This is a great weekend to spend in the Southern Appalachian Mountains.  It is cooler here. This weekend, June 14 & 15, Saturday and Sunday, is the Toe River Arts Council open studio tour.  http://www.toeriverarts.org  Check it out. I really enjoy meeting the artists and seeing their workshops.  Most of these artsy types also live in very artistic locations. Just getting to their studio is a great adventure. You can pick up your guide map at the Spruce Pine TRAC Gallery and at the Burnsville TRAC Gallery. Plan your tour first. Mark the types of art you would like to see. Then find their location on the map. This will allow you to group studios in geographic areas to save time and gas. My recommendation: start on Saturday morning. Then when you realize at the 5:00 p.m.  closing time and you still haven’t  gotten to all of the glass blowers or galleries, you can still come back on Sunday. There are great scenic roads all over the Toe River area, each trip is visually rewarding. Take your time and enjoy the ride. Also, this Saturday in Blowing Rock, NC is Art in the Park. Downtown Blowing Rock welcomes artists to display and sell their work.  These are very talented craftspeople. This is a jurried show by invitation. http://www.blowingrock.com/artinthepark.php This high quality art show is in addition to the wealth of art on sale in the shops and galleries along Main Street. This Saturday would be a good time to get an ice cream cone and just sit in the park and people watch. I hope you take this weekend and make it a great one, in the Mountains.