Monday, November 22, 2010

i go where the trees go

there is a little cottage in the mountains. it's a tiny little thing nestled between high arching trees. there are rhododendrons on its sidewalk and rosebushes decorate its split rail fence. the rooms aren't large, but there are flannel sheets, a soft floral couch, perfect showerhead water pressure, and heat that echoes off the floorboards.

i spent the weekend here with robert and my brother. the cottage, owned by robert's parents, is on lake junaluska, near asheville, north carolina. robert's dad is a methodist minister, and the lake community serves as a retreat center for the methodist church. there is peace here. this is a place where street lights stay on all night. bed and breakfasts, with their faint evening glow and dimly lit dining rooms, are scattered along the water's edge. old men talk on rocking chairs on front porches. people walk the "prayer circle" outside the little waterside chapel, praying for someone different with each turn and arc.





this weekend, i took my two favorite boys up here to soak in the glory. highlights of our weekend include:
  • walking around the lake at 1 a.m., finally reaching the mountainside cross around 2:00 in the morning.
  • seeing the fabulous joanna newsom live at the orange peel in asheville
  • eating all the fabulous diner food we could manage (hot dogs, BLTs, homemade vegetable soup)
  • seeing the movie unstoppable at the rocky mountain cinema, a little hole in the wall that hasn't changed in about 20 years, with only a few rows of chairs for each screen
and finally, venturing to this book store:



this store was crazy. it was about two miles off the beaten path in the heart of the mountains. it was a total fire hazard, with thousands of books packed into this trailer outside a house. all the books were ridiculously overpriced because we believe the woman doesn't really want to sell them. she just wants to live in them.

the owner, an older woman with short hair and strong country accent, was hard to find at first. then we spotted her. she had created a little cubby inside all the books, where she would poke her little head out. please notice our shocked expressions:





it was all fun and games until we saw the millions of no-stealing signs the woman had posted up. all were handwritten, scribbled on plain white paper. one said "attention thieves: if you steal from me, your blood will flow." this seemed a bit much, so we got scared and left. my brother managed to find a book of wordsworth poetry for less than $5, which he quickly purchased.

overall, the weekend was awesome. packed with tranquility, peace and relaxation. with just the right amount of adventure.

17 comments:

Jeska said...

That looks soo pretty! And that book store seems a bit sketchy & creepy haha

lindsay said...

these pictures are oh so lovely! i heart the book ones especially. the way it looks i agree with you that she didn't want to sell her books. and obviously she was very concerned about people stealing them as well. i think i would have walked out of there too :)

lovely post as always ♥

Anonymous said...

i am seriously in love with your posts. they always make me feel so happy and peaceful. this sounds like an amazing amazing weekend. can i visit that cabin, please?

and that bookstore would creep me out too! i'm pretty sure you shouldn't threaten to kill people in your store. weird!

i love exploring hole in the wall places so so much!

Jude said...

How absolutely amazing. Your photos make me feel so peaceful and that bookstore! I would've loved spending hours in a place like that IF (BIG IF) it weren't for those creepy signs and shopowner! Actually, despite the creepy, it's kinda hilarious!

Amy said...

That book store is amazing! I could spend days in there! Despite the signs and such lol. Those cottages are adorable as well! Looks like you had a great time!
Loves!

chantelle.elise said...

those book piles = my dream in life

a little bit jealous, but mostly glad you were in such a picturesque place!

lovely

vintch said...

this place was quite an experience:) please note the odd black pot hanging from the ceiling.

for a bibliophile, she most certainly misused the word "everyday." :)

Kristen said...

Aww, thank you for following me! I will, too, follow you!
When I first saw this post, I thought these were pictures from Maine or somewhere near there! I really wanted to visit NC in the fall, but now it's too late, maybe i'll take a quick trip in Decemeber and see all the Christmas decorations!
And that book store looks awesome, but the woman, and the signs so creepy!

~*~ saskia ~*~ said...

Your photos are gorgeous, especially the first one and I would love love to dive into that bookstore right now!
Have a happy Monday xx

a whole lotta love said...

since i sell books for a living, i'm always going into places like this... and its so true that there are so many people who have sooooo many books and they are priced just out of range because its true that they subconsciously (or consciously) don't really want to sell them. its a bit of a hoarding complex. i couldn't deal with that much around me.... but i have to admit it is fun to venture for a short time into these little worlds.

Dee Paulino said...

So many, so many books! That bookstore is dreamy "except for the high prices & scary notes". Great photos pumpkin, I would love to go where trees go, where peace goes. You look gorgeously happy!

Natalie said...

This place looks amazing...like a great peaceful get away when life is stressful and you need to spnd time with God! Love your blog! Thanks for visiting mine!

Kaity Teer said...

Beautiful description of the cottage. It's beautiful to dwell where peace is.

Signe said...

Sounds like the perfect weekend, at least until the 'your blood will flow' part...

Bridget said...

i could get lost in that bookstore.

Autilia Antonucci said...

Oh I looove a good book store !

JMay said...

That bookstore is simply rad :-)
http://jennymayandswede.blogspot.com/

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