August 2004 Archived Columns
8/19/2004
The weather has been beautiful for the past two weeks, with only a little of the recent rain. In fact, it’s dried out considerably, all over the county. At one point last week, I saw 49? on the porch in the morning! The temperatures are back to seasonally cool, about 60? in the morning and the lower 80s in the afternoon, but the weather has certainly been prime.
The real estate market has continued surprisingly strong for August, which is usually a fairly dead month. At least, that’s true for cabins. I believe land sales are where they usually are at this time of year, which is waiting for the leaves to come off. If you’re thinking of listing your property, this is a good point in the cycle to begin, because the fall is always our busiest season for sales.
Ron Henry, fish biologist, nature photographer, picture framer, and savior of Horseshoe Bend Park, has passed away. Many came to know Ron through his business, Woodcrafters, in McCaysville, where he operated a photo gallery and framing shop. If you stopped in for a minute, you were generally there for a while, because Ron was always full of news and enthusiasms. He was very adept with Photoshop, and was a moving force in the No Name Computer Club, which meets at the New Yorker Restaurant in Copperhill. Ron will probably be best remembered for his work on Horseshoe Bend Park, which was one of his many community service projects. The park has been renamed in his honor, and most folks feel that it is a very fitting tribute to a man who was a great force for good in our community.
If you haven’t been to the park, it’s off Hwy 60 north, just before McCaysville. If you turn sharply left off 60 just after the railroad tracks as you come into McCaysville (River Road) and go upstream a short distance, the park is on your right. It’s a good place to have a picnic or trout fish. It’s also a good place to catch a little music, with Picking in the Park taking place every Thursday evening.
The Labor Day Barbecue, an estimable and worthwhile event, is coming up. As always, volunteers are needed to continue this great local tradition.
Finally, I have heard credible reports that the lake level is down about two feet as of the 16th. In the past, the TVA has started drawing the lake down on August 15, but I believe they had agreed not to do that this year. I have not been able to personally verify that the lake level is going down, but if it is, it’s an old story. In any case, it’s probably a good idea to get your recreational activities in on the lake. For one thing, it probably won’t be long before the Forest Service decides to close the beach at Morganton point.
That’s about the news. Hope to see you in town!
August 5, 2004
The temperature on the porch this morning was a beautiful 56º, and the forecast is for a wonderful weekend. The afternoon temperatures have been around 80º. I’ve had a couple of days worth of business to do in Atlanta this week, so I’ve been able to verify that it’s at least ten degrees cooler up here than in Buckhead.
I’ve also spent some time on the woods edges lately, and I can report that the baby quail are about the size of a fat sparrow, and are flying easily at that size. The turkey chicks are about size of a grouse, and have been flying for some time. For those interested in deer hunting, Coach Barnes, the News Observer’s outdoor guru, reported a few weeks ago that it looks like we will have a bumper crop of mast.
It’s been a little quiet on the local scandal scene for the past few weeks, although the school superintendent stirred things up the other day by offhandedly blaming the students who need “free and reduced price lunches” for the fact that Fannin’s schools are on the needs improvement list. The curriculum director probably didn’t help the cause by complaining that the problem was with “secret test questions.” The newspaper observed somewhat dryly that since the problem can so clearly be traced to a certain population, it should be easy to remediate.
The real estate business continues very strong for this time of year. We typically see a slump from now until the leaves come off the trees, especially on land, but we’re not seeing it this year. It’s a good time for people to list their property, especially because there are some fears that interest rates may rise sharply after the election. There’s some disagreement among the experts about how sharp the rates will rise, but there’s no doubt in my mind that higher interest rates will have some effect on our market.
Washtub John and the Mars Hill Porch Pickers are playing a free concert in the downtown city park in Blue Ridge, Saturday at 6:30.
That’s about the news. Hope to see you in town.
