Nov-Dec 2013

A Monthly Publication for Balsam Mountain Preserve Members

The Balsam White Turkey!

Photographed by Natalie Altendorf

BALSAM MOUNTAIN PRESERVE

INVITES YOU TO

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28TH

AT THE BOARDING HOUSE

A TURKEY CARVING STATION

12:00PM, ONE SEATING

PLEASE MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS EARLY

AS THANKSGIVING AT THE BOARING HOUSE

TENDS TO SELL OUT QUICKLY!

RSVP TO MEMBER SERVICES AT 828.631.1000

REMINDER, weather permitting the golf course will be

open Friday, November 29th - Sunday, November 31st

S A V E T H E D A T E

Tuesday, December 31st

8:00pm - 1:00am

Music by

Banks & Shane

Make your

reservations EARLY!

Join us as we bid farewell to auld lang syne

and welcome in the New Year

at Balsam Mountain Preserve!

Several new families have purchased at Balsam Mountain Preserve!

Brendan & Heather Nash, Johannesburg , S.A. Edwin & Giselle Velez, Toa Alta, Puerto Rico

Charles Weickel, Orlando, Florida

Discover more ways to enjoy your Membership. Explore the Balsam Mountain Member Website for an online

directory, calendar of events and more.

WELCOME NEW OWNERS

‘tis the season with

Balsam Care

Balsam Care ~

For owners that spend time away from their home, our security team will "checklist" your home for possible problems, e.g., security of windows and doors, plumbing/pipes, appliances, lighting, thermostat settings, refrigerators and freezers, etc. and will, if necessary notify you with any concerns. Our pre-arrival services can "fresh-air" your home by checking the thermostat, turning on lights, clearing porches and decks of leaves or snow, see that firewood/kindling are stocked and, with enough notice, even have fresh flowers, groceries and beverage selections waiting for you and your guests. As a bonus, for those homes that are on our house check program, we provide a free house check during major storm events to ensure that all is okay. House checks are $25.00 per visit.

To sign up for Balsam Care or our Key Retention Program contact Johnny Nicholson at 828.631.1011 or jnicholson@balsammountain.com.

I have been using Balsam Care for the past 5 years and have been extremely pleased with the value and the results. Having a trusted member of the Balsam security staff regularly inspect my home while I'm away gives me much greater piece of mind than I would receive from an outside vendor. Being on the property enables Balsam Care to react immediately to local weather and security alarms. I have been promptly notified of many issues before they became major problems including water leaks, mice infestation, storm and lightning damage, wasp and yellow jackets, back-up generator faults and security camera failures. I am also pleased that the modest fee goes directly into the Balsam general fund. I would highly recommend Balsam Care for every homeowner.

- Andy de Ganahl

Leaf Removal ~

Along with this wonderful holiday season comes leaves and plenty of them! Leaf removal will be $300.00 for the season and we will come out three times to clean off roofs, gutters (both if can be done safely), and landscaping.

Deadline for sign up is November 8, 2013. Contact Member Services at 828.631.1000.

Snow Removal ~

So pretty, so peaceful, so Christmassy, so… troublesome! Don’t let a little winter snow slow you down. Sign up for our Annual Driveway Snowplowing Program and for a flat fee of $400, we’ll plow all winter long. The fee includes plowing and salt following snowfall as needed throughout the winter months. The fee for one-time snow removal is $80.

Deadline for sign up is November 8, 2013. Contact Member Services at 828.631.1000.

Boarding House Winter Season Schedule

November 4th, 2013 – April 30th, 2014

Monday - Thursday: 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Continental breakfast for cabin guests

Friday - Sunday: 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Full breakfast

Daily except Tuesdays: 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Thursday - Saturday: 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Reservations Required

When Dinner is not being served, a To Go Cabin Menu will be available every day except Tuesday. Homeowners may also take advantage of this Menu. Selections must

be made same day before 2:00 p.m.

