Waynesville, NC

These days there are 'interesting' subjects on the forefront (in the world of real estate) ... such as renting a home instead of buying and knowing if your landlord is in foreclosure, the home buyer tax credit, short sales, and what in the world can you do to sell your home.

Here is some reading material I hope you find interesting, and ... Keep an eye on the numbers!

LemonLandlord.

Clearing Up Home Buyer Tax Credit Confusion.

Real Estate Short Sale Process, Step-by-Step.

10 Steps to Take Before You Sell.

Why Homebuilders need their own blogs.

Yesterday afternoon I stopped at Lake Junaluska after a big rain storm as I love taking pictures of beautiful flowers that are wet. They made for a nice slideshow. It's Sunday morning and STILL raining!

If you like picture collages, I ran across a site that provides a very easy way to create a collage. Here's the information if you are so inclined: Flickaroid.

The other day I spent the day with George Mills, my Broker in Charge, and his clients. He needed me to help him with directions. [Joke.]

Traveling out to Fines Creek, Clyde, and then to Cold Mountain and a few places in between allowed me the pleasure of taking pictures of pets, flowers, grape orchards, great views, a man with no cowboy boots on, etc.

• Sensual Riverfront Cold Mountain Living …
• My Flickr Photos – See How Beautiful It Is In WNC
• Haywood County 2009 Residential Real Estate Sales Statistics
• Susie Blackmon’s Posterous

In part two of this series The Newfound Gap Overlook! we explored one of the high overlooks in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In this chapter, we will visit the beautiful Cataloochee Valley in the Southeast quadrant of the park. And although it takes a little effort to get there, the rewards more than justify the nerve-testing drive along the narrow and windy roads that lead there.

Cataloochee is one of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park's hidden treasures.

But once you cross the divide and begin to descend into the valley, you leave the modern world behind and go back in time to the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. You will encounter open fields, historic structures and graveyards, and extraordinary wildlife viewing!

You first stop should be at the Cataloochee Overlook. From here you can see the entire valley, and the ridges of the Smoky Mountains in the distance.

As you continue down the road, there are several historic buildings that can be approached by auto. They are the Palmer House, Palmer Chapel, The Caldwell house and barn, and the Beech Grove School. All of these building are accessible with a short and level walk.

Beyond the school is the huge open meadow that is the best spot in the park for elk viewing. The elk herd that was reintroduced into the Smokies in the 1990's congregate here and delight the visitors that come to see them.

Early morning or late evening is the best time for elk viewing. You can easily do this from the comfort of your car or better yet, sitting on the tailgate of a pickup truck. There is nothing quite like the sound of a bull elk bugling. It's an amazing thing to hear!

To get there take exit 20 of I-40 (U.S. 276 Cove Creek / Waynesville) and look for Cove Creek Road just south of the interchange. From here, you will take Cove Creek Road for a continuous climb over the divide.

The higher you get, the more narrow the road becomes, until it is a single lane gravel road that winds along a precipice. Drive slowly and carefully here, especially around the blind curves. Continue straight until you enter the park and eventually the road is paved again!

First, if you haven't seen Pat Kitano's World Trade Centers video (didn't know he was working in NYC when I went back there to visit my old business school which was in what used to be the Pan Am Building), here is a link for you.

Tribute to the World Trade Centers when they were normal.

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Next, suffice it to say Maggie’s Galley Oyster Bar in Waynesville, NC, at 49 Howell Mill Rd (Phone: (828) 456-8945‎) lured me in again last week. Actually it was my friend, Margie Casey's, fault. Hey, they close after leaf-looker season, so I need to get my fill. ;-) Directions to Maggie’s Galley.