ben wakeman : : Journal

Spoiled for a Weekend

July 13, 2006

I spent this past weekend being spoiled by my parents. I had to travel up to Asheville for business on Monday, so after teaching my Flash class at Emory on Saturday, I drove up the mountain and met my parents at the Grove Park Inn. If you're not familiar with the place, it's this legendary resort that's been around for almost 100 years. I have not eaten so much in a 48 hour period in a long time. I also had a massage for the first time in about 10 years and spent most of the day Sunday lounging around the Spa with it's may amazing pools, mineral baths, steam rooms and such.

It's always weird to go anywhere without Catherine and the boys, but it's particularly strange to stay in a hotel room with your parents as a grown man. It's like traveling back through time. I know at some very primitive level they still see me as the boy I was, just as I think I will always see my boys through those same eyes, long after they are shaving, kissing girls and getting on airplanes by themselves. It was a gift to get to be with them for the weekend. They are special people with bigger hearts than anyone I have ever known.

In addition to lounging by the pool and eatting way too much we also went to the Biltmore house and walked through the gardens. I have not been there in years, and forgot how amazing the gardens are. The picture below is one of the many beautiful sculptures on the grounds.

Sculpture at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC

In other news, I am slowly closing in on the completion of the new CD. I have settled on the ten tracks that will make the final cut and have at least something commited to tape on all the songs. In August I have some time booked with Gerry Hansen, a wonderful drummer here in Atlanta who has played on hundreds of records. It looks like the new record will be evenly divided between full band style arrangements and mostly acoustic pieces where I play everything.

It's possible that I might have some wonderful guests step in and contribute some tracks, but I'm not holding my breath. I think the record will stand on its own merit without any celebrity appearances. I'm really pleased with the quality of the sounds I am able to get with the little bit of gear that I've got. I'm tracking layers of guitars on some tunes and it's beautiful to hear the full harmonic range and depth I am able to create with just a little bit of effort.