Carolina Cottage Guest House 828-243-7553 carolinacottage@tds.net

Spring Fever

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 13:55:00 +0000

In the big picture, things really haven’t changed that much since 1896. What was spring fever then is still spring fever now, as proven by this excerpt from Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer, Detective:

“Don't you know what that is? It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want -- oh, you don't quite know what it is you DO want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! It seems to you that mainly what you want is to get away; get away from the same old tedious things you're so used to seeing and so tired of, and set something new. That is the idea; you want to go and be a wanderer; you want to go wandering far away to strange countries where everything is mysterious and wonderful and romantic. And if you can't do that, you'll put up with considerable less; you'll go anywhere you CAN go, just so as to get away, and be thankful of the chance, too.”

If “you don’t quite know what it is you DO want,” perhaps we can help. Here’s a list of happenings in May in or near Saluda. There’s not a single weekend that doesn’t offer something, and some weekends offer a lot.

Friday, May 4 - Saluda Tailgagte Market
Saturday, May 5 - Green River Adventures Spring Bash
Sunday, May 6 - Bearwallow Brawl and Honey & Hops Festival
Saturday, May 12 - Sunday, May 13 - Art in Bloom
Saturday, May 19 - Saluda Arts and Music Festival
Saturday, May 26 - Sunday, May 27 - Garden Jubilee
Monday, May 28 - Carl Sandburg Folk Music Festival

So "get away from the same old tedious things you're so used to seeing and so tired of, and set something new
. . . go and be a wanderer."

One Thing Leads to Another

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:34:00 +0000

I've wanted to let you know about all the improvements that we're making at the cottage, but I didn't want to bore you in the process. Let's just say that the song by The Fixx kept popping into my head - even though, admittedly, it has nothing to do with spring cleaning and construction projects - because one thing certainly led to another.

It started with a salvaged french door panel that became a window, which, of course, required painting.
The window looked so good, that the front of the cottage deserved a fresh coat of paint,
and the front of the cottage looked so good that the front door deserved a fresh coat of paint, too.
You can't paint the door without painting the trim, and you can't trim one door without trimming the other.
And what good is a construction project if you don't landscape around it?

A major change to the exterior resulted in a major change to the interior as well.

The new window is now the focal point, so the entire living area has shifted to the opposite side of the room.
The bookshelves have been reconstructed and repainted a bright shade of white,
and the old television has been replaced with a new flat screen. (Anybody need an old television?)
The area behind the front door features a coat rack constructed of reclaimed (from the woods) mountain laurel that is framed in pieces of a reclaimed (from an old college dorm) heart pine door.
And finally (maybe), a few more pieces of angle iron have been added as baseboards, which probably doesn't make them base"boards" at all - but that's boring in comparison anyway.

We'll post some new pictures as soon as we catch our breath. In the meantime, you should make plans to come and see it for yourself. And if you want that old television, be sure to leave room for it when you're packing.

Shades of Green

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 18:30:00 +0000

Gone are the winter's shades of gray; now it's shades of green all around. As I was driving up the mountain, the beauty of the leaves on the mountains was second only to those of the fall. If you haven't seen it, it's certainly worth a trip to Saluda.

Spring has certainly arrived, and summer is on its way. Make plans now to attend any one (or more) of the great events happening in and around Saluda. And if your schedule doesn't allow you to be here for any horse shows or festivals (whether they be bbq, arts, or music), then make plans to enjoy the river, waterfalls, and or hiking/biking trails on any weekend you choose. There's never a bad time to enjoy Saluda, and it's always a good time!

The shades of green will last, but open dates at the cottage won't. Don't delay in making those reservations. As always, we look forward to hearing from you.

Going Mobile

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 15:36:00 +0000

The Carolina Cottage website has made some website changes, and we've gone mobile. Now you can find us at home and on the go. Let us know what you think.

Go Green!

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 03:25:00 +0000

Congratulations to our friends Sara and Tim on the completion of their new shop. It's awesome! Visit their new website at http://www.greenriveradventures.com, and then make plans to visit them in person!