BLACK MOUNTAIN HOLIDAY FUN

Black Mountain is the place for holiday happenings this weekend:

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30

Holly Jolly Christmas: Time to shop! Black Mountain is a great place to find gifts for all your loved ones. During this annual event, the shops in downtown Black Mountain stay open late, luminaries line the streets, and you'll have plenty of opportunities to experience Christmas music and cheer. Sponsored by Black Mountain Business to Business (828.669.0706).

Additionally, Black Mountain Books located on Cherry Street will be hosting a book signing during Holly Jolly, from 6pm to 8pm. The author is the well known garden expert Peter Loewer. Four of his books will be available for purchase and signing: "Loves me, Loves me Not," "Jefferson's Garden," "The Moonflower" and "Gardens of North Carolina."Contact: Black Mountain books (828.669.8149).

SATURDAY DECEMBER 1

Black Mountain's Christmas Parade begins at 4 p.m. in downtown Black Mountain. This year's theme is Christmas Around the World. The parade will start at Flat Creek Road and will proceed westward along State Street to Craigmont Road, ending at Lake Tomahawk. Grab a curbside seat and check out floats from local organizations, businesses and churches. Of course, Santa will be part of the parade, too. Sponsored by the Black Mountain-Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce (828.669.2300).

Circle of Lights starts immediately after the Christmas Parade at Lake Tomahawk. Luminaries line the lake, refreshments, a visit from Santa Claus, carolers from local churches and Christmas music. Black Mountain Recreation and Parks (828.669.2052).

For more information, visit www.exploreblackmountain.com or 800.669.2301.

DINING AREA FACE LIFT

The dining area of the kitchen got a new coat of paint last week...we're really happy with the results. The new color really brings out the stone behind the wood stove and looks great as you walk in to the kitchen from the solarium. It's like a little piece of outdoors has come inside. The color is River Bank by Behr.

Before...


After...


Additionally, the hallway off the kitchen is no longer white, but a color called Ground Ginger (also by Behr). We'll be extending this color into the kitchen, above the solarium doors and above the kitchen cabinets.

DINNER RECOMMENDATION: NOVEMBER

Hope everyone had a great turkey day. Now that the leftovers are pretty much gone, it's once again time to talk food! For this month's dinner column, we highlight Madison's, which is the closest restaurant to us and, therefore, sees many of our guests heading in the door for dinner. We're very lucky to be located near several great local restaurants, and Madison's is included in that list.

The common remark guests make when returning from Madison's is, "We really enjoyed our dinner." Much of the good experience has to do with the atmosphere. Madison's has a cozy and casual yet eclectic and elegant feel to it. The ceiling is adorned with thin tree branches wrapped in tiny white lights, which adds to the restaurant's quiet warmth. Madison's attracts both vacationers and locals, people celebrating special occasions and folks finishing up a casual day of shopping.

Madison's has a little something for every one of its diverse guests...chicken, seafood, steak, pasta. Recent guests have raved about the pork chop, the pasta primavera and the portabello filet mignon. The restaurant also has a nice wine list and dessert menu.

Madison's is located just off I-40 (exit 66). They're open every day for dinner except Wednesday. Reservations are accepted, and due to the restaurant's popularity, it's always best to call ahead to reserve a table, especially on weekends.

ACCOLADES

American Historic Inns honored our blog as Best Bed and Breakfast Blog of the Week on iLoveInns.com, its searchable online B&B directory. Founded in 1981, American Historic Inns, Inc. is the industry leader in publishing country inn and bed & breakfast guidebooks.

Being the new kids in the neighborhood, we're quite excited about this achievement!

We look forward to bringing our readers much more news via the blog in the months to come as we start our winter projects...now that the fall foliage color show is pretty much finished, we'll be adding color to the Inn.

Keep an eye on the blog for before and after room photos. Here's a start of things to come:

BABY BURNING BUSH UPDATE

We just planted our burning bush hedge this year. Last week, our baby burning bushes started turning crimson. We're getting a glimpse of what will soon be one really beautiful section of the Inn's property for guests to enjoy. The hedgerow has about 20 bushes in a smooth arc between the solarium and the Lake House. The hedgerow runs along the ledge of the creek bank. It's going to be especially pleasing to the eye for guests staying in the Lake View and Mountain Laurel, both of which have windows overlooking that section of the lawn.

More flora news to report: Our trees from the Arbor Day Foundation arrived today! We received flowering trees -- they're going to look great from the Terrace Suite.

