I was going to pick up my mail this evening but was sidetracked when I noticed a tree in bloom overhanging the gentle waters of the Watauga River.
The flowers aren't the only things popping up this spring--so are the real estate 'for sale' signs. For each piece of property ready to be traded here in the mountains, there are no less than 6 signs to guide you to said property. Two signs from the same realtor have blocked my view merging onto Broadstone Rd for two weeks. I get pissed everytime I have to strain to see around them. I took time out of my day to call the realtor and asked him to kindly move them to a less dangerous spot. He was nice, but has taken no action. Then, just for giggles I was thumbing through a high end real estate magazine today because the mansions of the North Carolina and South Carolina were featured in this book. The story quoted one local realtor claiming that the vistas from Boone of Charlotte, 100 miles away, were splendid, Boone traffic is non-existant and that up here, neighbors still give us eggs. I'm not sure what bowl of hooey this lady is trying to sell but I can, with confidence, tell you that if you buy a 5 million dollar home up here, it will be on the clear other side of the mountain from the fellow who still raises his own chickens. And, if you do happen to cross paths on a Friday afternoon when you are both stuck in the traffic on Blowing Rock Rd, he will still expect you to pay for his fresh eggs. And, by the way, the sweeping vista of the city of Charlotte from Boone is geographically impossible. Even on the best of days, a view of a skyscraper of two from Blowing Rock with the naked eye is rare. My advice is not to buy a home from this lady.