Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Some Old Photos of Laurel Hill
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Grampy Knockin' Back a Bloody Mary
Hanging with "the fam" on a beautiful afternoon on the Laurel Hill deck...
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
The Little Mermaid in the Spa
Friday, August 13, 2010
Thank You!
This blog would not be possible without the wonderful photography from Debbie and Yann and the technical expertise of Heather. Thanks to each of you for your contributions....and no, you're not getting paid for any of them. Seeing the fruits of your labor on such a wonderful blog is your reward (ha ha ha).
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Using the Spa
The temperature on the front panel will be set on 80 degrees on your arrival. Set this to your desired temperature.
Undo all four corners of the cover, and fold the front half over the back. Then just lift the folded cover and it will hang on the back of the spa on the black metal bar. You don't have to take the cover off, just fold it back.
If you don't undo the back straps, you'll either tear them off the cover or tear the brackets out of the spa.
You'll need to open the umbrella over the spa to open the cover. If you don't want the umbrella, undo the knob near the bottom of the umbrella and swing it out of the way.
You can either use the control panel on the front of the spa or the one in the back right corner to turn on the circulation pumps. There are two pumps; pump #1 has one position and pump #2 has two positions.
The lighting is controlled from either control pad. The secret to adjusting the lighting is to get to the red light. From there, you can dim the light, or get the lights to alternate colors. You just have to play with it.
There are test strips and chemicals next to the spa. Go easy on the chlorine unless the water is cloudy.
When you leave, please reset the temperature to 80 degrees and make sure the spa light is off.
Undo all four corners of the cover, and fold the front half over the back. Then just lift the folded cover and it will hang on the back of the spa on the black metal bar. You don't have to take the cover off, just fold it back.
If you don't undo the back straps, you'll either tear them off the cover or tear the brackets out of the spa.
You'll need to open the umbrella over the spa to open the cover. If you don't want the umbrella, undo the knob near the bottom of the umbrella and swing it out of the way.
You can either use the control panel on the front of the spa or the one in the back right corner to turn on the circulation pumps. There are two pumps; pump #1 has one position and pump #2 has two positions.
The lighting is controlled from either control pad. The secret to adjusting the lighting is to get to the red light. From there, you can dim the light, or get the lights to alternate colors. You just have to play with it.
There are test strips and chemicals next to the spa. Go easy on the chlorine unless the water is cloudy.
When you leave, please reset the temperature to 80 degrees and make sure the spa light is off.
The Water System
Our mountain water is the best! We are part of Sapphire Deep Water Association, which is supported by five homeowners. Four of us are currently drawing water. We share a 500' deep well drilled through solid granite near the gated entrance of Hidden Falls. A five HP submersible pump moves the water through a 2.5 inch line to a 1,000 gallon reservoir above Laurel Hill. Our home is gravity-fed, and the other three have submersible pumps in the reservoir to pump uphill to their homes. The well provides 20 gallons per minute, which is plenty of water for any need.
The filtration system in the well house is a sight to behold. It is a commercial design which removes almost all of the iron and dissolved solids from the well water. On top of that, we have our own filter system in the utility room. The last step in our filtration system is UV radiation of the water, so it is very clean and safe.
The Achilles' Heel of the water system is lightening and Duke Energy power outages. If the faucets start sputtering, one of several things has happened. These are (a) lightening strike (b) Duke Energy outage or (c) malfunction in the control system. When the Association water system goes down, our home only gets 200 gallons of water before the faucets start sputtering.
Our auxiliary water system which provides 750 gallons of water if the Association system goes down. This is sufficient to keep a family going for two days without skimping. The auxiliary system is powered by an above-ground pump connected to the 750 gallon tank, and it will run off the generator if Duke Energy power is out.
If the main water system goes out in a power outage or after a lightening storm, do the following:
The filtration system in the well house is a sight to behold. It is a commercial design which removes almost all of the iron and dissolved solids from the well water. On top of that, we have our own filter system in the utility room. The last step in our filtration system is UV radiation of the water, so it is very clean and safe.
The Achilles' Heel of the water system is lightening and Duke Energy power outages. If the faucets start sputtering, one of several things has happened. These are (a) lightening strike (b) Duke Energy outage or (c) malfunction in the control system. When the Association water system goes down, our home only gets 200 gallons of water before the faucets start sputtering.
Our auxiliary water system which provides 750 gallons of water if the Association system goes down. This is sufficient to keep a family going for two days without skimping. The auxiliary system is powered by an above-ground pump connected to the 750 gallon tank, and it will run off the generator if Duke Energy power is out.
If the main water system goes out in a power outage or after a lightening storm, do the following:
- Turn some lights on and get a flashlight so you can see what you are doing.
