Since 2012, we have had exactly two inches of snow accumulation at the Inn on Mill Creek inside Pisgah National Forest outside of Black Mountain, NC. We’ve enjoyed seeing snow on the peaks at higher elevations along the Blue Ridge Parkway, but didn’t have much more than flurries here at 2,300 feet…until February 12, 2014.
Winter blahs getting you down? Looking forward to thawing out and getting outdoors this spring? It’s not too far away for us here in the mountains of western North Carolina! The Inn on Mill Creek B&B is located in McDowell County, North Carolina, about halfway between the towns of Old Fort and Black Mountain. Our county is known for its outdoor recreation, with awesome hiking trails and mountain biking trails, trout fishing streams and waterfalls, great places to walk and plenty of areas to explore nature.
| Blue Jay at the Inn on Mill Creek (August 2013) |
We’re starting off this year’s 12 Months of Birding at the Inn — a monthly showcase of different bird species seen at the Inn on Mill Creek — with the big and beautiful Blue Jay. The Blue Jay is considered a year-round resident in our neck of the woods near Black Mountain, NC, but we don’t see them very often, so it’s special when they do make themselves known. They tend to prefer the edge of the woods and the Inn on Mill Creek is located two miles within Pisgah National Forest, so we assume that we’re not really Blue Jay territory, even though we’re surrounded by oak trees and Blue Jays love acorns. Blue Jays also migrate (estimates are that fewer than 20% of Blue Jays migrate), but according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, they have a mysterious migration pattern. For example a Blue Jay may migrate south one year and then migrate north or stay put the next year.
The following side dish is one of our most popular treats with guests. It adds a little bit of sweetness to savory breakfasts and also goes well with popovers. If you like bananas, give this easy recipe a try! It’s also simple to make in smaller (or larger) quantities.
| American Crow [Photo Credit: Dick Daniels] |
The super-intelligent American Crow has been crowned our December 2013 bird in our 12 Months of Birding at the Inn series on the blog. If you live in the continental U.S. (with the exception of the desert southwest) or Canada, you are likely familiar with this large member of the Corvidae family.
We had a great year with Kiva, loaning to a total of nine small business owners in nine different countries: Kosovo, Albania, Mali, Zimbabwe, Benin, Sierra Leone, Indonesia, Jordan and our last microloan of 2013, headed to Emmanuel in Rwanda.
| Inn on Mill Creek mugs from Deneen Pottery |
| Abby style mug |
The stoneware mugs were each handcrafted from scratch by Deneen Pottery right here in the USA, and feature original custom-made artwork depicting the Inn on Mill Creek. Each piece is created by hand, lead free, and durable enough to be oven, microwave, and dishwasher safe. And did we mention, they are beautiful.
| Cherry Chocolate Snickerdoodles from the Inn on Mill Creek B&B |
We had a lot of fun being part of the Visions of Sugar Plums Christmas Cookie Tour for the third year in a row. The Christmas Cookie tour is a public tour of B&Bs and Inns in and around Black Mountain, NC, and funds raised from ticket sales are donated to charity. As is our tradition, we chose a chocolate-based cookie for the Inn on Mill Creek’s 2013 cookie. Enjoy!
We’re expanding our garden spaces at the Inn on Mill Creek Bed & Breakfast in 2014, and one new garden that we’re planning is called our “Guest Favorites” garden. Earlier this year, we took a poll on our B&B Facebook page to find out what our guests’ favorite flowers, shrubs and other plants are, and are planning a garden that features many of the responses.
