Obtaining reliable, high speed internet service in the mountains can sometimes be problematic at best. For those of us in Junaluska Highlands who have DSL service through AT&T, speed is an issue. For others who have a “hot spot” through one of the cell service providers, data can be an issue and an expensive one. For some time now we have asked AT&T to improve their DSL speed in the community, without success. Additionally, many residents have solicited Charter Communications to provide broadband cable into Junaluska Highlands, also without success. Presently, we are in discussions with a firm called Skyrunner out of Asheville to provide a wireless internet system into Junaluska Highlands. Skyrunner’s technology uses line of sight signaling from a central transmission point, such as Chambers Mountain to our north east or Mt. Pisgah to our south, to bring a signal into the community and then through a series of repeaters to the individual homes that opt for the service.  Internet speed could be up to 5 times (or more) faster than DSL, depending on the Skyrunner plan chosen. We are presently doing our due diligence to vet Skyrunner and are working out some of the details of the arrangement, including the costs and I would hope we would be in a position to make a decision within the next 60 days.  In the meantime, I would direct you to Skyrunner’s website, www.skyrunner.net for further information and plan details and costs. Skyrunner has no required contracts, a 30 day money back guarantee and a $10 per month suspension of service fee.

Mark your calendars now for the Junaluska Highlands Community Association’s annual meeting on Saturday, October 15, 2016 at 2:00pm at the Bethea Welcome Center at the Lake Junaluska Retreat and Conference Center. This is our membership meeting and a time in which information is shared regarding the events during the previous year that have impacted our community. It is also a time in which we elect our Officers and members of our Board. I will be sending out a formal notice of this meeting to all property owners in September with more details but wanted to give all members a chance to reserve this date on their calendars.

That’s all for now.

Mac

Our annual Independence Day celebration and community picnic for 2016 was a great success. 33 home owners, family members, and guests attended the event at the pavilion and the weather was perfect. We sang patriotic songs, heard testimonials about what the day meant to some individuals in attendance, and then enjoyed each other’s fellowship with a covered dish picnic including all the trimmings. Many attendees were decked out in Independence Day garb and the pavilion itself was beautifully decorated in red, white, and blue buntings with American flags adorning the grounds. It was truly a celebratory event with the real reason for our gathering, the recognition of the Declaration of Independence and the 240th anniversary of the birth of our nation, being at the focus for our gathering. Many thanks to our Social Committee: Joyce Brunsvold, Susan Huckaby, Kathy Gross, Bonnie Manga, Barbara Jo White, and Kathy Bell for the time and effort they contributed to the planning, organizing and execution of a very successful event.

We have scheduled our Annual Membership Meeting for Saturday, October 15, 2016 at 2:00pm at the Gains Auditorium at the Bethea Welcome Center at Lake Junaluska. Please mark your calendars now to attend. More information will be mailed to our members in September.

I hope everyone enjoys the summer, visits from family and friends, and vacations.

Mac

June is one of those busy months in which a plethora of activity takes place. Father’s day, the beginning of summer, Flag Day, and here in the mountains: the continuation of Art After Dark on the first Friday of each month from May until December. If you have not experienced Art After Dark in downtown Waynesville, I would encourage you to take part in this casual and leisurely event. Some ten art studios and galleries stay open from 6:00pm to 9:00pm along Main Street, designated by Art After Dark flags, with many of the resident artist present and engaging in their crafts.   Of course, art is available for sale at a very reasonable price.

