The Sky Bar

Thank goodness for the weekend and a break from all the to-do lists!

Mr. Mickey and I enjoy Asheville, North Carolina, for the wide variety of events that are always happening, international dining adventures, shopping, art galleries, and the general festive atmosphere, which seems to prevail on summer weekends.

The red umbrellas above mark the Sky Bar. We will visit there later to watch the sun slip behind the distant mountain ranges.

In midsummer, the flowers in planters throughout the city are simply breathtaking!

This street performer absolutely defies gravity.

These fellows found a shady entry from which to serenade the passing tourists. As we walked past, they sang, "I like your shoes." We will never know if they meant mine or Mr. Mickey's.

Wall Street has many unique shops and restaurants. It remains one of our favorites.

You never know what you might find around the next corner, from a crochet covered tricycle to the famous Spoon Lady.

We were captivated by the haunting sound of this performer's electronic "violin." We listened for a long while and even bought a CD from him. His twin brother performs on the same type of instrument in Greenville, South Carolina. The handsome brothers are Stephen and Jeff Neil.

I have wanted to visit the Southern Highlands Craft Gallery in the old Biltmore Oteen Bank building for months. It was great to see all the works of art there. The building has been beautifully restored.

New to the Biltmore Village is the Well-Bred Bakery of Weaverville.

The weather was hot, but it was a beautiful day to be in the city.

Mr. Mickey is a happy man!

As the sun starts to slide down toward the horizon, we make our way to the Sky Bar.

We shared a table with the most delightful beautiful young couple. This is Drew and Blaine. We fell in love with them. It was instant best friends! I felt so sad when it was time for us to leave for our drive home.

Watching the sun slip behind the mountains marked the end of a perfect day.

My top is from Chico's. The white jeans are from Kut from the Kloth at Dillard's. The shoes are from T.J.Maxx. The bracelet is old from a gallery in Highlands, North Carolina.

Saturday in Asheville

We often drive across the mountains to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon in Asheville.

On this day, I wore a metallic gold open-weave cardigan with a white tank and a long necklace from Chico's. The khaki jeans are from T.J.Maxx. The bag is from the Coach Outlet. The shoes are from Shoe Carnival.

We love the mountains' scenic views along the Interstate 26 drive, even on a cloudy day.

Sidewalk cafés abound in Asheville. We enjoy strolling through galleries and shops and then stopping for a while in a café to watch people and listen to the street performers who are often really good. 

Many people bring their dogs along, so there are often doggie dishes outside the cafés and shops.

Later in the day, we couldn't resist the wonderful chocolate truffles at The Chocolate Fetish. One for you... one for me...

"I started playing dress-up when I was three, and it will continue until I can no longer buckle my platforms." ... my own quote. Mr. Mickey said I should share it with you.

The rain started to fall after six o'clock, so we made our way back to the parking garage after another lovely afternoon in Asheville.

While we were shopping at Dillard's today, I found a fabulous pair of white boyfriend jeans made by KUT. Do you know of them? This is my first pair of both boyfriend style jeans and the brand KUT. I will share them in a later post. 

I never wear white pants on a rainy day because the water spots on the back of the legs caused by walking on wet sidewalks often cause permanent stains.

Snapshots from Paris ... of the south.

Mr. Mickey's daughters gave him a weekend at the fabulous Windsor Boutique Hotel in Asheville for his birthday/father's day gift. Lucky me! I got to tag along.

The first stop along the way was the Johnson City Farmer's Market to pick up a special order from a local glass etching artist for Mr. Mickey's wine room.

I am always drawn to the flowers.

Our next stop was at the top of the mountain for a rest stop. The views along Interstate 26 are awe-inspiring. We never tire of this journey.

My look for the first part of the day includes a lightweight cardigan, tank, and cropped pants, all from Stein Mart's Peck and Peck collection. The shoes were found at T.J. Maxx. The necklace is from Chico's. 

We took a break from shopping and walking at the Grove Arcade to have some of our favorite spicy pimento cheese at Carmel's. It was great weather for visiting a sidewalk café!

At last... it was time to check into our room at the elegant Windsor Hotel. The two girly girls are reunited! With me is Laura Cousins, the Creative Art Director for the hotel.

A bottle of local wine was Mr. Mickey's birthday gift from the hotel management!

A beautiful Paris note pad from Laura was a gift for me!

The city of Asheville has many buildings that date from the 1800s.

We visited Art in the Park in the center of Asheville in Pack Square Park.

For our afternoon stroll through the city, I changed into a lightweight tie-front blouse from Chico's.

No surprise here! I am checking out the jewelry.

More street performers at Pack Square.

This is a new place we plan to try for dinner the next time we visit Asheville. Rhubarb has a sidewalk dining area and a newly decorated inside exquisite dining area. We had a glass of wine and a delicious cheese plate as we took another afternoon break from walking about and shopping.

Cheers!

These street performers were probably the best we've ever heard. They are the Carolina Catskins.

After a short rest, it was time to get ready for dinner at the fabulous Strada. 

I am wearing a long white tunic blouse and a silver and white long, lightweight cardigan with white ankle zip jeans from Chico's. The turquoise and silver necklace and silver cuff are also from Chico's.

Another landmark across from our hotel. Tressa's has been around for many years.

On Sunday, we had brunch at another favorite place, Posano Café.

I wore a black and white sheer, lightweight top and black jeans from Chico's for the trip home.

I love visiting with dogs on the street. It seems everyone has a dog or two. These were so cute!

Another great street performer. He made this hammer dulcimer himself.

One last treat for the afternoon. We have wanted to visit Old Europe for a long time. It did not disappoint!

I thought you would enjoy seeing Mr. Mickey's socks. Shows his sense of humor, don't you think?