A Vernacular House in the Mountains The following article was written about Marshall and Mary Bassett’s beautiful home here at Balsam Mountain Preserve and published in “New Old House” Magazine. We thought you might enjoy reading it if you haven’t already. As published in the New Old House Magazine, www.oldhouseonline.com. By Mary Grauerholz | Photos by Emily Followill

P oised at a juncture of craggy rock and blue sky, the North Carolina mountain home is more like a refuge than a destination, beckoning visitors to open the antique chestnut door, drink in the airy interior, and catch the hypnotic trails of mist rising around the Blue Ridge Mountains. No wonder

homeowners Mary and Marshall Bassett, currently residents of suburban Philadelphia, see their home as a retreat. The beauty of the house—which the Bassetts intend to live in year-round after retirement—is that it is so supremely different. This western, mountainous part of North Carolina is dotted with communities of summer people who spend the warm months in rustic, chalet-style homes. As sweet as the typical mountain architecture is, the Bassetts wanted a higher-style escape, a house infused with classical details and traditional forms. “It’s to be a permanent home,” Marshall Bassett says. “We wanted it to be more on the formal side because of the way we live.” They also wanted to do justice to their collection of treasured family antiques, such as the 1810 slant-top desk in the living room, the blue porcelain dishes standing in the dining room’s built-in cabinet, and the early 1800s English needlepoints hanging on the walls, some of which originate in Marshall’s Southern roots. Another emotional pull was the family’s years of living on the Eastern seaboard and its beautiful old seaside cottages. “We’ve lived so long in the Northeast,” Marshall says.

Perimeter stone walls, rising from floor to ceiling in the interior, suggest foundation pillars. The lower level of the home is the more casual space for the homeowners and guests.

Classical pilasters frame the dining room and establish a sense of formality.

Casual spaces are finished with exposed stone and built-in bookshelves.

The Bassetts knew that building their retirement home would be a tall order: The house would need to express who they are and their family traditions, while allowing for a stylistic fit within the mountainous region—within the location’s steep grade and a nature-prescribed buildable envelope measuring less than one-third of an acre.

They found the key to their house at Historical Concepts, an award-winning traditional architecture firm in Peachtree City, Georgia. Terry Pylant, a firm partner and principal, guided the team of Historical Concepts and local experts, including Morgan-Keefe Builders in Asheville, North Carolina. “We wanted to achieve a certain formality,” Marshall says, “but we weren’t interested in cathedral ceilings and that type of thing. We chose Historical Concepts because of their traditional vernacular.”

Located in the Balsam Mountain Preserve, a gated community in the mountains outside of Asheville, the home’s design was a delicate balance for Pylant and his colleagues. While the Historical Concepts team was determined to rise above the wilderness motifs of much of the surrounding architecture, Pylant knew it was just as important that the house didn’t overpower the setting. Pylant succeeded by carefully distributing the space on the side of the mountain, separating a bedroom cabin, and tucking the garage into the terrain to give the appearance of smaller, slightly separated structures.

The resulting three-level home tells a strong, lovely story in nuanced style: simple but sophisticated, rich but warm and welcoming, traditional with a rustic edge. The first floor contains the main living space, all of it spacious and bright: living room, dining room, kitchen, and wine room. Clearly the Bassetts love to be here, in the common space. “The heart of the home is the kitchen, and the soul is the wine cellar,” Marshall says, lightheartedly. The dining room, framed by classical pilasters, is filled with the family’s treasured antiques, including Chippendale dining chairs and a Sheraton style table. With their daughter, Charlotte, the Bassetts often sit down in the window-lined breakfast nook, centered with a table that belonged to Marshall’s great-grandmother, the spot where she stored her butter churns. Mixing classical style and the traditional aesthetic of the mountain region required a deft interpretive touch. “We decided to incorporate classicism in a softer, more nuanced fashion,” Pylant says. They did this by working with locally sourced materials—experimenting at times to see what worked—and, as he says, “reimagining regional detailing” for a new classical style language with a hint of regional dialect. The beautiful stone is all local, and floors are heart pine. The seaside touches of the Northeast that the Bassett family loves so much are seamlessly incorporated throughout: Palladian windows, the gambrel roof, a shingled exterior. “Like a lot of old beach houses, we wanted to rusticate it,” Marshall says. The success of the intermingled approach is evident throughout the house: the Greek Doric columns crafted from rough, hand-planed timbers that stand in the entry portico; pristine detailing and millwork framing lightly washed wood walls; a stunning fireplace in the living room that reflects local tradition, but is softened and refined with a classical mantel. Railings on the side porch and back balconies were built with top and bottom rails of locust and filled in with free-form laurel.

