On October 31st, hundreds of trick or treaters descend on the Montford neighborhood. They especially like the inns here because only full size candy bars are given as treats.
As you can see from last year's frightening tricksters, we have to be prepared with lots of candy.
Fall foliage experts predict that this autumn may be one of the best in recent memory, with vibrant leaf color through early November.
September 22nd is the autumnal equinox - the first official day of autumn when the length of day and night is equal. Since we're in the South, our leaf colors change later than in New England. Plus, in the mountains, fall comes sooner to the higher, cooler places. October is usually our best month.
The Lion & the Rose Bed & Breakfast is an ideal place to visit in the fall, because regardless of when you come you will be able to enjoy the beauty of the season.
The City of Asheville sits on a plateau surrounded by mountains. If the fall color in the higher elevations has already passed its peak, the leaves in the city are just beginning to turn. But, everyone wants to know when it will happen...down to the day. Well - it's not an exact science - it's more like predicting the economy - no one really knows for sure.
For weekly updates on the fall color forecast, visit Asheville's official tourism website: Explore Asheville.
But, don't sweat the details. The Southern Highlands are beautiful throughout the season and the year.
Most people think that the poet Robert Frost believed that good fences make good neighbors, since it's a line in his poem "Mending Wall". However, when you read the poem, you'll see that Frost was ambivalent about the idea. We are also.
But, when the trees along the back of our yard were trimmed this year, the view of our neighbors' chain link fences of varying sizes, their cars, and a compost pile made a new wood fence seem like a good idea.
We had to submit a written request to the local Historic Commission along with photos, a fence design, and a plot map to get the fence approved.
Then, our handyman and friend Rudi Pearce, had to engineer the fence for the sight.
The fence sits at the top of a very steep slope and there are large trees along the ridge.
Rudi was able to route the wood fence along the steep ridge and build it around the tree trunks. He also made the bottom of the fence follow the uneven terrain.
The neighborhood is historic (also known as old). Over the past 100 years people have torn up concrete walks and stone & brick walls.
A lot of this debris ended up at the back of our lot - under inches of mulch & ivy. So, digging the fence post holes was very difficult - even with a power post hole digger.
Rudi calmly and proficiently met each challenge with ease
and hand built a beautiful lattice and board fence ....
Steve & Sharon first stayed at The Lion & The Rose Bed & Breakfast in October of 2004. We developed a special bond with them from the beginning. Although we don't share many of the obvious things that most friends have in common: age, background, profession; the bond developed anyway.
Steve & Sharon live in Knoxville, Tennessee - less than a two hour drive to Asheville, so week end trips are easy. Asheville's beauty and eclectic downtown make it a fun trip for couples living in the surrounding area.
They returned on New Year's Eve and shared the holiday with us. The Fannie Rice Room soon became a favorite for their other return trips.
But this all came to an end when Sharon became pregnant with their first (and only) child.
Lucas was born in March of 2007 and that ended their stays at the B&B - at least for a while.
Steve & Sharon brought Lucas to Asheville for a day trip when he was five months old.
They visited us again in August of 2008. Lucas is now 17 months old and walking. He is handsome, smart, and very well behaved (but we are prejudiced).
No - we don't accept children under 12 for overnight stays at The Lion & The Rose. But Steve & Sharon are planning their first overnight stay away from Lucas at our inn!
New parents need getaways and we are happy to provide them.
"A firm defense of quiet material pleasure is the only way to oppose the universal folly of Fast Life."
Eve Davis, the current leader of the Slow Food Asheville Board, is also the owner and operator (along with her husband James) of the Hawk & Ivy Bed & Breakfast in Barnardsville.
It's in an idyllic country setting with organic gardens of flowers, fruit, and vegetables surrounding the inn as far as the eye can see.
Every year at The Lion & the Rose in early summer the hanging ferns on the front porch become nesting sites for birds.
I first discovered this several years ago as I took down the hanging baskets to water the ferns in the shade of the side garden.
First, you see the nest.
Next, an egg or two will appear in the nest, and eventually the nest will be full of eggs – four or five. Then, within a week or so, the birds hatch and you can see their tiny pulsating bodies huddled together sleeping, waiting for mom to return with food.
I have heard that some people remove the nest when it’s still under construction so that the birds become discouraged and nest some where else. This prevents the nest from “messing up” fern baskets. However, it’s not an option I considered.
If you water the ferns carefully, you can leave the nest and the birds undisturbed and still maintain a healthy plant. Some have warned that once you disturb the nest site, the mother bird will abandon it and her eggs, but this doesn’t happen as long as the nest and eggs remain untouched. What species of Southern highlands bird is nesting in the fern on my front porch – I don’t know and for me it doesn’t matter.
Although it’s a common occurrence and as timeless as life on the planet, the sight of these eggs and baby birds fascinates me. Maybe it’s the chance to get so close to wild, newborn, living things. Or, maybe it’s the connection we all have to birth and life and our need to be reminded of how fragile yet hopeful it is.
La Primavera! Spring is the most beautiful season here in this plateau centered in the oldest mountain range in the world.
Asheville has been a tourist destination since the 1890's because of its extraordinary location & perfect climate. Now there is easy access to the Blue Ridge Parkway which winds through the city and surrounding countryside.
Or, you can visit the Biltmore Estate's grounds and gardens which were designed by Frederick Olmsted, the architect for New York City's Central Park and the originator of landscape architecture in America. The city's Arboretum is yet another place to experience the area's lush and varied landscape at its best.
You can enjoy the beauty of the season everywhere in Asheville, but especially at The Lion & The Rose Bed & Breakfast. The Lion & The Rose is located in the center of Asheville's oldest National Historic District; a residential neighborhood dating back to the turn of the last century, with wide tree lined streets, terraced gardens, and shaded sidewalks.
Violets grow wild in the grass, phlox cascade down rock walls, weeping cherry trees lose their blossoms in the wind to cover the emerald green lawn like snow.
The Lion and the Rose Bed & Breakfast 276 Montford Avenue • Asheville, NC • 28801 1-800-546-6988 • (828) 255-ROSE (7673) Innkeepers: Jim and Linda Palmer info@lion-rose.com
and night is equal. Since we're in the South, our leaf colors change later than in New England. Plus, in the mountains, fall comes sooner to the higher, cooler places. October is usually our best month.
But, everyone wants to know when it will happen...down to the day. Well - it's not an exact science - it's more like predicting the economy - no one really knows for sure.
But, when the trees along the back of our yard were trimmed this year, the view of our neighbors' chain link fences of varying sizes, their cars, and a compost pile made a new wood fence seem like a good idea.
La Primavera! Spring is the most beautiful season here in this plateau centered in the oldest mountain range in the world.
