Autumn 2011
Unfinished Conversations
Most of us have a litany of unfinished conversations that went south or we failed to seize the opportunity to make things right or to tell someone how we really felt about them. You know - feelings got in the way and the conversation came to a halt or the other extreme happened when cell service ended a call when passing through a bad cell zone.
Either way, it’s frustrating to have incomplete dialogue dangling like an autumn leaf in a cold wind.
Recently, one of my dearest friends passed away and I missed the opportunity to tell him how much he meant to me, and how he inspired me with every conversation we ever shared together. Phil always helped me see the big picture and understand the nature of relationships, both business and personal. Thanks Phil for letting me be part of your story as you became a big part of mine. You left behind a huge legacy in your writings about living life to the fullest. I will savor every word you ever wrote or spoke.
I am struck by the passage of time and the importance of words shared with others . . . yet in life, you have those conversations that just simply have to end. There is no opportunity for closure or reconciliation - and that is okay.
Then you have these amazing interchanges with total strangers that become new found friends and business clients and your faith in humanity is revived.
It’s like the hundreds of conversations I have on a regular basis with all the folks who cross my path as I represent Carolina Mountain Life. About a month ago a total stranger called me to share that she was reading last Summer’s edition of our magazine and was touched by my comparison of the 75th Blue Ridge Parkway celebration and my mother’s 75th birthday. Our call was interrupted twice as she tried to tell me how much she enjoyed the stories and learning about our local happenings and businesses. After the final dropped call, I received this e-mail:
“Babette,
We’re heading south toward Boone through the Shenandoah Valley, and after two dropped calls, I’ll surrender to reliance on e-mail instead of “live” voice.
There’s much I’d like to say, but in short, simply grazie for your insights, style, and inspiring publication.
I thank you again the way in which you unknowingly but quite deeply confirmed that the direction in which we’ve headed is “right.” My husband Dale and I just bought a cabin in Boone.
Your magazine, like those seemingly endless blue ridges, lifts my spirits in immeasurable and countless ways.
—Marie” Sent from my iPhone
Marie’s efforts made an impact because she took the time to finish the call.
So, I think it’s worth noting that when you have an exceptional dining experience, see a play, or hear a new band that was definitely something to write home about – you should say so. Write your local media and let others know they too should buy tickets for the next event. Tell the hostess or owner, “thanks for a delightful evening,” or the shop owner, “thanks for carrying such unusual items.” Not only will you make their day, but you’ll provide the positive feedback they need to carry on to earn your praise.
You never know when it might be your last chance or opportunity to say thanks. I’ll never forget the custodian at Chappell Wilson Hall when I was a student at ASU and how no matter how freezing cold it was, how much mud and muck we slopped into the hallways, or even how miserable the students appeared during exams, he always greeted us with conversations and humor and made us smile every time we saw him.
Don’t save your opinions for those times when you have been disappointed or unhappy with someone. Expressing kind thoughts bears fruit you will harvest later. And just as important, it lends credibility to your comments when things don’t unfold as you would hope or expect. Or as my late mentor, Phil would say, “don’t forget to look at the big picture.”
Fruitful dialogue is something that goes around and will come back to greet you one cold winter day.
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Summer 2011
A Collective Spirit
I saw a beautiful painting at the Ashe County Arts council recently of colorful clothes flapping in the wind. That image of simplicity and the warm days of summer remind me of my Grandma hanging sheets out to billow in the dry Wyoming breezes. I can still see her hands grabbing the sturdy wooden clothespins from the cloth bag at the end of the line. My Grandma's worn clothespin bag is still in our family's collection of keepsakes. A half century later that bag still evokes a crystal clear image of a woman, donned in her apron, hanging out the family wash. I was, and am, easy with the image of domesticity, unbothered as some might be in today’s modern world. I just thought it was cool remembering her smiling in the sunshine.
I have a handful of the rugged clothespins from that bag and find them useful to close chip bags or whatever. I was thrilled to receive these little wooden treasures and have found a myriad of uses for them.
