A Handful of 2012 Celestial Events

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Inn on Mill Creek

Mother Nature serves us up a good helping of dark night sky in Pisgah National Forest, thanks to zero street lights on our road and our location two miles within Pisgah National Forest, between two ridgelines that block a lot of the small town night lighting around us. So we like to provide a little calendar each year of what stargazing guests at the Inn on Mill Creek might see, other than the Milky Way (which, by the way, is awesome on a dark clear night flowing across the sky from the Lake House to the Main House).

Some Garden Brainstorming

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Inn on Mill Creek

We’ve been told our property has been a private property since at least the 1880s — prior to that, it was government land — and the original structure was a little cabin that sat on the pond. The little cabin no longer exists, but the well (with nonworking pump) still does. When we arrived in 2007, growing around the well was some yarrow and a swath of dianthus, both of which we moved to other gardens. We {Brigette} have tried out some different plants, such as lavender and purple coneflower, but we just haven’t found the right combination of flowers for that sunny spot. We’ve planted two dogwoods near the well, so we have spring color covered. We need something for summer and fall, and maybe winter, too…

2012 Winter Savings on Biltmore Tickets

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Inn on Mill Creek

If Mother Nature’s favorite colors on her paint palette right now are brown tones where you live, look no further for a color {and flower!} fix than Biltmore Estate, the entrance of which is about 20 minutes west of the Inn on Mill Creek. The Biltmore Conservatory, a short walk from Biltmore House, is an indoor oasis, loaded floor to ceiling with trees and tropical plants. Plus, winter is the perfect time to see all of Biltmore’s orchids in bloom, such as the one above. They’re special enough that they get their own room in the Conservatory!

Geocaching on Vacation

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Inn on Mill Creek

We often say that it’s easy for us innkeepers to have “vacation brain” being in the mountains near Asheville and Black Mountain, North Carolina. The area just has a serene quality to it with an easygoing vibe, laid back people, wonderful restaurants and places to go, and stunningly beautiful scenery such as this view nearby, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway (summertime):

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Inn on Mill Creek

We had a blast during the 2011 Black Mountain B&B Visions of Sugarplums Christmas Cookie Tour! It was great meeting visitors to the Inn on Mill Creek and sharing our little neck of the woods — and our cookies! We had the awesome Jo Northup performing on hammered dulcimer and flute for guests. And the tour benefited a wonderful charity, the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry, which provides local residents and stranded travelers with basic and emergency assistance. The SVCM has a food pantry, coordinates the Meals on Wheels program, works with the local homeless shelter, helps those in need with critical financial assistance, and aids in finding job opportunities, job training and educational advancement. Their work is so important in our community and we’re extremely grateful to everyone who bought tickets to the Cookie Tour to help out this great group of volunteers.

Our 2011 Ends with 32 Kiva Loans

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Inn on Mill Creek

In 2011, we were able to fund six entrepreneurs from developing countries through the microlending site Kiva, bringing our total number of loans to 32! Three of our 32 borrowers — Nelva, David and Reina — recently paid off their loans (although because of “currency exchange loss”, meaning the value of the dollar appreciated 20% or more against the currency of our borrower’s country during the loan payoff time, David’s loan was considered to be 99% paid off when all was said and done). Since we choose to relend our money once it becomes available again, we had enough to pick two more borrowers from opposite sides of the globe:

2011 Black Mountain Bed & Breakfast Cookie Tour is December 10-11

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Inn on Mill Creek

Who wants cookies? We are so very excited to be part of the first Visions of Sugar Plums Christmas Cookie Tour of Black Mountain area B&Bs! Nine inns and bed & breakfasts will be participating the weekend of December 10 & December 11 from noon to 4pm (our B&B will be on the tour on December 10). This means visitors will be able to get nine uniquely awesome cookie recipes and sample the cookies while checking out each Black Mountain area B&B decorated for the holidays.

2011 Fall Foliage Report, NC Mountains: Week 5

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Inn on Mill Creek

This year, week 5 is peak fall foliage week here in our neck of the woods near Black Mountain and Asheville (we’re at 2,300 feet above sea level). The photo above is of Horse Ridge above our orchard.

Good Stuff Going on in Black Mountain This Weekend

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Inn on Mill Creek

We just took a quick glance at this weekend’s lineup of events and, well, there is a lot going on in the always-charming town of Black Mountain this weekend! Still lots of color on the trees and time to enjoy it…here’s what happening:

2011 Fall Foliage Report, NC Mountains: Week 4

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Inn on Mill Creek

Week 4 was one of those weeks where you could step outside every morning and noticeably see color change from the day before. This has truly been one of the better fall foliage seasons in the mountains of Western North Carolina since we arrived almost five years ago. {wow, time flies!}

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Category Archives: Uncategorized

A Handful of 2012 Celestial Events

Some Garden Brainstorming

2012 Winter Savings on Biltmore Tickets

Geocaching on Vacation

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Our 2011 Ends with 32 Kiva Loans

2011 Black Mountain Bed & Breakfast Cookie Tour is December 10-11

2011 Fall Foliage Report, NC Mountains: Week 5

Good Stuff Going on in Black Mountain This Weekend

2011 Fall Foliage Report, NC Mountains: Week 4