Hello from Asheville

I'm sitting in my son's living room enjoying his fast wireless connection, drinking coffee and planning my day. He is working today, so today is my solo wandering day, I love downtown AVL and can keep myself amused.

The drive up was gorgeous, after I got off the cursed 95 (eternally under construction) and headed west on I-26. I realize that I have become a true flatlander when the rolling hills are enough to amuse me. Then you get west of Spartanburg to the NC state line, and there are mountains! Pretty, pretty mountains. Not a cloud in the sky, temps in the mid-70s. Gorgeous.

Last year I made this drive in the Altima, and the Green River Gorge nearly killed it - I thought I was going to have to labor up the grade with my hazard lights on, like the truckers. But Baby scoffs at mountains, we zipped through there so easily I barely noticed it. And Baby was loaded to the gills - when Boy saw it he asked, "Are you sure you aren't moving in?" Most of it was surplus computer stuff, including my mother's unused PC, which will be souped up and given to one of his friends' daughters.

I am sleeping on an air mattress in the spare room, there is little room for my stuff and this is definitely roughing it, but I slept very well, over 9 hours last night. I never sleep that much. By the middle of the night I was glad I brought the down throw I stuffed into my bag to use as a blanket.

We did indeed eat at Ed Boudreaux's last night, it was as good as I had remembered. Today I will walk it off. And pick up some protein bars. I don't know how to turn on my son's TV - seriously, it's some sort of weird setup with multiple remotes and I couldn't figure out which one activated the cable - but I don't think I'll ask, because there are books to read and an iPod to listen to.

Oh, and random aside to Al Gore: The revolution is over baby, and you won - not just the Nobel Prize, but the hearts and minds of the regular folks. Because yesterday on I-26 I was driving along near a shiny pearly white new Prius, and when I pulled along side, it was being driven by a 60 year old good ol' boy in a farmer's cap. That weathered face belonged behind the wheel of a Chevy Silverado or an F-150. I'm thinking that the media meme that it's only effete latte drinkin' liberals who believe in that energy conservation and climate change foolishness may come to an end soon. Because I saw my first good ol' boy in a Prius.