A Handful of 2012 Celestial Events

Mother Nature serves us up a good helping of dark night sky in Pisgah National Forest, thanks to zero street lights on our road and our location two miles within Pisgah National Forest, between two ridgelines that block a lot of the small town night lighting around us. So we like to provide a little calendar each year of what stargazing guests at the Inn on Mill Creek might see, other than the Milky Way (which, by the way, is awesome on a dark clear night flowing across the sky from the Lake House to the Main House).

Below are some of the more common celestial events going on this year. {For the first half of the year, we bring you more details for each event, linked to a great reference site for stargazers, http://earthsky.org.}

The Geminids Meteor Shower...don't miss it in December!
[Photo Credit: Wikipedia]

Late February: All five visible planets in the sky. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, all visible to the naked eye, will be present in the sky in late February, at different times in the evening. {More details}

March 14: Venus and Jupiter at conjunction. Venus and Jupiter will be hanging together in the western sky, just three degrees apart, after sunset. You'll actually be able to see them in conjunction (meaning really close together) throughout mid-March, so if March 14 ends up being a cloudy night, look up on the evenings thereafter. And check the sky on March 25 for the crescent moon to be part of the show. {More details}

April 21-22: Lyrids Meteor Shower. Good news...no moon this year during the Lyrids means you may see up to 20 meteors per hour at peak time, after midnight and before dawn. {More details} 

May 4-6: Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower. This meteor shower always takes place on Brigette's birthday, so even though it's typically one of the lesser shooting star shows -- and this year will likely be outshown by the largest full moon of 2012 -- it's still special to us. Look east to the constellation Aquarius after midnight. {More details} 

May 20: Partial Solar Eclipse. We'll be treated to a partial solar eclipse in our hemisphere on the afternoon of May 20. {More details} 

June 4: Partial Lunar Eclipse. Just before the sun comes up on June 4, we'll see a partial lunar eclipse as Earth gets between the sun and the moon. {More details} 

July 28-29: Southern Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower. If the skies are clear to the east after midnight, look up and you could possibly see up to 20 meteors per hour at the peak of this meteor shower. 

August 12-13: Perseids Meteor Shower. After midnight, look to the constellation Perseus in the northeast for this fantastic meteor shower, which can produce up to 60 meteors per hour during the peak dates in August. 

October 21-22: Orionids Meteor Shower. Best viewing for the Orionids is the eastern sky after midnight. This meteor shower does not produce as big a show as the Perseids, but the sky will be dark, and if it's clear, you may catch some shooting stars. 

November 17-18: Leonids Meteor Shower. The Leonids can produce 40 meteors per hour after midnight at their peak dates in November, streaming from the constellation Leo. Every 33 years, the peak brings hundreds of meteors each hour, but the most recent year for that was 2001, so we have several years until the next really big show. 

December 13-14: Geminids Meteor Shower. Don't let December's brisk evening temperatures keep you from heading outdoors to catch this stellar meteor shower coming from the constellation Gemini in the eastern sky. You might see upwards of a hundred shooting stars each hour after midnight under optimal conditions. And there's no moon this year during the peak, so skies will be dark.

Finally, how can we close this post without mentioning the ISS -- International Space Station -- crossing over the Inn at different hours during different days each month, sometimes at night where it is clearly visible, a non-blinking bright white light moving slowly and steadily across the night sky. The ISS will be headed over us pre-sunrise on January 31, around 6:45am, and just before 6am on February 1. After that, the next nighttime viewing will be at 7:43pm on February 9. You can track the ISS going over your house at http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings.

Some Garden Brainstorming

We've been told our property has been a private property since at least the 1880s -- prior to that, it was government land -- and the original structure was a little cabin that sat on the pond. The little cabin no longer exists, but the well (with nonworking pump) still does. When we arrived in 2007, growing around the well was some yarrow and a swath of dianthus, both of which we moved to other gardens. We {Brigette} have tried out some different plants, such as lavender and purple coneflower, but we just haven't found the right combination of flowers for that sunny spot. We've planted two dogwoods near the well, so we have spring color covered. We need something for summer and fall, and maybe winter, too...

So this year, we're thinking of something evergreen in the boxwood family -- short ones -- planted in a circle around the well pump. And inside the circle, we're thinking of trying roses, since they bloom through November here in our neck of the woods.

Perhaps a formal look combined with a free flowing look, a little bit like this:

So that's our current idea...which may very well change next week. The boxwoods might get switched out with another evergreen shrub. Dahlias are also tempting in place of the roses, even though they would have a later bloom time...what do you think?

