I haven't posted for about a week because I have been in North Carolina. My sister had a horse show and the rest of the family explored the local area. One of my favorite sites on the trip was the Biltmore Estate. This massive house was built by William Vanderbilt and is the largest private home in the country. But at the same time a house just isn't a home unless you have rooms for you, your family, and 34 of your closest friends; not to mention the 64 servants that lived in the home as well. We also explored some of the local cuisine. My favorite was in downtown Hendersonville. It was a little restaurant called Expressions and they had a rosemary crusted pork loin with lemon mushroom caper sauce that makes my mouth water just thinking about it. A glass of Pinot Noire and a chocolate mousse for desert completed the meal. They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. That would definitely be the case for me. I love food. I enjoy cooking it, sharing a meal with friends, eating out or staying in, expensive high cuisine or hamburgers on the grill. I can be rather opinionated when it comes to food as well.
As much as I enjoyed the trip I am glad to be back in College Station where I can relax. In North Carolina we spent most of the time doing things together. While I love hanging out with people, I need a certain amount of solitude to relax. I don't necessarily need to be completely alone, just allowed to separate myself a bit to reflect and relax. I have to force such solitude into my day at home with my family. It is nice to be able to be alone and relax. In College Station I think I have gone to the other extreme. I have had a lifestyle this summer that has given me excess solitude. Too much of a good thing can be very bad.
I have many thoughts that have built up on this trip and that still spin about my mind, but I am tired and need to rest so my other musings will have to wait until tomorrow.