Cesspool of Sellouts

Or possibly it’s a ‘cesspool of sin,’ as this out-of-shape Yankee* explains. Either way I was there yesterday. 

The city is actually looking much less like a cesspool of any sort following a campaign to drive out the homeless and clean up the town. One of the small parks near this sign on Patton avenue was being used by families with small children instead of the usual sleeping addicts. I’m not sure what occasions this radical departure from the city’s deeply held values of tolerance and inclusion, but it was surprising. My wife had asked me to link up with her because she needed to walk by that park, and disliked the usual harassment she faces when doing so. This time, cute children instead. 

We also saw a pair of immature bald eagles struggling for dominance on the east fork of the Pigeon river. This was heading back along US 276. There was massive flooding there recently, and though progress has been made there are still clear signs of the disaster. The road is no longer closed between the Parkway and Waynesville, though. And there’s a new Scottish pub in Waynesville, an ideal motorcycle destination provided virtuous moderation is practiced (or else accommodation in Waynesville is found).


* AVI and others from the real North occasionally note that their own usage of "Yankee" has a very different content than the one that Southerners intend. In this case, though, 'Yankee' is the speaker's own choice of appellation -- if you watch his channel's intro video, that's the word he chose to describe himself. 

6 comments:

  1. Ashville has always been a Hippie, artsy town. It's also often been called the San Francisco of the east, for obvious reasons, NTTAWWT.

    Last time I was in Asheville was when I took my late brother to Ashville Memorial Hospital for his heart procedure. We spent the night at the Grove Park Inn. Classy place and well it should be, for $400 a night.

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  2. I live in Hickory. We’ll have to check out the pub. We could meet up for a beer, although I’m more of a cider drinker.

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  3. Truthfully I only drink beer on special occasions these days. It was not always so; but it's the path of wisdom.

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  4. This year, I’ve given up alcohol for Lent. This is the first time I’ve done any Lenten fast or sacrifice. I’ve learned much from it, from participating in Lent rather than just marking its passage on the calendar. The greatest thing I’ve learned is my desperate need for a Savior.

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  5. Well, that’s a good Lenten lesson.

    I did the no-alcohol fast in January, as well as last April. What I learned was that I enjoy my life more with the divine gift of wine or beer; it wasn’t especially difficult to go a month without, but I was very glad when the month was over.

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  6. That has been my experience, as well. I think I would have learned the same lesson, no matter what fast I did. I’m definitely looking forward to having a cider and/or beer.

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