autumn activity in the mountains

Hi everyone!

 We have been busy this week.
Our lot was "view cleared", resulting in a much wider view of Whiteside Mountain. This is the view from the little grill deck off to the side of the porch.



The view from the porch is much better but with screens and blinds in place, it is difficult to photograph.



The vinyl blinds are still down from the storms last week, they will stayed closed for the winter. We are loving using the porch on these Indian summer days. Calling for cooler temps later this week.



The sunrise view is pretty in the morning. I found this plant in the yard, no idea what it is. Anyone know?

We added a dozen native Rhododendron Maximus shrubs to the fenced "wildflower" bed (actually very few flowers, only a few asters) in the driveway to accompany one lonely mature Rhodo. 

Also a dozen Woodland or Swamp sunflowers( Helianthus Divaricatus) inside the fence.

The outer edge of the bed has a new rock border and soil. 

We planted perennial blue salvia, anemones and irises so far. Will have to add more as the seasons progress next year.

Some fall color at the entry corner of the bed.

The cutest little acorns are all over the front yard. I have collected some for the house.

Fun to see the gourds and heirloom pumpkins available each autumn. A little orange beanie!

Some beauties at a local farmer's market. The snake gourd has such a beautiful pattern.

 We have been visiting the waterfalls which is a must do fall activity in the mountains.
Silver Run Falls  has a dramatic shelf that the falls spill over into a perfect pool for swimming,

with a glittery bottom flecked with silver that can be seen through the clear water.

Nearby Silver Run Falls is this lovely view of Lake Jocassee in South Carolina. 

Porch days are going to be gone soon, we will enjoy them while we can. We would love a fireplace on the porch to extend the season, that is on the project to-do list.

Thanks for visiting!

Cindy

Cashiers Designer Showhouse 2014

Can you imagine sitting on your porch with your morning cup of coffee or tea and enjoying this view?  The setting of the Cashiers Historical Society Showhouse 2014 is just spectacular!

The porches and outside living areas were my favorite parts of the house. I loved the delicate window box plantings on the front porch.

The front porch faces the wooded front yard and a perennial bed with a rock sculpture wearing a hat. 

A side entry on the porch led to a flower arranging space/mudroom. Love the moss covered planter with ferns placed on an antique bench. 

Cashiers blogger Lissy Parker featured this shot of the area on her blog....

Brown and chartreuse fabrics and lots of ferns looked great.

The long bench on the right is a South Carolina joggling board. I was surprised to see it used here as they are more common in the coastal Low Country of South Carolina.

The backyard views are just gorgeous and stunning!

 The first floor master bedroom has a beautiful view and private porch with a rustic twig fence that is so commonly used here. Sorry the light was not better.

The main porch was decorated to be pretty and feminine. Designer Lynn Monday used blue & white chinoiserie  as her inspiration. She has recently authored a beautiful book on southern mountain style, you can purchase it here.

The faux bois tableware looks perfect in the mountains. I think it is by Ross Sveback, I have seen it in local  stores.

And finally on the way out, the pond with wooden canoe and great stone dining table. These  two photos also by Lissy Parker.

To get tickets, visit the Cashiers Historical Society site here.

Thanks for visiting!

Cindy

the garden this morning and other stuff

Hi everyone! 

I am still absent in the blogging world. 

Moving into a house and making it a home are much more time consuming than I would have thought. Even if it is a cottage! I finally have finished unpacking all the boxes and making many trips to local consignment and thrift stores to purge unneeded items. 

It has been an effort considering I did the same thing before leaving Ohio but on a much larger scale. I am still amazed at how much we all accumulate over the years and I am not even a collector or habitual shopper. I thought I was a minimalist, uh, no, definitely not. I am enjoying the "less is more freedom" philosophy but it does take effort to get rid of things in a thoughtful way.

Spending time in the yard has been a nice break when needed.

Coreopsis in the front yard that we planted a few weeks ago are happy. The dead tree in the background is one of the many sad Hemlocks that died from the Hemlock Blight in the last few years. The trees are vulnerable to aphids once they weaken.  We have several that will need to be removed.

Summer mornings on the porch are lovely.

Hydrangea tree in bloom, planted tightly between the rocks.

