Oh, friends.
You know how I feel about flowers. Danny told me later he doesn’t think he’s ever seen me so happy as I was in those greenhouses. I assume he means with the exception of our wedding and adoption days but I didn’t ask because I was scared of the answer. What I’m saying is, I liked it a whole, awful lot and you would, too.

The gardens are exemplary, obviously. Originally, they provided all the flowers for the house and I think the Vanderbilts just adored flowers because the gardens are outrageously extensive. Here’s a rose garden. Take a field of tulips, daffodils and hyacinths! There’s an azalea garden. Have three or four greenhouses while you’re at it—full of orchids, palms, iris and amaryllis. The conservatory glass didn’t even have smudges. Paige found maybe four dead blooms and a couple leaves on the floor in the entire, massive structure. I’m not making this stuff up. It was pristine in every way. Automatic sprinklers kept the whole environment terribly tropical. I sort of felt like I was lettuce in the HEB produce department with all the squirting but it was nice and mostly hit the plants and not my face. The smells were heavenly.

We followed the stone-paved floor through glass room after glass room. I whispered the names of the ones I knew and the girls asked me about mystery plants here and there. Danny snapped pictures because that’s why we bring him places. Well, that and he also drives us. This is a side note but how fabulous is it that we’re taking this trip after the invention of digital cameras? My poor man would collapse in a puddle of sloppy misery if he had to limit his photography to film’s archaic boundaries. We only share a few of the shots he takes because we’re trying to avoid the dreaded “vacation pictures slideshow” that ruins so many friendships.

The Biltmore grounds are peaceful, yes but there’s more to it than that. I felt extra alive and pretty there, too. I bet it made the Vanderbilts and their friends feel the same way. Everything is so well done that one can’t help but think she is well done, too. A person feels special just by being there.

We left the gardens and turned toward the village but on the way we explored trails and several little bridges and lakes. We hiked to the top of this hill to get a good shot of the house and Reagan and I were gasping for air, laughing hysterically and holding on to each other by the time we reached the top. Paige had already collapsed on a bench and Danny? You know where he was. After we’d hiked to the top of Mt. Everest we realized the shot he sought was actually possible from level ground across another pond. Panting and giggling we rolled back down the hill (with about as much dignity as Wesley and Buttercup) and took the darn picture!

We finally arrived at the village which includes a petting zoo, huge playground, various artisans (we watched the woodworker and blacksmith) plus restaurants, a hotel, a little Vanderbilt museum, a winery and of course, more shops. When we go to places like this the memories stick with the girls. Later when I reference blacksmithing, they can see the sparks flying, feel the heat of the coal oven, admire the red glow of the iron and the end product (in this case rose-shaped coat hooks) created by an incredible craftsman. I love this side of our trip. They are living their lessons every day and sometimes it’s exhausting and we’re grouchy and there’s sand on the kitchen floor again and who let the cat out? Yet, many days, most days, in fact, it’s extraordinary and really good.

Two of our party were exhausted and could go no further so Reagan and I left those losers in our dust and went to the museum on our own. I was on a mission. The current exhibit was all about Vanderbilt weddings and I got to see in real life, the veil worn by Jackie Kennedy on her wedding day. The Kennedys and Vanderbilts are all mixed up together, I’m sure you knew that. Interesting tidbit–Vanderbilt girls are still getting married in this veil Jackie wore. The most recent wedding with its use was August 2016. Quietly we moved through the room just taking in all the grandeur and romance and also, surprisingly the simplicity. For instance, when George married Edith, she carried a small prayer book tucked up in her bouquet and wore no jewelry until he placed the band on her finger. And Cornelia, their daughter, who grew up an only child but ran wild with the worker kids? When she got married, she set aside a whole section of the church for those childhood friends to attend alongside guests from New York and London.

We walked back to the truck and drove through the immense grounds to the exit. We spilled back out onto a normal road and immediately saw the golden arches, the magic lost behind us.

Yes, I could live fancy at the Biltmore. I’d need a couple dozen of you to come be my servants or maybe we could build some sort of commune? I haven’t worked out the details for my new, fancy life because right now I’m focused on my RV life. Paige did suggest to us recently that the roof would be a fantastic place for a pool. That’s my little Vanderbilt.