The Apple Festival

The Apple Festival is an annual event that Hendersonville has been holding since around the end of WW II. It is held on Labor Day weekend every year and it is supposed to be a celebration of what Henderson County is famous for and that is its apples. My girlfriend had never heard of it before a couple of weeks ago when I mentioned it and I invited up here so she could experience some of my local flavor. I have not been to the Apple Festival in probably 15 years and it is definitely not what I remember. Parking was not the nightmare I thought it would be and we made it downtown at about 4:30. The place was packed with people and the vendors were trying to convince everyone that their orchards apples were the best. We mostly walked around and she checked out a few displays that caught her eye and I ran into a few relatives and some old friends of mine. Being a Hendersonville Rock Star is a step above being a Travelers Rest Rock Star. We met up with a few friends of hers at a restaurant on Main Street called the Square Root We tried something called an Apple Slushie (it tasted more like Apple Butter that had been run through a strainer and then some crushed ice was added) before we settled on a more traditional lemonade. We had a good time and i am so glad she wants to step into my world. That is very important to me, more important than I thought it was, and she fits perfectly into my world.

Fantasy Girl

I heard the song by the 80's Rock group .38 Special the other day entitled "Fantasy Girl." That song brings back a ton of memories. Almost all guys have a Fantasy Girl whether it be a model, a centerfold, an actress, or someone that they know. Even the mere mention of their fantasy girl will bring a smile to a guy's face.

My first Fantasy Girl was a neighbor of mine at the apartment complex I lived in at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. Good old AppSouth Apartments. My Fantasy Girl was really cute (how many Fantasy girls are ugly?), the "girl next door" type, dark hair and hazel eyes, she had a smokin' hot body, and as soon as I saw her, I started calling her "Fantasy Girl." My roommates took up the name and started calling her that and the name kind of stuck. I met her a few weeks later and I found out her name was Susan but that didn't sound right. "Fantasy Girl" it was.

I don't think she ever found out I called her that (at least I hope she didn't) and I lost track of her after my Senior year at ASU. My concept of a Fantasy Girl has changed over the years. In my early years it was all based on looks. Who am I kidding, up to a few years ago, it was all based on looks. My concept of the Fantasy Girl now is someone who wants to be with me, someone who wants to make me happy, and enjoys spending time with me and wants to do some of the things I want to do.

A lot of time, energy, and money have been wasted trying to figure that out and finally coming to that conclusion. I do not think anyone can say that they know where a relationship is going when it first starts out but they can say if it feels like it is going in the right direction. I am now in a relationship that feels right. Any relationship is "give and take" and not meant to be stressful. It is meant to be the missing piece. I may finally have found what I am looking for.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

I took my girlfriend and her daughter to Hendersonville's world famous Hot Dog World last night. There was a thing going around Facebook not long ago about "I am so Hendo I remember when...." it was a Sonic Drive In in the late '70's-early '80's. After we finished eating, I decided to take them on a trip through the first neighborhood that I remember living in when I was growing up. I showed them the house that my Grandmother lived in and that was one of my fondest memories of my childhood was seeing Grandma whenever I wanted to because she was right next door. We pulled into the driveway of the house that I used to live in and I still remember the layout. Both houses have been remodeled but luckily my memories will stay the same. I shared a few memories with them of what it was like "growing up Dan". We were not the type of family that moved around a lot and my Mom still lives in the house that she has owned for 40 years. That allowed me to establish some well grounded roots and I really didn't get the wanderlust until I hit my early 40's. My family refers to that as my "mid life crisis" but I didn't see it that way at all. There is nothing wrong with branching out but it is good to remember where your roots are.

The Internet

I finally have the internet back and now I can get back to doing what I enjoy doing- writing in whatever form I so choose. In this case it is blogging. There have been a lot of changes that have occurred over the past 5 1/2 weeks. I am in a relationship now and it has already been suggested that I may need to change the title of my blog from "Dan Dates Again." I am open to suggertions if anyone has a good one (or even a bad one because I would still like to hear it). I am getting more settled into my new house and navigating around having a roommate but it has been a fairly smooth transition. My work transfer hasd gone fairly smoothly with a few hiccups here and there, but it is a better work environment and I am actually sleeping better at night. I am more relaxed and that allows me to focus better. I would like to believe that all of the changes I have made are for the better and I might finally be getting it right. Now I just need to get a second career up and running.

Ralph's Place

We went to a little hideaway in the hills near Travelers Rest, SC one weekend about a month ago. It is named Ralph's Place and is named after a previous owner. It is a great place for a weekend getaway. It is not that hard to find (especially in the daylight) and it is a very quiet, picturesque setting on the edge of one of the forks of the Saluda River. We were able to steal one night to ourselves and with the exception of Molly making her presence known every time we turned around, it was the weekend we needed to get away from normal life before it gets very hectic. I had to take Molly for a walk about 2:30 one morning, mainly because she insisted. Ralph's Place is surrounded by trees but there is a clearing in the front yard of the property. At 2:30 in the morning, the clearing was the only place that allowed some of the moonlight to come through. The little bit of light gave the trees and surrounding scenery a midnight blue haze that you can only capture with your memory. The faint light outlined our cars and the driveway but left the rest to my overactive imagination. I kept seeing bears and bobcats and other creatures of the night stalking me from within every shadow. The only regret I have about the entire weekend was that there was a journal that was laying on the table in the den of Ralph's Place. Previous guests from as far away as Michigan and Missouri had written entries that told of the serenity and comfort that could be found at Ralph's Place. I did not take the opportunity to write in this journal (and journaling is my thing) to articulate what Ralph's Place came to mean to me but hopefully I will have a chance to in the very near future.

Love Letters

My girlfriend bought us each a composition book the other day and proposed we write each other love letters and exchange them once a week. I think it's a great idea. Love letters have always been romantic and it helps give my gthe Cyrano de Bergerac's of the world a chance with the ladies. I would classify myself as a "closet romantic" and I only let that beast out with special ladies who I think will appreciate it and treasure what I write just for them. Excuse me but I have a love letter to write.

Dan Dates Only One

I finally found one that might be a keeper. We have been dating about a month now and she hasn't raised any red flags. We even announced our "relationship" status to the Facebook world. After all of this time I may have finally gotten it right. Being in a relationship is a scary thing for me but this is a good kind of scared. I don't have to worry about her coming after me in the middle of the night with any kind of weaponry for one thing.