We added a few perennials to the yard here and there and transplanted day lilies and irises that were in the shade in need of sunlight. Also a large arborvitae tree that we needed help with.

Also enjoying the local scenery, which there is a whole lot of! 

We hiked to Sunset Rock one evening. It is an easily accessed trail in downtown Highlands.

View from Sunset Rock.

Next to us as we waited for the sunset was an Andy look-a-like. 

Surreal and sad for us. We are suffering from empty nest syndrome for sure. No more adored children and dog in the house. We miss our Ohio gardens and ponds.We miss our kids and we miss Andy. We are trying to not get a puppy right now as we have more freedom to move around and explore but it is getting tough to resist! We have had goldens for years and are used to their mellow adoring personalities. We are worried about little dogs barking but a small dog would be best when we are ready.

Making our adjustment easier is the fact that we live in such a naturally beautiful area. These  sights are all within a few miles of our house...

Dry Falls a few days ago, a few miles from town.

 Lake Sequoyah

Cullasaja River along Rt. 64

Rt 64 Whiteside Mountain looking east

and we see this view  every time we run errands to Cashiers. So we are blessed to have found such a special place. Highlands and Cashiers are charming and easy. And there is much more to see. I have saved lots of places on my Pinterest boards.

Back to the garden, we arrived back into town last week after visiting friends at Lake Chautauqua in western NY with a nice show of wildflowers on our driveway bed to greet us. 

We do not know what they are, does anyone know? They are blooming everywhere right now, a lot on the roadsides.

* figured it out, it is Helianthus divaricatus or woodland sunflowers

The background is the neighborhood park across the street. Our neighborhood features rustic split rail fences. 

Rhododendren are plentiful, always easy for a quick bouquet. 

That's it for now, hope I can blog more often soon. 

We are waiting for several things to be done in the house. Wallpaper installation, carpenter, furniture delivery, carpet installed on our basement steps. The summer is so busy around here and requires patience for service people. Once all that is accomplished, I will share some photos of our cottage.

Thanks for visiting!

Cindy

around town

Hi everyone! 

Daisies at the Bank of America, Highlands

We are finally feeling somewhat settled in our mountain cottage. 

I  have unpacked most of the second load the movers brought last week. There are still plenty of boxes for me in the basement that I will go through this summer but we are now able to live normally. 

Ferns, lilies, rhododendron, coreopsis and spiderwort in our wooded backyard, no grass cutting!

Gooseneck loosestrife in our front yard.

I am finally getting out and exploring the beautiful towns of Highlands and Cashiers. 

It is fun to do errands on curvy scenic roads and visit all the boutiques and quant shops. No big box stores here! 

Flowers and ferns are everywhere. Crisp mountain air makes colors bright and foliage vibrant. 

Scaveola and ferns outside Vivace in Highlands

There are several garden stores and a few florists I will blog more about later but here are some random sighting from the last few days. I am kicking myself for not getting more shots of a favorite fern, the Australian Tree Fern. Many shops have at least one potted at their entrance. Some big, some small. 

This one

is placed outside of Rusticks, a wonderful shop I discovered a few days ago. I found a set of faux bamboo side tables for our guest room there. It sits on pretty Cashiers Lake in a great rustic lake house.

view from Rusticks porch

view of Rusticks in the distance across Cashiers Lake

Also in Cashiers is Fiddlehead Designs, a lovely florist and event planning co. I forgot to photograph the beautiful begonias and ferns on their front porch. I want to go back and purchase a few for our porch.

An orchid planter at Fiddlehead waiting to be delivered.

Summer Place Antiques has beautiful red hanging begonias  and late blooming hydrangea adorning their entrance...

They also have a pretty log railing with phlox next to the parking area. I will have to post about railings later because there are so many beautiful natural railings made by local craftsmen.

That's all for now. Oh one more thing, this is a view on the way home from Cashiers. 

We live almost halfway between Cashiers and Highlands, about 5 miles from each. This is the view from the road that most likely causes accidents every so often! It is fun to see it change with the weather. Our new favorite activity is mountain watching. Still have not seen a black bear but everyone else around here has!

Thanks for visiting !

Cindy