ADD "WOOD CHOPPER" TO DAVE'S TITLE

We've acquired a lot of wood for burning in our wood stoves in the Main House (primarily the one in the Great Room...there's just something wonderfully comforting about the smell of a wood burning fireplace). Guests are really enjoying sitting around the fire in the evenings on these cool November nights we've been having.

Some of the logs were a bit too big to fit in the stove, so Dave wielded his mighty ax the other day and chopped wood. Brigette was there to document all this, of course:

Visualizing the big chop...

CHOP

Success

COMETS AND SHOOTING STARS

We keep saying how great it is to be here in the forest where there are no city lights...the stars are amazing. Next year, Brigette might start putting charts together for guests who want to head outdoors to see the constellations.

Tonight, we checked out the exploding Comet Holmes with our binoculars. Very cool. It's a fuzzy spot in the constellation Perseus. Recent measurements of the comet's diameter say that it's now bigger than our sun. On Monday, the comet's coma cloud of gas and dust will be close to Mirfak, the brightest star in Perseus, and you'll be able to see Mirfak through the big ball of fuzz.

Another space-related item to report...the wee hours of Sunday morning is targeted to be the best time to view the Leonid meteor shower. The leonids are named for the constellation Leo because the meteor streaks appear to radiate out from Leo. You might see up to 15 shooting stars an hour. Brigette may or may not stay up past midnight...

Read about the greatest leonid meteor showers ever recorded

ROSE BOWL!

GO BUCKS!

Our team, Ohio State, beat That School Up North today, which means the Buckeyes have secured a spot at the Rose Bowl. This was The Game, the big rivalry, and more importantly, the event that brought Dave and Brigette together. They met on Ohio State/Michigan weekend. :)

FOLIAGE WATCH: REPORT 8

We still can't believe how long fall is lasting this year. We're almost midway through November, but you wouldn't know it by looking at the trees. This final fall foliage report should've happened earlier, but we're glad we're still reporting on all the color. It seems for every tree that sheds all its leaves, another one bursts forth in a blaze of red, gold or orange.







A few things we've enjoyed this week -- the wind is starting to blow the leaves around (and off the trees) and the sight of leaves blowing on the road while we're driving brings a smile to our faces. Having nature dancing around the car is just plain smile-worthy. Next, we enjoy listening to the sound of the leaves falling in the forest. We're surrounded by the Pisgah National Forest, so there are thousands upon thousands of trees around us. The constant patter of leaves falling from the trees makes a pleasant sound that doesn't disturb the peacefulness at all. It actually adds to it. Finally, we like seeing the tall trunks of the trees that border the orchard capped by splashes of bronze and rust. What a pretty sight.



Things you might be interested in doing if you plan to be in the neighborhood this week and next:

• Take in some of the many hiking trails in the little town of Montreat, just north of Black Mountain (about 15 minutes from the Inn).
  


• Check out the National Gingerbread House Competition Display at the Grove Park Inn. The houses will be on display to the public, Monday-Thursday, from November 14, 2007, through January 6, 2008.
  


• Head to Asheville on November 17 for the 61st Annual Holiday Parade. You'll catch vibrant fall colors and a fun parade. Be aware that there will be street closings in anticipation of a crowd of 10,000 spectators.
  


• Looking to get away from the crowds? Take US-70 to US-221 and head up to the Linville Gorge area for the day. Leaf hunters report beautiful color on US-221, making the journey a memorable one. Plus, Linville Gorge, Linville Falls (MP 317 on the Blue Ridge Parkway) and the Linville Caverns make the destination equally scenic.

TAKE A PEEK AT THE TEAK

Last week, we installed a brand new teak shower mat in Mountain Laurel. It goes really well with the wood framed two-person Jacuzzi tub in the bathroom. Innkeeper/engineer Dave loves this shower mat because it's "fantastically solidly built". The smile on his face when he opened the package was priceless.

We're happy to know that the supplier uses teak that is "reclaimed, sustainable teak" meaning a replacement tree was planted 20 years before the teak they used was harvested.

If guests enjoy the teak mat in Mountain Laurel, watch for one to be installed in Maple Tree as part of our Lake House Winter Beautification Project...

OPEN HOUSE

Last Wednesday, we held an open house, complete with pumpkin bread, peach bread, pumpkin cookies, brown sugar baked bananas, cider soaked pears and apples with cinnamon custard (yum!), homemade apple cider, hot tea and coffee.

