Another Mountain Adventure

We hit the dusty trail and took ourselves back up to Asheville. We had such fun up there last year with Ellie and Caroline, we thought we'd recreate it. We also elected to bring a pup with us. I made sure to book a pet-friendly Air Bn'b and then Brett and I took to deliberations. We sure weren't going to bring both girls. Who knows what dark and windy mountain trail we'd have to take to get them to the pet hospital emergency room. No, we'd bring only one. But which? We offered pros and cons for each dog. 

Pippa: Pros- would enjoy it more, Cons- unreliable when unsupervised
Grace: Pros- would appreciate being selected, Cons- disinterest in most activities 

In the end we brought Grace. "She's got less time to enjoy life," Brett said. Grace bristled at this comment. "I'm only two years older," I heard her sneer... in my mind. Pippa does well spending the weekend at Buddy's place and since Grace hates most living beings, we decided not to leave her attitude in the hands of any untrained pet-sitters. 

I'll tell you that she did enjoy moments of our adventure. She was burdened by the drive up, perturbed to have arrived in the dark, and already prepped for disappointment when she woke up the next day only to watch us sit around and drink coffee. But eventually we all left to climb some mountains and Grace's big bushy tail, triumphantly raised, forged the dirt path a few yards ahead of us. She got to do a lot of hiking without a leash and she reveled in the freedom. Ellie and Caroline frequently checked in with us about Grace. "Is she ok?" they'd ask as she laid curled in the far corner of the living room. 

"Oh yes, this is normal," we'd reply. Grace still huffed and sighed and never made any other noises. 

"Do you thinks she's happy to be here," Caroline asked. 

"That's more of an existential question for Grace," we said, "and we don't know."

We did all the things people do when they go to the mountains. We hiked, drank warm beverages, and watched scary movies at night. We ate scavenger-style breakfasts and then gorged on hearty, delicious suppers. 

We spent time enjoying the sunshine and the loose dogs that you find at breweries (Grace stayed home for that bit) and found ourselves wondering how breweries became an acceptable "family activity." There were children everywhere. Little ones! Which A) is not what one thinks of when visiting a beer based building where people go for alcoholic consumption purposes, and B) How do drunk parents manage their childrearing? What about all the crass, staggering patrons that your wee little munchkin will be interacting with? Because the parents let them run loose you know, poking at people's thighs and handing them rocks. I felt bad about the children and then realized that I don't have to worry about how those little tikes turn out ... which is something I can't help but worry about, so mostly I sat at the brewery and felt sad. Then Ellie and Caroline beat us at corn-hole which I really took personally. 

One morning we stumbled upon a dahlia farm so Brett pulled over just to let me frolic. They also sold pumpkins and jams and apple cider donuts. Brett bought lots of things from the farm, and it took everything he had not to eat all six donuts right there in the car. They were "donuts of perfect consistency."

We laughed and ate and napped and explored. By the end I had convinced everyone that we wanted to move there to open a farm animal sanctuary. Caroline would keep her job because she's the breadwinner and can work from anywhere. Ellie's job also transfers nicely and leaves her with lots of free time to hike trails and beat people in assorted sports and games. So Brett could be the grounds keeper (I volunteered him for this) and I'd just cuddle the sweet critters, bake cakes, and make sure the bills were paid on time.

Strangely, everyone agreed with the decisions I made for them, so I don't know what we're waiting for.