Winter does have its advantages, including allowing plenty of time to brainstorm about flowers!

Now on to planning our vegetable garden...

2012 Winter Savings on Biltmore Tickets

If Mother Nature's favorite colors on her paint palette right now are brown tones where you live, look no further for a color {and flower!} fix than Biltmore Estate, the entrance of which is about 20 minutes west of the Inn on Mill Creek. The Biltmore Conservatory, a short walk from Biltmore House, is an indoor oasis, loaded floor to ceiling with trees and tropical plants. Plus, winter is the perfect time to see all of Biltmore's orchids in bloom, such as the one above. They're special enough that they get their own room in the Conservatory!

Guests of the Inn on Mill Creek can purchase tickets during their stay for $35 from now through March! That's a $10 discount off the regular one-day gated admission at Biltmore. And check out these other perks of visiting Biltmore during the winter season with tickets purchased from the Inn:

• Visit Biltmore at your leisure. It is 8,000 acres after all. So here's great news: you can use your ticket any day that you're staying with us, and you can return to Biltmore the following day for FREE.
   
• Our guests who visit Biltmore from now through March receive FREE audio guides to Biltmore House. This is a great amenity for first-time visitors to Biltmore because it's like having your very own tour guide as you make your way through the house. And if you've been to Biltmore before, take note that they do change the audio information from time to time.
   
• The fourth floor, which is normally part of a behind-the-scenes specialty tour, is OPEN. This is the floor where the rooms for the female household staff were located, the Architectural Model Room, containing the rather large scale model of Biltmore House created by the architect, and the Observatory, which we hear is where Mr. Vanderbilt would steal away and read as well as take his guests to show them magnificent mountain views, and where visitors now gain access to the roof for the Architect's Tour during warm months. 
   
• Kids under the age of 16 are admitted FREE through March

In addition, the fabulous Tiffany lamp exhibit at Biltmore {featuring lamps such as the Pond Lily Globe below} wraps up January 31...also a great way to infuse your winter day with a little color!

Geocaching on Vacation

We often say that it's easy for us innkeepers to have "vacation brain" being in the mountains near Asheville and Black Mountain, North Carolina. The area just has a serene quality to it with an easygoing vibe, laid back people, wonderful restaurants and places to go, and stunningly beautiful scenery such as this view nearby, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway (summertime):

Asheville (and surrounding Western North Carolina) is well-known for being tops on lists of places travelers should see, a top food and wine destination, the number one small city for art, one of the most beautiful places in America, and an all-around awesome vacation spot. So it's no surprise that one of the questions we get asked the most at the Inn on Mill Creek is, "Where do you go for vacation?" And while we do sometimes feel like we are on perpetual vacation simply due to the fact that we live in a vacation destination, we do have an answer.

Last month, we did our own little getaway to Tybee Island, a very small barrier island off of Savannah, Ga. Have you been there? If not, we highly recommend it. We had a wonderful time with the innpugs walking around Tybee, collecting seashells on the beach (sans dogs, who aren't allowed on the beach; Tybee has two parks for four-legged family members), relaxing, and, oh yes, we did some geocaching while we were there, picking up ten finds, one of which was at the lighthouse, pictured below.

{We took this shot on December 14...what a gorgeous day it was for relaxing and geocaching. And the roses were blooming, which definitely put a smile on our faces!}

If you've not heard of geocaching, check out a few of our previous blog posts about geocaching in Western North Carolina and visit www.geocaching.com to see what it's all about. It's such a great way to explore new places and a fun hobby, which makes it a perfect vacation activity. And there's certainly no shortage of geocaches to find in the Asheville, Black Mountain and Old Fort area...at last count, there were more than 100 caches within five miles of the Inn on Mill Creek, including a 25-cache series along the Forest Service Roads around the Inn.

And here's a clever series near Lake Lure and Chimney Rock State Park, about 30 minutes south of us. The green boxes are regular caches and the orange dots making the smiley face are individual caches that are visible to premium members of Geocaching.com. We've never seen anything like this on the geocaching maps -- very cool to us nerdy geocachers!

