Dear Readers,
Last month, my friend ,William, and I drove up to Asheville, NC and to my old home town of Greenville, SC. The two cities are only one hour apart by car.
We first went to Asheville to visit one of my childhood friends, Mary. She has recently moved to a beautiful Senior Residence on top of a mountain in Arden, right outside of Asheville. Her apartment is lovely – two bedrooms, two baths, living room and dining combination, and a small kitchen. Her large window from the living area faces the mountains. What a wonderful sight in the morning! Proof as to why that area of the Appalachians are called The Smokey Mountains, was the blue/grey mist over the mountains we admired each morning.
Across the street from Mary’s building is a multi-use building with a large dining room where first class restaurant meals are served. We sampled the fare the first evening we were there. Also in that building are a large meeting rooms, pool, exercise gym, and smaller meeting rooms for other activities such as card games, crafts, etc… What a lovely place to live. If the place were not so far from my children, I would move there immediately.
The next day, we drove to Greenville to enjoy the Greek Festival. The festival was held outside on the large parking lot of St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church where DeCamp Street used to be when I lived there. The old church building where I was married is gone but a grand cathedral is built in its place. The festival was much larger than the one we have in Savannah because there is a larger Greek community in Greenville, but the food was familiar. We stuffed ourselves with lamb and orzo, pastitso, and dolmathes. We also had a huge piece of galatoburiko (a custard type sweet with filo and honey) which I dearly love but we don’t make at our festival. I couldn’t help but compare the food with ours here at home but I’ll keep my thoughts about that to myself.
The next- and last day- we went back to Asheville and visited the Biltmore House, which is extraordinary and should not be missed if you are in the area. The house and furnishings defy description and the gardens unbelievably gorgeous. The orchid greenhouse was one of my favorites. And the roses of every hue and size were just beginning to bloom. We visited the Biltmore Winery, and bought a few bottles to bring home. 
For my regular readers who may remember my lament last posting that I couldn’t make my old orchid plants re-bloom. Guess what? I followed my daughter’s (Dori) suggestions to water them less and put them outside when the night temperature reached the middle fifties……and viola! I have a bloom- a small one- but it’s a bloom. I am so excited. It’s almost like giving birth.
Have a wonderful summer. Don’t get too much sun and keep cool. We should not complain about the humidity; we could live in Oklahoma. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions.
