Vacation in Asheville!

Asheville N.C. is only home to about 70,000 people but has been repeatedly written up as one of the 10 best places to live in the United States. That might have something to do with the beautiful backdrop and countless activities offered by to its location in the Blue Ridge Mountains. You get 4 temperate seasons, which as normal as that sounds, isn’t offered in every part of the country. It is an affordable place to live and holds more gourmet and creative dining venues per capita than almost any small cities of the Southeast. Several artists and writers have spent time working in the area, making it the cultural center it is today and paving the way for the interesting historical family vacations it provides. For years preserved buildings such as the Thomas Wolfe House and the Biltmore Estate have presented satisfying weekend get-aways to people from all over the country.

Along with the countless delicious cafes and cantinas of downtown Asheville, there is a considerable number of entertainment venues that provide an exceptionally lively nightlife. It is no wonder Asheville has become the performance capital of WNC. The biggest crowd-seducing venues are the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, the Civic Center, The Orange Peel, and The Grey Eagle. They are not the grandest and most spacious theatres, but when a greatly distinguished musician comes to town, like David Byrne did this year, it can really be quite intimate. Beer drinkers are often pleasantly surprised by the many award-winning microbreweries. Even better is the annual Brewgrass festival that gives attendants a chance to sample all the beers local to WNC and rate the best ones. Asheville offers a real mountain vacation with atmosphere and attractions of a cultural capital. After a night of quality beer tasting or listening to a great show, it is just a short drive to the quiet and crowdless hiking trails of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Several Asheville bed and breakfasts located close the Biltmore Estate can be a spacious alternative to commercial hotels (most of which located much further from downtown Asheville). Plus the location is unbeatable—the Biltmore Estate is the most visited residence of WNC. It was originally completed around 1895 with the financing of George Vanderbilt and the designs of architects Richard Morris Hunt and Richard Sharp Smith. Frederick Law Olmsted—the same landscape architect that did Central Park in New York City, designed the Biltmore gardens that hold enormous tulip beds among other attractions. The original property was 125,000 acres of the Blue Ridge Mountains and had a working railroad and glass conservatory.

There are other historical buildings of significant designs located in downtown Asheville. The City Hall and County Courthouse among other buildings were started in the 1920s. However the great depression left the Asheville in more debt than any other city in the country, thus building in the city came to a halt. Instead of filing for bankruptcy, Asheville’s leaders wanted to pay every penny they owed back. Not does the city offer countless historical and entertainment attractions, it has a long line of honest and hard-working people! For some good resources providing rentals or bed and breakfasts in Asheville, see http://www.vacationsinasheville.com.

Cremation Urns and the Environment

Cremation urns might seem like a very contemporary response to recent efforts to become more environmentally conscious. The use of cremation funeral products voids some of the issues concerning toxins emissions which accompany casket burials. Biodegradable urns, made of safe and organic materials that naturally decompose back into the Earth might as well seem very progressive for a traditional memorial service. However the act of burying one’s ashes, or using a beautiful artist-made urn or vessel is actually part of age-old rituals since the beginning of history. Take a walk in a museum with a large collection of historical artifacts and you will see endless designs of funeral urns from almost every ancient culture. It is so fascinating to see relics of Egyptian vessels, for example, which are so informative of the culture’s art and rituals.

There has been much debate recently about the lack of environmental consideration in casket burials. It may come as a surprise because it has become somewhat traditional in the United States to memorialize the deceased through a gravestone and burial. Yet the problem of land use and conservation may eventually lead future generations to limit the ritual of funeral burials. Not only will there be a land shortage, but the damage caused by the toxins and metals put into the Earth from treated wooden, plastic and metal coffins is irreversible. Cremation urns are an alternative to this issue, in that they take up less space and often are not made of toxic materials. There has been questioning as to whether crematorium emissions contain mercury, which can be a harmful chemical for the environment. However this is something that crematoriums are aware of and are making a huge effort to rectify the situation by altering their methods. A cremation urn, or even a biodegradable urn is made up of earthly materials such as clay or paper. Ashes themselves are a very basic composition of carbon and salt, so they are compatible with the Earth and its elements.

There are biodegradable urns created with affordable materials that coalesce with the Earth. Materials such as naturally harvested cotton and mulberry fibers and walnut stains are clever alternatives to the harmful toxins and metals emitted in casket burials. Funeral urns take up much less space and don’t release chemicals that are harmful to the environment or negatively affect our water table. Cremation urn distributors such as Shine On Brightly offer a gallery for urns that hold much consideration about the artist’s process, materials, and the environment. There are decorative cremation urns made by present day artists that can be observe as a signifier of our history centuries from now, just as we look at ancient funeral urns in the great museums of the world. The positive environmental effects of cremation and burial urns undoubtedly outnumber those of a casket burial and the options are much more unique and artistic. What may seem contemporary in cremation and cremation urn burials is actually one of the most natural and historical funerary rituals.

