Blue Mountain Stained Glass at the Carolina Bed & Breakfast

The renovations are moving along quickly at the Carolina Bed & Breakfast and we have reached that wonderful part where, instead of taking things out, we are starting to put things in. This morning I made a visit to the workshop of Blue Mountain Stained Glass, where Pam McCorkhill, the owner/artist, is working on a stained glass design to go on the swinging door between our kitchen and the guest pantry. She wanted me to give my okay to the design she has created. It is definitely okay with me!

Here she is in her workroom with our window. And below is a close-up of the details. The original door has been removed from the frame and the paint is being stripped off, taking it back to the lovely golden heart pine of the original finish. This window will be inserted where the upper panels were. While the yellow of the glass doesn't show its true colors in this shot, I know it will look beautiful against the wood finish.

Meanwhile, Christopher Randall of Randall Carpentry spent Monday installing the cabinets which he made for us in his workshop. One thing Asheville has a lot of is artisans, and I love the detailing of the work he did for us. The sage green of the cabinets will be lightened by the granite countertops which are gray and white with flecks of blue throughout them.
And, yes, the island is just as big as it looks. Those of you who have seen my other house, know how much I love to have lots of space to work on, often making cookies,breads and salad all at the same time! Looking at this, I can't wait to get back in the kitchen and start cooking!

A Wintry Drive Through Pisgah National Forest

James and I thought that we would like to take a drive up into the mountains this weekend to see what this winter's storms had done. The Blue Ridge Parkway was still closed because of ice and snow on the road so we drove over to Hendersonville then up Route 64 to Route 276 which goes up and over Mt. Pisgah through the forest. We had lunch in Hendersonville at the Carolina Diner before setting out. The Carolina Diner was built in the 1940's and started its life as a drive-in. It's been through a number of renovations since then but the current owners are still part of the original family and it has stayed true to the tradition of diners everywhere: the food is cooked on the premises, it's fresh and delicious! So with a lunch of Fried Chicken and biscuits in our stomachs we set out for the mountain.

Upon entering the forest the first thing we noticed was that the streams were full and running fast. As we started up the mountain we came upon the "Looking Glass Fall". You can't see it in this picture of James at the fall, but the surrounding area was coated in ice from the mist that the fall throws off. It was eerily beautiful in the cold sunlight.
As we drove higher, we started to see more and more of the trees broken off at the top. As James commented, it almost looked like a war zone. In some cases some very large trees and branches had split giving testament to the heavy snowfalls of this winter. At the very top of the mountain we came across a phenomena that we had never seen before: The clouds passing over the tops of the mountain had painted the trees with a layer of heavy white frost, giving them the look of just having been snowed on. From here we could look down over the valleys below and see all the way to Tennessee!
As we started our descent down the other side, we stopped to take a picture of one of the many ice falls coming out of the rock walls lining the roadside. Getting lower, we noticed the burgeoning green of the rhododendrons and laurels which will flower later in the Spring and we made a special note to return to try one of the many hikes in the forest.

Our drive ended at the pleasant town of Waynesville. Waynesville is a short 20 minute drive from Asheville and i's galleries, restaurants and shops making it worth a visit. Then it was back to the Carolina Bed & Breakfast for us, where we can dream of spring even while reading the reports of more snow on the way!

The Living Rooms are Transformed

After Valentine's Day Weekend, work started in earnest on the kitchen at the Carolina Bed & Breakfast. Our contractor, Caine, called it "the kitchen demo"; not, as it sounds, a demonstration but a demolition! The walls would come down at last. Since we were going to have to close anyway and since the mess would cover the house and everything would have to be thoroughly cleaned afterward, we decided to go ahead and start the redecoration of the living room at the same time. The crown molding needed replacing, and repair was needed on the window frames and what was a little more dust in the grand scheme of things? I am so glad we decided to go ahead.


The original walls were a dark mustard yellow and we thought the room needed brightening. I knew what color I wanted but finding the exact shade and tone took some experimenting. We tried about six different blues in patches on the walls, and finally it took a leap of faith that the size of the room and the light it gets would transform the blue from something dark to the jewel tone I was going for. It would seem that I learned something from all the different homes and countries I have lived in.

We are still waiting on the curtains, and the couches (not shown) in one of the living rooms will have to be recovered, but I was so happy with the outcome, I couldn't wait to show you!

Spring is fast approaching in Asheville, NC. I found some snowdrops blooming in our garden yesterday and it seems like such a happy way to begin the new season, with a bright and fresh new room.

A Special Valentines Day At the Carolina Bed & Breakfast

It was a wonderful holiday weekend here in Asheville, with surprises around every corner and it started with an unexpected Friday night snowstorm. Just enough more than the predicted half inch to make sure the entire city was once again painted in white. My daughter, Emily, and her boyfriend, Dan flew in from Chicago to spend the holiday with us and they were amazed. After commenting that it looked more like they were in Minnesota than Asheville, North Carolina, they made plans to try out one of our local ski slopes. They choose Wolf Ridge, which is just thirty minutes from Asheville and in spite of being seasoned Northerners, they had a great time and were impressed by the amount of snow and the facilities.

