North Carolina went “blue,” as did Virginia, the first time in a very long time.

I found an interesting website involving the election, a teacher and her students. Read this and make your own conclusions.

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008811070349

If you’re interested about election results in NC, check out these websites:

http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NC/1875/4822/en/summary.html#

Obama: 49%, McCain: 50% http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/

The county of Buncombe voted “blue” with 57% supporting Obama

A team called Mars of Asheville, made up by a married couple, Audie and Bob Bayer, created a fashion fade in the 1960s. Their “Waste Basket Boutique” caught everyone’s attention, and for good reason- everything was made out of paper. You could find their “disposable paper couture” in everything from floor length gowns to bikinis. The Asheville Art Museum houses examples that anyone can take a peek at.
Audie and Bob had perfect timing. People loved the idea of wearing an outfit and throwing it out. After the years of not wasting, only saving, paper dresses were a dream. Soon, they were placing orders of 100,000 and recovering from complete shock. But, with the Vietnam War, death of Martin Luther King Jr. and other national disasters, the excitement wore off in 1969.

Something new sprang up though. Those silly frocks you wear at the doctor’s office and the sometimes cool scrubs the nurses and other medical personnel sport. Vogue showed off these fashions, which is a little hard to believe.

You can find paper dresses on ebay, and they continue to pop up. I guess it’s something no one wants to toss anymore.

Check out Our State. Website one more time: http://www.ourstate.com

Have fun!

After researching, I found some interesting bands that would be worth a music lover’s time to look up.

Here’s the site for my info: http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=ENT

There seems to be something for everything with the colorful arrangement of rock, pop, funk, jazz and everything else.

Bee&Boo’s profile caught my attention, and they are next on my list of tune experiments. First of all, I love the name. It’s endearing and fun. And their mix of influences tempts me to listen to their deep, chill songs. Check out their blurb:

I just found a great site. It’s packed full of options for family gatherings.

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200880828037

I was impressed to see so many events on the agenda this weekend. Everything from food to music to shows. I would definite check some of it out. There are activities to keep the kids occupied, too.

Have fun with the family this weekend. Kick back, relax, lounge, whatever. Listen to music, shop around at crafts tables, watch scenes from Shakespeare pieces, and/or  have a picnic. There certainly isn’t a shortage of stuff to keep everyone pleased.

Have a good weekend!

Website, one more time!    http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200880828037

I was impressed when I researched the community and found that Red Wolf Run Foundation supports the effort to build a new habitat for the red wolf at Western North Carolina Nature Center. A portion of all proceeds goes towards this goal.

Not only does Red Wolf Run look out for the environment, it supplies homeowners with a breathtaking view of the mountains. Waking up to the sun’s golden shine peeking over a grassy hilltop or glancing over from reading a book in bed to see the different colors painting the night sky would be like vacation without leaving home.

The premier builder, Cornerstone Builders, is a family run business. This is an endearing touch, and they take building your home personally.

Check out the website: http://local.southerncommunityguide.com/asheville/wp-login.php

It could be an awesome place to live.

Out the door and around the corner, I hear acoustic music and a mellow voice. He strums his instrument gently, as if out of respect for its power to make him the smile the way he is while I watch. Eyes closed, singing towards the sky, he gives the random passers a taste of what they could experience at one of the many downtown establishments for music lovers.

My stomach grumbles, jerks me out of the peaceful moment, and I’m on my way to discover something delicious in one of the downtown restaurants.

Not interested by my daydream? Create your own and satisfy it.

Go here:

http://www.exploreasheville.com/what-to-do/the-arts/index.aspx

Enjoy!

I just read an article about Lydia Odell. She’s a tour guide for Western NC cascades. I’m not a huge outdoor person, and the article convinced me to take a walk outside. Just through the few quotes from Odell, you can feel her passion for waterfalls, and it will infect you.

She researched everything possible–books, internet, local brains–and discovered 80 waterfalls on her own, some that are relatively unknown.

She conducts tours in the spring, summer, and fall in Transylvania County, so there’s a huge window to jump into something new and join in on the fun.

Here’s a taste of the article:

And while she enjoys the sights and sounds of rushing water, Odell’s greatest satisfaction comes from students’ reactions when encountering an unexpected cascade. “When I see the awe-inspired looks on their faces, that’s enough for me.”

If I lived in NC, I think I’d be planning a trip!

More info, call Brevard College CreekSide at (828) 884-8256

Hey! You have an awesome chance awaiting you…..

When? 11:30pm, August 6th

Where? Mike’s Side Pocket

Address: 375 Haywood Road

Asheville, NC 28806

Who? THE BROOMS with Cinnamon Band and Tony Waln and The Payne

Why? The Brooms are fantastic. Two of my good friends rock out majorly- Chris on guitar and vocals and Zac on drums. Don’t take my word for it though. Here are THE BROOMS on myspace!

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=91033090

My cherry Icee (that I was thrilled to discover) sadly was reduced to condensation and juice in the sun while I watched bison heave violently in the warmth. I was afraid they would pass out but have no fear!

There was a giraffe eating from a treetop. With his (or her) wobbly, long neck, I couldn’t help but fall in love. I kept thinking about how horrible it would be if a giraffe was afraid of heights. Scary.

While my family and I were looking at all the plants, one of the most endearing things happened. An employee stopped and told us about how chocolate comes from a tree and how tall certain plants (that I can’t recall right now. hey, it was vacation!) grow. She was super nice, and it was great.

