A Most Unusual December

I'm writing this just about 10 hours before the New Year changes the calendar page to 1/1/2016.

In Western North Carolina we have had a very interesting final few weeks of 2015.  The air temperature has been extremely mild, with quite a few days that felt almost summery.  We have flirted with historic high temperatures, only missing them by a degree or two according to the experts who keep such records.  Additionally, we have had a lot of rain, which in the last week or so has caused some local flash floods and road closures.

I thought I would just share with you a few things I see in my yard which makes late December look more like spring than winter.

 First of all, this is the magnolia tree across the street from us.

 Then we have a small pussy willow bush in our back garden.

And the hellebores under our back deck are trying to open some flowers.

On the slope you can see some color in the azaleas.

And finally, we have this plant/bush in the nook between our deck extension and the stairs, a very shaded spot.  At the suggestion of BB Barnes, we planted a tiny cluster of twigs which turned into a rather large bush which is thriving there.  I can't remember the name of the plant, but it certainly filled up the area.

In the fall it sets these grayish caps that point downward and then in spring we hardly notice it when it blooms because the blossoms are facing downward.  Right now it is very fragrant and drawing the attention of a lot of bees.

I was delighted to capture it in bloom, even if it is not the correct season for it to be happening.

I lifted a branch to get this next shot.

Each of the flower clusters is about an inch and a half in diameter.  Rather interesting, don't you think?

Who knows what this strange weather has done to the plants.  It is possible our lawn will need to be mowed again.  Maybe these plants which blossomed in December will be too stressed to provide much of a show come spring.  I guess we will find out! 

Meanwhile, Happy New Year!

Grove Park Inn Christmas Eve

This December will be remembered over much of the eastern US as being unusually warm, and in the case of western North Carolina, full of a lot of precipitation.  So we woke on Christmas eve morning to a massive thunderstorm and heavy rains that continued off and on all day, making it a challenge to enjoy the balmy temperatures which reached into the 70's.

Fortunately we had planned the perfect pre-Christmas activity... lunch at the Omni Grove Park Inn!  The GPI is a delight to visit any time of the year, an amazing architectural feat, perched on a mountain with a majestic view of the Asheville skyline, and full of interesting history.  At holiday time it is particularly festive, with gingerbread houses on display from the annual competition, decorated trees too numerous to count, and the bustle of people staying there, dining there, and enjoying the ambiance of the many public spaces.

 There are always unusual interpretations of "gingerbread house" including birds, like this peacock nesting and the cardinals.

And then Santa often makes an appearance...

 along with his sleigh.

But I am somewhat prejudiced and tend to like best the ones that actually are replicas of buildings, even when they are somewhat whimsical.

And that includes the winning entry this year, a very ramshackle place with lots of interesting details.

 It's somewhat difficult to get very good photos, since the lighting is not very even in the areas where that gingerbread houses are on display and they are cordoned off so you can't get too close.  And the winner is in a glass encased and mirrored inset which generally has a cluster of people around it.  But keep in mind that everything on these "houses" is edible.  Also some of the ones that I have photos of were made by adults, but some were made by teens and children.  While trying to sneak in a photo of the winner, I took this shot below where you can see Russ and I reflected in the mirror!

The decorated Christmas trees were also wondrous!  Many in the main hallways were done according to theme.  Like the snowman tree and the tree filled with skis and other winter sports equipment, both of which reminded me of my friend Barb...

And cardinals always remind me of my friend Mickey.

Our lunch was at Edison, one of the many venues where you can eat at this resort.  It is their "pub" and named for Thomas Edison who with his friends Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone stayed at the GPI many years ago.

Here's Russ near the entrance to Edison.

And my friends on Facebook will recognize this photo of me enjoying the first sips of my Bloody Mary.

You can see that we had a window table... I guess a perk of having made reservations ahead of time.

This was our view... usually the sky is a clear NC blue and the skyline of Asheville shows up in color against the green of the mountain slope and you can see layers of mountains beyond.  Not today.  It was somewhat eerie with low fog and some rain at times.

We did have some periods of clearing, but you can see the standing water on the golf course.  No one was playing golf!

But you can see some people enjoying the hot tub at the spa in this photo.

Before I close, I wanted to share two more photos.  This is one of the massive fireplaces in the main hall.  This particular fireplace was reopened when Omni took over the GPI a couple of years ago.  It's twin, which as far as I know was always functional, is on the other side of the massive hall.  As you can see, it's a great place for people to congregate.

 And this temporary concession, selling hot chocolate, cookies and beer (how's that for a combination?) was set up in the main hall near one of the doorways to the Sunset Terrace.  It is made entirely of gingerbread "stones" and smelled wonderful!  There was a placard nearby that told how many pounds of flour and sugar and spices were used to construct it and urging guests not to nibble!

Sorry that this has gotten to be a bit long, but Russ and I really enjoyed our lunch and our visit to the GPI.  We are fortunate to have this local treasure and it was a perfect time to while away a few hours before the Christmas Eve church service.

Happy December Holidays and a Happy New Year to all my followers!

WINTER LIGHTS 2015

Last Wednesday evening we had the pleasure of volunteering our services to help with admissions at the second annual Winter Lights display at the NC Arboretum.  When we volunteered last year we scored two rather chilly nights, the nastiest was the evening we manned the fire pit and helped people make s'mores.  Though we dressed for it and still enjoyed the experience, we decided to "play it safe" and volunteer for indoor jobs this year.

Well, Wednesday evening couldn't have been any milder.  Some clouds moved in late in the day and trapped the unseasonal warm air creating a December evening that you barely needed to wear a sweater to enjoy your time in the outdoors.

Oh, I imagine that everything would look even more fairy-tale-like with a covering of snow, but when we were released from our posts and allowed to roam the gardens, I thought it was delightful!

I noticed several different added attractions since last year and probably the most amazing change was right in the center of the garden... the huge illuminated "tree" in front of the quilt garden.  The lights of the quilt garden and the lights of the giant Christmas tree were coordinated to music and they were mesmerizing.

Many people had very sophisticated cameras and I'm sure they were capturing some awesome images.  I only had my iPhone, but I thought I would share some photos so that you get an idea of how the gardens look with nighttime illumination.

 These structures are made of water filled 2 liter soda bottles and they cycle through several color changes.

 The quilt garden was especially nice!

 This artificial tree at the entrance to the bonsai garden attracted a lot of interest... it also changed colors.

 Even the parking lot looks festive!

For some reason only about half of my photos downloaded to the blog site, but I think this is probably a good enough selection to give you an idea of the types of lighting... additionally there was music, lots of color changing and lighted movement in the displays, a rather eerie, yet beautiful tree with crystal chandeliers, the Rocky Cove Railroad, places to pause for group and individual photos, indoor exhibits and decorations, bonfires, a wishing tree, opportunities to shop and this year they are even offering a buffet meal which looked pretty darn tasty.  Snacks, food, hot chocolate, and 3-D glasses all seemed very reasonably priced this year.

HAPPY SOLSTICE TO ALL!