All three of these shots probably merit your clicking on them to see them full-size. Above is the view of Biltmore House from the lower terrace at The Inn. The photo below is of the City of Asheville from the Blue Ridge Parkway southeast of town.

The shot above is of Biltmore House from the Parkway. It is helpful to remember that when George and Edith Vanderbilt lived there, the land on which I stood to take this shot was not only on the estate but easily 15 or miles from the eastern edge.

The house is constantly being maintained and restored. These guys are working on some repair to the roofing slates above the Library wing.

Canada Geese and a few ducks have returned to the Bass Pond, apparently to start nesting. It is so beautiful and serene there in the transitional period from winter to spring

The moss above is one I hadn't seen before. I am continually amazed at the variety of mosses that proliferate the forests here. Below is a shot of Black Angus at Biltmore on a very warm February afternoon. One of the calves was completely zonked out.

From the left, Matt, Regie, Amy and I shamelessly posing on a dog walk. Spencer is barely visible in front of Regie and Bear is completely hidden other than his totally recognizable German Shepherd ears visible behind Abner. Getting all the people to look at the camera at the same time was an accomplishment. Hoping for cooperation of all the dogs was probably unreasonable.

These three shots are of Abner and Spencer playing after the walk. Bear started to get involved but wasn't sure how it would work with three dogs at the same time so he just kind of hung out and watched.

In what I hope will be an ongoing effort to show more of urban Asheville to those of you who haven't been here, I am starting with the Basillica of St. Lawrence downtown. This baby is a must-see if you come to town. Amazing dome.

Above is a shot of the Buncombe County Administration building with the new modern jail growing out the back. Below is one of many really wonderful examples of the success of the Art in Public Places program in downtown Asheville. I will post more as I get a chance to photograph them.

The shot above is looking south on Haywood Street, one of the principal downtown commercial streets. Almost all the buildings have housing above the street level. . .very renaissance. Below is a shot looking east from Haywood at the hills that separate downtown from East Asheville.

These two shots show the views up and down Lexington Avenue from the balcony of my new condo. The lower shot is looking north at the Kress building (now condos and artsy stores) and the hills of North Asheville in the background.

Above is Abner in the as yet unfurnished great room of the condo. I take him over there pretty much every time I go so he is getting used to being downtown. The photo below is of the gorgeous Art Deco City Hall.

Regie and I sometimes walk the dogs around Biltmore Forest where she and Eric live. It occurred to me that I have never posted photos of the Forest, or for that matter, much of town, so I am going to try to rectify that in the next few posts. The next group of houses are all in Biltmore Forest and will give you some of the flavor of the neighborhood.

The above photo is actually not a house, but the clubhouse for Biltmore Forest Country Club. I don't know why my camera decided to do this arty black and white shot with green being the only color that made it, but I liked the shot anyway.

This is, in my opinion, an excellent example of why there should be design review. The gargantuan house below which is, in my opinion, one of the greater architectural travesties in Buncombe County, was recently completed directly across the street from the house you see above. I feel sorry for the owners of the one above.

This is actually a gate house to a side entrance to Biltmore from Biltmore Forest. I am very enamored of the lanterns on top of the gateposts, one of which you can see below. Passholders at Biltmore get to use this entrance on days when the crowds are big enough to require timed entry into the house.