- Near the front left corner of the garage is a small electrical box labeled auxiliary water system. Open this up, and you will see a black plastic thing with a handle up high in the box. Take this out, turn it right-side up so it says "on" and snap it into place so the circuit is completed.
- You now have 750 gallons of good water. This water is filtered just like the main water system and should not look or taste any different. Also, the above-ground pump runs on generator in case Duke Power is out for awhile.
- The next step is to notify someone that the Association water system is down, and that you are running on auxiliary (see below).
- Once the main system is fixed, please make sure the little black plastic thing is put back where you originally found it so the auxiliary system will be shut off. If the breaker is left on, it will burn up the $300 jet pump (not thoretical).
Notification When Association Water Goes Out
- Tony Brooks at (828) 553-1549
- Jo Brooks at (828) 553-1548
- Steve Newman at (941) 951-8929
You can text or call any of the three of us. Tony is the water guru; if the control system goes, he can walk you through the process of manually pumping to the house and topping off the auxiliary system.
Bears and Trash Contol
Yup, Laurel Hill is home to bears. You don't really want to see them prowling around the house, and the key to that is trash control.
Don't leave anything outside on the deck after barbeque or picnics. Also keep food out of your vehicles. Place trash in the barrels in the garage and close the overhead doors at night.
I recommend pushing the BBQ so the backside is up tight against the porch rail behind it. Otherwise, the bears and raccoons will pull out the waste tray under the BBQ and make a racket in the night.
The only place to get rid of trash and recycling is the "staffed recycling center" operated by the Jackson County. It is located on Hwy 107 South about three or four miles south of the Crossroads. Head south from the Crossroads, pass Silver Slip Falls (on your left) and watch for the small sign on your right.
There is one bin for all recycling (glass, aluminum and plastic) and a trash compactor for everything else. The people who staff the SRCs are a very interesting bunch if you care to strike up a conversation!
It's easy to miss. If you hit Bull Pen Road, you went way too far. There are other SRCs, but they are all farther away. The hours of operation are Monday-Saturday, 7a-7p.
If you run out of time and cannot take the trash to the SRC, you can always give Jo Brooks a call and she will handle it.
Don't leave anything outside on the deck after barbeque or picnics. Also keep food out of your vehicles. Place trash in the barrels in the garage and close the overhead doors at night.
I recommend pushing the BBQ so the backside is up tight against the porch rail behind it. Otherwise, the bears and raccoons will pull out the waste tray under the BBQ and make a racket in the night.
The only place to get rid of trash and recycling is the "staffed recycling center" operated by the Jackson County. It is located on Hwy 107 South about three or four miles south of the Crossroads. Head south from the Crossroads, pass Silver Slip Falls (on your left) and watch for the small sign on your right.
There is one bin for all recycling (glass, aluminum and plastic) and a trash compactor for everything else. The people who staff the SRCs are a very interesting bunch if you care to strike up a conversation!
It's easy to miss. If you hit Bull Pen Road, you went way too far. There are other SRCs, but they are all farther away. The hours of operation are Monday-Saturday, 7a-7p.
If you run out of time and cannot take the trash to the SRC, you can always give Jo Brooks a call and she will handle it.
Internet Access
Our home is equipped with wireless DSL by Frontier.
The wireless modem is located in the computer cabinet in the loft. What you should do on arrival is pull the cabinet away from the wall a little and plug in ALL FOUR POWER CORDS. You should now have wireless internet throughout the house.
The name of the network and password are printed on labels on the modem itself and are in the green guest binder.
The DSL connection is slower than cable.
To print, walk your laptop up to the loft and USB into the printer. You cannot print wirelessly.
Please unplug all four plugs behind the loft cabinet before you leave.
The wireless modem is located in the computer cabinet in the loft. What you should do on arrival is pull the cabinet away from the wall a little and plug in ALL FOUR POWER CORDS. You should now have wireless internet throughout the house.
The name of the network and password are printed on labels on the modem itself and are in the green guest binder.
The DSL connection is slower than cable.
To print, walk your laptop up to the loft and USB into the printer. You cannot print wirelessly.
Please unplug all four plugs behind the loft cabinet before you leave.
First Things First
On arrival:
Enter through the front door and shut the alarm off using the alarm code (if it has not already been disarmed).
Go down to the garage and:
Open up the shades in the living room.
Plug in all four power cords behind the loft computer cabinet.
Pull down the bale in the ice maker so you will have ice.
Take your watch off.....you're on vacation!
Pour a cold one and enjoy....
Enter through the front door and shut the alarm off using the alarm code (if it has not already been disarmed).
Go down to the garage and:
- Turn the water on using the valve just inside the northern-most overhead garage door.
- Plug grey cord to the water pressurizer in the utility room.
- The only thing you need to plug/unplug in the utility room is the pressurizer.
