Two Ladies

There were two people I was anxious to meet up with while in Asheville, which were two more great reasons to stop by. On Sunday, Jenna headed over from Pigeon Forge, TN. If you remember Jenna is who ultimately got me in touch with Rick who I stayed with in Asheville. So she came over and said hi to Rick as well. That worked out very well. And if you recall I spent time with Jenna and family and friends in Alabama. She came over for the day and we spent the better part of the day at the Biltmore Estate, the biggest house in the United States. Indeed, it is quite large, and rather pricey to attend. While I was there I kept making comparisons to the Hearst Castle in California and to the Palace of Versailles in France, which I saw when I was 18. And the most annoying thing as ever for a photographer is being told that I’m not allowed to take photos inside the estate. Quite frankly I think that’s a little ridiculous when I pay $42 to see the place. So they lost some big points for that. But it’s worthwhile to see. It’s pretty magnificent. I found one room in the house that I would like to make my study and office. Of course Jenna and I had to get some ice cream as well that evening. I went with birthday cake ice cream with raspberries in a waffle cone dipped in chocolate. Tasty.

The evening would be capped off with one of the best conversations of the year. A couple weeks ago I found myself in Celebration, FL with Amy’s parents. When Amy was only 12 she made it to all 50 states with her brother and parents to met all 50 governors. Long story short, I got in touch with Amy a year ago several months before departing on my trip. Several e-mails, a few phone calls, and a year later we finally met, in Asheville. To be honest, I was a little intimidated. She had done this before. She was on the Today Show, Good Morning America, and had more press than I could ever imagine. She wrote her book. She already knew what it was about, what it takes to make happen, and the list goes on. I’m still worried that she might be pointing out the things I’m doing wrong. We sat down for coffee for two hours and had an awesome conversation. She got it, she simply got it. She knew what I was going through to great detail. One of the best conversations of the trip, simply enjoyable. So Amy, if you read this, a big thank you. You were a big inspiration to help me realize if I wanted to do this there wasn’t anyone stopping me. Thanks!

Check out Amy’s book here!