Also, June is the time for the biennial Haywood County Garden Tour on Saturday, June 18. Jointly sponsored by the Haywood County Extension Center and the Haywood County Extension Master Gardener Volunteers, this year’s theme is “Pollinate, Propagate, and Cultivate”. In addition to visiting several local gardens, this year there will be hands on demonstrations by Master Gardeners on propagation, Square Foot Gardening, monarch butterflies and other pollinators, grafting techniques, along with local honey for sale, all to benefit horticultural and educational projects throughout Haywood County. There will also be Plein Air Artists (the act of painting outdoors in order to paint the actual visual conditions seen at the time of painting) to paint views of the various gardens on the tour. The tour begins at the Mountain Research Station on Raccoon Road where ticket holders pick up directions to the gardens. Tickets are $15 in advance by emailing mgtour2016@charter.net or at the Extension Center at 589 Raccoon Road. Tickets are $20 the day of the tour. I have helped with the tour since 2009 and will again be at one of the gardens with other Master Gardeners to answer questions on the various plants, trees, and shrubs seen in the gardens. It is a great opportunity to see firsthand the hard work that has been put in by homeowners to beautify their gardens and perhaps get some ideas and tips of your own.

Don’t forget the July 4th Junaluska Highlands Community Association cook out and social next month. This is a great time for patriotic fun, food and fellowship with neighbors, friends, and family. More information will be sent out by e-mail to our property owners as we get closer to the event. Also, remember the Balsam Range concert at Stuart Auditorium at Lake Junaluska is Saturday, July 2nd this year. This is an multiple award winning blue grass group made up of residents of Haywood County and if you have not been to one of their concerts previously, make plans to see them on July 2nd for outstanding entertainment you will not forget. Tickets are available at the Bethea Welcome Center at Lake Junaluska.

That’s all for now. Happy summer everyone!

Mac

Lions and Tigers, and Bears , Oh My!   Yes, bears have been reported over the last few weeks in Junaluska Highlands. Evidence of bird feeders being emptied and garbage cans being overturned has been observed by several residents in our community. Most likely our new omnivore residents are black bears. These black bears have black coats with brown muzzles and may have a spot of white on the chest known as chest blaze and may weigh anywhere from 200 to 700 pounds. They typically feed on anything from acorns, berries, fish, frogs, peanuts and seeds and have no natural predators. Normally, black bears come out of hibernation around the first part of April. However, this year, due perhaps to the mild winter, the bears came out of hibernation about mid-March. The N.C. Wildlife commission reports bears are more active this year and have a larger number of cubs being born. Bears are typically nocturnal, but have been seen in our community in the early dawn and late dusk hours. They tend to be shy and non-aggressive to humans and have somewhat poor eyesight and largely depend on their sense of smell and hearing to forage for food and can run up to 35MPH for short distances. Care should be taken when out walking pets, especially in the evening, and if a bear is encountered you should back away slowly and make lots of noise and avoid eye contact.  Garbage cans should be tightly secured and bird feeders brought in at night to avoid an unwanted visitor on the deck at night.

Over the next several weeks Duke Energy will be relamping our community with new LED fixtures and lamps on our streets, replacing the existing 200 watt high pressure sodium lamps. We will be using the 150 watt LED lamps on Breckenridge Road, Fincher Mountain Road, and Montrose Lane, with 105 watt LED lamps for the balance of the neighborhood where the poles are closer to homes. The new LED lamps will provide a warmer, safer light pattern and will save us between 12% and 33% in annual energy costs, depending on wattage.

Next month we will be scheduling our annual Junaluska Highlands community beautification work day. We will be freshening up our flower beds with new much, planting annuals, and clearing limbs. We generally work half a day and then enjoy a neighborhood cook out at the pavilion around noon. It is a great opportunity to meet and reacquaint ourselves with our neighbors and help tidy up the area. More information and the exact date to be provided in next month’s message.

Finally, don’t forget to clean and put out humming bird feeders now to attract the early scouts that are sent each year out to find the best nesting and feeding areas for the rest of the charm. In our area we have the ruby throated hummingbirds which have be over wintering in Mexico, Cuba, and parts of South America. They are a thrill to watch in the tiny bird’s aerial techniques around the feeders and are among the many welcomed forms of wildlife in Junaluska Highlands.

Mac

March is one of my very favorite months of the year. Just consider for a moment all that is going on throughout the month of March, to wit: Daylight Saving Time begins, St. Patrick’s Day with green beer and corn beef and cabbage, spring begins, and this year, Palm Sunday, Easter and Easter Monday all take place within the month of March. Add to all of that the fact that the phenomenon known as March Madness takes place in division I college basketball, culminating in the NCAA championship game April 4th in Houston, Texas.

