Month: June 2026

Our next side trip was to the Ashville area where we stayed with one of Andrea’s friends Mike and his partner Gerri.

On the way there we stopped for a bite of lunch at the southern end of Lake Lure. This was on the edge of the area devastated by hurricane Helene almost 2 years go. As we drove closer to ground zero, the remaining devastation was heartbreaking to see. Whole business areas washed away and houses dangling off cliffs where the ground just slid away underneath. Even this long after the storm, road and utility repairs are still underway. The scope of the damage that we saw was unbelievable. It must have been an incredibly frightening experience to have lived through.

Mike and Gerri were keen birdwatchers and had set up a feeder just off their second floor balcony. It was quite delightful to take a cup off coffee out there and enjoy the antics. .

Mike is an old car enthusiast ( especially jaguars). He took us to a British inspired pub that was hosting a classic car show.

Before we left the Ashville area we drove about 20 miles into the mountains on the Blue Ridge parkway. We had to stop at the museum/gift shop on the way. It was here that we saw a tool that our woodshop would enjoy: a pedal powered frett saw!

The road was closed after mount Mitchel (6688’and the highest peak east of the Mississippi) due to ongoing hurricane repairs

Returning to our temporary home base with Kaija near Rock Hill we had time to explore some of the walking trails in the area despite the thunderstorms that seem to be following us since Texas.

We were lucky enough to see rocky shoal spider Lilies in full bloom in the middle of the Catawba River. This stand of lilies is one of the larger in the US. We could see them from the hiking trails, but if I ever get back to Rock Hill it would definitely be worth renting a canoe and paddling between the clumps. The river is shallow with lots or rocks that the lilies love. The water flow is lively but not too scary.

As our time in the Carolinas drew to an end, we said goodnight to the chorus of frogs that serenaded us every night outside Kaija‘s house. The sound of the frogs, Kaija‘s wooden cabin and the lake brought back lovely memories of living lake side on Lac Bernard in Québec. I must admit to a little homesickness.

The time came for Kaija to take us to the airport for the start of the next phase of our adventure. Charlotte airport is a very modern building and despite some long lines we were able to get through all the security stuff with time to spare. The airport supports a lot of travel between Germany and the US due to the nearby BMW and Scheffler plants. Consequently the departures area has a bar that serves American brewed Düsseldorf beer. Well we couldn’t resist… my last State-side sketch was of a fellow travelled with the most unique beard.

Talk to you all soon from across the the pond.

We left the coastal area of South Carolina 21/2 weeks ago and we continue to visit places familiar to Andreas during his 9-5 working life. This is an area of the country completely new to me. The countryside is heavily wooded with pine that is clear cut from time to time. The modern houses have a very characteristic style where the roofline over the central section of the house is higher than the two side wings. This enables a covered front porch. The garage doors are not front and center. Often one of the side wings is in fact the garage and the car enters from the side. It makes a much more welcoming entrance to the house.

Not long after leaving the coastal area we drove through Lake City. A charming town with an ugly dark history of lynching. The first black post master was lynched 128 years ago because white folks didn’t want their mail delivered by black person! It is also the birthplace of Dr. Ronald McNair, a physicist and African-American astronaut who died in the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster

The town now markets itself as an arts center. Every spring it host a massive arts festival. As we drove through I was struck by the compact red brick houses that looked like a variation of the American Bungalow. Turns out that I was thinking along the right lines. According to Google, the houses are in „a South Carolina distinct variation known as the Shandon-style brick bungalow. These homes combined the classic, low-slung shape of an American bungalow with solid red-brick exteriors and prominent gabled roofs“. If we ever come back this way, I’d love to take a closer look at this town.

It is clear why the Carolinas are considered the timber source for the USA. South Carolina harvests pine for the building industry while North Carolina harvests hardwood that contributed to its leadership in furniture design. We visited the magnificent Grove Park Inn featuring Roycraft furniture and the even more spectacular Grove Park village museum that housed a wide variety of contemporary furniture inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement. We were in woodworkers heaven!

One of Andreas‘s friends lives in Greenville. This is an old cotton town totally revitalized as a cosmopolitan city on a wonderful river (Reedy) with waterfalls cascading through the downtown area. It’s an iconic example of Urban renewal and long term strategic planning. Another place I’d like to come back and visit more thoroughly.

To be continued….