in the wonder, better pay a visit to this national historic landmark!

this place is definitely worth another visit during the spring and summer when the gardens are in full swing.

in need of some exercise, the osley clan set out to find a nearby hike.  winding down little stoney fork and black oak grove, the mountain roads our cabin was off of, a lot on the side of the road looked promising.

the trails were marked with stacked rocks where they forked and took us tiptoeing from rock to rock across several streams, over fallen trees, while treading the wet leaves.

all that fresh air and hiking built up quite the appetite!  it was a tad early for dinner, so it seemed like a good time to check out one of asheville's local breweries.  after doing some research, we decided on the green man brewery.  the atmosphere was similar to cisco brewers on Nantucket, with locals of all ages and a few tourists trying flight samples.  with more inside space,  the dart boards and a pool table made for a nice addition.

the force was with us while sampling...

 

an ipa, esb, stout and porter.

the stout was the favorite!

passing a skinny window, nestled in between the cinder blocks of the building's wall, the twinkle of a comfortably lit bar, caught our eye.

the thirsty monk has a diner feel with chill music and beer taps hanging from the rafters of the ceiling. instead of having a set flight sampler, the taster is able to choose from a large list with insightful descriptions.

its hard to find words to describe the splendor of the dinner that followed.  tupelo honey cafe boasting "new south flavors and scratch-made fun" was a recommendation from our dear foodie friend, leah. still dreaming about this meal...

let the pictures do the talking:

first course of biscuits with blueberry jam

honey chipotle chicken wings
served with bleu cheese dressing

                                                                                                                                                              creamy stroganoff:  pork tenderloin in cremini mushroom gravy over goat cheese grits and topped with jalapeno cilantro pesto and sour cream

blackened catfish is topped with sunshot salsa, served over goat cheese grits

sweet potato creme brulee

all served on cornflower fiestaware!

the next morning, torrential downpour made for a harsh wake-up call and a quick send off. stopping downtown for one last asheville treat, the green sage coffeehouse provided us with the energy neccessary to maneuver the rainy mountain highways.  (fresh squeezed carrot, oj, and ginger juice, local kombucha, and a perfectly moist blueberry muffin)