Monday started off late. We all took the opportunity to sleep in. As we awoke, we ate breakfast and drank coffee on the covered porch. We had a great view of nature, both plant and animal. At one point, we tried to keep track of the various animals we saw, but we definitely lost track. The first morning we saw a turtle, deer, and several large carpenter bees. It was a cool morning and we took a bit of time to enjoy our coffee and make plans for the week.

As we were sipping our coffee, suddenly, we got a visitor! A little white dog came running up to the porch, tried to snag food from us, and eventually snuggling with us and taking a nap. As we made plans for the week, he just sat there listening and snuggling. Eventually, a golf cart pulled up, and we realized that our visitor, was the neighboring dog, Rocky. He left, reluctantly, and we finished making plans.

After we got ready, we headed into Asheville, which was about a 30-40 minute drive. We decided to try Wicked Weed Brew Pub, as they had beer and food options. We started off with some homemade chips and dip and the drinks began to flow. Mike and Aaron really got into the fun and tried flights of beers, so they knew what to try next. We all opted for burgers and fries, with some people choosing black bean or bison burgers, various toppings, and different types of fries. I got beer cheese to put on my burger and as a dip for fries. It was pretty good and reminded me of a beer flavored nacho cheese. We really enjoyed the laid back atmosphere and our waiter was awesome and gave us other recommendations of places to visit.

Enjoying the brews at Wicked Weed Brew Pub

After Wicked Weed, we took a short stroll down the road to Double D's Coffee. Most of us enjoy an afternoon "frappe hour" and today was no different. Double D's was a cute coffee shop out of an old double decker bus. I really enjoyed my peanut butter cup mocha. It was just what I needed to pick me up.

We headed back to the house and enjoyed some time on the patio, checking out the view and eventually seeing a few stars. After a big lunch, we snacked for dinner and headed to bed at a reasonable hour, so we could get up in time for a trolley tour on Tuesday.

The New Austonian