It has been exactly a year since we closed on Park's Peak, yet we feel like we are just starting to experience it. Last year we knew we had some great views and the leaves would be awesome, but we were too busy with the closing and renovations to enjoy them. This year we reveled in the views and the changing of the leaves in Autumn! And so did our friends! October saw a visit to the Peak every week!
THE WASSUMS "STEP" (500 OF THEM!) INTO PARK'S PEAK
The Wassums were our first October visitors. They had missed the Eclipse party, but we made up for it by enjoying a weekend playing bridge, drinking insanely good wine (the last of the Malloy-O'Neil!) and climbing Chimney Rock - all 500 steps!! As you can see in the pictures, the month started out warm, but ended with ice on the deck!
A SPECIAL FAMILY REUNION (and Bartholomew joins the family!)
Next to come were my family. Emily and the girls came up on a Friday and we enjoyed wine on the back deck while the girls splashed in the hot tub! Often we would only see Ella's feet as she pretended to be various animals swimming in the "pond".
The next afternoon, they asked for their tea in wine glasses like the adults! We might not have been setting the best example!!
On Saturday, my sister Sharon and her husband Richard and our son Clay and Tracy joined us. It was a great family reunion. Sharon completed some business from Dad's estate and then the girls led the family on a walk. Later we goofed around on the porch...
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| Keeping up with them can be a challenge! |
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| How great to have my sister and daughter together! |
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| Tracy: Should we eat this? |
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| While Emily and Clay look on... |
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| ...Abbie shows Tracy how to modify pictures on a smart phone! |
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| ...and then Clay mugs for the camera!! |
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| Later Sharon and Clay had a swinging good time! |
Sunday while we were eating a late brunch, I looked out the front door and Bartholomew, the bear, wanted to join our family reunion. He just loped up the driveway and then down into the woods. We all ran to the porch and Emily was able to capture some pictures. He was definitely the highlight of brunch!!
Later that day we took the girls and Emily on a boat tour of Lake Lure. Abbie kept looking for the houses in the book I had read to her. And it was fun to be on the lake after riding it by it so often and seeing it from Chimney Rock.
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| Abbie looks for the Khaki boathouse and the carved Spirit Tree... |
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| Looking at Chimney Rock from the lake |
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| Looking at the lake from Chimney Rock (the week before!) |
RETIRED: EVERY DAY IS A WEEKEND!
When you are retired, a "long weekend" might actually be Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. That's what the "wino girls" decided when we put our calendars together for a girls retreat. Betsy, Mary Lou, Pat and Diane all joined me for some "serious" bridge, games, and shopping on Park's Peak. Monday we shopped in Asheville in the pouring rain and Betsy, Diane and Pat toured New Belgium, while Mary Lou and I got Park's Peak ready and tested the road in the rain. Tuesday we shopped til we dropped in Black Mountain!
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| Diane at New Belgium |
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| Betsy had to try it too! |
We tried to act like millennials playing a meme game that Emily lent me. Poor Mary Lou, she just wasn't as "dirty" as the rest of us!! And it was a turtle's race to the finish (like 3 hours!!) between Mary Lou and Diane to see who knew the most about wine in the wine game! It wouldn't have taken so long if we hadn't argued over half the answers!! LOL (and looked them up on our phones!) Diane and I enjoyed the hot tub and everyone relished the sunset!
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| Diane, Pat, Me, Betsy, Mary Lou - the retired "Winos" |
When we checked the Observer that Tuesday morning, we saw that the road that we had used at Chimney Rock just the week before had collapsed in the rain!
BOOK CLUB BUDDIES PICK THEIR PLACES TO COME AND CURL UP WITH A GOOD BOOK!
Elaine and Tommi braved the clouds and rain on the last Saturday in October to come to Park's Peak. We had hoped to do the boat tour on Lake Lure but the weather just didn't cooperate! (Tommi and I had even previewed "Dirty Dancing"!) But we enjoyed the fire and a great lunch! They also explored some on the way up and back to Charlotte!
A 500TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATED
The month ended with the 500th Anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation! We chose to go to Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in Fairview. It was the closest Lutheran church and I read on their web page that they are a member of the Reconciling in Christ Network and that Pastor Eck is a Pastor and a singer/songwriter so I thought that they would have a great Reformation service. I wasn't disappointed. The accompanist began with a breath taking prelude based on "A Might Fortress" which was also our opening hymn. Pastor Eck lead the congregation in 2 of his original hymns and we ended with one of my Favorites, "Lift High the Cross" During Pastor Dave's children sermon he talked about the difference between Martin Luther King and Martin Luther. In his sermon, he asked how is the church still reforming today and what is your "Here I Stand" moment. He recounted the struggle the church went through accepting LGBTQ folks and joining the RICN and suggested that this is the most recent Lutheran Reformation.
When we chose Abiding Savior, we didn't know it was going to be "old home week"! During the prelude in walked the Montepertos, friends from Advent Lutheran who have been "full-timing" it in their RV for the last 6 years. The last time we saw them was when we met up with them in our RV near Mount Rushmore! Then as we talked to folks, we realized that the Probst's who welcomed us were the parents of one of Emily's classmates, Jennie who we have enjoyed knowing through her theatre work here in Charlotte.
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| The window with a view of the mountains served as a natural reardos |
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| I thought having the prayer list on a book mark was a great idea! |
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| Pastor Eck with his guitar in the pulpit |
THE PEAK (OF COLOR) ON PARK'S PEAK
This week was definitely the peak of the color on Park's Peak. Photos can only begin to capture the show that nature is putting on!
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| Was it snow, sleet, or a heavy frost? I can tell you that it was COLD!!! |
