Changes in town

A nice new clock has been installed at Town Square, the little park at the corner of US 70 and NC-9, aka State St. and Montreat Rd.

Lots of road construction is happening these days, causing a bit of a delay sometimes in getting places in Black Mountain.

Lovely Mexican food

I've shared photos of the lovely patio overlooking the creek before, but the front entrance has been spiffy-ed up, so I took a few photos of it.

This restaurant has been consistently good since it was located over on another street, and has now got a second edition closer to Asheville.  I've always had good service and good food.  That's the kind of place you like to return to.

Garden revision

My succulent garden has just taken off at the end of the summer.  Kalanchoes and aloe going like crazy.

Lavender is still chugging along too.

And of 6 pansies which were wilting away and I threw into pots, this one is coming back.

More good news in my container garden tomorrow.

Acorns

A huge crop this year.  The old-timers say this means it will be a hard winter.

At least the bears will have plenty to eat and won't have to come to town, or even climb trees.

It was like walking when you come ashore after being on a boat.  The ground kind of rolled beneath your feet as you got used to the ball-bearing feeling of these acorns underfoot.

And of course the maples are beginning to turn as well.

And dogwoods.

Highest peak in the East

As we drove up the last 500 or so feet of elevation, there were clouds flowing across the road, sometimes creating white-out conditions of almost no visibility, but just for a few seconds.  Then they blew away again.

We hoped that Mt. Mitchell would have the same thing, with intermittent sunshine.

So we even walked up the last incline, taking our time with frequent stops for catching our breath.

Shelly told me about his bi-pass, and that he frequently gets so tired he doesn't want to do a thing.  I coughed all the way up.  We kept saying, why are we doing this?  Well, it's there.  We're here.  The last time I came I didn't even attempt this last part of the journey.  But this was Shelly's first try to be on top of the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi.

We did have a break in the clouds, and could see the observation platform up there.

Shelly was successful at reaching the top, but we had solid clouds, and the white gravel looks a lot like snow, doesn't it?

We could see Dr. Mitchell's tomb, the man who was certain this was the highest peak, but didn't live to have it verified.

We were glad there were these lovely panorama photos, but we could barely see the tree tops just 50 feet away from us.

As Shelly said, we could have been in a warehouse in Swannanoa with a lot of dry ice for all the view we saw.

Did I mention it was rather cold and windy also?

Going to the mountain

 

mid morning looking east

a few miles further looking west

Craggy flats have just green foliage still...but in 2 weeks, I bet some golds will appear.

The Blue Ridge Parkway goes under the Craggy flats through one of many tunnels on the drive.

To the east at Craggy Flats Visitors Center we could see the sunlight shimmering on Burnett Reservoir, as those clouds continued to flow up toward Mt. Mitchell, our destination also.

This reservoir is just northwest of Black Mountain, and provides water for Asheville.

Yesterday on the Blue Ridge

 

Look up, there are just a few leaves already turning colors.

Look out and down, there's mainly green to be seen, and some clouds blowing in from the southeast

Look across, and you can see the cut of the Parkway in the horizontal band that ends at the right of the photo...

Look who brought his camera, who had never been to Mt. Mitchell!

Tomorrow, more of the trip to Mt. Mitchell.

Quote for today:

Gratitude can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. It makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.  Melody Beattie

Saluda part 8

Rather sad looking abandoned house on a crossroad to the main highway.

We had to cut our visit short this time, but Saluda does have other things that sound enticing.

We had no idea what the original function of this building might have been, across the street from the railroad.

Sweet Nasturtiums to end our visit to Saluda, NC.

Quote for today:

Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length.

Robert Frost

Saluda part 7

Duck Alley has come on hard times, apparently.

Where triving shops once were offering curious tourists a place to browse, this building was all closed.

But the yard art here beckoned us inside this shop.

Yes, early Sept and Halloween was the theme.

One little orange kitty witch went home with me to send to my friend out in Washington state.

Quote for today:

As we cultivate our life, our beauty becomes as much about what we are creating and doing as it is about our appearance.