While at the Hardware store the other day I bought a new bag of wooden clothespins. They are nothing like Grandma’s simple and rugged implements if for no other reason perhaps than her hands once touched my keepsakes time after time on laundry day. Her pins were sturdier than the ones found in my brand new bag. Same shape, same size, same use, but not the same--not the quality and without the inherent care that went into their making. That is the difference.
While attending an outdoor music gala in Banner Elk recently, the sheet music for the violinist needed clipping to the music stand from the night breezes - I thought Grandma's pins would have come in handy. Things made, things done with pride, words said in honesty and integrity - those are things, thoughts and deeds that last.
Recently I bought my daughter some earrings while we were out of town on a trip - she was sad to report they had already broken after only wearing them two times. The necklace that I bought her at Mast Store on the other hand is worn day after day and will probably be passed on to her children.
I believe our summer issue of Carolina Mountain Life speaks to these same qualities; not just the honest work of our contributing writers, but the messages delivered to you by our participating advertisers who offer goods and services to our mountain communities. Inside these pages you’ll find news of music, theatre, arts and crafts, great dining, outdoor experiences and the inspiring people who make the High Country a special place to be.
It is this collective spirit, I believe, that allows our souls to let the sunshine in—like fresh washed laundry in a fragrant summer breeze.
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Holiday/Winter 2010-11
How Can You Help?
For many of us, the Holidays are a joyous time filled with family gatherings and the celebration of the Season. But for many it’s a time of struggle—a struggle for heat and enough food to eat—and a struggle to buy gifts for children so hopeful at Christmas time. Just yesterday I picked up a brochure by the High Country United Way and finally felt the ‘reason for the season.’ I saw the faces of Dick and Joan Hearn, who I remembered seeing at the Blowing Rock Winterfest Polar Plunge and who have made volunteering for many worthy local causes a way of life.
“It just goes to show that anyone can do it,” Joan Hearn said of the couple’s community involvement.
This holiday season it’s going to take a lot of folks like the Hearns to help others in our community.
Linda Slade is in her third year as director of the High Country United Way, having come on board at a time when chaos began to impact the world economies. This year’s goal is to raise $550 thousand, down from a record budget of $675 thousand three years ago when times were better.
“Some people can’t give as much today,” Slade said, “but they still care and we’re hearing from new donors every day. We’ll do what we can do.”
The current fundraising campaign, which concludes March 31st, 2011, has already raised about one quarter of its objective. I think it’s important to note that our local United Way operates with the lowest agency administration cost in the state. The money raised in the High Country stays right here, supporting more than 25 local agencies from the American Red Cross, Avery County’s Habitat for Humanity, the Hunger and Health Coalition, to the expanding Hospitality House of the Boone Area, just to name a few.
One effort close to my heart is the High Country Women’s Fund and its campaign “Power of the Purse.”
Last year, more than 700 local women raised more than $61 thousand to assist 300 families who relied on the woman of the house. The fund inspired, educated, and empowered women in transition to be self-reliant, productive, and again proud of themselves.
Thanks to the High Country last year, 7,000 families received food for their tables they otherwise would have done without. One million dollars in prescription medicines were distributed to ten thousand of our neighbors who otherwise could not pay. Over 16 thousand days of food and shelter were provided to the homeless. More than 1,100 children participated in United Way support programs in leadership development, mentoring, tutoring, and after school care.
I will never forget the Christmas with my children when we delivered food and gift packages to folks in need. To this day I still do dishes with a handmade dish cloth one lady in Meat Camp gave us after we dropped off her Christmas gifts. Her act of generosity that day redefined for me the proverb “To give is more blessed than to receive.”
The Sharing Tree program is still an important campaign of the Hunger and Health Coalition. You can call them at 828-262-1628 and find a family you can help directly. It’s a kind and personal act from which you and your own children can learn so much.
Give locally. Buy locally. Because we need each other now more than ever.
How you can help? Log on www.highcountryunitedway.org or call 828-265-2111.
From all of us at Carolina Mountain Life to you and yours we wish you a wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy New Year.
