Mo to Come: 9.18.07

Ola!

I saw the billboards - you know, the bright green ones I sent you photos of that said "Mo to Come: 9.18.07" - but I had no idea what they meant. I do now!

Walking along the Reed Creek Greenway, I found a pretty piece of land just as a video shoot was taking place. And even though I was supposed to come home this week, the story I heard convinced me that I need to stay in the region just a little longer. Once you hear the story, you'll know why.

I left home to visit Asheville because of its reputation as a model city and hoped to bring back valuable lessons about how we can save our rainforest home. I've seen a lot of great places on my travels, and cool things are happening here. After talking with the lady in the video, whose name is Paige, she convinced me to stay. We have much we can teach one another!

Paige told me a story about a place where all ages will be able to play and discover the amazing world within and around them. This new place will become the very first home for a treasured family museum that has touched the lives of people in the Asheville region for nearly 40 years! It will have indoor and outdoor opportunities for learning and play, and it will also teach people how our health and wellness is linked to the health of the planet.

And as if that wasn't cool enough, this new place will also have America's Greatest Tree House, a pedal-powered monorail (the very FIRST in North America!), a cafe featuring healthy food, an outdoor amphitheater, and more!

One of the really cool indoor exhibits is a radio broadcast theater, and they'll need a deejay once the place opens. You know how my dream was to become a reporter? Well, I think I may have found my new home to make my dream come true! Until then, I'll practice my interview skills with this blog. There are so many cool people who are making this new place a reality, and there are great tales to tell!

Until next time, I'm still getting Mo from life in Asheville!

- Mo

Take Me to the River

Ola!

I thought I’d lost my way, so I followed the river until I came to the
thriving Asheville River Arts District.

It reminded me of home and the way the jungle reclaims anything left too long. The old brick buildings were painted in bright colors and patterns and humans created artwork inside. Potters, glass blowers and other artists
worked in factory buildings that once had made tires and other industrial items, transforming clay and raw steel into bowls and sculptures.

It warmed my heart to see how these humans had transformed their setting, breathing life into a once abandoned industrial district. I wanted so badly to feel clay between my toes, so I entered someplace called Odyssey Center for the Ceramic Arts and spoke with the humans there.

I talked with a nice lady who showed me a block of clay mixed in this very
city! I peeled back the plastic and pulled a handful from the block, but I was
unable to really make a pinch pot the way a human could. But the woman
encouraged me to play and explore, and I stayed quite a while.

I went back to the river and watched the water roll against the shore. The red banks of the
French Broad River reminded me of how important pottery had been to humans.
I was struck with how ingenious they could be, transforming the very Earth
into pots and cups and figures.

I’m learning so much about Asheville, friends, and I’ve only just begun!

Getting Mo from Life in Asheville!

- Mo