lucy in the sky, look down

Elton John’s version of Lucy in The Sky came out when I was maybe 13, so it’s the one I was familiar with first. And I thought for ages that he was singing "Lucy in the sky, look down". I’ve had "Lucy in the skyyyyyyyyyy, look dowwwwwwwwn!!!" in my head  all night because I was listening to my iPod on the way back from Asheville. On a slightly related note, my favorite misunderstood lyric is also from Elton John – "Hold me closer, Tony Danza," as sung on John Boy and Billy which is a very funny and very redneck radio program.

I’ve just spent a ridiculous amount of time googling John Boy and Billy. They’re nationally syndicated now but started out in Charlotte and have been on the air for something like 25 years, bizarrely. I also found YouTube has audio clips (odd, since what’s the point of YouTube audio clips??) of my very favorite character from The Big Show – Mad Max. Sadly they don’t have my very favorite clip – which would be why Mad Max doesn’t believe in safety regulations on kid’s toys – basically so nature can weed out the stupid people. "Look, Daddy, Santa brought me a Hot Wheels for Christmas – I’m gonna eat it!"

They make fun of everything flaming liberals like me believe staunchly in, but they’re still hysterical. And, interesting and timely fact – their producer is Stephan Curry’s aunt. The basketball star. Dale Curry the former basketball star’s son.

I have absolutely no idea how I’ve gotten sidetracked by John Boy and Billy. I’ve spent so much time doing John Boy and Billy research that now I need to go to bed. We’re going to go on a Redbud Drive tomorrow, to Virginia. It’s our spring tradition. Abingdon is a little warmer than we are, and they get redbuds before we do. Providing we do at all, which we often don’t since we are in an annoying and backwards area where it often freezes late and kills the buds. Like it is forecast to do tomorrow. It’s been in the 60s so naturally tomorrow night it’s going to snow. The good thing is that it’s been fairly seasonable (like there is such a thing here) and stuff is already blooming so at least everything won’t get killed before it blooms. Which has happened the past two years. Well, except for the redbuds. But they’re always doomed here. That’s why we go elsewhere to view them.

So I spent last night in Asheville, we’ll drive around all day tomorrow, and Monday we’ll go to Chapel Hill – and return – for Baker B’s meeting. And my shopping. And to get away from the snow. We’d originally planned to go to Chapel Hill tomorrow and spend the night, but the redbuds won out. They don’t last long – especially if it freezes – and this may be our only chance. Too bad Chapel Hill and the Redbud Drive are in completely opposite directions.
They were very pretty in Asheville, though. EVERYTHING was gorgeous in Asheville. It was SO nice to actually see spring.

Out the parent’s front window. Yes, they DO have a gorgeous view. Especially this time of the year.

Their very jungley front yard.

Before I left, I walked around Biltmore Village. Which suddenly has an alarming amount of development, although on the plus side at least the brand new buildings are the same style as the old ones, so they’ll blend in. Which is beside the point – I didn’t take any New Building pictures (they’re soon to be full of fancy shops like Williams-Sonoma). Just old ones.

This was an old bank.

A fun coffee shop. Well, it looks fun – it was closed. I like the kettle and coffee pot hanging in the air.

More stuff hanging in the air – tree decor.

This whole weird building is decorated with those lovely ornate concrete block things. It’s kind of an odd thing to see in ritzy upscale Biltmore Village. There used to be a lot more of this kind of thing there, but I guess it’s all been displaced by the upscale stuff. Like the deceased Hot Shot Cafe.

Willow tree! Hooray spring!!!