We were up at the chalet the last couple of weekends. The sound of water running in the creek next to our chalet is music to our ears. For the last couple of years, this sound has been pretty scarce with the severe drought in the area. So, getting to hear water rushing in our creek is a sign that things are slowly recovering.
And as for the music to our eyes... Well, we just installed a 47 inch LG flat panel into our cabin. 1080 HDTV is a beautiful thing thanks to DirectTV. While we're still not getting full HD on the local channels out of Chattanooga, we are getting MANY full HD channels. Add to that DVR capability and we now feel that the experience is complete. We even have a DVD player with great upconvert available to make the most of your favorite DVDs that you might bring along.
Spring is trying to peak around the corner and we're re-opening our chalet for 2008. We want to invite you back to Serenity Hill Chalet and Murphy, NC.
For those that have been to Murphy before and remember that you used to not be able to buy beer or get anything more than wine in a few of the local restaurants. Well, that's changing. Changes have been voted in, so by later this Spring you should be able to get the beverage of your choice when you go out to dinner. This will also attact some new restaurants to the area.
In addition, we hope to have HDTV available in our living room at the chalet later this Spring. Service has been ordered and we're looking for the right TV. So, we hope to have this before our first rental this Spring. While we think sitting on the porch on a Spring day is entertainment enough, we know that some folks need to keep up with their favorite shows. And so, we will have Direct TV DVR capability so you can have you white water rafting and not miss your favorite team's games.
The water shortage is taking it's toll. With reports of wells drying up in Western North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia, we have decided to not rent our chalet until conditions improve. We're hoping that Winter and Spring rains will start to get things back to normal, but the forcast doesn't look optimistic. At this time we will not rent until March at the earliest to protect our well and our neighbors who live on our road full-time and use the same well. Also, it would be disappionting for a guest to be holding a reservation and have the cabin be without water.
Wednesday of our week at the chalet, we took a day trip up to Gatlinburg. Lots of photo opportunities on the drive over the Smokies (If I can figure out the Gallery widget on the site, I'll post some of them later). It was hot, but an afternoon rain really cooled things off. Did our usual shopping thing including a stop at the Day Hiker where we added Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods" to the cabin's collection. We also visited a number of other great shops and tooks some pictures in front of the aquarium with the Red Baron Stearman Bi-Plane. Finished up the day having a great dinner at Bubba Gump's Shrimp.
Finally! Thought we'd never get back up here for a week. But we did it!! It's our anniversary week and what a great week to be here. We had a good rain on Saturday evening and a few showers since, but today was all sun and fun (well actually work). On Monday night we had our anniversary dinner at Doyles. Great place! Being Monday night, it wasn't too crowded and we ate on the screened porch. Great food, good service, and a very pleasant place to spend an anniversary evening. We highly recommend this place. On weekends during the season they have music on the patio. So, be sure to check them out when you stay at the chalet!
Well, after a little technical mayhem, I'm able to get out a new post on our blog. Not that everyone's hanging on every word, but I'd like to get a post out after each visit to the chalet. My wife, Judy, and I spent the weekend of February 23rd. Even in the Winter, it's still a great place to get away. While the scenery isn't as pretty as Spring through Fall, it still has it's look and (of course) it's still very quiet. We had a nice surprise waiting for us when we visited that seemed to coincide with my travels the week before. The "Fawdas" from New Orleans (or more correctly Kenner, Biloxi, Memphis,etc.) left us a Mardi Gras throw for our cabin.
I'm finally getting our blog started! We've been wanting to share our experiences exploring the Murphy area with our guests and potential. When we bought the chalet the Summer of 2005, we had never spent time in or around Murphy. So, we are newbies and we are exploring! Some of the links that we have on our site have been given to us from our guests, friends, or others that live in the area. But we think that it might be helpful for those visiting our site to get another explorers viewpoint. Also, we come across places that we feel should get a little free blog press of their own.
