The birthday was just perfect. Lunch with Katie and Libby (a gift from Katie and Margot) followed by dinner (cooked by John) that included Jack, in uniform, I was spoiled. The day was hot and sunny. An unusual 90 degrees in May. I loved every minute of it.

The next day we were up early and in the car heading to Asheville. Another beautiful day. We made it to Hagerstown, Maryland after an easy drive and very little traffic. We were in Asheville by 2pm the next day. Then we got to celebrate Edie’s birthday a second time. Such fun for all.

Margot and John loaded and unloaded two and a half truck loads of mulch and spread it with a lot of help from friends and neighbors. I spring cleaned porches and watched. It was a busy day but a satisfying one.

Our favorite place to visit is the Biltmore Estate so Edie, John and I headed there on Sunday. We ended up taking the Trolley all around the estate which was good fun. It was another hot day and the trolley is air conditioned. We ate lunch from the food truck, dripped ice cream everywhere and then she fell asleep in the car. A most successful day.

Post Script: It was a big week for Katie and Jack. Katie celebrated 20 years with her company on the 20th and Jack passed his Firefighter I on Wednesday. Congratulations to both.