Daniel Ridge Trail

It was a beautiful day for a hike on Monday. The trail followed a stream and had great views through the trees to Looking Glass Mountain. We stopped for lunch at Jackson Falls.

Special Request

Michelle requested more pictures of the house. The following pictures show the backside (house is facing SW) of the house. Today was a perfect day. Temperature was in the low 60's, with the same forecast tomorrow. Rain comes in after Wednesday and that should melt the remaining snow on the ground. Mom saw some daffodils blooming on the way to church, so maybe Spring is right around the corner!

House Update

Today is one of the nicer days this spring. The temperature is 57 degrees and I sealed the bluestone on the porch and foyer area. Michelle requested some updated photo's of the exterior, so I took a few. The ground around the house is still too muddy to walk around and take some other shots. Maybe tomorrow, since we are suppose to see 62 degrees! They may even open the driving range this week. The course is still covered with snow in the shady areas and I expect that the snow will disappear this week and the course open by the weekend.

March Madness

A rare March snowstorm dumped over 6 inches of heavy, wet snow. It's pretty, but it looks like Minnesota or Wisconsin to us. So far this winter we have had snow on the ground since December 16th and it looks like this will stay around for another week.

Since the golf course opened in 1993, this is the longest number of days that it has been closed, due to snow. So much for global climate change.

February Thaw

The temperature made it to 55 degrees today. The stone masons finished the front porch area and grouted the foyer and porch this afternoon. After bringing in another roofing contractor, we still have a leak around the fireplace. This is frustrating for everyone. We cannot proceed on the living room area (drywall, ceiling, and oak floors) until this problem is solved. The snow is finally melting and we may see some green grass in a week!

We also took a trip to Brights Creek GC this morning. This is a large (5000 acre) development that has very large plans. The area is about 35 miles southeast of where we live. The purpose of the trip was to see a house that one of the lighting suppliers furnished. We wanted to see the fixtures that we have picked out prior to placing the order. The water wheel is on a farm just east of the area.

Unwanted Excitement

Today we had our first real setback in building our home. A propane tank leaked around the valve and became a flame thrower. The painter called 911 and the fire department responded in six (6) minutes. The tank could have exploded and caused major damage, maybe even loss of life. Luckily the only thing that happened is some burnt wood, destroyed insulation and some destroyed wiring. We do have insurance, so the loss will not be great. The frustrating thing is the loss of time. This will set us back about two to three weeks, depending on getting the inspector to give us the go ahead to make the repairs after the insurance adjuster gives us his report. Here is a picture of some of the fire trucks that came to our house. Four in total, plus about 10 individuals.

Another January First

It started on Friday afternoon, January 29th and is ending this evening, January 30th. The Asheville area set a record with 11+ inches of snow, but as you can see from the pictures, we got over 12 inches. I back can attest to that! Really sorry for getting rid of our snowblower.

The roads have been plowed, but remain very icy. The community is advising that no driving take place until the ice melts. The secondary roads outside of Champion Hills have not been plowed. They just do not have the equipment to handle these large, wet snows.

Here are some pictures that we took today. The snow depth on our deck is greater than 12 inches. Based on the pictures of the house, there will not be any work done for the next week! The front of the garage is now finished. They are now finishing the stone around the front door. As you can see, the bluestone has started to be laid.