My family and I enjoyed ourselves, and i think it’s a fun place for tiny tots. They danced around and screamed with excitement even when the animal slept. One little girl sang happy birthday to the fish as she stood beside the tank and waved her arms around. “Happy Birthday to the FFIIISSSHHHH!” It made my day. My favorite moment was when I made a friend—an energetic turtle. I named him Mr. Turtle, and I’m sure we’ll be friends for life.

Go visit!

Mountain Air is just 45 minutes from Asheville, NC, but about as private as a golf community gets. Sure, many communities are cloistered behind imposingly high gates, but how many of those communities are nearly 5,000 feet high, a good 15-minute winding drive up from a state road, and with a landing strip at the top of the mountain?

Mountain Air, located near the town of Burnsville, is different in a number of ways. Not only does its 2,900-foot runway span the entire mountaintop, but it also cuts right through the dramatic Scott Pool designed 18-hole golf course. During my round there, I was stopped for 10 minutes by flashing red lights warning of an impending takeoff, adding to the “drama” of a round that was played, at times, on the edge of a cliff.
During the summer, the landing strip is in frequent use, especially on Fridays when the weekenders arrive. To the non-pilot golfer considering a home at Mountain Air, the random stoppage in play and distractions of airplane engines are worth considering. For pilots, the community is about as close to heaven as they can get, and fully 20 percent of Mountain Air’s residents are experienced in a cockpit.

Mountain Air’s charms lie in such idiosyncrasies. The brainchild of two local families whose interest was in preserving and sharing much of Slickrock Mountain’s environment, the community retains a naturalist –- titled director of natural resources — who guides members and their children on nature walks up and down the wooded mountainside. Despite the construction of homes in the last decade, the mountain is still largely undisturbed and a haven for wild turkeys, black bears, mountain lions and other wildlife.

The community also retains an outpost specialist (translated as retailer of outdoor gear), a controlled access coordinator (read security manager), head organic gardener and executive chef (who no doubt work closely together). Mitchell Banks, from one of the families that developed Mountain Air, retains the title president and director of the mountain experience. Okay, whatever.

The design of the golf course, the placement of homes and the clubhouse at Mountain Air all are designed to maximize the incredible views across the Blue Ridge Mountains. The rustic, open-air dining facility looks out across Western North Carolina to Tennessee 20 miles away. The dining area, as well as the more formal clubhouse next door, hangs over the side of the hill overlooking the airstrip. How often can you chomp on a burger, sip a beer and watch a plane land just below? Pretty cool.

The space gobbled up by the landing strip, which can accommodate only small planes, has forced one significant compromise; the practice range for the golf course is a good mile away from the clubhouse and first tee, requiring either a short car ride or an ambitious cart ride. The tees at the range are elevated, but about 20 yards out and below is the metal roof of the combination equipment shed and indoor driving bays for use in inclement weather; top your ball off the practice tee, and you won’t be the only one who notices when it clangs off the roof.

The golf course’s winding, twisting layout spurs a lot of discussion in the Asheville area. Either people love it for its views, its dramatic shots from five-story-high tees, its generous fairways and the distance assist you get on drives in the thinner air; or they hate it for the visual interruption of the airstrip and what some describe as a “tricked-up” routing. This is not by any means a classic golf course, to be sure, but it is typically in excellent condition and memorable not only for the airstrip –- and the potential for a hooked drive rolling 800 yards down the runway –- but also for the few holes that seem from another planet. I hit my 160-yard club, a six iron, on the severely downhill 225-yard par three 10th hole, probably the only long par 3 east of the Rocky Mountains where that is possible. It will be interesting to see what tricks designer Pool has in store for the nine holes the owners have asked him to add by next spring.

The 1,300-acre Mountain Air is almost entirely a second-home community, and real estate prices, though beginning in the mid-$200s for single bedroom condos, are at the high-end of other mountain communities in western North Carolina. Its residents include a high percentage of current and former CEOS, as well as the well-pensioned pilots. Director of Sales Ken Maxwell is especially excited about a small new neighborhood called Spring Rock which will feature just six homes, all 4 bedroom, 3 ½ baths and about 3,400 square feet. They will look out over the new nine-hole course and to the western mountains beyond. Prices for Spring Rock will range from about $1.5 to $1.75 million. With not quite two thirds of Mountain Air’s properties sold to date, there are still plenty of home sites available at prices appropriate to their size and views.

Only 10 percent of Mountain Air’s members live in the community year round, although the golf course, clubhouse, nature center and other activities remain open. It is cold at the summit during the winter months, although the thermometer reaches into the 50s occasionally. The community maintains its own road crew and road-clearing equipment and, according to Maxwell, Mountain Air’s roads are cleaned before the county’s are. Although Mountain Air’s warm, rustic clubhouse will typically close by 2 p.m. during the winter months, it will remain open for dinner if just one of the 30 or so intrepid couples who stick around for the winter calls for a dinner reservation.

Mountain Air is not for people looking for a true year-round community, although the managers of the property make accommodations for winter residents. Those who want to be within, say, 30 minutes of a city, may also feel a little isolated at Mountain Air. Although the front gate of the community is just a half hour from Asheville, those living in the loftiest regions of Mountain Air can count on another 10 minutes drive up the mountain. But for a strong sense of privacy, a load-up of amenities, amazing mountain views from home and golf course and the convenience for resident pilots to fly-in for the weekend, Mountain Air is the high life.

Larry Gavrich is the founder of HomeOnTheCourse LLC, an advisory service for people considering purchase of real estate in a golf community or membership in a private club; and the editor of the online GolfCommunityReviews.com, where he provides objective, unbiased reviews of golf courses and communities and observations about golf and real estate.