My Town Monday: Better Late Than Never
I have learned an important thing these past few days. My Town is a state of mind. I have traveled more this past month than I have in a very long time; first to New York City at the end of April, and to the Lake Eden Arts Festival, in Black Mountain, NC, this past weekend.
#2 daughter and I traveled to LEAF with some good friends. We drove through our home state of Ohio, through West Virginia and Virginia to North Carolina. This land is so beautiful, and the varying terrain intense. We drove through the mountains in driving rain which made the view seem like Impressionist paintings. The telltale signs of highway construction: orange barrels and slowed traffic were plentiful.
We stopped in Beckley, West Virginia for the night. An energetic group of people on one street corner held signs asking us to “Honk for Obama.”
The next morning we were off to Black Mountain. After finding the Festival site, we parked the car, and began the process of unloading camping gear and supplies for 3 adults and 3 teen agers. We arrived on Thursday afternoon, so that we could choose a campsite closer to the festival, and get our bearings. First a campsite needed to be selected, which, after some deliberation, we were able to do.
Lake Eden was the site of Black Mountain College, an innovative college that included Josef Albers, Ami Albers, John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Willem de Kooning, Buckminster Fuller, Arthur Penn, Robert Rauschenberg among its associates.
The Festival included fabulous music, healing arts, dance, drumming, craft artists, and wonderful food. We met people from many states and several countries. People welcomed us into their lives and shared their vision of the world. My family bought me a Mother’s Day Wish Ticket, which entitled me to choose 3 wishes. I chose a massage, a CD and a brunch. Wonderful!
After the last dance, we drove to Asheville, NC.
We explored some of the shops and courtyards, had a delicious lunch at a little bistro, and resumed our trip home just as the rains came pouring down. Mountain driving is treacherous in the rain, and we were glad to stop for the night. After camping for 3 nights, we were glad to take advantage of hot showers.
Taking a different route home, we traveled through more beautiful country. Dogwood and other flowering trees dotted the mountainsides, and houses and cabins were nestled in hollows. It was a beautiful drive.
My Town just keeps expanding, both through my travels, and through the words of my fellow My Town Marauders who, through the efforts of Travis Erwin, over at One Word One Rung, One Day, share their thoughts about their necks of the woods. This week some are even reviewing books set in their towns. Check it out.
May 13th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Welcome home, Debra! And glad you had a great time! I was so interested to learn about Black Mountain College. I’d never heard of it and there are all these great artists that studied there including my favorite Cy Twombly!! Magic really does happen when people are nurtured and work together as they did at that little school. Thanks for sharing this!!
May 13th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
I am fascinated by Black Mountain College, Cathy. I took a walking tour of the grounds
and saw many of the building that are still standing as well as the locations of those that are not. What an innovative place — ahead of its time and needed today as well.
I want to go to the Black MOuntain College Museum when I can.
May 13th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Your trip sounds marvellous and as for Black Mountain College all I can say is wow!
Hope you savoured every mouthful of that vanilla cheesecake.
May 14th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Wonderful - Sounds as though yo’ve had a great time !
May 14th, 2008 at 10:05 am
Hi again, Debra! I was just reading the obit for Robert Rauschenberg who also studied at Black Mountain with Joseph Albers. He said Albers was the exact opposite of everything he went on to do but it helped him define that! You really get to explore in those kind of environments—so good for creative people. And, yeah, it would be great to see the museum …probably a lot of early work of these artists.
May 14th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Wish you had had more time in Asheville, Debra, but you are seeing your share of America.
May 14th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
The trip was wonderful, Eryl, and the cheesecake……..delicious!
It was a great time, Debbylou.
There was so much innovation at BMC, Cathy, starting with their philosophy. It must have been an amazing place to be.
I’d love to go back to Asheville, Larramie.I met several folks who said that when they moved there, they felt that they had finally come home.
May 15th, 2008 at 11:44 am
thanks for your thoughts on my last entry. it’s is interesting that they want me for free,and it is eating at me, but on the other hand i need the exposure. gaaa!
and i love a festival. any festival really….
May 16th, 2008 at 11:06 am
It sounds like you had a great time, and I do envy you, traveling around America! I love the area you traveled through — I’ve taken many trips in the U.S. and that is one of my favorite parts. And all the great art you got to see, and the artists too, must have been wonderful. Brunch, a massage and a CD — definitely those first two would have been my choice. What was the CD?
May 17th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Hi Debra — This year’s Live and Learn conference –http://www.liveandlearnconference.org/(unschooling) –
is near Ashville. My husband was there a couple of years ago for a marathon, and has wanted to go back. Maybe we’ll make it there this year.
You trip sounds rich and exciting.
May 17th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Thanks for stopping by, Patti. I hope you have time for another unbrelly drink.
WE had a fabulous time, Mary. I hadn’t been to the Southeast for a very long time, and it WAS beautiful. And it’s always nice to share with other artists. I bought a beautiful pair of enameled earring from a NC artist. The CD was a selection of pieces from artist who had performed at LEAF over the years—mostly from the Ashville area.
I’ve never been to that conference, Laura. I hope you do get to go—it’s a lovely area. Lots of people told me that
they felt they were home when they moved to Asheville.
May 17th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
This reminds me of driving on the Natchez Trace, a slow speed-zone highway that runs through forests and countryside such as you’ve described with the dogwood. It runs from Natchez Mississippi to the Carolinas, so I’m wondering if you found that. It’s so pretty in spring with dogwood and in the fall with the high color leaves. Sounds like you had a wonderful journey!
May 29th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
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