Sarvis, Dogwood, Cherry Trees at EASTER AND THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN

Passover was Friday, today is Easter, and this brings up a whole new discussion about tradition - this time revolving around blooming trees here.

In one of the recent blogs I talked about going for a spring walk on Mt. Mitchell Golf Course-before opening day- with my octogenarian friend after church one Sunday (but shhhh...I think that's off limits.)  My friend's family and her husband's family have owned their land here for 7 generations.  It is all now deeded to their children - the 8th generation.  The multi-generational family who sold "part" of their land to what is now this acclaimed golf course, were also founders - along with my walking buddy - of our church.  As we discussed all of this history and the "ties that bind" after service, it somehow led into a discussion of the blooms outside the windows - the blooms the Blue Ridge Mountains are noted for in spring, what various names are given to the trees and how this all ties into our religious traditions.

Local name:  Sarvis, Other Names:  Service, Service berry

My question was specifically about the prolific white blooming trees - everywhere all over these mountains now - growing wild.  Are these all wild dogwood?  My friend said no, they are mostly sarvis trees.  Another generational local in the church said she had just learned that "we" had been using the Appalachian vernacular, that they are really called service trees, more specifically service berry trees.  One of the men explained that it was a toss-up whether the local term, "sarvis" is really a dialectical mispronunciation of service or yet another example of old Shakespearean English that is still so prevalent among the "old timers" here - and a spin-off of the sorbus tree.  Or, some say the name "service" comes from this time of year - Easter - when the trees would bloom exactly at the time of Easter services.  Others say it is because tent revivals were held around this season, and the blooms coincided with those services.

Dogwood tree - North Carolina State Flower

Close-up of the Dogwood Flower  - official NC State Flower

Interestingly enough, the wild dogwood (North Carolina's state flower) is also blooming now. It is difficult for me to tell the two apart from a distance.  The dogwood also has Christian symbolism and legend tied to it - also coinciding with Easter.  Here is what Wikipedia has to say about that:

"Many Christians consider the flowering dogwood's showy cross-like inflorescences ("flowers") to be religious symbols, due to their four white petal-like bracts bearing red dots on their tips; these trees are often in flower during the springtime Easter season in the Northern Hemisphere. Christian tradition claims the dogwood as the tree used to make the cross on which Jesus was crucified, and further, that dogwoods grew taller and broader until the 1st Century AD, making them suitable for use as crosses. In response to Jesus's death on one, God permanently stunted the growth of the dogwood species to prevent them ever again being used for the same purpose. Today, very few dogwood specimens would provide sufficient wood to manufacture a cross by the primitive means of the 1st Century AD.''

Cherry blossoms on The Cove at Celo Mountain

Cherry trees around one of the trout ponds within THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN

 Oh, and then there are cherry trees with white blooms on THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN as well.  I will never forget driving a friend along the road by these as the petals cascaded down on the car.  It was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen in my life.  All the friend could say was, "Oh, this is so beautiful!" 


I love the land, the stories, the dialect, but - most of all - the salt-of-the-earth people here.


Come spend a few days with us enjoying the most gorgeous spring imaginable in this sanctuary setting we call THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN, just off America's Favorite Drive - the Blue Ridge Parkway - and a part of the Pisgah National Forest. Spend time getting to know our hometown people on one of our special visit packages that includes lodging at one of our historic bed-and-breakfasts and dining at the award-winning farm-to-table Knife and Fork restaurant.  Come back home to the natural beauty and simple goodness of small-town America.  Your mountain, your heritage awaits you.  


Call 866-378-4769 to book your accommodations and pick your home site or Cabin at Celo
For more information: THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN


Background information for trees:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornus_(genus)

http://smokymountainnews.com/issues/03_03/03_26_03/mtn_voices.html

Further reading:

$100K Grant to Save the NC Dogwood

Planting Native for Wildlife

Mt. Mitchell Golf Course and THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN

Many Years Running - 4 1/2 Stars of 5 - BEST PLACES TO PLAY -  Golf Digest

17th Green - Award-Winning Mt. Mitchell Golf Course - our celebrated fall foliage season

The overused Texan 1/2 joke, 1/2 truth about "I am flying our company's jet to____ " when referring to Southwest Airlines, is true for us - with a different metaphor - in North Carolina when referring to Mt. Mitchell Golf Course.  When something so wonderful exists - close-by, convenient, cost-effective, beautiful, award-winning, accommodating - why would you need or want to have one in your backyard - with the added expense, the added traffic, golf balls flying through your French doors or window, or errant golfers crawling through your property in search of their golf balls?

THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN has it right, I think.  Exchange the golf course for streams, creeks, trout ponds, waterfalls, long and short-range mountain views, manicured hiking trails, 4 park areas for family or friend gatherings, an area set aside for individual or family camping, lean-to's along the trails and streams for reading, photographing wildlife or just relaxing in a hammock in peace and quiet - instead of a golf course with dozens or hundreds of strangers roaming around and yelling near your hallowed space, the commensurate homeowners' fees for this - and, above all, changing the exquisite natural beauty of this sanctuary setting called THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN.

Mt. Mitchell Golf Course, 10 minutes up 80 S (a NC State Scenic Highway) from us is a 4 1/2-star (of 5) Golf Digest Best Places to Play Course - many years running. It is opened April-November, complete with Value Days, no cart fees, no blind spots, breathtaking scenery, a Pro Shop, a pub, and wonderful restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining overlooking the award-winning course.

An octogenarian friend and I decided to walk the course after church today -  before its opening tomorrow.  I thought you might enjoy the following.

A River Runs Through It - Mt. Mitchell Golf Course

Breathtaking Beauty in the Blue Ridge - Mt. Mitchell Golf Course

Chef Teo at the Mt. Mitchell Golf Club Restaurant and Hawtree's Pub

Spring wildflowers today on the course - before opening day

My 83-year-old friend walking the course with me - 7th generation local family landowner and one of the few remaining hand quilters of our famed Appalachian Quilt crafters - not one machine stitch - not a finer woman alive, I think!

Visit THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN, and let us book your tee times at special rates.  They are, after all, "our company golf course!"

2012 Golf Schedule