Rhododendrons Eaten by Starving Deer

Have your Rhododendrons been eaten?

Because some folks chose to feed the deer last summer, the deer did not have to forage for themselves. Then when winter arrived the deer were desperate. That caused the very hungry deer to eat Rhododendrons this winter.

These pictures are from just one house, Kim & Kathy Barley’s home. Their rhododendrons had never even been nibbled before. Were your plants eaten this winter?

We have been told by people who have spoken to the local Wildlife Officers that human feeding of deer in the summertime is a disaster to the herd. These are wild animals not nice pets. Feeding bears is also dangerous. Some have broken into homes to find food. 

The lesson: DO NOT FEED WILD ANIMALS IN THE SUMMER! IT IS A TERRIBLE THING TO DO TO THE ANIMALS AND IS SELFISH! 

BMLGA PLAYDAY

Yes, it was in the high 30's, but a few brave souls played anyway and had a fun time. It was cart path only and the fairway was a little soft, so we were all happy that the game was "Individual Low Putts".

I have included pictures of the 10th Fairway. You can see the trees are still coming out, but Rory has the course looking great. The beautiful Rhododendron Blossom is from the bushes around the green.

The three pictures of players are the hardy ones who showed up to play. John was there to introduce the game and send us out into the cold world.

If you would like to join our group, you must be a BMC Member with a yearly beginning handicap Index of 37.1. Contact our President, Becky Welsh at 387-2376 for more details.

Nancy

We're Waiting For You...

Okay, you caught me! No, we aren't seeing our flowers blooming yet but we are in between seasons here right now. The snow is gone but leaves have not yet unfurled so I dug into my files for some 'spring time' photos to try to entice you back.

We are in the middle of a projected four days of rain right now and temperatures are hovering in the mid 40s day and night. With the sun well hidden, I even have to admit that it feels cooler right now with our 30 mph wind gusts than winter days that are too beautiful to resist a walk in the still, quiet trails while snow would softly fall all around. Still, the break in the clouds reward us with a gorgeous long range view from many vantage points around the mountain and we have more and more great, sunny days than those that are less than perfect.

Before you know it, the golf course will be open, the pool will be in high gear, we have two events scheduled at our Pavilion by the pool in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce (Frogmore Stew and a Barn Dance) that promise to be great fun, tennis balls will be bouncing on all courts and our hiking trails will once again be alive with young and old wanting to get back to nature.

So.................when can we expect you? We've missed your smiling faces!

Our Biggest Snow Yet This Season...

March 2, 2009
Big Winter Snowstorm of March 1st



Well, I think I finally did it...I've taken too many pictures to put on this blog post so if you want more, just email me and I'll send some more to you. The pool area appears to have snow covering the pool water itself but it is actually covering the pool cover. Still...an interesting shot.

The recreation building and parking lot were covered in about 15" - 18" of the white stuff, which really made for some interesting pics.

From St. Andrews, the Clubhouse and golf pro shop show up nicely on a cold winter morning.

Another shot from St. Andrews looking up #15 and #16.

From Grassy Gap Loop, here's a shot of #9 with the mountains in the background.

There was absolutely no way this day could have been clearer for mountain views. Looking down #10 from the deck of the Clubhouse.

The cart barn and Fairway Cafe appear to be at the end of a big field instead of the putting green.

The Fairway Cafe through the putting green arbor.

I've never seen the distant farms and mountains jump out at you as much as they did while shooting from the Clubhouse deck.

The practice area was buried beneath a foot and a half of snow. It was about 15 degrees on March 2nd when I took these shots. It became very windy later in the day and the temperatures dropped below zero overnight. It is now back up to a toasty 12 degrees!

Wish you were all here to enjoy it! :)

Yep, It's Winter Now!

January 12, 2009

The snow and moisture accumulation on the trees, coupled with the lack of wind, made for beautiful winter views today.

The brown of the branches and pristine white of the snow against a blue sky background was hard to pass up...so I didn't!

White on white on white. It was hard at times to tell trees from ground.

Kat's view... the most popular photo op on the mountain.

This picture was actually taken on Jan. 10th, and shows the practice facility a few days after receiving 5" of new snow.

It's Time to Plan Your Ski Vacation

November 8, 2008

A visit to Ski Beech these days will confirm the rumors across the mountain...a lot is happening and it's all good!

Snow blowers are ready to go when temperatures permit.

A lot of training, painting, refurbishing and moving things around is going on at Ski Beech.

We hear that the Beech Tree will be geared up with food, music and fun for the season.

The skate rentals are located within the same space as a cafe so you can grab a hot chocolate and something light to eat while getting ready to skate.

The exterior of many of the buildings have been painted or new siding put on.

The tunnel under the View Haus is completely painted with murals that are simply awesome!

Even the area leading to the restrooms has not been overlooked for mural spaces.

For more pictures and information on Ski Beech please check out http://beechmountainnews.blogspot.com/ and http://www.skibeech.com/.

Our First Snow of the Season

October 28, 2008


This female cardinal does not seem to mind the cold. The 3" of snow that we received between the night of the 27th and day of the 28th sure was pretty.

The distant farms outside of Banner Elk did not get as much snow as Beech Mountain but it still made nice views.

This titmouse and other birds were glad to find some seed amongst all that cold white stuff.

It was nice while it lasted. We are looking forward to getting a blizzard now!

It's Fall, Y'All

October 12, 2009


The Recreation Center is in full color.

One of the 'locals', framed by autumn's colors.

What a perfect day for strolling the roads and 'leaf-looking'.

I never knew mushrooms could look so beautiful. Two days later these were all dried up.

A great day for teeing off on the 10th tee.

The red maples sometimes appeared to be on fire.

Range after mountain range of color, and with the temperatures in the low 60s it was hard to leave the deck.

Lake Coffey reflected the colors of the season as the ducks glided over the still waters. The winds are picking up tonight so we will probably not be able to enjoy the colors much longer. Our next post may be of our first snow! Come back to check soon.