Great quote

"You can have all the heart in the world, but it doesn't mean anything unless you've got the legs."
— Lance Armstrong, from "Lance Armstrong's War" by Daniel Coyle (2004)

Hello, Internet. Back from vacation, which was heavenly, and which included the purchase of the above book, as well as Wendell Berry's "The Way of Ignorance." Both inspiring in their own way. Both purchased at what may be my favorite store in North Carolina, if not the entire country: Malaprops. It's in Asheville. We visit whenever we're in the area. In one of Berry's essays, he writes: "The general purpose of the present economy is to exploit, not to foster or conserve. Look carefully, if you doubt me, at the centers of the larger towns in virtually every part of our country. You will find that they are economically dead or dying. Good buildings that used to house needful, useful, locally owned small businesses of all kinds are now empty or have evolved into junk stores or antique shops. But look at the houses, the churches, the commercial buildings, the courthouse, and you will see that more often than not they are comely and well made. And then go look at the corporate outskirts: the chain stores, the fast-food joints, the food-and-fuel stores that no longer can be called service stations, the motels. Try to find something comely or well made there."
To read the full essay, ckick here.
That's a long way of saying that Malaprops, and all of Asheville in fact, give me hope that not all inner cores of all cities are dying. (True, Asheville may be an anomoly in that it's got a good tourism draw.) Yet its locals seem to be more supportive of the home-grown businesses than not. And it offers a picture of what a community can do that doesn't want to look like every other town in America. Cheers.
In other vacation news, the trails around/on top of Whiteside Mountain were a daily destination. And on said Asheville trip, we took a detour onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. It seemed you could see all the way to the ocean. Come summertime, it'll be more hazy up there. And so, we were fortunate to have clear skies and light traffic.