asheville weekend...

well the weekend getaway to asheville was just fantastic! i thought i would share a few pics from our wonderful mini vacation...

the dog rescue that i work with is now located about 20 mins outside of asheville, so we decided to do a quick drive by to say hi to all the pups. barkley was pretty stoked on it because, after sitting in the car for about 2 hours, he then got to run around with multiple puppies and get good and dirty! i didn't get a single picture of him playing (what a terrible mother i am), because i was way too caught up in meeting all of the new arrivals at the rescue. be sure to check out some of the cuties that are there now HERE...

this handsome guy is no new arrival. he's been at the rescue since shortly after i started working there about 2 years ago. that is WAY too long for a dog to be at a rescue. he's the sweetest, snuggliest dog ever, but he doesn't really get along with other dogs. that has made gabe really hard to place in a home. he also gets passed up time and time again simply because of the way he looks. he's a BIG pit bull, with a head that could swallow me whole, and it's understandable that it might make people a bit nervous. once you spend a few minutes with him though, and he curls his entire body up in your lap, you realize it was silly to ever be afraid of this big old softy. you can read more about gabe HERE...

playing with all those pups certainly made evan and i work up an appetite. now non-vegans may not understand the joy of finding some good vegan fair, so i'll apologize in advance for all the food pictures. in charlotte there are really few options when it comes to vegan goodies, so when we end up in a city with tons of options at our disposal, we tend to get a bit excited... and as it turns out, pretty darn full!

first stop, rosetta's...

i opted for the veggie burger... delicious!

evan's choice, the family favorite. tofu covered in some sort of yummy peanut sauce, with collards, mashed potatoes, and a side of mac and cheese. yummer!

then it was off to see henry rollins. the reason we went to asheville in the first place...

oh my god, i don't think i can possibly say enough good things about the show. photography was off limits inside, otherwise i would have some visuals to share. if you ever get a chance to see him do spoken word, don't hesitate. go buy a ticket and see him! he has got more energy then any other person i've ever see, and he absolutely has a need to share with you his thoughts, ideas and experiences. he spoke for almost 3 solid hours, without a break, and he was as excited, and exciting, at the end as when he first walked on stage. good stuff!

the next morning we got up and took barks on a little walk. we meandered along these train tracks that were right next to the hotel we stayed in. so pretty always seeing the mountains in the distance wherever you go...

then onto more eating! we've heard amazing things about the vegan brunch at the laughing seed cafe and had to check it out for ourselves...

it's a super cute little spot and we were really luck to not have to wait to be seated. we heard that most times you can expect to wait about an hour to be seated for brunch. not today good man!

this was quite possibly one of the best breakfasts i've ever had. it was tofu, eggs benedict style, with soysage, grits, spinach and a biscuit. i was full the entire day after finishing off this plate. so uncomfortably full and yet so totally worth it!

evan went for your classic tofu scramble with a "milk" shake on the side. all delicious as well!

we then hit up a few antique shops and walked around for awhile. all in all, a really relaxing weekend. i can't wait to go back when it's a bit warmer and we can really enjoy everything that asheville has to offer. i'm sure there is more to it then just great food :)

oh and barkley really enjoyed the weekend too...