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Autumn 2010
So Much To Look Forward To
When I need to catch my breath, evaluate, contemplate, or just get away —I head for the woods.
It is a particularly effective way to re-group—especially in autumn. Adjectives to describe the breathtaking qualities of this season of transition will never do it justice, whether in a vain attempt to describe the warm colors of the leaves, or the sudden arrival of dark skies so plainly burdened by the inevitability of winter.
Early this fall, while out hiking one of my favorite networks of mountain trails, I could see the ravages that remained from last winter’s fury in the form of downed limbs and trees that still rendered a few sections of these trails impassable.
But here and there along my trek were signs of reclamation—where some solitary soul had cleared the trail of debris. Now the downed timbers added to the mosaic of the forest carpet. New moss appeared from tree trunks and new life had emerged from winter’s devastation. Then as the forest opened up before me, Grandfather Mountain stood majestic beneath a blue sky illuminated by a dewy mist, framed by the trees. It’s such an enduring image and one from which I can always draw strength and re-assurance.
In tumultuous times like these, we can learn from nature’s trails that life goes on. In spite of the economic upheaval of the past two years, and the domestic and international challenges America faces, it is reassuring to me to see all the visitors descending on the High Country this fall—people seeking the spiritual uplift, the recreational opportunities, and the chance to recharge their souls in the Blue Ridge Mountains. This summer I think I saw more cars and visitors to this area than I have in a long time.
With so much to look forward to this fall from Blowing Rock to Beech Mountain, Banner Elk to Newland, Boone to Grandfather, you could say the best is yet to come. Not even the prospect of Old Man Winter can suppress the spirit of autumn—the season when even the longest string of adjectives and superlatives fall short of the author’s mark.
Read on and find some of the great places to explore this fall in the High Country—from hiking trails to horseback riding, wonderful shops and restaurants to all the great arts and entertainment. The variety of fairs and festivals will also offer their own Rockwell feel, fun and sense of harvest.
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Summer 2010
Birthdays...
When we recently celebrated my mom’s big birthday here in the mountains, I realized that she shared the milestone with the Blue Ridge Parkway, an event surrounded with much greater fanfare than our intimate gathering, but of no less importance to me.
As memories of the birthday celebration lingered, I couldn’t help but think how, like the mythical parkway—a lasting symbol of the Blue Ridge Mountains—my mother’s own life had paved the way to my own development as a woman, mother, and wife. From the way she has always welcomed travelers and guests into her home, to all those tender moments when her words were not necessary to express appreciation, love, or understanding.
She realizes that the journey of life is filled with curves and twists, uphill battles, and blessed moments of easy gliding down the grade ending at a canopied mountain spring. The walk of life spares no one the extremes confronting the living. What’s important is to keep walking, sharing the road with compassion, courage, and truth. She has instilled in me the meaning of being true to self and the importance of extending a helping hand when possible.
Mom always knew when a warm mug of coffee, or a sit on the porch was in order. She also had the knack for knowing when I needed a swift kick to move on and take life’s punches. Her deep understanding of her children and her husband left no room for making excuses for any of us.
She listens without interrupting and only then offers a suggestion. She is so slow to anger that I’m not sure I have seen that face. When flattery and accolades come her way she quickly re-directs the compliments to their origin, only too eager to learn more about the others in the room.
Maybe her example has given me reason to understand the importance of the Blue Ridge Parkway’s 75th celebration. This magnificent 469 mile long mountain scenic by-way was completed at no small cost. Many years of labor brought this celestial design to maturity. The road welcomes millions every year and beckons them to stop and savor the many roadside sanctuaries along the way. It asks for nothing in return except, as my mother would hope, that you make yourself at home and enjoy your stay.
Maybe now it’s time that I mark my own personal journey, through my conversations with Mom and my special trips along the trails and waterways that line the Parkway. Each winter we glide over the snow covered Viaduct on touring skis and trek the backcountry on snowshoes. In the warm weather months we scale the ladders of Grandfather and row the boat on Price Lake. My Mom remains the guiding light in my life, just as the Blue ridge Parkway, aging just as gracefully, becomes my allegorical pathway to peace and serenity on Earth. We all have a road map that, if taken, has lessons aplenty.