The architectural firm married classical detailing and vernacular style with this mountain-high retreat. Greek Doric columns are made from hand-hewn timbers. The elliptical shape of the portico and the rounded purlins set the tone for softer, more fluid detailing inside.

Pylant achieved the interior’s easy-on-the-eyes mood by designing for maximum flow. “Since there are three levels, the stair became the vertical axis point,” he says. By placing the stair, with its sublime chestnut balustrade, in the home’s forward corner, Pylant says, “the connecting rooms radiate from that point at each level. The key is to minimize the connecting corridors.” Pylant pulled from the talents of a team of local craftsmen, including stonemason Cody Macfie of Steep Creek Stone Works and landscape architect Barry Cosgrove of Barry Cosgrove Landscaping, both located in North Carolina. Another key piece of the team was interior designer Kip Farmer, of Kip Farmer Design in Evansville, Indiana, who supported the classical style, woven with a vernacular understatement, with sweeps of neutral wall tones. The subtle palette allows the awesome views of the mountains to provide the color. “Kip was an essential part the team,” Marshall says. Farmer recalls going to his first meeting at the site, hiking the last piece of the way, all the while “being so distracted by the breathtaking view, I could hardly focus on the construction meeting at hand.” Farmer let that awe and respect guide him. Like Pylant, he drew on the great local talent of the region, including primitive artists who offered original pottery and artwork, hand-knotted rugs, antique quilts, custom lighting fashioned from reclaimed vintage fittings, and down-to-earth fabrics. Like the architectural and design touches, the creative roots of the Bassetts’ home are a sublime mix of history, identity, tradition, experience, and ancestry. Finding the right language—and the right team—to meld it was the key to success, Pylant says. “A client with sophisticated tastes had a higher vision,” Pylant explains. “An architectural design team struck a balance between the vernacular and the classical. An interior designer adeptly blended antiques, art, and furnishings for an ambiance simultaneously traditional and comforting. A homebuilder drew upon the skill of inspired craftsmen, with a commitment to artistry, to quality, and to time-honored techniques. The sum of these parts is what gives the home a true sense of authenticity, of belonging, to the mountain and to an earlier time.”

The light-filled entry hall is warm and welcoming.

The kitchen’s simple handcrafted cabinetry and soapstone countertops create a vintage feel.

2013 Member-Guest Results

Jim Thompson and Dave Paterson bested Lawton Hayes and David Stead in an exciting shootout to claim victory in the 7th Annual BMP Member/Guest!

Balsam Flight Mountain Flight

Winner: Rod Hanlon & Rob Hostetter Winner: Lawton Hayes & David Stead Runner-Up: Skip Hauser & David Schopp Runner-Up: Bob Fitts & Bob Fitts Jr.

3rd Place: Michael Mazenko & Bill Linne

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: 2013 Champions Dave Paterson & JT Thompson, Adam Shirley & Mills Ariail, David & Lynda

Schopp & Pat and Skip Hauser, Lawton & Nancy Hayes, Cindy & David Stead, Rob Howard, Bob Kiessling, Jim Smith,

and Ken Torok, Bill Linne & Michael Mazenko

T wenty players teed it up on Wednesday,

October 16th for the 1st Annual BMP/WCU

Member/Student Athlete Scramble.

Members were able to participate in a

demonstration clinic led by Men’s and

Women’s WCU college golfers. Fun was

had by all on the course and at the reception at Larry and Mary Arbaugh’s

home after golf. Michael Fulbright, Wayde Seidensticker, Evan Smith, and

Jack Walsh came out victorious with a 9-hole score of 25.