For those of us who were fortunate enough to be born in the Old North State (nonnatives got here as the saying goes “just as soon as they could”), two important questions are soon posed when being introduced in a social setting: “What number?” and “What school?” The first question relates to what NASCAR driver do you follow, i.e. the number on the car. The second question is an effort to identify which ACC school you follow in basketball, because in North Carolina this must be disclosed under penalty of law under the assumption that everyone in the state must have a local school they follow in college basketball. When I was in college, several fraternity brothers and I attended what was then known as the World 600 NASCAR race in Charlotte. Got severely sunburned, couldn’t hear for 3 days after the race, and never knew who actually won and thus my NASCAR interests were brought to a screeching halt. However, during my formative years I was highly influenced by an uncle who graduated from the University of North Carolina and encouraged me to become a Tar Heel by taking me with him to many basketball games in Chapel Hill. The excitement of witnessing a live college basketball game with thousands of screaming students and fans was exhilarating and for me the die was cast and Carolina blue began to run in my veins. After college I was fortunate to have been accepted into law school at UNC and spent time in Chapel Hill until, at my young age, I figured out that for me a legal career was not in the cards. But I regress. Basketball in North Carolina is a given presumption.  Folks that faithfully follow college basketball simply don’t get it why everyone does not share their passion for the game.  If you are a Tar Heel, you hate the N.C. State wolf pack and absolutely despise the Duke blue devils. If you are among the great misguided and rout for State or Duke the opposite is true. Regarding college basketball there are no other teams in the state – with apologies to the Wake Forest demon deacons. When the ACC tournament begins on March 8th and the NCAA tournament starts on March 15th colors will be worn, flags will be proudly flown, other activities will be suspended without regret, and we will all be in front of our flat screens embroiled in the excitement of college basketball. Take in a game and you will be hooked too. Just make sure you have a sufficient supply of North Carolina’s official food – barbecue, and the official soft drink-Cheerwine, on hand as you watch and cheer on the Heels. Besides, if God is not a Tar Heel, why then is the sky Carolina blue?

Mac

February is Groundhog month. Although here in Junaluska Highlands we seem to have our fair share of the rodents, arguably the most famous woodchuck or whistle pig (as they are also called) is Punxsutawney Phil of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Back in 1887, Clymer H. Freas, editor of the then Punxsutawney Spirit , apparently lacking for something to do in the dull winter months, designated the 2nd day of February as the official Groundhog Day and declared Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania as the center of the universe for that purpose. Legend has it that if Phil comes out of his hibernation and sees his shadow, he will be frightened and retreat back into his hole and that there will be six more weeks of winter. Conversely, if Phil is unable to see his shadow, he will stay above ground and we will experience an early spring.  On Groundhog Day, 2016, Phil did not see his shadow and thus we should anticipate warmer weather just around the corner. It is a little incredible to predict an early spring when we really have had no serious winter thus far here in the mountains.   In fact, Phil’s record of being correct regarding the arrival of spring has only been correct just 39% of the time since the event began. However, the celebration makes for good press and a lively time for all in Punxsutawney.

On a serious note, in our Board’s never ending efforts to reduce expenses and improve services in Junaluska Highlands, we will be testing new street lighting in the coming weeks in our community. Presently, our streets are illuminated by 200 watt high pressure sodium lamps, the kind of lighting that puts out a shadowy, orange glow and a technology that is some 20 years old. Through a program offered by Duke Energy to communities such as ours, we can relamp all of our street lighting to state of the art 150 watt LED lamps and fixtures at no cost to the Association. The advantage to us is about a 12% savings in electrical costs per electrified pole and light per month and a much cleaner, whiter light for our streets. The advantage to Duke Energy is that LED lighting presents less maintenance and repair costs and can last up to 20 times longer than incandescent lighting. Duke will install one LED fixture and lamp on the pole at the intersection of Breckenridge Road and Inverness Drive as a demonstration to show the difference in the two lighting systems. If acceptable to our community, Duke will then change out all lamps and fixtures to the new LED lighting system. Some time ago the Board chose to de-electrify several of the poles on our streets in an effort to save expenses. We will be reevaluating this decision once the new lighting is installed.