My Love of Comfort Shoes

Since the beginning of clothes there was the beginning of fashion, and since the beginning of fashion there was the beginning of shoes. Shoes are profoundly significant in all the arenas fashion and style. There have been television shows about women and their obsessions with shoes. My grandmother has four closets full of shoes. I'll never know what it is about shoes that cause such a magical attraction. Sometimes it feels like love at first sight. Call me materialistic but I find myself so often fantasizing about my dream discount shoes that I seldom have the time or energy to find. However my inclinations to ignore the fashion versus practicality argument have caused me to have a very uncomfortable and irreversible foot problem. It's not that I wasn't wearing quality footwear, but I guess it's that I never saw the point of the arch and toe support of most walking shoes. I now have to face up to the fact that quality shoes aren't necessarily the most expensive Italian leather heels at the shoe store. Whereas I have been known to buy leather boots regardless of how well they fit, I now realize that there is such a thing as cheap boots that are also pleasant to wear.

It’s pretty obvious that a shoe disorder can burn a hole in your wallet pretty quickly. Thanks to online shoe sites, I can find women’s dress shoes, cheap boots and comfortable sandals all in one sitting at a price much lower than the department stores would ever offer. It’s pretty amazing how this one branch of the internet has afforded me so much more time and money. Even with a foot problem, there are markets that offer cheap shoes that are comfortable and healthy for the foot. There are casual shoes, for example that provide extra support and look great on your feet. My most recent investment was a pair of red flats by Clarks of England. I have had them for almost a year and just can’t seem to part with them because they’re the only shoes that actually feel good on my feet. The design is simple and authentic. The structure is seamless and of highest quality. They are the perfect therapy after a year of wearing Me Too loafer wedge heels. As good as they look on, I guess I’m just not cut out for wearing heels all winter long.

Throughout my never-ending search for quality footwear, it seems I will never know all the endless brands offered without even stepping foot in the shoe store. Look at Houser Shoes online shoe store, where I have found more shoes than I could possibly dream of! I finally understand what my mother has been telling me all these years. I’ll never again be able to heeled dress shoes day after day. Though I could probably afford to wear wedged Cole Haan dress shoes that I have my eye on every other day. Regardless of how severe any shoe obsession may be, we must take extra special care of our feet. It’s like partying too hard, but on your feet. The expression comes to mind: “What we do when we’re young reveals itself when we’re old”—and that certainly applies to our feet!

The Rituals of Funeral Urns

I think it's time we can all agree that cremation has become an acceptable choice of memorialization in the death industries. Besides cremation being a personal preference, there are some regions and religions which accept cremation more than others. One demographic that has said to be responsible for this growing trend is education. A possible explanation may be that educated people are less prone to following traditions of their ancestors, and more likely to be aware of the environmental considerations of a funeral service. A less obvious attribute is the aspect of land conservation. Many of the world's resources will one day expire, yet who would have guessed that there would ever be a shortage of land for burial plots? Others may link the trend to economical issues, in that the cost of a traditional funeral is exceedingly more than a cremation urn and memorial service.

Whatever the factor may be, there is something so appreciable about the cremation trend, and that is that everyone has a choice. Within the option of choosing cremation for oneself, their are so many elegant and creative ways to memorialize the deceased. Several cremation urn distributors such as Shine On Brightly are offering unique and artistic alternatives to traditional burials. There are decorative cremation urns, for example, which are so much more affordable that paying a funeral home, buying a casket and a burial plot. Art urns are an option for loved ones to remember the deceased everyday through a beautiful, handcrafted memorial product. Burial urns are another way to provide a somewhat traditional funeral service while positively considering the environment. There are even biodegradable funeral urns, which decompose in a completely natural way. Cremation urn distributors even offer thoughtful products to memorialize your cats and dogs. Pet urns are a wonderful approach to lovingly remember your pet by forever.

The cost and efficiency of a cremation urn can hardly compare to the efforts of a non-cremation burial. However convenience and efficiency is not always an issue, especially when the family or individual making decisions wants to honor the deceased rather than save money. There are still exceptionally beautiful and exquisitely crafted funeral urns for whatever one's taste or budget might be. Since religions restrictions and ties to tradition are dwindling, many people are finding burial urns to be an excellent choice for ritual and memorialization. Cremation urns may soon become the most common approach to preserving and memorializing the deceased. To learn more about the wide ranging creative alternatives a cremation urn distributor can offer, it may be beneficial to visit www.shineonbrightly.com.

