Archive for November, 2009
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
Here’s something fun to try. A 20-question Thanksgiving test. See how well you do. I did horribly and only got 5 correct out of 20!
http://home.aristotle.net/Thanksgiving/trivia.asp.
For anyone who will be in Asheville on Thanksgiving, if you are still looking for a place to eat some holiday grub, here is a very short list:
I am happy to make reservations, just give me three options (location and time) and I’ll do my best for you.
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
Over the past week, I have been making some changes to the Sycamore Suite in the Carriage House. It has always been set up mainly for families, with bright colors and multiple beds. I have decided to move towards a couples orientation, but still allowing for families.
I have left the living room and kitchen area the same, but have made changes to the bathroom and bedroom.
The bathroom had been brightly painted in blue and green with an underwater theme. It is still decorated with fish, but the walls are now a bright white with gold flecks in the paint to give it a little sparkle.
In the bedroom, I replaced the two double beds with a king bed, new mattresses, and new bedding. I also painted one wall in peach, keeping the other three walls yellow. Also, there is a new flat screen TV hanging on the wall. The room feels much bigger.
There is still a sofabed in the living room and we also have a toddler bed and rollaway bed in the closet for children. However, the plan is to make the Suite a romantic option. There are two things left to do to accomplish this goal: 1) set up an electric fireplace in the bedroom to provide a romantic ambiance and 2) replace the tub in the bathroom with a whirlpool tub. The fireplace should be finished quickly; the whirlpool tub will take a little time.
In the meantime, potential guests can check out more photos and a full description of the Suite on the Rooms Description Page.
Wednesday, November 4th, 2009
Asheville (and Western NC) has seen a lot of rain in 2009. The good news is that the drought we experienced in 2007 and 2008 is gone. The plants and flowers at the Inn did extremely well this year because we have gotten so much rain. I saw a handful of flowers this year I didn’t even know I had because they had never bloomed in the time I’ve had the Inn.
According to the USGS, between January and September this year, our overall average amount of rainfall is approximately 36.3 inches. We have actually gotten 42.6 inches. This doesn’t count the many, many inches we received during October. Average rainfall in October should be just under 2 inches and we got more than that in one day!
All this rain, while good in many ways, has affected roads and highways around Asheville. Road closures in no way should affect travelers’ ability to get to Asheville and its attractions, but being aware of detours will save guests from frustration and headaches.
The two main closures close to Asheville are on I-40 near mile marker 3, just inside North Carolina from Tennessee. There are a couple of detour options for travelers coming from Tennessee. Plan for an extra 30-60 minutes to get around the road closure, depending on what detour option you choose.
The second closure is a short stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway, just south of Asheville, near Mt. Pisgah. This closure is only about 15 miles long and the detour takes you past some great hiking and waterfall sites.
Both road closures have been blamed on rock slides or potential rock slides caused by excessive rain. However, the bright side is that a little detour may take you through some scenic and beautiful areas. And, there are still plenty of colorful leaves to see along the way. Think of these closures as a small hiccup and they will have no effect on your ability to enjoy your trip to Asheville.
