Our first Blue Ridge Parkway drive

Picture journal of our first outing on the Blue Ridge Parkway...and Waterrock Knob Trail. 4.11.17

End of week one in the mountains

Sunday/Monday

end of week one

Recap on our Sunday- went to Cherokee with Atlas. We saw the tourist overdone town..paid a lot more than I should have for an "authentic" Cherokee dream-catcher (animal product free), but saw a super pretty waterfall..and Atlas swam in a waterfall. Stopped at a road side stand for some local Blackberry cider on the way back to town.

  

Stopped by the brewery..met a local family and exchanged numbers so that we can all volunteer at LEAF, coming up. Made rice congee with mushrooms and snuggled with red wine on the couch.
***********************

All I can say is that in days I have become more than attached to the mountainside than I could have ever expected. I spent the day (Monday) attempting to be diligent and look into some of the areas closer to Asheville.

What I learned:

I do not want to live in Hendersonville. Even the JCPennys was the most depressing place I can recall being in-in goodness a while. The area's vibe wasn't the best.
I am a sucker for any camping/hiking supply store.
EarthFare Market is amazing.

Best moments of the day:
Getting Columbia shoes for $60 off
Walking through the natural grocery store
Listening to Indigo girls driving home to my home through the smokey mountains.

Maybe I am meant for a mountain town...and when I want to see a "big city" then the closest one of those is awesome and veg and green and not too far. Who knows. Definitely not me.

Maybe its just today...
the moon is changing so things are already weird enough...

---Balance is wanted here.

My slightly educated prescription: morning hike, late afternoon yoga class, and hammock on the mountainside for the night's debut of the (pink) full moon.

~goodnight. and remind yourself to breathe, no matter where you are, life is exhausting.~

Friday's hike

This is a picture journal of our day Friday, hiking Pinnacle Peak, NC

7.3 miles up to a 360 degree view of the Smokey Mountains xx

Days 4 & 5

It's 40 degrees. It's 9am, I have already shared coffee with the propane guy, made a fire, and caught up with an old friend. The upset feeling from waking up early by Atlas and the propane guy lasted 1.5 seconds once I saw the sun's golden blanket drips the mountains outside my window. I would much rather experience dreaming with my eyes wide open.

These last 2 days have been a long cold breath of laziness and smiles. The rain has soaked the mountainside..so I've been foraging for mushrooms, to which I have found several kinds already. Went into town for yoga, ordered a used book from the little book store up the hill in downtown Sylva, met a cat, danced to 'Smokey Mountain Rain' by Ronnie Milsaps possibly more than once, made stellar vegan 'clam chowder,' and have now acquired so many 'epic' hikes around the area I have a list I am nervous I will never get to actually finish. It's like having eyes bigger than your stomach..or like putting too much of a good thing on your plate at Thanksgiving. Where everything looks absolutely amazing and its all right there in front of you. So you obviously get a little of everything -because there are times in life-where we just can't make a decision.

 Country music with the fire this morning and writing about Thanksgiving has inspired the making of vegan biscuits and 'sausage gravy.' Post morning hike reward ♡ Couldn't be happier.

                                                                      Life is what you make it and "You are what you believe yourself to be," Paulo Coelho 

(& tattooed on my right arm). 

Cheers to week 1 in the magical smokies xx

when your dreams spill out onto your morning..xo

dreaming still, Day 3

 day 3

Atlas wakes me up early.  8 am early.  But who can be mad at an immensely happy dog- definitely not me. The mountains have a chill in the air as we hike this morning, and the weather forecast says thunderstorms around noon-so that scratches our 4 hour hike to the top of Pinnacle Peak. "Life happens when you make plans," John Lennon

Yesterday was happy. And full of things. To end where I left off yesterday- we went on an afternoon hike next to the river a bit outside of town. Met some local ladies who quickly pulled out their phones to show me pictures of their sons and told me of the Saturday morning farmers market and upcoming Green Up the Mountain festival. An older man rode his bicycle past us and let us know of the goose "up yonder" who is sitting on a log in the river had babies. This is news I want to hear, simple, mountain springtime news...
Came home to snuggles on the couch and a much needed hot bath. To close out our night we went to eat at a local place called Guadalupe Cafe. Sat on the porch facing Main Street with fried okra, local grilled kale, and a beer. Q and A'ed the waitress on the town and met a new friend. Walked a bit down to one of the local breweries called Innovations. Sylva does have several colleges, so most of the crowd on the picnic tables outside were such. Tried one of their beers called 'Whimsy,' got a food truck veggie burger to-go, met some people who gave me the best advice on magical day hikes and secret lakes to which I noted in my phone:

Brevard
Cedar Cliff
Bear Lake
DuPont
Culawee Falls
Whitewater Falls

Came home and passed out on Atlas.
***

I am recapping my night on my laptop journal next to a fire and a mug of coffee. Atlas is curled in a ball next to me snoring softly and the firewood is crackling. I literally dreamed of this.

Cheers to day 3.

Breathing in happiness, Day 2

Day 2

Recap from our rainy Monday:

Coffee and Guitar music.
Snuggling to the rain. 
Kombucha and a mid day stroll to find a swing next to the rushing creek. 
Finding the perfect hammock spot. 
Cooking. 
Cooking. 
Drawing a hot bath and making hot tea.
Napping. 
Having best snuggle with Atlas to date.
&
Not being able to close my eyes laying in bed because of how beautiful the moonlight is on the mountains ♡
***

yesterday was magic, even in the midst of on and off rain

Today we awoke to this:

 We took a morning stroll through the forest next to the creek. Atlas is curious, and goofy and smiling...so I can assume he is in as much as I am with Mother Nature.

Hiked up the side of the mountain with my morning cup of coffee and breathed in happiness.

Drove down to town and took a morning yoga class, where the local gossip included 8 new baby goats being born and the possibility of snow this Thursday. Had a cup of local coffee as I browsed the used book stores and vintage shops. Shook hands with more people than I can remember and was welcomed with warmth, sincerity, and smiles. 

Came home with energy and happiness to welcome on the rest of the day. 

Cheers to day 2

Dreaming of a cabin in the mountains

Monday, April 3, 2017

Change doesn't happen always by chance, sometimes change happens by change.

Last night I cried from the beauty of the moon and stars, and today I awoke to rain sliding down the windows. I awoke to dog kisses and a hundred comfy pillows. I awoke to dancing tree leaves and a beautiful creek's song.

There is something about being in a place built from wood and stone, surrounded by wood and stone, that is truly magic.  Even a rainy Monday morning can look beautiful in the Great Smokey Mountains.

Sitting in a rocking chair, with coffee in a tin mug, and Atlas curled at my feet-I feel uncertain evermore that this truly is just a dream.

Well here's to magical cabin dreaming and the month of April. Cheers to day one.