A Practical Approach to Investing in Luxury Vacation Homes

Every September, my family and their friends take a week long vacation on Daniel Island, South Carolina. There is nothing we look forward to more than basking in the sun and enjoying the amenities of the Charleston area. We go bike riding, eat at great restaurants, cruise around on speedboats, and of course, take advantage of great fishing on the inter-coastal waterways. It is a time when all the tourists have left and it sometimes feels like having an entire beach to ourselves. Charleston has such a long vacation climate, that there is a greater span of optimal vacation time than the beaches where I come from up North. It's also the eighteenth century cultural capital of the South, so the architecture is so interesting, especially along the white sandy beaches. It is the ultimate luxury for us to go and stay in a vacation rental on the coast. However, this year was different.

We were sitting on the beach a few feet behind our vacation home, as we do everyday that we're there. Somebody walked by and told us that the stock market had just closed down 800 points. As removed as we were from the situation, it seemed that things could change and might not be able to go on our luxury vacations so often anymore. But we went swimming anyway and forgot about it for a little while longer. Little did we know that the real estate market was doing the exact same thing. Now it is incredibly obvious that investing markets are collapsing and houses all over the country have been foreclosed. But I'd rather not think about that whole mess and how it happened. I'd rather think about my vacations.

But I’ve recently found that there is viable way to think about vacations and investments at the same time. Private residence clubs are the most recent incarnation of timeshares. I could invest in a luxury vacation home and enjoy it without the stress of renting it out, repairing breakages, or even cleaning. I wouldn’t even have to screw in a light bulb. Private residence clubs are equipped with a full time concierge service. Therefore, as a fractional owner, I could make a minimal investment for a great return. Specifically with The Charleston Club, the procurement of this type real estate allows me to access over 150 other private residence clubs all over the world.

I have realized that this type of investment first started in aviation, and is becoming more popular in real estate. Maybe it’s because of the latest housing crisis that people have realized maintaining real estate and taxes isn’t the easiest way to go. In private residence clubs, the properties and the taxes are of lower cost, because they are all shared. Fractional ownership private residences are typically more luxurious and are in more desirable locations than timeshares, which explains their recent leap in popularity among vacation renters. It could certainly be worth it to check out something like this in the Charleston area. The Charleston Club is a private residence timeshare with fractional ownership featuring all inclusive vacation packages and club on Daniel Island South Carolina.

the artist online learns the lesson of social networking

One of the most unrealized elements essential to a creative career is the power of an artist social network. It can be quite overwhelming to commit full-time to a creative process and then spending more energy on the marketing process. Luckily, the days of lugging an over-sized portfolio from gallery to gallery in hopes of some decent exposure are over. Among the many networking benefits of increasing technology, there is now a great place for the artist online. What better way to get involved in art organizations than a database featuring local events, creative talent and resources that emphasize exposure without the hassles of expensive marketing. Artists are rarely taught marketing skills in their training and almost never have the time or inclination to do so. They often work in isolation so a networking opportunity like Asheville-based Call for Creativity provides a venue for them to promote their work that doesn't require expertise in business strategies.

Whatever left brain skills are lacking in the artists mind are clearly compensated for in the extremely imaginative and creative propensity. There is also a certain camaraderie among artists, where there is often an interest in collaborating and communicative support systems. Thus the most appropriate tool for those to gain exposure may be an artist resource that provides creative types a window to learn what others are doing. Anyone can contribute to an artist guide and simultaneously learn about local events and like-minded creative talent. Within all of the unique expressive disciplines, there is so much to learn and so much to gain by networking within the given interests of every community. From animation to metal works, outsider art to murals (to give a miniscule example of the broad spectrum of each medium), there should be no obstacles in gaining access to the artists’ local creative directory.


Without paying a dime or leaving the studio, the creative community can learn about all the call for artist entries local to Asheville and beyond. Perhaps this is what artists have needed all along! Artists and arts organizations advocating for each other! Instead of paying some sort of agent to promote the works, there is a mutual exchange that benefits other artists-- a collaborative creative directory, for artists, by artists and supporters. What could be more natural? It's almost like there's an alliance, or creative arts club, where artists support each other in every community. Yet how difficult it is sometimes to make the connections and join these social networks. Technological advances have opened up a global exchange for ideas and work. With resources like C4C, the artist online has more advantages than ever before in contributing to their own creative network.