Living in Asheville - A Peak Experience

Summer’s Best Buy in Asheville: Your Dream Home

jtatol — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:45:02 +0000

Well I’m just back from a short vacation, driving yesterday through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Yes, despite gas prices, the roads in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina are packed with folks from all over the country … even Canada.

The timeshare and vacation rental companies are pushing hard to sell their services. But what a great time to buy instead! Real estate is a wonderful investment, a great way to build equity and financial security while working towards, or finally grasping hold of, your dreams.

Interest rates are beginning to climb, so now, more than ever, is the best time to buy. It’s a buyer’s market, and there is an amazing selection of all types of property available. Let me know how I can help you take advantage of the opportunities in the area, or refer you to another agent closer to your desired destination. The time is now!

Have a refreshing first day of Summer!

julie

In Loving and Grateful Memory

jtatol — Wed, 28 May 2008 00:52:05 +0000

After wishing all friends and family a restful and happy Memorial Day weekend, I also wish that they pause and remember those who have given so much, their lives, their service, their family time, their best effort and deepest prayer, to serve all Americans. I am truly and profoundly grateful.

In loving memory of my father, WWII veteran, 2nd Lt. in the Army Air Corps, bombardier instructor, Joseph A. Tatol (1922-2001).

High Flight

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air. . . .

Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

— John Gillespie Magee, Jr

The Bear Necessities

jtatol — Mon, 19 May 2008 18:48:33 +0000

A jug of wine, a loaf of bread, and a table for two (apologies to Omar Khayyam). They’re baaaaack!! Our cold snap at Easter did not freeze the berry crop as it did last year, so we are hoping the black bears will be more agreeable this season.

Can anybody tell me what a “blackberry winter” is? I was told it has something to do with a last snap of cold either just before or just after the branches burst out in lime-green bole.

I nearly shared a picnic table with this yearling up on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Except for some work being done around Mt. Mitchell, the Parkway and it’s new Destination Center are open and beckoning summer travelers. http://www.blueridgeheritage.com/AboutUs/parkwaydestinationcenter.html

If you can take only one road-trip this summer with gas prices so high, it should be along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina from Cherokee to Blowing Rock or beyond. You’ll get a bit of everything … farmland scenery, majestic mountains, quaint towns, flocks of wild turkeys, small herds of deer, and – if you’re fortunate – a bear. (Be safe: do NOT feed or attempt to touch.)

While much of the Parkway closes in winter, the “commuter zones” are often open. So purchasing land or a home backing up to the Parkway will still provide 4 seasons of beautiful driving, hiking or walking along the Mountains to Sea or other trails, and plenty of privacy for your perfect mountain hideaway.

More later day about a wonderful property in Marion with stocked trout ponds . . .

julie

Breathe Deeply of Spring in the Mountains

jtatol — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:18:56 +0000

Hi folks – welcome to my blog, and welcome to Spring in the mountains. Today is Earth Day, a beautiful day and a glorious land. I’m sitting in my real estate office at Century 21 All Seasons in Biltmore Village, Asheville, NC. Outside my window, the lime-green buds on the maple absolutely glow against the red brick of All Souls Cathedral. How I wish you could see it~

I am a 7th-generation Floridian who relocated to western North Carolina in 2005. My mom lives near me in a lovely retirement community here in Asheville, the bit of Heaven we chose to call home after studying the “Best of …” and “Most Desirable…” lists for years. http://www.exploreasheville.com/index.aspx

I’ll be sharing my experiences of pulling up roots and making a new life 1,000 miles away — new job, new church, friends, community service, and playtime activities. I can’t wait to post some photos: I am still overcome with the wonder and beauty of folds of blue-green mountains, sparkling rivers, and the pointy little ears of spring calves.

If you’ve never been to Asheville and western North Carolina, I hope I can share enough to make you want to visit. And if you have been here, then you know why I’ve chosen to settle here. I’d love to help you make your home here, too, whether you’re looking for a picket-fenced homestead or exciting downtown loft, meeting an urgent job-relocation need, seeking a tucked-away vacation cabin, or planning an active retirement. Feel free to contact me (jtatol@c21allseasons.com) if I can help make your dream come true. julie