Our special guests were the Black Mountain Chamber volunteers, an outstanding group of local residents who volunteer their time at the Visitor's Center, helping travelers to learn more about Black Mountain and the surrounding towns, including Montreat and Ridgecrest. The Visitor's Center contains a wealth of information, including maps, brochures for businesses, restaurants and lodging, hiking info and a walk-up computer for searching. The volunteers serve as guides to all this information and also to the history of the area.

Our open house was a way of saying "thanks" to the group who helps our area be a great place to visit. What a fun group they are, too!

"A CELESTIAL SURPRISE"

As readers of the blog are probably aware, Brigette likes all things space-related. Especially pleasing is the fact that since we're two miles into the forest, we don't have city lights affecting our view of the night sky. We've seen the band of the Milky Way and the sky filled with multitudes of stars almost every night this week, and we've also been watching the Holmes Comet as it explodes.

Visible in the northeast, in the constellation Perseus, the comet's "coma cloud" of gas and dust looks like a big, fuzzy, white ball and has been visible to the naked eye over the past couple of weeks. Our favorite quote is from Paul Lewis, director of astronomy outreach at the University of Tennessee. "This is truly a celestial surprise," Mr. Lewis said. "Absolutely amazing." We agree!

The show may last for weeks or even months. Although it's chilly, we (well...Brigette at least...Dave will probably be in the Great Room in front of the fire) will be taking the binoculars outside this weekend to catch some detail.

FOLIAGE WATCH: REPORT 7

We really shouldn't be able to provide reports on fall foliage this late in the season...but here we are. What a wonderful Autumn we've been having! Several trees are still ablaze with color. Although a brief wind storm earlier this week led to a serious increase in bare branches, we've seen some really brilliant explosions of bright colors on the remaining leafy trees at our elevation due to some cool mountain nights.



There's such a nice contrast between the evergreen mountain laurel and the leaves on the ground. We find ourselves taking pictures every time we go outside.



Those of you visiting over the next couple of weeks will still get a good show on our area's scenic roads, including our own 2-mile tree-lined drive.

We recommend heading to Biltmore Estate in Asheville, about 20 minutes from us. Not only will you see pretty fall foliage, but you'll also be among the first visitors to take in their 2007 Christmas decorations. Yes, yes, we know, it's not even Thanksgiving yet and on top of that, you're still taking down Halloween decorations. This is not a holiday display to be missed. More about Christmas at Biltmore in the coming weeks.

BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY - SECTION CLOSED

News concerning the Blue Ridge Parkway from our friends at the McDowell Tourism Development Authority:

Beginning on November 6, 2007 and continuing for approximately three months, the Blue Ridge Parkway will be closed from Milepost 355.5 to 364.5, north of Mount Mitchell State Park. This closure is necessary for repairs being made to the Craggy Pinnacle Tunnel.

Mount Mitchell State Park is accessible from the north depending on winter weather conditions.

Details can be found on the NPS website at www.nps.gov/blri and there is a link for weather and road conditions. Current road conditions are available by calling 828.298.0398.

From the south, at the Folk Art Center at the entrance to the Parkway from Asheville, visitors traveling north encounter a large detour sign that directs them to I-40 East to exit 86 for Highway 226. If you want, you can get off I-40 earlier, at exit 72 (Old Fort) and can take US-70 to US-80 to the Parkway. Taking US-70 to US-80 is a beautiful drive to the Parkway at this point in time.

For those of you who don't know, at 6,684 feet, Mt Mitchell (below) is the highest peak of the Appalachians and the highest point east of the Mississippi.

FALL HIKE

As promised, here are a few photos from our hike up one of the two forest service trails off the southern end of our property, with the innpugs leading the way. It was very beautiful that day, one of the many golden autumn days we've had this time of year. It's so hard to believe that it's November...we were here at this time last year and many more trees were bare then compared to what it looks like now. Quite a difference!

Since we're having an extended leaf season in our area, quite a lot of the trees still have their leaves, albeit there are thousands of leaves on the ground to crunch through...one of our favorite sounds of fall!



Here we are returning from the hike. This is the south end of our property...anyone want to help us rake leaves? ;)

WELCOME TO PETEY

There are two fish who live in the little pond inside the solarium. Two weeks ago, we brought them a friend. His name is Petey. Petey is about 1/10 the size of the other fish, and he pretty much hangs out in one corner of the fishpond where there's a nice plant for him to hide in. Well, he thinks he's hiding anyway. This is Petey "hiding" from us. He's so cute.