The Architectural Review Committee (ARC) tells me that yet another property owner has submitted plans to construct a new home in Junaluska Highlands and that the ARC has approved the plans. The property owners anticipate construction may begin as early as this spring. This now makes two homes presently under construction with plans having been approved for two more homes. Once again, please remember that plans for new construction or alterations of existing homes, however minor, must have the prior approval of the ARC. Additional information, guidelines, and forms may be found on this website under the Building Information tab.

That’s all for now. Stay warm, notwithstanding the prediction of Punxsutawney Phil.

Mac

The ancient Chinese thought of the New Year as an opportunity to begin anew. Although according to the Chinese calendar, the New Year does not begin until February 8, and interestingly enough this year is the year of the Fire Monkey, it presents all of us an opportunity for reflection and optimism for the coming days. Confucius said that “a man who had committed a mistake and doesn’t correct it is committing another mistake.” Let us not commit the same mistakes we made in 2015 again in 2016, but may we learn from our mistakes and go forth with renewed excitement to do better in all we do this year.

If you were present at the 2015 Annual Meeting for Junaluska Highlands Community Association last October, you will recall there was some discussion on improving the quality of internet access for our community. A number of residents presently have DSL internet service provided by AT&T, which is often slow and unreliable. Many of us have complained to AT&T about the slow speed and from my experience AT&T is indifferent to upgrades or improvements to improve their service. One of the suggestions that came out of this discussion was that we should all stop by the local Charter Communication office in Waynesville on Sulphur Springs Road and inquire about what could be done to provide high speed cable service (both TV and internet access) into Junaluska Highlands. One of our residents, David McCracken took this suggestion to heart and recently visited the Charter office. David spoke with a Charter representative by the name of Brian Cooper at 828-545-4165, who has some responsibility regarding the scheduling of surveys for future expansion of Charter’s service. Brian indicated that not only had he done a survey in late 2015, but that he had recommended to Charter’s Board that service be expanded into Junaluska Highlands in 2016. To date, no action has been taken by the Charter Board regarding expanding service anywhere in Haywood County. However, the take away here is that if you are interested in having Charter service in Junaluska Highlands in the future, you should stop by the Charter office or call Brian Cooper and give them a sense of how many residents would sign up for Charter service were it made available to us. Many thanks to David McCracken for taking this initiative.

Finally, our Architectural Review Committee (ARC) tells me they have approved the plans for the construction of yet another home in Junaluska Highlands, probably to begin this spring. Please remember that all new construction and any alteration to existing structures in the community must have the approval of the ARC prior to undertaking so that our Design & Development Guidelines and building requirements in our Covenants & Restrictions having to do with harmony of external design and location in relationship to surrounding structures can be adhered to.

That’s all for now.

Mac

Many of you know that I was born and raised in the Myers Park section of Charlotte and spent all my formative years there until I went off to college in the 1960’s. One of my most memorable boyhood experiences was when our parents took us down to the intersection of King’s Drive and Morehead Street each Thanksgiving day to the Simpson family Christmas tree lot to select our freshly cut Christmas tree. The Simpsons have been selling Christmas trees at that location since the 1950’s and continue even today. One year my father asked where the trees were grown and a gracious Simpson family member invited us to visit their tree farm north of Charlotte and cut our own. So, the next year, the old man piled my sisters and me into our Rambler and headed off to the Simpson tree farm. After traveling in the back seat with my sisters for what seemed like hours, we found ourselves traversing the gravel access road that the Rambler was totally unfit for and finally arrived at a conifer clad mountaintop of some 200 acres. The Simpson family grows only Fraser firs, a tree that grows naturally in the southern Appalachians, generally above 2500 feet. The cool climate and generous rainfall here help the Fraser fir keep its needles throughout the Christmas season. After tromping around the farm for what seemed like an eternity in the cold and windy air, we finally spotted the perfect Christmas tree for the Lee family. Someone from the farm came out and sawed it down, bound it in annoying nylon netting, and secured it to the top of the Rambler for the journey home. It was a memorable day for our family and a tradition we kept for many years to come.

