What’s In Bloom at the Inn (July)

 
This has been a rather warm summer so far for us, how about you? It got up to 88 degrees here at the Inn today! This weekend’s forecast says the high temps will be around 75, though, so until then, we’ll just hang around the pool — Pool Garden, that is. The swimming pool at the Inn was filled in several years ago, before our time as innkeepers, and is now filled with flowers and plants, which we love. Here’s some of what you’ll see blooming in the Pool Garden in July {more photos await you at our Bed & Breakfast Facebook Page}:

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2011 Sourwood Festival in Black Mountain

We can’t wait for August, when Black Mountain’s Sourwood Festival is back in town! If you’ve ever been to a small town local festival and found that kind of irresistible small town charm that puts a smile on your face, then you’ll know why we love this one. The Sourwood Festival, now in its 34th year, pays tribute to the local area in the form of hundreds of arts and crafts booths, awesome food, entertainment, and a singing contest, plus honey and bee demonstrations. And it’s FREE. The festival is named after the sourwood tree and the fabulous honey produced from it {thank you honeybees!} which we use quite often at the Inn.

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Hike to Craggy Pinnacle near Black Mountain

We had some time a few weeks ago to head up the Blue Ridge Parkway just northeast of Asheville to Craggy Gardens, a section of the Blue Ridge Parkway off of Milepost 364 that’s known for its proliferation of pink and purple rhododendron in May/June (and lots of other wildflowers in spring and summer) and its expansive mountain views.
More than one hiking trail graces this pretty section of the Parkway, and we chose the Craggy Pinnacle hike (one of our Ten Hikes for Summer in the North Carolina Mountains) due to the fact that it’s a fairly short trail, it has a gorgeous view at the end, and it’s partially shaded…perfect for a hot summer day…and by hot, we mean 85 degrees at our elevation and 73 degrees at Craggy Gardens.

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Scones

We’ve been making scones quite a bit lately. For some reason, we had put them in the “they’re a bit complicated, so save them for special occasions” baking category, but once we started delving into different recipes for scones, we found they aren’t much of a challenge at all. Who knew!? 
Below is our June recipe, for scones, adapted from Southern Living. {What’s cool is when they come out just like the picture in the magazine — December 2010 issue by the way. Thanks once again, Southern Living!}
Brown Sugar Pecan Mini Scones
from the Inn on Mill Creek Bed & Breakfast
Prep time: 20 minutes / Bake time: 15 minutes / Serves 8-10
Ingredients

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