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Greetings!
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It has been another great summer and we would like to
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Our Joe Pye Weed
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thank all of you who didn't let the threat of a few drizzles interfere with your plans. Perhaps you've heard, Asheville has had a little rain this year. Actually our nearly 28" above normal rainfall was higher than 180 cities in the country. Thank goodness in the mountains the water doesn't stay around long and we have had very few problems, the most notable being a crack in the Blue Ridge Parkway. (see that story below) Those cloudy days also gave us one of the coolest summers ever. Recently we've been starting out in the low 50's with days that feel like fall. The maple in the back yard is already tipped in reds, and the Golden Rod and Joe Pye Weed are lighting up the fields to tell everyone summer is ending and its time to think about fall or even winter trips to the mountains. We still have a few openings for October, especially the last week. We have good availability for early November which is also a beautiful time to see the fall colors. After that Asheville will be decorated for the holidays and full of unique art and crafts for that someone special on your shopping list. If you can come before the fall rush we have a Newsletter Special below to help you save for that shopping trip. Whatever the season or the reason we hope to see you soon. |
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More Upgrades to Assure You Enjoy Your Stay
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Breakfast under the Awning
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We much admired the awning covered dining area at the B&B we visited on our last vacation so we added one over our dining area on the deck this month. It made the space so much more inviting our first reaction was to ask ourselves why didn't we do this sooner. And then immediately Jodee said, "Now we need more tables!". Being the ever diligent one I said "Whoa! we just spent all that money on the awning, lets wait and see if people really want to sit out here before we spend some more". Sensing another easy "I told you so" she agreed to wait. It didn't take long, the first 10 people down for breakfast the next morning were asking for a place to sit under the new awning. So in Lowe's a few minutes later we find a nice set of bar height table and chairs and purchase two. After that the story gets a little ugly. We get home, unload and Jodee and Matthew start assembling the tables on the back deck while I am finishing up some things in the front yard. Next I see them reloading the roughly retaped boxes back in the truck and hear Jodee muttering about how they must have put the wrong boxes on our cart because these aren't tall enough. Determined by looking at an unassembled table leg. Back at Lowe's Jodee sends me to find the right tables while she takes care of the return. She then heads to the patio department hoping to score the preassembled tables at no upcharge charge for our wasted time. That is when the clerk informed us the tables only come in one size and the ones we had are the exact same height as the display. After fighting the urge to run so that we would never have to face the woman at the return desk again, we returned to the return desk to buy the tables once again. Needless to say we did not request the preassembled option. So that is how we managed to buy, return, and repurchase two tables and four chairs all within an hour at the big box store! Perhaps a new record, even for me. Who said shopping was easy. However, it turned out for the best since the guests, Loe-D and Leona all think it is the very best place to hang out for breakfast especially when the humming birds decide to dart through the space.
Another well received upgrade has been been new drapes for the guest rooms. The new drapes along with the blinds we already had let you block the sunlight any time of day. You can sleep till noon if you want and never worry about even a crack of light peeping thru the window.
 Marcia got into the upgrades at the Luhn House as well. She recently replaced the well used futon in the great room with a beautiful new leather couch from High Country furniture in Waynesville. It fits in perfectly with the rest of the mountain style furnishings. Marcia has also added new rugs, a new TV and other upgrades to make the Luhn house more appealing than ever.
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| The Blue Ridge Parkway Has It's Crack Fixed for Now |
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After heavy rains in July, a crack developed right down the
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The Blue Ridge Parkway's temporary bypass
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center of the Blue Ridge Parkway just north of Asheville. It was 6 inches wide and nearly 300 feet long with the outer lane sunk well below the inner lane. The Parkway was immediately closed to vehicles blocking access to Craggy Gardens and Mt. Milchell from the south. However, the crack was a tourist attraction of its own for awhile, with hikers and bikers venturing up the road to see it. About 6 weeks ago work started on the temporary bypass and the road was closed to everyone. That work has gone better than expected and the temporary bypass is now ready for traffic. Slow traffic that is, the speed limit is 15 mph for about a half mile at the bypass. But that does means the Blue Ridge Parkway will now be open for Labor Day Weekend and the Fall Color season. Work on the permanent bypass is stopped for now and will resume the middle of November. At that time, rangers will shut down the parkway again during the winter months to allow crews to finish work on the failed slope. Jodee and I tried it out yesterday and drove up to Craggy Gardens. It was 61 degrees at midday and the trail along the ridge was covered in fall blooms - absolutely lovely.
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Fall Color Forcast
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We get a lot of calls asking us when are the leaves
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Fall at Graveyard Fields by guests Eric & Heather Shurin
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going to turn colors. I must admit it is tempting to be a smart aleck and declare a specific day and hour for the grand occurance. Fortunately I have found a source that is much more helpful. Romantic Asheville.com gives this general prediction; "Record rainfall in the North Carolina mountains have created very green and lush forests. (Sometimes a very dry summer will cause the leaves to fall early and have very little color.) If we get a lot of sun and dry days in September and October, this fall color will be fantastic. This will dry out the leaves and bring out the rich colors". They then go on to give predictions for the peak colors at different elevations in the area and a complete list of fall events from the September Apple & Pumpkin Orchards & Farm tours to the November River District Studio Stroll. It is a great source of information. Check them out by clicking on Romantic Asheville Fall Information.
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