A neat place to visit

Our first excursion into the Flat Rock / Hendersonville area was to the famous Mast General Store.  Not knowing really what to expect, we plugged the address into the Garmin GPS and headed out.  We soon discovered that highway repair money is plentiful in this area as it seems that every road has scores of those wonderful orange barrels and lots of big earth moving equipment.

The general merchandise store is located right downtown ... which is experiencing a major transformation as well.  We soon found the the store and from the outside it was as quaint as I saw on their website.  However before getting inside ... trying to find a place to park was another matter.  About four trips around the block before we found one.  Hopefully the city fathers have additional parking in the renovation plan.  Another little quirk about Hendersonville was traffic lights that always turned red when I approached them.  Go figure ... but maybe just my imagination

Here's a store I bet Red and Jan would like

Once inside the store it was a step back in time.  Tightly packed shelves with tasteful goodies of all description.  From barrels full of candy to fine wool garments to cast iron skillets ... something for everyone.  I guess after being in business for more than 100 years they probably know what customers are apt to buy.

And there is more next door and upstairs

 Here are some of the goodies you can smack your lips on.

Chow Chow ?????

Grab a handful

After working up a sweat shopping it was time for lunch.  We asked around and decided on 'Mike's on Main' (www.mikesonmain.com).  The old drugstore converted to a breakfast/lunch diner was like I remembered drugstores as a kid.  Ornate stamped tin ceilings, miniature white tile flooring, cast iron pedestal bar stools stationed along a 30ft ice-cream bar.  With an old Wurlitzer juke box in the back corner pumping out tunes of the 50's and 60's and hundreds of old apothecary bottles lining the walls, it didn't take much to drift into a little nostalgia trip.
Anyway the food was good and we enjoyed the stop.
 

Tempting ...eh?

Gimme' two aspirin with my BLT

Tin top 

Where's the soda jerk?

One of the things that did strike me about the downtown area was that not many of the shops were empty.  Many little boutiques and cafes lined each side of the street.  I guess that translates into a pretty robust economy; something we're not used to back in Michigan.

Our next stop was to the home of the late poet Carl Sandburg.  Located a few miles south of the city, we wound our way around a mountain or two before arriving.  We found a place to park and soon noticed the sign that said the place was about to close in a half hour.  Disappointed we left and hoped to reschedule.

So it was a nice ride out but not much to show for it.  But wait!  Something nice did happen.  After rounding the bend on one of those winding  roads we stumbled across this little gem of a water fall.  Though man-made, it was still a pretty scene ... what do you think?

And one of the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen on a tree.  They almost look like a 'bleeding heart' plant we have in our yard in Michigan but these are tall trees.

What is it?

So there was our first day nosing around this part of North Carolina.  We've got a few days to go so stay tuned for more.

Still livin' the dream ... this time in the mountains.

Phil

ps ... We took another one of Henry and Geannie's suggestions and visited the Curb Market
(www.curbmarket.com).  An eclectic gathering of artisans who cook, bake, weave, whittle and make a whole bunch of other neat home-made things.  And especially the carmel layer cake.  We had some tonight and OMG it was fantastic.