Asheville!

We just returned from a 2 night stay in Asheville, NC.  It was Thad's birthday gift from us.  We stayed in a 2 bedroom/2 bath Residence Inn Suite.  Saturday, after we got in, the kids immediately wanted to swim, so we unpacked got in our suits and hit the pool/hot tub area.  We were there for probably an hour or so, and struck up a conversation with a couple visiting from Michigan.  Saturday night, I made taquitos and fruit salad, and we had dinner - then Thad and I walked a couple of blocks in search of one of the 15 breweries Asheville boasts.  It turned out to be a virtual blizzard and we made it as far as one pub, had a few drinks and decided to walk back.  The roads were a pure sheet of ice, the wind was a biting/painful cold and the snow was whipping across our faces.  Not very pleasant.

Sunday, we toured the Biltmore Estate.  The Biltmore Estate was the brainchild of George Vanderbilt, heir to one of the wealthiest families in the world at the time.  The estate sat on over 100,000 acres at one point (now, it's on 8,000 acres, after Cornelia Vanderbilt Cecil - George's only child) sold much of the property to the federal government and became Pisgah National Forest.  The house, if I recall correctly, is 175,000 square feet.  Absolutely IMMENSE.  It was modeled after famous French architectural designs, had 90+ bedrooms and 40+ bathrooms (one of the first homes to have bathrooms - minus bathroom sinks.  Servants still delivered pitchers and basins of warm water to guests for washing).  It had electricity and modern forced-air heat.  And indoor swimming pool, smoking room, two-story library, billiard room, and gymnasium.  It took 6 years to build and opened it's doors to guests Christmas Eve 1895.  George Vanderbilt was a 33 yr old bachelor at the time, if you can believe it or not.  He ended up marrying Edith Stuyvesant Dresser about 3 years later, I think.  They went on to have Cornelia and Cornelia had two sons, George and William Cecil - both still alive.  One interesting fact I learned was that Cornelia left her husband in approximately 1934, and moved with both boys to England, where they attended British schools and were in the British Navy.  She let her estranged husband stay at Biltmore until he passed away, though she divorced him shortly after moving to England.  She never returned to the Biltmore - or even the U.S. - not even when her mother passed away.

Anyway, the tour was very interesting.  I can't imagine living a life like that - and really don't find it all that appealing.  George and Edith had separate bedrooms, as was customary for wealthy couples in that era, so that they could avoid moments of indiscretion with servants.  They had very structured and regimented schedules, breakfast at a certain time, tea at a certain time, dinner at a certain time, etc, etc.  They said it was customary for Edith to change her clothing/dress up to 8 times per day, for each occasion.  That would drive me batshit CRAZY!  Guess that's why I was born, and shall ever remain, a struggling, humble middle class woman.

We went on the Butler's Tour, which was an add-on to the regular tour.  We were treated to parts of the home that others didn't get to see - including Mrs. Vanderbilt's closet, the housekeeper's suite, the butler's area, the seamstress room. It was really cool.  The kids even enjoyed themselves (save for Josie, who was a wee bit bored).  Unfortunately, the weather was INSANELY cold, so spending any time outside the home was short-lived.

On our way home, we were searching for a barbecue place to eat and ended up in Franklin, NC.  Right on the Main St of town, we came across the Scottish Tartan Museum!  Thankfully, Thad obliged my curiosity and we stopped and toured it.  The mannequins were a little cheesy, and the displays could have been done a little more professionally, but I appreciated the effort.  They had a gift shop on the main level that I could have really gotten carried away with.  We found out that "McElree" is associated with Clans Grant and MacGillivray.  "Taylor" is Cameron and MacDonald.  So, of course, I started the genealogy stuff again, this time focusing on "McElree".  I was able to trace back to Thad's great-great maternal grandparents, John F and Augusta L (or possibly L. Augusta) Armstrong Agey Taylor.  I do know that Augusta was married prior to marrying John and was possibly a widower when she married John, and had 5 sons to her previous marriage.  Her mother's name was Mary Armstrong, but I cannot find info on her father, though I *do* know he was born in Ireland.  So *that* was cool to find out!  Getting closer to find out whose blood flows through these veins....!