Paws in the Park

I'm going to be honest with you: I have never been a dog person. I think I was actually taught when I was younger to fear dogs, and grew up in a petless household (My dad finally broke when I was nearly 16 and I finally got a cat!). But living in Asheville has changed me in that regard; it is such a dog-friendly city. There are pooches everywhere you go, and I have enjoyed being around so many of them. Buttttt....I especially love my roommate's dog Fred. We're such pals...I never thought I could dig a dog this much.

Last Saturday I took my buddy Fred to the Paws in the Park event in Fletcher, NC. It was a gathering of pups for some socialization time--we got to play with other doggies, take an obedience test (ummm....we didn't quite pass that one), try free samples, win prizes, and there was a parade of dressed up doggies. Fred didn't want to do that, but look how handsome he was in his bandana! And check out the pics of the new friends he made!

Here's Fred, riding in Janis, wondering where the heck I was going to take him.

Some of the costume winner from the parade

This little pooper's name was Cash. A mini Fred!

This is Lydia's puppy, Roxy (above)

Balboas, beers & goodbyes.

Friday morning I hit the road south for Asheville! A couple of days prior to my departure, I sadly lost my fun, green camera in a tragic drop from a high-top table at Biederman's. One minute it was working just fine. The next minute, I was enjoying the melted cheesy goodness of a roast beef balboa and it dropped to the floor, and the screen shattered. Luckily I was able to save the pictures, and have a new fancy red Nikon (insert Paul Simon song here). Since I have been on the road and my belongings, which were jammed in the back of my van in a Tetris-like fashion, have shifted all over the place in the 1250 miles I have traveled thus far, I couldn't find the camera cord, which I'm sure was irresponsibly packed with my unmatched sock collection or box of unnecessary toiletries. Who knows. I have learned many things about myself in my last week of travel, but my first lesson learned is that I am a terrible packer. There is no rhyme or reason to what I brought, what I left behind, and I have an ongoing list of things that I should have brought, all left behind to bear the New Hampshire cold.
Oh well. All that aside, I am having a fabulous time. And as an added bonus, I just discovered that this handy new laptop of mine has a working card reader on the side, so voila!...I just downloaded my pics. In an effort to keep everything chronological, I will start with the last of my going away pics. Thursday night my friends gathered 'round a huge table at Biederman's (the site of my camera smashing) to wish me well in the best way—over beers and balboas. It was perfect, we shared laughs, and it was beautiful to have my most favorite people all in the same room. Following a few pints and some grub, we went to my place for afters, shared more laughs, and I was able to make it an early night before hitting the open road.

Fa, la, la, la, la...

I’m down to the last couple of days at my job, and I’m starting to get sappy. I’m cleaning off my desk, and below the blankets of dust (I’m not the tidiest of employees) are collections of lucky rocks, favorite paperclips, pens, photos, post-it notes and knick knacks that I am having a difficult time parting with. Three years of stuff. But I know it’s time to move on, despite the fact that I will miss everyone at MegaPrint (if you are not already following the MegaPrint blog, you totally should…I designed it and its chock full of good stuff!) I have made some of the greatest friends here, who have been the biggest supports and shining stars in my life. This place has afforded me so much opportunity and I appreciate it being there when I needed it three years ago. I am grateful for all of it, and will truly miss it (a rarity these days in the job world). From the cheese/fatty meat days and breakroom festivities to the fish birthday parties (RIP Elroy!) to the fun design work to the recycling adventures to the everyday laughs, I will miss it all. So, thank you to Jay and everyone who have made MegaPrint a place that I enjoyed going to everyday.

So…in 2 weeks from today, I’ll be heading south in Janis (my van) to Asheville, NC. But for now, I am just going to soak up the last 14 days in New England with fabulous friends and family and enjoy the holidays.

Here is the MegaPrint holiday card I designed this year. And…a picture of the tree I made out of scrap cardboard--trying to go green...literally. :)

And I'm off to Woodsville for 3 days of Christmas excitement with the Lucas Clan. Merry Christmas everyone and I wish you all the happiest and healthiest of new years!

Peace and love,
Stacey

Last batch o' Asheville pics

Interactive street mural project. (I added in the red swirly vines)

The first band we saw: The Lions of Jah. Fabulous! Human street statue: put a dollar in his bucket and he dispenses candy. Yay! It's a street fest!
How can you not take a picture of that on a warm summer night? Mmmm.
This was our feast at Tupalo Honey, an organic cafe downtown. Everything was so fresh, so green and grown locally!
Larry took every chance he could to order grits. (I wasn't a believer before, but I'm coming around). Featured next to the cheddar covered grits is one huge (and delicious) sweet potato pancake with granola. This place had peach infused butter--amazing!

Onto our next food adventure: the quest for delicious sushi. Oh yes, we found it. This maki is rolled in mango with a tangy sauce. (The food here was nothing less than amazing, but the experience at this restaurant was a memorable one, thanks to our new drunken buddy, Court, from Florida. He kept making air fists and shouting, "it's good to be alive!")Random table art made by yours truly.

Our search for more sushi continued. Hey, what's this? A Number 9 Roll? Okay! (I took it as a sign from the universe, since #9 is my favorite beer and all, though it may have been a stretch. Still, it didn't dissapoint.)Close-up of the #9 roll...yum!This was quite inspiring. My friend Roy hooked me up with a tour of local artist Ben Betsalel's art studio in the River Arts District. Ahhh...what a beautiful and creative space!Definitely, definitely the best vacation...ever. :) I can't wait to go back!

Asheville, part deux.

More pics from my vacation:

I danced with some of the locals...I was the lucky one chosen from the crowd to assist this (very handsome) magician for the old "ball and cup" trick. My job: hold his balls. :)
This was one of the places we stayed: Bed of Roses B&B. It was a reasonably priced, beautiful stay, complete with a jacuzzi, yummy breakfasts and fancy robes. "Hey Larry...sit on that couch and pretend that you are smoking a pipe."

The community's response to an anti-gay protest: a silver Sharpie and some scrap cardboard. (Note the dude in the back holding the sign that reads "homorepressed" to the left of the bible-reading guy with the megaphone).
"Hey, Larry, do you think I should buy these rad glasses?"
"They make you look like a bug."
Pure coincidence: Larry was standing to the right of the Thirsty Monk sign.
(No, he's not really a monk)
This was probably the best musical find: Ménage.
They were a powerhouse trio of women who rocked the stage!
Get on THIS bus? Okay! This was our ride to the Wailers show; the inside was decked out in red velvet, cool ceiling murals and guitar player! I love this place!

What I did on my summer vacation...

I just got back from the most amazing vacation...ever. Asheville, NC. It's wacky, it's creative, it's musical and alive! I was there for the Bele Chere music festival (where I am going to be a vendor next year, selling my art!), and had the time of my life. I took so many pictures, so I'll have to do this in pieces. Ahhh...it was so amazing!This was the Sky Lounge, overlooking the city

I was able to meet up with my old friend, Roy while in town

New Asheville buddies: Caroline and Hamish

The weather was gorgeous: sunny and 85-90 degrees with a beautiful, light breeze

Color, color everywhere!

Swirly streets! :)

Late night adventure to a restaurant (best fried homemade mozzarella!), where I spotted a wall of Jonas Gerard originals.

The city is famous for its beautiful, well-preserved architechture

This just made me smile. The whole vacation made me smile. A lot. :)