el chapala

there's a mexican place in asheville where the waiters are fast & friendly and call you 'amigos.'

it's hidden behind a steinmart and there are no signs to find it.

the food is what you would expect. the tacos a la parilla are an amazing deal for $2 you get 2 white corn tortillas and meat and a big bowl of fresh pico de gallo.

the best part is they really know how to "celabrate." with 34 oz dos equis mugs and a half a bottle of wine in each goblet.

viva!

purple hearts

from betsylife i learned that memorial day is not happy.

nevertheless, highlights of this weekend included:

• planting herbs
• marcos pizza
• getting a new tennis racquet that is bigger and wider and therefore easier to hit and playing on har-tru court
• dozens of dog barf episodes
• both dogs
• eating grass
• in the car
• walking through clouds of flies in the woods past beautiful rushing water
• economy size wine

andrews not geyser

while in old fort over the weekend, we followed signs to 'andrew's geyser.'

wikipedia sayeth:

A geyser is a spring characterized by intermittent discharge of water ejected turbulently and accompanied by a vapor phase (steam). Generally all geyser field sites are located near active volcanic areas, and the geyser effect is due to the proximity of magma.

i was interested to see what kind of phenomenal natural water spout could possibly be found around here.

something like so? -

or like so? -

?

?


?


or how about something more like so:

this is andrew's geyser. it's a hose. a fountain that was made by the hands of men. it makes me want to cry.

may showers

we don't get real tornadoes in asheville but we do get huge thunder and lightning storms.

new orleans house bursting with plants

dangling tornado wreckage

(via weather.com)

When a tornado warning has been issued, you may have very little time to prepare.

How you respond now is critical. And how you react depends on where you are.

In a Frame Home

• Make sure you have a portable radio, preferably a NOAA weather radio, for information.

• Seek shelter in the lowest level of your home (basement or storm cellar). If there is no basement, go to an inner hallway, a smaller inner room, or a closet. Keep away from all windows.

• You can cushion yourself with a mattress, but do not use one to cover yourself. Do cover your head and eyes with a blanket or jacket to protect against flying debris and broken glass. Don't waste time moving mattresses around.

• Keep your pet on a leash or in a carrier.

• Multiple tornadoes can emerge from the same storm, so do not go out until the storm has passed.

• Do not leave a building to attempt to "escape" a tornado.

In a Mobile Home

• Leave your mobile home immediately and take shelter elsewhere.

Outside

• Try to get inside and seek a small protected space with no windows.

• Avoid large-span roof areas such as school gymnasiums, arenas, or shopping malls.

• If you cannot get inside, crouch for protection beside a strong structure, or lie flat in a ditch or low-lying area and cover your head and neck with your arms or a piece of clothing.

In a Car

• Ideally, you should avoid driving when tornadoes or other kinds of dangerous weather threaten, because a vehicle is a very unsafe place to be. If, however, this is not possible, stay as calm as possible, and assess the situation.

• Your best option might be to get out of the car and lie flat in a ditch or other low-lying area that is sufficiently deep enough to protect against the wind.

• If you do so, beware of water runoff from heavy rain that could pose a hazard; get as far away from the vehicle as possible and shield your head from flying debris.

• Or, if possible, take shelter immediately in a nearby building.

http://www.weather.com/ready/tornado/warning.html

baby fresh roll

all my friends' babies born in the past year all have giant blueberry eyes. it's uncanny!

you don't need teeth to eat noodles.

happy birthday drezza & rose

since the world hasn't ended, i will keep blogging.

yesterday was the birthday of my awesome grandma named Drezza.

it was also almost* the birthday of a sweet ebony bitch named Rose.

they are both lovely and very pleasant to be around and i wish they lived closer to me.

* rose turned 13 on 5-10.

dogwood

there's a tree on the side of the house that hasn't bloomed since we've been here. but from the bark and the leaves i thought it was dogwood.

dogwood is the state flower of north carolina.

since the 10 giant dead carolina hemlocks were cut down 2 weeks ago, the dogwood started getting hours more direct sunlight and it bloomed. it's blooming now. this excites me.

i can't be the only one

this giant phallic symbol rock is situated on probably the 'nicest' street in all of asheville - evelyn.

big old houses, manicured lawns, back yards on the grove park country club.
i would like to know who put this rock here and what they were thinking.

mountain laurel mexican skirts under a glass dancefloor

will turned 1 year

amidst all the travel and bustle i neglected to mention that my amazing little nephew Will survived his first year on this earth.

we sent him the book "DOG" on recommendation from the mappy camper.

angela sent this phone-photo the next day saying "Will took his doggie book out totally independently and is reading it while I fold the laundry!"

not only is he an animal-lover, and super intelligent, would you just look at how balanced and graceful he is in his reading stance! i predict big things for this one. happy birthday Will!