- Open the circuit breaker box near workshop and turn water heater (WH) breakers on.
Open up the shades in the living room.
Plug in all four power cords behind the loft computer cabinet.
Pull down the bale in the ice maker so you will have ice.
Take your watch off.....you're on vacation!
Pour a cold one and enjoy....
Hikes Close to Laurel Hill
The best way to figure out what hikes you want to take is to pay a visit to Highland Hiker, which is at the southeast corner of the Cashiers Crossroads behind the Farmers Market. They will sell you a map of Panthertown Valley and help you with whatever hikes you want to go on. This is a 6,300 acre primitive area very close to us, which can be accessed either off Cedar Creek road off of Hwy 63 East or in Toxaway. The classic hike is to Schoolhouse Falls, easiest from the Toxaway entrance. Panthertown is mostly unmarked, so take a map and compass. You can borrow one from my backpack hanging in the front hall closet.
A beautiful makeover of Gorges State Park was just completed. Three great waterfalls, and a very nice day. To enjoy the falls on the river, you have to hike down quite a ways. The flip side is that you will have to hike up to get out. So, these are vigorous hikes, and you should be prepared with food and water. To access it, head east on Hwy 64 to Hwy 281 in Sapphire, then turn right. The park entrance is on your left.
An easy hike with a great view is Whiteside Mountain, which is on the way to Highlands on Hwy 64 west. It’s easy to miss the turnoff, which will be on your left. Continue up the hill until you reach the parking lot. Here, you will need to make a $2 donation to the Forest Service. You walk up the trail (really an old logging road) to the cliff, then work clockwise along the cliff top, and then take the trail down. This clockwise loop will lead you back to the parking lot. This is a nice easy hike on the way to Highlands for lunch.
If you feel ambitious (and mischievous), you can hike to the summit of Chimney Top, which is the funny-looking peak due west that you can see off our deck. If you do this, take water lunch, and plan on 2.5 hours up, an hour at the top, and 1.5 hours down. Park your car at High Hampton next to the tennis courts, act like you are a guest there, and head south between the cabins and find a little path that crosses the lake on a bridge. Turn left in front of the honeymoon shack and follow the signs to Chimney Top. The trail gradually climbs to a “T”, where you turn right to go to Chimney Top.
You will have to scramble on some rocks at the top, and will have some fantastic views from the peak as you work your way along the ridge peak eastward. Stay away from the edges, as it is very vertical. Be especially careful with dogs and children. You will see signs everywhere saying these trails are for guests of High Hampton only, but we have been hiking these trails for years and nobody has bothered us. This hike is a workout.
Also, a daytrip over to the Pisgah National Forest is a good thing, driving time about an hour through Brevard by following Hwy 64 East. Stop and the Visitor Center and ask for a hike recommendation. There is a Pisgah map in the top of my backpack in the closet.
A beautiful makeover of Gorges State Park was just completed. Three great waterfalls, and a very nice day. To enjoy the falls on the river, you have to hike down quite a ways. The flip side is that you will have to hike up to get out. So, these are vigorous hikes, and you should be prepared with food and water. To access it, head east on Hwy 64 to Hwy 281 in Sapphire, then turn right. The park entrance is on your left.
An easy hike with a great view is Whiteside Mountain, which is on the way to Highlands on Hwy 64 west. It’s easy to miss the turnoff, which will be on your left. Continue up the hill until you reach the parking lot. Here, you will need to make a $2 donation to the Forest Service. You walk up the trail (really an old logging road) to the cliff, then work clockwise along the cliff top, and then take the trail down. This clockwise loop will lead you back to the parking lot. This is a nice easy hike on the way to Highlands for lunch.
If you feel ambitious (and mischievous), you can hike to the summit of Chimney Top, which is the funny-looking peak due west that you can see off our deck. If you do this, take water lunch, and plan on 2.5 hours up, an hour at the top, and 1.5 hours down. Park your car at High Hampton next to the tennis courts, act like you are a guest there, and head south between the cabins and find a little path that crosses the lake on a bridge. Turn left in front of the honeymoon shack and follow the signs to Chimney Top. The trail gradually climbs to a “T”, where you turn right to go to Chimney Top.
You will have to scramble on some rocks at the top, and will have some fantastic views from the peak as you work your way along the ridge peak eastward. Stay away from the edges, as it is very vertical. Be especially careful with dogs and children. You will see signs everywhere saying these trails are for guests of High Hampton only, but we have been hiking these trails for years and nobody has bothered us. This hike is a workout.
Also, a daytrip over to the Pisgah National Forest is a good thing, driving time about an hour through Brevard by following Hwy 64 East. Stop and the Visitor Center and ask for a hike recommendation. There is a Pisgah map in the top of my backpack in the closet.
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