Thanks and Happy Birthday to the both of you. You make it great to be alive and well in the North Carolina Mountains.
I think we all owe a special thanks to those who had the insight over the years to see the Blue Ridge Parkway to its fruition.
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Spring 2010
Silver Linings
Following our exuberant winter, the amazing rains of spring, and now long overdue sunny and glorious days, I am struck by how the weather shapes our moods and actions. Either you thrived in the record winter that dumped almost 12 feet of snow on our mountain tops, or you were driven to rethink the wisdom of eschewing a Florida retreat so you could ‘rough it’ by the wood fire.
Our art director at CML, Deborah Mayhall-Bradshaw, recalled a story from years past when she worked in the resort rentals industry on Sugar Mountain. A newly married couple had booked a weekend in the mountains and, as can happen, were welcomed by a surly fog and rain. They told Deborah they wanted their money back in order to return some week when the weather was better.
As you might guess, the refund policy prohibited that, so instead Deborah had a suggestion. She handed the newlyweds some hiking trail maps and suggested they first visit the Mast General Store in Valle Crucis. She recommended some key stops along the Blue Ridge Parkway and to be sure to stop at Fred’s General Mercantile on Beech Mountain. Along the way they picked up rain gear, trail mix and other provisions for an outdoor adventure.
At the end of the day, the couple arrived back at their lodgings, holding hands and transformed by their day in the woods-- rain, fog, wind, and chill be damned. They recounted to Deborah the story of how they came upon a white-tail deer just as it emerged from an ethereal cloud bank along the trail. They spoke of ancient pines, ramrod straight and marching alongside them like a legion of Romans, spears pointed to the heavens and piercing the clouds.
The forecast was for more rain the remainder of the week. But they decided to book their lodging for an extra week, to extend their honeymoon on the mountain to recapture the magic of that first day shared together in the rain and fog.
Together they discovered the local art galleries, the eclectic shops filled with antiques and curios, and the diverse cuisine that has always found a home in the High Country. They explored Grandfather Mountain and the unforgettable swinging bridge and the craggy terrain, when shrouded in fog and mist, smacks of the Highlands of Scotland and all the intrigue and fantasy such a setting can implore. They even discovered the gem mines and sifted a small ruby they had set in a gold mounting for a treasured honeymoon necklace.
I guess the moral of the story is to find the silver lining, trite as it may seem, in every cloud. Nature serves as metaphor for our own lives and relationships where it’s so important to see through the fog in order to uncover the beauty that lies behind the veil. As Deborah was able to convey to her disappointed guests, there’s beauty and adventure in whatever nature lay before us. And I don’t know of any other place on earth where that is more exciting than in our mountain home.
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Winter/Spring 2010
Winter Into Spring Could Take Some Time This Go-Round
What a ride we have had this winter. No kidding – I feel like I’ve been transported back to my youth on the plains of Wyoming--where the first winter storm covered the green prairie grass until Mother’s Day.
We welcome the white stuff. In fact, many of us dream of it falling knowing the positive impact winter brings to the local ski industry and all the travel related businesses that share in the tourism trade.
Although there have been a few times in this epic winter of 2010 when it appeared there was a little too much of a good thing. Naysayers seem eager to remind you to be careful what you wish for, but, in this neighborhood, too much snow beats not enough snow any day, especially when the overall economic health of the High Country rides in the balance. You can’t always get what you want, and this winter has been a mixed bag of blessings and hardships to a lot of small businesses.
Not even the ice storm of Christmas, where we lost power in our home for seven days, could keep visitors away. Winters like this one can be a little inconvenient for those of us living here year-round, but it’s just the kind of weather folks in the less abundantly endowed regions look forward to experiencing.
One thing about winters like this – it seems to bring out the best in people. Take for instance our lineman for the local Electric companies who repaired damaged poles and lines through terrible conditions and long hours to restore life saving electrical power to homes and businesses. Adversity has always brought out the best in people.