Meanwhile back at the inn, Sara and I were putting the finishing touches on our Valentine's celebrations. We put roses in each of the rooms, along with hand-dipped chocolate covered strawberries. There were special lemon shortbread cookies with raspberry filling to put out in the evening and our breakfast included an explosion of fresh fruit over bread pudding and started with a Mimosa toast to the day. But the most exciting part of our holiday came in the evening when two of our guests returned from a visit to the Biltmore with the announcement that they were engaged! Our congratulations are sincere and heartfelt and we were so happy that the Carolina Bed & Breakfast was able to be a part of this momentous weekend.

Valentine's Day!

It's not too late to book for Valentine's Day. The Carolina Bed & Breakfast is gearing up to make this one as special as possible: Sara and I have been working on the breakfast menu for weeks with plans for a breakfast that is fanciful as well as delicious, with special treats in the evening and at bedtime. We are ready to help you book a restaurant if you like. We can provide a special romance package for you and our Spa Coordinator would love to arrange a massage or spa treatment to make your Valentine's Day special.

Our guests say that the Carolina is "cozy" so the February weather will only add to the mood of romance as you snuggle in front of your fireplace or enjoy a whirlpool bath for two. If you are feeling adventurous, the mountains are full of snow and the ski slopes are ready for you.

Roses in your room and chocolates await you when you join us for your Valentine's Day Weekend!

It's not too late! Book now by calling our toll-free number, 888-254-3608 or on our website at www.carolinabb.com

New Breakfast Dishes at the Carolina Bed & Breakfast

I have often thought that January is the Monday of the year. After the long holiday weekend of November and December, one has to get back into the swing of working while slogging through the winter weather. Well, yesterday Sara (our assistant innkeeper) and I decided to lighten up our month by experimenting with a few new recipes for breakfast.

We had been discussing how difficult it is to offer a "three course" gourmet breakfast without overwhelming our guests with food when I remembered a dish I had tried in Chicago: Frushi, or Fruit Sushi. For those of you familiar with Thai cuisine, it's a type of coconut sticky rice topped with fresh fruit and presented in sushi form.

We tried two variations, one in a roll form and one in a traditional oval. It's really lovely, very fresh with a strong taste of fruit sweetened by the rice. We will be trying it out on our guests in the next few weeks and I think it will be a hit.

Then we moved on to a more traditional offering: Fruit Medley Bread Pudding. Bread pudding is usually served as a dessert, topped with custard. It has all of the ingredients used in french toast so we were didn't see why it couldn't work as a breakfast dish. We added a lot of fresh berries to the mix: blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and some peaches and then topped it with some more before serving it. The recipe called for a lemon sauce which was nice but a little too sweet and sugary for breakfast. ( I know that seems odd when one considers that maple syrup is integral part of french toast, but to my way of thinking real maple syrup is a relatively light tasting sweetener.) Anyway, we are going to experiment with some other sauces, perhaps something yogurt-based.

I think this is one of my favorite parts about owning the Carolina Bed & Breakfast: I love to cook and experiment with new dishes and now I have people to cook for!

Renovating the Carolina Bed & Breakfast: The Dining Room

The Dining Room before painting










The Dining Room with its new color!








Many years ago (about 25 to be exact) James and I moved out of a small semi-furnished apartment in Paris and arrived in Hong Kong with a tired old couch and a few pictures to our name and not much else in the way of furnishing. James had taken over the lease on a beautiful spacious apartment on the Peak overlooking the harbor, and I remember standing in the empty living room, looking into the empty dining room, before walking into the empty master bedroom next to the empty guest room which was next to the empty room for Sarah, and thinking: "Help!" I never forgotten what the interior decorator we hired told me when I confessed how overwhelmed I was. She told me that the most difficult thing to do was to get started, but that once we had even one piece to work with it would all come together.

I have to admit, I had been feeling a little bit that way about the Carolina. It's such a lovely house, I am excited to make it even better than it is. As a part of the kitchen renovation we will be redoing the guests' pantry which is just off t dining room. The pantry is so close to the dining room that it is almost an alcove to it and I thought they should be coordinated. So I took a deep breath and dived into the project. It wasn't much, just repairing and repainting the ceiling, a new color for the walls and new shutters and shades, but the result is so wonderful that it has inspired me to move on into the living room.

One of the words our guests repeatedly use when reviewing the inn is "cozy" and I am trying to keep that in the forefront as I look for ideas. Although the house was built in 1901, she is in the Arts and Crafts style rather than the Victorian. It's a cleaner look, more suited to the mountains, less fussy and cluttered than the Victorian style. This makes the Carolina Bed & Breakfast stand out from its peers here in Asheville and I am hoping to keep the distinction clear. I think we have achieved this in the dining room, now watch this space for the parlors!