We brought the hostas in the picture below from our home in Alabama and added those to our sitting garden. It's a good thing that I love big leaf hostas since we garden in so much shade.
Finally! Phil and I planted a garden area at the corner of Two Holt so now our side yard garden is finished. Well...we still have room for a few more plants, but the side garden is mostly complete. We brought the hostas in the picture below from our home in Alabama and added those to our sitting garden. It's a good thing that I love big leaf hostas since we garden in so much shade. In our new garden bed, we placed a boxwood, Mt. Airy fothergilla, Potomac Pride hostas and, in the pot, Emerald Mist brunnera. The new boxwood is the sixth boxwood in our side garden. Boxwoods flank our two sets of steps and the corners of our house. We still need to add the lattice underpinning. The garden continues around the corner of the house where we began the garden path in the little space between the house and retaining wall. Here are our before and after pictures, but we'll be adding more plants for sure! We're not sure yet if we'll attempt to move that large rock in the picture or somehow incorporate it into the garden design. Here's this new garden area from another angle... And I just HAD to have this planter we found at the local nursery. I want to paint it, but I have to decide on the paint color. Yellow? Blue? Orange? Purple? Hmmm...what would be your choice?
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Our brother, Larry, and Susan came to celebrate the 4th of July with us in Highlands. First, we checked out the Rotary Club's BBQ at the local baseball field. The MAMA (Mountain Area Medical Airlift)helicopter was there for those wishing to take a tour. We watched the crew fly out on their way back to Franklin, North Carolina. At speeds of 125 miles per hour, I bet they make that trip a lot faster than we do down those curvy roads! We enjoyed watching the local fire department cooling off the kids and laughed as the water blew back on a crowd of adults who weren't expecting to get wet! After enjoying a lunch of grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and cookies, we decided to hike to a place we've not been before...Picklesimer Rock Falls. We drove five miles down Highway 28 and then turned right on Blue Valley Road (complete driving directions are at the end of this post). A few miles later we arrived at the trail head. We began the easy 0.6 mile hike. From the written directions we were following, we knew we were getting close when the trail led us right through a wildlife clearing. We continued along the trail and there it was...Picklesimer Rock Falls. The beauty of western North Carolina continues to amaze me! Just knowing the history of this place gave me a sense of wonder as I stood where Native Americans had once lived before the arrival of the Europeans. Many years ago, families would drive their livestock up for summer grazing and would often shelter under this rock formation. I thought of all those who came hundreds of years before me seeking shelter in this natural rock house and stood where I now stood. Did they marvel at the beauty, too? What a beautiful place...what a beautiful day! We drove back to Two Holt to rest just a few minutes before going back to town to enjoy the weekly outdoor music concert. Larry and Susan left from the concert to drive back down the mountain. Phil and I enjoyed the music a bit more and then decided to get a scoop of our favorite ice cream from Kilwin's, Salted Caramel. We stopped at the Mirror Lake bridge and watched the fireworks. Happy 4th of July, everyone! From every mountainside (and especially from OUR mountainside), let freedom ring! As promised earlier in this post, here are the directions to Picklesimer Rock Falls:
From the intersection of Highways 64 and 28 in Highlands take Highway 28 south for 5.7 miles to Blue Valley Road. (If you pass the Georgia state line you just missed it.) Turn right on Blue Valley Road. The road turns to gravel in 0.5 mile. After 3.6 miles on Blue Valley Road, you will come to a "T" at Overflow Creek. There will be a kiosk at the "T." Turn left. The trail is the next right (0.6 miles)after the Glen Falls information sign (kiosk). At the trail (roadbed), park off Blue Valley Road on the left. Do not block the gate. Follow this old road, uphill through the pine forest, 0.45 miles to a wild life clearing. Proceed to a small stream. At this stream, turn right upstream, on a worn trail. The rock house and waterfall is about 100 yards. |
Phil & SharonMarried 40 years and hoping to enjoy many more! Archives
December 2019
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