This weekend was the first official community work weekend at the Roaring River Chalets. Unfortunately Mother Nature was less than cooperative, delivering a good bit of rain to much of the state. We did however, manage to make a dent in one project, and that was cleaning out the former water fall. We removed much of the old pool liner while standing shin high in murky, foul-smelling water, and intermittent rain. Needless to say this was a tricky endeavor given the slope of the hill and the saturated soil that kept threatening to give way while we toiled. We managed to leave it better than we found it with the help of a few Boone Farmer's Market plants (columbine, corral bells, jacobs ladder, and some lily pad looking perrenial), and barberry and hostas we were able to transplant from other parts of the property.
We also turned some attention to our own little homesteads. On one of our runs to Lowe's we found elephant ears on sale for 75% off, of which we proceeded to fill our basket for spots back in Durham, as well as the area between our two houses that we now call "the courtyard". Suffice it to say it was a rewarding weekend. For one, perrenials we had planted last spring were now coming up in the beds in front of ours and Barbara's chalets; two, we managed to accomplish a productive spring clean; and three, there is nothing more renewing for the spirit and mind than falling asleep to the sound of the river just outside your window.
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| Keith & Barbara while doing some last minute tidying up on Sunday, before heading downtown for some shopping, then back to Durham. |
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| The former waterfall, no longer an eyesore upon arrival. |
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| The view from 321. I've snapped a lot of photos around the property, but never from this vantage point. |
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| The view from 321 of the common area looking upstream. Riverwood is in the center of the photo. |
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| The common area from 321. |
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| The old phone booth that sits across from our chalet reminds me of a guard house I recall seeing at Buckingham Palace in London. This little house, by contrast, has seen better days. I love the way the moss has grown on the roof. Keith is planning to give it a new coat of paint in the weeks ahead, and there is talk of adding some mail cubbies inside for use by the homeowners. |
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| The old phone book cover and where the phone must have once been mounted. |
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| The entry gate, now electrified, and the village sign. |
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| The newly christened "courtyard." |
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| I had to throw this one in because the angle was interesting. Riverwood to the left, and Creekside Nest to the right. |