I’m sure a lot of you have neighbors like our neighbor, Mike in Linville, who jumps on his John Deere after every snowfall and clears the shared, private road of his neighbors on his own - asking for nothing in return.
One thing is certain--the skiing has been excellent. I’m sure some of our Friday storms sent a few groups of skiers back home, but the folks who braved the journey were treated to conditions on par with many western resorts.
So, if you’re wishing for an early spring just remember—“That which does not kill you is just liable to make your stronger.”
Winter is like life, made up of storms to overcome in the same way we meet the economic and personal challenges of daily life. I know I am even more eager than ever to plant new seeds this spring and long for the sight of daffodils being triumphant after a long winter blast. I hope all of us can find that symbolic sprig of hope within ourselves this spring.
I’m just thankful that I’m spending my daily life in the North Carolina High Country. “If you’re lucky enough to be in the Mountains, you’re lucky enough.”
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Winter/Holidays 2009/2010
Celebrating the notion of "We"
In the past few days I have heard from two dear friends who while cleaning out drawers and boxes have come across some old greeting cards. They read to me some of the ‘ancient’ greetings I had written on a few of their birthday cards. It took me back to another time in my life.
What was most interesting is how my perspective on life, my hopes and dreams for myself and my friends has remained the same through the years even as many of our lives have changed directions. As my last child leaves the nest, I remember taking flight myself about the same age when I took a hiatus from studies at ASU to study at L’Abri in Switzerland thirty years ago. It was one of the most memorable times in my life. I still was drawn back to these mountains where I finished at ASU and have made the High Country my home.
So, as I took to some housecleaning of my own in our warehouse where archived issues of Carolina Mountain Life rest, a similar thread to my past resurfaced in the form of issues dating back to 1997. The August/September issue from 1998 featured my nine-year-old twins panning for gold on the cover shot. Almost 12-years later they’re panning for the ‘gold’ of their own future, using a sieve built from their own experience and judgment growing up. For me, back issues of CML, old greeting cards, and photographs from years gone by speak to where we have been. More importantly, they can tell us if we’ve lost our direction.
I hope this holiday issue points you to your own special postcard moments. Winter is a special time in the mountains. Who amongst our friends in the low country don’t long for a White Christmas? So pack up the family for a weekend of skiing, enjoy festivities like Holiday Glow Time and Winterfest or enjoy the magic of our small town Christmas tree lighting ceremonies. These and other many musical events are listed in our calendar.
Sometimes our fondest memories come from working with others to build a better community, or nurturing family values. A shared empathy and compassion enriches our lives, whether working with local service agencies to help those in need, or fostering in our children a responsibility to mankind. In the High Country today, the spirit of volunteerism is nothing short of inspirational. It was felt in the cold, harsh weather as hundreds of local volunteers rose to greet thousands of visitors to the annual Woolly Worm Festival and Valle Country Fair this past October. It’s a feeling manifest in the annual United Way fundraising drive, or the campaign to build the new Hospitality House.
It’s putting to rest the “Me” generation and celebrating the notion of “We.”
So as we gather with family and friends, or visit our homebound neighbor, remember to have your camera charged up, your flash card empty and be ready to shoot more memories that add to the texture of our lives. For our family, it will be a time to take measure of our lives and to set a course of service to others, for that is the greatest gift we can bring to the holiday season.
Autumn 2009
Times Are Different
Times are different these days than they were just a few short years ago – when profits soared and hopes rallied. Today, everyone feels the pinch and they look more closely at their choices. They make decisions based on fact – not fiction.
At CML we provide our readers with what we hope is an entertaining and insightful publication for residents and visitors alike.
We had such a demand on our recent Summer issue – that we decided to increase the circulation to 25,000 copies. Copies garner more than just one reader – left on a coffee table or in someone’s library. Advertisers have said they have had calls on an ad they placed years ago when someone found a back issue of CML tucked in a condo basket with Better Homes and Gardens.
We have also joined the social media world with a FB Fan Page filled with great tips and events of interest and our new website will enable you to have a copy of our magazine at anytime and be able to link directly to our advertisers.
