Showhouse in Horse Cove

Martha had read about the Cashiers Historical Society's 22nd Annual Showhouse, which this year took place on a lovely 28-acre tract in Horse Cove.  We decided to attend because it was a beautiful day, and you can always get some decorating or remodeling ideas from seeing other houses.

The setting was spectacular, the broad monolith of Whiteside Mountain standing tall at the far end of horse pastures and shady maple trees.

The house itself was surprisingly modest, only a single story with a full basement, but very nicely decorated by several home decorators.  The rooms were filled with light, the walls adorned with paintings, and the hardwood floors covered with rugs.  The one in the bedroom, I noted, was cowhide and had a cattle brand visible.

This curved rock wall out back was a surprise.  It enclosed nothing; it was just a curved wall with a salvaged window in its center, defining a small patio  in privacy.

We wandered out on a curved walkway past the pastures where two beautiful horses were grazing, bridles hanging on the fence. What is there about grazing horses that gives you a deep sense of peace and serenity?

It was a quiet, magical place, and the road ended up at another surprise, a barn even closer to the base of Whiteside converted into a kind of guest house.  Decorators had set up displays here, and we climbed an interesting set of steps made of shorter pieces of flooring, which gave us an idea for a long-neglected stair-replacement project in our own home.

We visited a little cottage overlooking a pond, too, with a bullfrog providing the background rhythm.  We circled back and stopped in a tent set up by the Bascom art gallery, and I chatted with a woman who was painting interiors of the house in watercolors.  “You can’t make many mistakes with watercolors, can you?” I asked.  “No,” the artist answered, “Once you start you just have to go with it!”  It has been a long time since I attempted water colors, but it made me want to try it again.

What a beautiful and peaceful afternoon, this last day of July.  It made us think of all of the far-away events we have attended in Atlantic Beach, in the Outer Banks, and elsewhere.  But this one was right here in our own backyard, only eight miles away.  Sometimes you don’t have to go very far to experience special, peaceful, beautiful places, if you know where to look.