Tom and I were headed back to our car after a fun casual dinner at WALK which stands for West Asheville Lounge and Kitchen. It was dark, and Tom had to move the car away from the bushes at the curb so I could get in. While I was waiting, I looked across the street to see what looked like a former garage used to fix cars. The large doors were open and I saw a bearded man among what looked to be a large amount of all sorts of objects. Intrigued, Tom and I walked across the street to see what exactly was going on in that building. Christopher Mello warmly greeted us and invited us in. Indeed, we couldn't stop looking at his collection of funny, odd, sculptural, and shall we say, interesting things.

Turns out, this is Christopher's studio where he creates all sorts of pottery including but not limited to, baby heads,(flying and otherwise) small skulls, which were still in the kiln, hearts, and acorns which could easily have been used on the set of the Hobbit movies.

One could describe Christopher's domain as macabre, but the tongue-in-cheek design of his displays and his own sweet personality, turns it all into a fun "what's around the corner?" adventure.

We had a great time seeing all his studio had to offer, but Christopher also wanted us to see his garden. Well known for his great artistic ability, he is equally known for the fun and fanciful garden he has created. Our photos depict a much different nighttime view but Pam Penick has some great images of his garden in the daylight at her blog Digging. I was able to get a shot of the shovels that rim the garden.

One of the many fun and amazing things was the huge spider's web that was woven by Christopher!

I had great fun snapping photos of Christopher as he was "caught" in his own handiwork!

Thanks so much for the great tour, Christopher! Can't wait to visit again.

Spooky deer on our hill! — Spooky deer on our hill!

Happy Halloween!!!