The staff at CML is dedicated to giving you more than just pages filled with words and spaces filled with advertisement. We hope that you will find stories to inspire and encourage you to discover more about this area we live in and as a visitor give you a glimpse into why we choose to live here year round.
Every sponsor within these pages has thought carefully about placing their goods and services within our venue – they have chosen carefully in their effort to spread their news to the largest crowd. When I began publishing this magazine in 1997, I had no idea the places it would take me, the things I would see. We hope that after you have read these pages – you too will have traveled to places and seen things you never expected to experience here in this magical area we call the High Country.
So, when you shop, dine and experience all that our sponsors have to offer – remember to tell them thanks for putting out the good word in Carolina Mountain Life and that you look forward to coming back next time around.
Summer 2009:
Can Less Be More?
I’ve decided to take it easy this July and take in the High Country. I really mean it, particularly since I will be relegated to a forced silence July 6th following surgery on my vocal cords. After what we trust will be a successful procedure, the doctor has ordered, “Not a word for a week.” “Yikes! Me – not talk?” Tall order.
But for the first time in years I’ll slow down and enjoy the sights and sounds we at Carolina Mountain Life encourage others to do. I have my own ‘Bucket List.’ Appalachian Summer Festival, Lees McRae Summer Theater, the Hayes Center, Tour de Art, Miracle on the Mountain and Horn in the West, just to name a few. You can find out more about all these and other great events inside these pages. I also plan on taking a swim in Wildcat Lake where my children played years ago. How wonderful to have our mountain lake back again after a two year campaign to rebuild the dam.
My health issues are not going to ruin my summer. I’m learning that my physical voice is one thing, but it’s our spiritual voice that impacts family and community for the better.
I want to tell the advertisers, writers, photographers, staff and our supporters thank you for helping me understand what ‘collaboration’ means. To our readers who take the time to pick up Carolina Mountain Life, we thank you. And I hope you will support our advertisers who make each issue possible. They are, after all, our friends and neighbors first and foremost.
I’m buying into the belief that less is more and silence is golden. Or as my wonderfully supportive husband says, “Enough already, rest your voice.” I think I will.
Spring / Early Summer 2009
We Can Always Do More
My husband just came home from playing in the 50th ACC Sports Media Spring Golf Outing at Grandfather Golf and Country Club and brought me a special gift. It was a copy of our 2007 CML edition that featured ASU Football Coach Jerry Moore pictured on our cover—the issue that hit the streets the week before the Mountaineers ‘victory for the ages’ over Michigan. Michael Darling shot the image of Coach Moore in an intermittent rain at mid-field at Kidd Brewer Stadium after the gentleman from Texas accommodated our request on short notice on one of his rare days off. On the magazine cover, Jerry Moore had written to me:
“Babette, Always Do More Than is Expected . . . Genesis 24:14”
For me, this was a message worth its weight in gold, not only characterizing the over-achieving exploits of Coach Moore and the young men who made their mark representing Appalachian State University, but also the challenges and struggles we all face in these difficult economic times.
When Coach Moore assumed the ASU coaching job twenty years ago, the popular former Coach Sparky Woods had just left for the University of South Carolina, and 50 Mountaineer football players left with him. But Moore set his face to the challenge, persevered in the face of adversity, and triumphed over the circumstances. In other words, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. And the path to victory, at least for Jerry Moore, was found in words from the Good Book. No matter what is asked or expected of you, always do more than is expected.
Maybe you’re going through a tough time right now. Maybe you’ve lost your job or your retirement is threatened or the stress of work or family or life is overwhelming. Don’t give up and don’t give in. Dig deep. Do more than is expected. Hang on to hope. Just as I watch the trillium and violets and dogwood overcome the winter and bloom fresh this spring, I know that you can and will overcome the challenges you face today.
On May 14th Coach Jerry Moore will be inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. And, with that enshrinement, he takes the entire High Country Community with him - because he, his coaches and his players were asked to do more than expected. And they did.
Perhaps that is a lesson for the ages. Certainly it’s the lesson for the times.
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