Great playing by all!

April 4

Golf Course Opens for Season

April 12

Masters Match-Up Tournament

April 15-16

Greens Aerification

May 24

1-Day Member-Member/Guest

May 26

Memorial Day Scramble

June 6-8

Member/Member

June 24

Spiking and Topdressing Greens

June/July/August

Summer Match Play

July 4

Flag Day Tournament

July 5

1-Day Member-Member/Guest

July 19-20

Ruby Valley Cup

August 2-3

Club Championship

August 23

1-Day Member-Member/Guest

September 7-8

Member/Pro

September 9

Spiking & Topdressing Greens

October 9-11

Member/Guest

2014 Golf Tournament Schedule

A Medley of Fall Flavors Come to The Boarding House and Enjoy

New Lunch Menu Items For The Fall Season

Small Plates, Soups and Salads

Soup du Jour…..cup $4…..bowl $6 Smoked Tomato Soup…..cup $3 bowl $5 Fried Pickles…..$5 Onion Rings…..$5 Soup and Salad…..$7 Garden Salad…..$3/$6 (add grilled chicken…..$3)

Iceberg Wedge Salad…..$9 Fried Oysters or Shrimp, Bacon, Cherry Tomatoes, Bleu Cheese Crumbles, Cucumbers and Shaved Red Onion served over a hearty Iceberg Wedge. Accompanied by our signature Bleu Cheese Dressing

Roasted Sweet Potato Spinach Salad…..$8 Oven Roasted Sweet Potato with Dried Cranberries, Green Apples, Honey Roasted Walnuts and Gruyere Cheese served on a bed of Baby Spinach with our Plum and Nutmeg Vinaigrette

Chicken Salad on Mixed Greens…..$8 Ask your server about our Chicken Salad selection for today. Served on Mixed Greens with Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Red Onion with your choice of dressing and Crostini

House Dressings Ranch, Blue Cheese, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Apple Vinaigrette, and Russian

Big Plates and Sandwiches Served with fries, sweet potato fries, Yukon Gold chips, fresh fruit, onion rings or daily pasta

Turkey Reuben…..$8 Grilled Turkey and Sauerkraut with Swiss Cheese and Russian Dressing on grilled rye

Chicken Sandwich…..$8 Grilled or Cajun Chicken Breast with Lettuce, Tomato and Mayonnaise on a toasted bun

Balsam Triple Decker Club…..$9 Smoked Turkey, Honey Ham and Peppered Bacon layered with Crisp Lettuce, Ripe Tomatoes, Cheddar and Swiss Cheese and Mayonnaise served on your choice of bread

Po’Boy…..$9 Fried Oysters and Shrimp served on a Toasted Hoagie Roll with Provolone Cheese, Tartar Sauce, Shredded Lettuce and Bacon

Portobello Special…..$8 A marinated Portobello Mushroom grilled to perfection with melted Swiss Cheese, Spinach and Caramelized Onions, topped with a Roasted Garlic Aioli and our Balsamic Dressing on sourdough bread

Cuban Sandwich…..$8 Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder, Ham, Pickles, Mustard and Swiss Cheese on a pressed cuban roll

Fall Ham & Gouda Panini…..$8 Black Forest Ham with Barbers Orchard Apple Butter and melted Smoked Gouda Cheese, served on our fresh wheat berry bread

Southern Fish & Chips…..$9 Classic Fried Catfish Fillets served with our Beer Battered Fries and Tartar Sauce

Carolina Trout Plate…..$12 Fresh Carolina Trout served grilled, blackened or fried with your choice of side and a garden salad

Balsam Burger…..$8 add cheese…..$1 Choose Cheese: American, cheddar, Swiss or provolone Choose toasted bread: Whole wheat, white, rye or bun

*All sandwiches and large salads are available as a wrap at no extra charge.

