Hidden Magnolias

Is another one going to bite the dust? The historic Greystone Inn  has been a destination for tourists since 1903. Tucked away on the shores of Lake Toxaway in the heart of western North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, the setting is quaint and relaxed. In 2016, the Greystone Inn was closed and up for sale. This makes me sad. I have sat on that beautiful porch overlooking the tranquil lake and felt so at peace. Yeah, it was not trendy. And yeah, there are some age issues. But the beauty and ambiance out weighed any minor discomforts. The Inn was originally the home of Lucy Camp Armstrong Moltz, of Savannah, who came to Toxaway and built a mansion on the lake and was only able to enjoy her lakeside home for one year before the dam broke.  Built in 1915 and carefully restored in 1985, Lucy Moltz’s home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  In her lifetime she witnessed the failure of the lake and then the rebuilding many ye...

It is Spring. It is horse racing season. And today, it is the Kentucky Oaks. This is my favorite race. The Kentucky Oaks is the running of the fillies.  The girls go first. The Longines Kentucky Oaks is considered by some to be among the most popular horse races in American horse-racing society due to its high attendance.  It attracts about 100,000 people in attendance a year. So why is the Kentucky Oaks so fun?  It is very pink. The Survivors Parade is a march of breast cancer survivors.  And everyone wears pink. Andrew Kung Churchill Downs Including the fillies. The Hats are Pink!! Hats from  www.courier-journal.com The parties are pink. I love this one called "Fillies and Lillies." The drinks are pink. Even the winners get pink. History was made in the 138th running when a long shot Believe You Can, ridden by Rosie Napravnik, the first female jockey...

Yesterday my husband and I spent a delightful day in Sparta, GA at the Not your Mama's Garden Tour. Robert and Susanne Currey (pictured above) bought and  lovingly restored the Harley Harris Rives House in downtown Sparta and turned 2 acres of the overgrown "formal" gardens into an organic treasure. They call it Elm Street Gardens. The gardens are located in the back of the house. They use a no-till organic process. Constant mulching and companion planting a a focus.  Beautiful bedded rows of fresh goodness. Here is my husband checking it all out -- row by row. I so wanted to snatch up one of these beautiful lettuces. Flowers are interspersed with the vegetables, making the garden a visual delight. There were several hoop houses to protect the tender plants from the hot Georgia sun. Inside one of them was a plant I had never seen before. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was an artichoke. They also k...

Face jugs. What is a face jug? Well, simply put, it is a jug with a face on it. Lanier Meadors One theory suggests that these early face jugs were used as grave markers by slaves. These jugs were supposed to ward off evil spirits. A South Carolina potter, who can trace his ancestors to slavery, states that "the idea was that the face jug would be ugly enough to scare the devil away from your grave so your soul could go to heaven." I n the 1820's the practice of making face jugs spread throughout South Carolina and into Georgia, North Carolina and other states. In the 1830's about seventy folk potters operated pottery shops within a four mile area of Mossy Creek in White County, Georgia.  This became one of the largest pottery communities in the South. Click here for more history. pawprintpottery In North Carolina there is a strong folk potter presence and some of today’s most famous potters include Burlon Craig, whose large face jugs can go as h...