It's a Rain Forest!

Perhaps I shouldn't tell you this, but the Blue Ridge Mountains are a rain forest. At least they are in the Boone, NC area. That accounts for the lush vegetation and healthy wildlife. It accounts for the abundant snow we had up there this last winter. It accounts for the wet Highlands days, reminiscent of the charming Highlands of Scotland, far across the sea. 

The bridge over the river at the corner of Castleford Road and River Road.

A rainy day in the mountains.

So this morning it is raining here at my home in Hickory. I just talked to my daughter in law, who has spent a few days there, and she says it's raining at the cottage. The river is running high and fast. I'm heading up there to help her spruce up the place for this afternoon's guests, and I can't wait to see how beautiful it looks now. I'll take pictures for you while I'm there.

Even with a little rain, the cottage is a heavenly place to be. The views of the river valley and mountains beyond are gorgeous, and the spacious covered porch has plenty of room to sit and sip coffee in the morning, or a glass of wine in the afternoon, while watching raindrops fall into the river.

Now that we have Direct TV, and a new television, when you tire of watching raindrops fall, you can come inside and watch TV, or even a movie.

Or maybe you've worked your poor little self so hard lately that you need to get a little rest. So you can mozy down the hall to your bedroom and lay down for a cozy little nap. When you wake up, the rain just might be done doing its thing, so it's back to a sunny day in the mountains.

But don't forget, you aren't very far from all kinds of dining, shopping and entertainment. The countryside on the way is beautiful, no matter what the weather.

I'm heading out now. I can't wait to see those mountains rising up out of the rainy mist. Magnificent!

An Lazy Sunday Afternoon at the Cottage

The entrance of the cottage is on the side.

Stepping stones lead you to the steps.

The cottage from the front, with the big covered front porch

After a pleasant but busy Saturday puttering about our house in Hickory, Bill and I decided to spend Sunday at the little house on the New River. Our daughter Jossie came over with her boyfriend, Ben, and her sister Sydney joined us for lunch before she had to go to work in Boone. Bill loves to cook out, so he and Ben bonded over the grill a couple of beers while the girls and I talked.

Bill whips up a salad in the kitchen.

This time we took our two small dogs, Layla and Bo. They love to go to the river with us, and started getting crazy with excitement as soon as we crossed the first bridge where we turn onto River Road.

Ah, freedom. There is plenty of front yard along the river,and the road is on the other side of the bridge from the house. Bo quickly learned that if he stays away from the bridge, he'll get to play outside all day long.

Since the river winds gently through the valley, we observed a steady stream (no pun intended) of river lovers peacefully bobbing and paddling past us throughout the day. They traveled down the river in canoes, rafts and floats. Because the road has so little traffic, a family of bikers and a couple of

horse riders were among the afternoon travelers.

One view from the front porch, with the road leading to the bridge.

Canoers and a kayaker were early pleasure seekers this morning. There are several canoe rental companies in the area. The motto for passing under our new, sturdy low-water bridge is: 

"No troll. No toll. Just a little duck."

River Tubers...what a relaxing way to enjoy the beautiful old New...

As always, I saved the best for last. These happy drifters were my favorite bunch, bobbing down the river today with their little cooler bringing up the rear.

Jossie and Ben return from a survey of the bridge and the river. The neighbor's friendly Australian Cattle Dog is coming for a nice scratch between her ears.

The day started out perfect, turning to light sprinkles of rain toward the evening. But that didn't bother anyone, as the porch facing the river is so large that we could all sit there and talk while the dogs continued to play along the river in the sprinkling rain.

The living room fireplace

When it came time to go, the weather had cleared again and Sydney had headed to Boone for work. We donated all the leftover food to Jossie and Ben, whistled for the pups, and packed up for home. 

Our little cabin is now available for weekly, weekend, or nightly rental.  You can call our son Jacob on his cell phone to arange for the details (See the side bar).

For more cabin details, check our list of pages.

The cottage has two bedrooms and two baths. The smaller bedroom has one full sized bed. The larger bedroom has a queen sized bed and private bath. It can accommodate 4 people, but if someone is willing to sleep on the big fat sofa in the living room, it can handle a fifth person.

We'd love to have you stay!