Today, North Carolina is second in the nation in the number of Christmas trees cut and sold, the majority of which are the Fraser firs. It is estimated that at any given moment, there are approximately 50 million trees growing in the mountains of our state. North Carolina is home to more than 400 choose-and-cut Christmas tree farms, some of which are right here in Haywood County. Two of the local farms I have visited are Boyd’s Christmas Tree Farm off north Jonathan Creek Road and Nesbitt Christmas Tree Farm off Hospital Drive in Clyde. Boyd’s is a very family friendly farm that introduces folks to the tree hunting experience by first hosting them in a “warming tent” where a certain jolly old elf has been known to frequent. For the unadventurous, Boyd also sells their trees at Grass Root nursery at the intersection of Russ Avenue and Dellwood Road.  The Nesbitt family farm is a bit more primitive but last year sold all their fresh cut or you cut your own trees for $40, regardless of size. A word of caution here: trees always look smaller in the field and larger when you bring them into your home. Last year, the tree we picked out at Nesbitt’s looked to be about 6 to 7 feet in the field, but turned out to be over 8 feet once we got it home.

The point of all this is, if you have never experienced tromping around the local mountains for a choose-and-cut Christmas tree, it is a wonderful family experience, especially for grandchildren, and one they will not soon forget.

Christmas is a time of joy, giving, and reflecting on the many blessings God has bestowed upon us. By whatever name you refer to the Creator, take time to wish someone Merry Christmas this season, even if some view it as not being politically correct.

Merry Christmas!

Mac

If you are like me, you eagerly await the delivery each month of Our State magazine, a publication devoted to celebrating the people and places that make North Carolina such a special place to live. In the November issue, contributing editor Susan Stafford Kelly has an essay on the month of November and what she calls the “coziest month.” Ms. Kelly writes: “November. No-Vemm-Brrr. The word itself is cozy, mellow, and contained. This is the month for putting away and preparing. For closing down and burrowing in. Here, in North Carolina’s distinct seasons, October teases, urging us to cling to warmer weather even as it wrenches the season away. November, though says It’s OK to let go. I’m here. Let’s settle in .” In the same issue, columnist T. Edward Nickens writes: “It (November) slips up on us when we’re not looking, when we haven’t yet fully embraced the cold reality of oncoming winter.” Here, in the mountains of western North Carolina, truer words were never written. Remember, just last month we were still romping around in shorts, setting out pansies for the fall, cutting the grass, and preparing for Trick-or-Treat visitors. How the weather can change in such a brief period of time. We have already had our first frost, sweeting the collards and a warning sign that winter is near. The first few days of November have been wet and dreary ones and brought us up to nearly our average annual rainfall level. The trees reflect the brilliant colors of fall and call us to a drive along the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway. It is both a very magical time to be in the mountains and a harbinger of what is to come.

Last month Junaluska Highlands Community Association held its annual membership meeting. We had over 40 property owners and homeowners in attendance, representing one of the best attended meetings in my memory. Much information was exchanged and important decisions were reached by our membership that will direct the future of our community. After the meeting, a social was given at the beautiful home of Kathy and Sam Bell and a good time was had by all. Minutes of the annual meeting will not be posted to the web site as has been done in the past but will be e-mailed to all members by our Secretary when completed. If you did not attend this gathering, please try to attend next year’s annual meeting, which usually coincides with the Haywood County Apple Festival.

Finally, November is one of my favorite months of the year in that Thanksgiving provides an opportunity for family and friends to gather together to offer thanks to God for the many blessings He has bestowed upon us, not the least of which is the absolute privilege of living in this special part of His creation we call Junaluska Highlands. Cherish and enjoy the time you have with your family during this holiday time.

That’s all for now….

Mac