Publisher's Note - March 2018

This month’s magazine has a lot I can relate to. There’s Tracy Barnett’s Travel Buzz column on Asheville, N.C., and Buzz residents who have fallen in love with the city. Because our oldest son lives in the area, we’ve traveled to Asheville twice this past year. We all loved it too – even our son’s dog. It turns out Asheville is one of the most dog-friendly cities in the U.S. Next is Andria Frankfort’s article on phones at the dinner table. I am not a fan of electronic devices at the table. When our kids were little I became so aggravated one night at dinner that I opened the back door and threw my son’s Game Boy into our neighbor’s yard. Over the top, I know. (I got it back.) But you get the sentiment. Finally, Andria’s Back Porch column about smart speakers, or digital assistants. I’m already feeling technology overload. So when I received an Amazon Echo for my birthday last month, I had mixed emotions. I’ve yet to set it up, but at least I haven’t thrown it over the fence. Yet. [email protected]