So if you're a seasoned geocacher, new to the sport, or want to try it out while you're staying with us, let us know and we'll help you with getting a list of good caches nearby.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

We had a blast during the 2011 Black Mountain B&B Visions of Sugarplums Christmas Cookie Tour! It was great meeting visitors to the Inn on Mill Creek and sharing our little neck of the woods -- and our cookies! We had the awesome Jo Northup performing on hammered dulcimer and flute for guests. And the tour benefited a wonderful charity, the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry, which provides local residents and stranded travelers with basic and emergency assistance. The SVCM has a food pantry, coordinates the Meals on Wheels program, works with the local homeless shelter, helps those in need with critical financial assistance, and aids in finding job opportunities, job training and educational advancement. Their work is so important in our community and we're extremely grateful to everyone who bought tickets to the Cookie Tour to help out this great group of volunteers.

This being our first Cookie Tour, we wanted to do a cookie that was special, and yummy of course! When thinking of ingredients, two of our favorite things are chocolate and mint. Put them together and you have a cool cookie combo. And you know we like to share, so here is our recipe for Mint Chocolate Chip cookies!

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
from the Inn on Mill Creek Bed & Breakfast
Prep+bake time: 50 minutes (cookies); 5 minutes (frosting) / Makes 4 dozen

Cookie Ingredients

1 1/4 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Frosting Ingredients
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 drop green food coloring

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy
2. Beat in eggs, one at a time
3. Stir in vanilla and peppermint extract
4. In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt
5. Add dry ingredient mixture into butter/egg/sugar mixture and mix well
6. Stir in chocolate chips with a spoon
7. Place dough in refrigerator and cool for 30 minutes
8. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet; flatten with glass or back of spoon
9. Bake 8-10 minutes; cookies will be soft when removed from oven
10. Cool for 5 minutes on sheet; transfer to wire racks to finish cooling
11. Mix frosting ingredients together (adding add'l tsp of milk will make thinner icing if desired)
12. Frost cookies and cool in refrigerator for 30 minutes to set frosting
    

Our 2011 Ends with 32 Kiva Loans

In 2011, we were able to fund six entrepreneurs from developing countries through the microlending site Kiva, bringing our total number of loans to 32! Three of our 32 borrowers -- Nelva, David and Reina -- recently paid off their loans (although because of "currency exchange loss", meaning the value of the dollar appreciated 20% or more against the currency of our borrower's country during the loan payoff time, David's loan was considered to be 99% paid off when all was said and done). Since we choose to relend our money once it becomes available again, we had enough to pick two more borrowers from opposite sides of the globe:

Paula lives in Bolivia and is a weaver by trade, making blankets and gloves with wool and yarn. With the help of 28 lenders, Paula is getting a loan to purchase wool in different textures and colors in order to continue on in her small business. We love the fact that Paula is succeeding in handmade craftwork because that is a trade that is very important and has a rich heritage right here in the Appalachians and Western North Carolina.

Oleg is a flower vendor and has his own vending section on the flower aisle at the local market in the town where he lives in Ukraine. With the loan money contributed by 70 lenders from around the world, including us, Oleg will be able to buy more flowers, sell more, and grow his business. The fact that he sells flowers and Brigette constantly has gardening on the brain made him an easy choice.

We're excited to see how many small business owners we can help out in 2012, as we continue being part of the fight with Kiva against global poverty. To learn more about Kiva, visit www.kiva.org.

2011 Black Mountain Bed & Breakfast Cookie Tour is December 10-11

Who wants cookies? We are so very excited to be part of the first Visions of Sugar Plums Christmas Cookie Tour of Black Mountain area B&Bs! Nine inns and bed & breakfasts will be participating the weekend of December 10 & December 11 from noon to 4pm (our B&B will be on the tour on December 10). This means visitors will be able to get nine uniquely awesome cookie recipes and sample the cookies while checking out each Black Mountain area B&B decorated for the holidays.

Tickets are $15 through the Black Mountain-Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce and benefit the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry, a non-profit organization consisting of a team of churches, staff and volunteers who provide basic needs, financial assistance and emergency relief to those experiencing hardship. Additionally, they assist with coordinating special services in the community like Meals on Wheels, the Adopt A Family program, minor home repairs, holiday food baskets, providing educational and job training scholarships through the Black Mountain-Swannanoa Kiwanis Foundation, and working with Job Link.

And here's a sweet deal for our guests: All guests of the Inn on Mill Creek who make a two night reservation (Friday/Saturday) during the Cookie Tour weekend will receive FREE tickets for the Cookie Tour and recipe cards for all the cookies!

What kind of cookies will we be making, you ask? A hint -- Mint. Chocolate. Chip.


View 2011 Black Mountain B&B Cookie Tour in a larger map