On Tuesday we took off for Asheville with Laura and Roy, David’s sister and brother-in-law, and their children, Kellie and Neil. The Biltmore House is something that we’ve been told since we moved here that we MUST go see, but this was our first time!

The stairway is illuminated by a giant iron chandelier that weighs almost a ton. Indoor pictures are not allowed, so you’ll have to go to the website to see more. The house took six years to build, and was finished when George Vanderbilt was 33 years old. The gardens and landscaping were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (designer of NYC’s Central Park and Elm Park in Worcester, MA). 🙂

The cousins (l-r) Neil, Cameron, Ben, Jonathan, Kellie, and Andrew

Roy and Laura, and Jonathan, who is apparently so delusional from not napping that he’s throwing himself into the frigid fountain waters for a swim.

Hooray!

Sometimes when you’re about to push the shutter, an obstruction gets in your shot