R & R

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As a late birthday gift for Lise and an early one for me, son John $ arranged for us to have a night in a cabin by the river. What a treat! John drove us to Madison County and treated us to lunch.

112818 Hot Springs Rose $ JC Lise.JPG
Rose, John $, John, Lise

After John left for choir rehearsal, the rest of us had a light supper. $’s friend Rose had her dog Sadie there. Lise loved playing with Sadie, as did $. When we sat in the living room, the old family stories began to come out. There was lots of laughter as we teased each other.

112818 $ Rose Lise dog Sadie.JPG

Brother and sister shared the dog, much to the dog’s delight. Both are very good with dogs.

112818 $ Sadie Lise.JPG

The next morning I took a photo of the French Broad River from the porch of the cabin. It was very soothing to watch the flow of the water and hear it through the night.

112918 French Broad River from Hot Springs cabin.JPG

$ was taking us up the mountain behind his place when he suddenly stopped and said, “There’s a bear!”

I got my best shot out of the window. Lise jumped out and took a video of the bear climbing down the tree. I meant to ask her for a copy of it before she left. We were all excited at that close viewing.

112918 Black bear in Hot Springs.JPG

$ knows the owner of the house on top of the mountain. He took us on the porch to see the marvelous view. The people are not there often, but when they are, they have it all! You can’t beat mountains and a river. I take that back. You might prefer a desert or a view of skyscrapers, but I’d vote for peaks and falling water every time.

112918 $ Lise at house on top of a mountain.JPG

I was surprised at the sound of the river that high up. $ said in the summer, he can understand conversations of rafters on the river. They talk louder than normal, and the sound rises up.

112918 French Broad River from top of mountain.JPG

Staying in the cabin was a marvelous way to end our two-week Thanksgiving celebration.

Published by Anne Mehrling

I'm a retiree who loves to write about life in the mountains of North Carolina.

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41 thoughts on “R & R”

        1. We didn’t see bears when we lived on Long Island (New York). We moved to North Carolina four years ago and now see more animals in the wild. I saw a fox cross our garden when we lived in Walton on the Hill, Surrey, in 1982. That’s the only wild fox I’ve seen.

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  10. What a marvellous holiday from a holiday. Your visit to $’s cabin was like a holiday and your daily life in the mountains is a life long holiday( for us). Mountains, cold weather and rivers, nothing beats that view.
    I was scared for you when you saw the bear- how did you all continue with your trek up the mountain knowing that a bear might be around ?
    Susie

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    1. No, $ does not own the cabin, and he didn’t build it. The heating system was good, so Lise and I were not cold. The place was nicely furnished and is available for renting. This was a memorable break for us.

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  12. Those were great pictures and what a wonderful treat. I like all the woodgrain in the cabin – the table matched the walls. Sadie was in hog heaven with all the attention she was getting. Nothing like the great outdoors, especially when you spot a bear that close up. You got a good shot of him – hopefully the video Lise took turned out well and you can share it here too.

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      1. I believe it – I caught up last night as I won’t get to my computer until early evening and I want to do my post about the group of Canada geese … I hope to do that. Will be productive in the house til I can head out.

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    1. Our son thought the bear might be a yearling. I figured bears should be sleeping now, too. They say the mast was not good this year, so I’m wondering if that would keep the bears on the move hunting for food.

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        1. Locals talk about “mast” as food for animals such as seeds and berries. Yep, Wikipedia says: Mast (botany), the edible seed and fruit produced by trees or shrubs that wildlife species will consume

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  18. Such heartwarming pics! Oh Anne, your family seems to have the best times!! The dog looks cute too – a Heinz 57, part Border Collie maybe and a little bit of Bernese Mountain dog, going by the size and the patchwork colours. I find dogs with little “eyebrows” irresistible, and have had 2 in my life that had them!

    Impressive bear pic!!

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    1. We do have fun as a family. I might point out that we are out of the child-rearing stage, and even our grandsons are no longer children.

      I don’t think I asked about the background of the dog, Sadie. She has exuberance for life and inexhaustible energy.

      How many dogs have you had?

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