Fly Fishermen Flummoxed over Fashion, Mammatus Clouds, Knife and Fork in WNC Chef Challenge Finals!

It has been a week of unusual happenings up on Celo.

I thought it was just a family thing until I heard it discussed on NPR. My fly fisherman son-in-law had hauled live (but dying!) worms and a baited fly fish reel on our hours-long drive in his mother's Cadillac SUV in anticipation of the weekend at his great aunt's canopy "tree house" along the river. The lure stuck into the roof of the car. I said he should leave it; it was a conversation piece. He pulled it out because he wanted to use it. It left a gaping hole in the beautiful interior. Not to worry according to his mom. Two tours in Iraq - a hole in the roof of a car - no problem. The problem occurred when his wife, my daughter, came out with fly fishing feather earrings. "Why waste a perfectly good lure?" was his flabbergasted response. "But they are so pretty," was this lawyer's sharp response. NPR says this fashion trend is a frustration for fly fishermen across the nation. Turns out the feathers for their lures have seen a significant increase in price. The fly fishermen are said to be impatiently waiting out the trend's passing!

Tuesday night I was driving home after teaching Continuing-Education Spanish at the local community college at around 8:45. People along these mountain roads were pulled off the highway and standing by their cars looking up at this amazing formation of Mammatus clouds. The golden photo above was taken by an estate owner within The Cove at Celo Mountain. Her husband sent it to weather.com where it was posted online. The blue photo, the way the view appeared to me that evening, was taken by a rocket scientist friend who lives across from The Cove at Celo Mountain. She used a special technique to remove the golden aura that surrounded the spectacle. In the view of the arbor of the estate home within The Cove at Celo Mountain, you can see the golden glow in the background of the photo.

THEN, to highlight this week of news - our local small town, ten-table restaurant, Knife and Fork, won the Semi-Final round of the WNC Chef Challenge! According to the magazine, "Next up is the final round, taking place during the Grand Tasting at the WNC Magazine Asheville Wine & Food Festival on August 13, 2011. The team from Knife and Fork will be squaring off against Chef Michael Gonzales and his team from the Bistro on Biltmore Estate. This popular event will sell out, so be sure to get your tickets early. Visit www.ashevillewineandfood.com."

You simply must come enjoy all of this with us. We are offering you throughout June - complimentary accommodations, a gift of fine dining at Western North Carolina's acclaimed, avant-garde restaurant - Knife and Fork - AND a tour of the beautiful sanctuary setting of THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN. You will be charmed. The mountains are beckoning.