The Nature of Things: is… well… the Joy of Nature

I have seen, while living in the mountains of western North Carolina, some amazing displays of the awe-inspiring wonders of the natural world. I have, at the same time, seen the responses of these displays by the people I am honored to be in the company of when responses are communicated.

Where I’m head-ed with this is, that this year has seen the realization of the ongoing participation of our regular members as well as the addition of new members partaking of Trust activities. It all bodes well for the future of the Preserve and for the success of the Trust as an organization. Because the Trust is charged in its mission, in part, with the stewardship of the natural and cultural resources on the Preserve, it behooves us to instill and cultivate a sense of wonder and a sense of place for all BMP members. We try to do that with every encounter we have on the mountain. We would like to know how the members feel about what the Trust does for them. Whether we engage you in programs, help to preserve your investment while you are a member on the Preserve, a combination of those or some other reason, we’re very interested in your opinion. This community is realizing a growth in membership and this is exciting as it helps the entire com-munity become more diverse and healthy—financially. The Trust can help each member become more healthy holistically just by taking part in the programs offered by this organization. The Trust exists for the BMP membership (and for the surrounding communities) and as such wants to be the best it can be by remaining relevant and beneficial to each member. Give us a call, stop by or otherwise engage any Trust staff member or Board member. We look for-ward to hearing your thoughts.

by Michael Skinner, Trust Executive Director

www.bmtrust.org

Left) You can sense the palpable exuberance on the face of BMP member Al Tunstall as he shows off the rainbow trout he caught (and subsequently released) on the Hazel Creek BMP member trip Michael led for him and Ed James. (Right) Ed James offers up wild rainbow trout which were cooked over an open fire creek-side in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This is how you cultivate a sense of place as members of this community. Let’s wet a line together.

Photos by M. Skinner

Trek with your neighbors and the TRUST | Sundays from 10:00am-Noon

Call the Trust offices at 828/631-1060 to book a guided hike anytime, based on availability.

Turn a Good Hike

into a

GREAT HIKE

Photo by Lisa Guerriero Photo by Lisa Guerriero

Club Hours of Operation

Pro Shop: Closed for season.

Practice Park: Closed for season.

Trail Rides: Closed for season.

Pavilion: Open 24 hours.

Fitness Center: Open 24 hours.

Pool: Closed for season.

Tennis Courts: Open 24 hours.

Turnhouse: Closed for season.

The Boarding House Restaurant:

Light Continental Breakfast:

Mon – Thurs, 8am – 10am

Breakfast:

Fri – Sun, 8am – 10am

Lunch:

Wed – Mon, 11:30am – 2pm

Dinner:

Thurs – Sat, 6:30pm – 9:00pm

*Reservations Required

The Nature Center: 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily

Club Staff and Contact Information

Administration: 828.631.1040

Bruce Fine: General Manager

Tina Jones: Business Manager

Member Services: 828.631.1000

Melissa Zoda: Boarding House Manager

Amy Coggins: Member Services Manager

Balsam Care

(Maintenance & Cabins): 828.631.1000

Pro Shop: 828.631.1009

Drew Marshall: Head Golf Pro

Stables: 828.631.1066

Natalie Altendorf: Stable Manager

Security / Main Gate: 828.631.1011

Main Gate Emergency: 828.508.0116

Sales: 828.631.1001

Joe Dellinger: Sales Executive

Bill Minus: Sales Executive

Jamie Aquino: Marketing Manager

RIDGE Lines Editor

Nature Center / Balsam Mountain Trust:

828.631.1060

Michael Skinner: Executive Director

Blair Ogburn: Sr. Naturalist

www.bmtrust.org

The Reserve at Lake Keowee

Contact Balsam Member Services at

828.631.1000 for all Activities and Reservations.

www.reserveatlakekeowee.com

Grand Harbor Golf & Yacht Club

Contact Balsam Member Services at

828.631.1000 for all Activities and Reservations.

www.grandharbor.net

Balsam Mountain Preserve | 81 Preserve Road | Sylva, NC 28779

866.452.3456

www.balsammountainpreserve.com