Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Where the Wealthy Go on Vacation


I'm sure that there are many places in this world where the wealthy go to get away from their busy lives. One place they may go is to the MOUNTAIN AIR RESORT near Burnsville, NC (in the Blue Ridge Mountains northeast of Asheville). Mountain Air is a gated community which has luxurious homes, condos, cabins, etc.

George and I definitely are NOT wealthy (except in our hearts)---but we were invited to visit George's son and family at Mountain Air the weekend of July 10. They were vacationing in a gorgeous condo (which belongs to Melissa's parents) at Mountain Air. We had a marvlous time ---and they took us on a 'tour' of the area. That weekend, I felt as if I really was one of the 'privileged'.... (Of course it helped that the young people 'spoiled' us while we were there.)

Today I'm going to show you some of the pictures that we took while in the Mountain Air Resort area. In another blog post, I will show you some of the gorgeous views from these mountains--but today, let me introduce to 'how the other half live'.... Above is a picture of one of the golf courses which were built all over that mountain. Below are more pictures. Be sure and click on the pictures to make them larger--for better viewing.






On the top of the mountain, there is a beautiful 'mall' area ---filled with shops, a restaurant, a golf pro shop, a swimming pool and even a putting green --in the middle of all of the shops/stores.






Wouldn't you love to go swimming in THIS pool???? Look at the view!!!! Wow!





Do you see the tee on this hole????? Look at the top--near the left---way up there!!!! Mercy!





This is the 'kicker'!!!! This resort has its own private airstrip. People can fly their private planes into the resort and spend the weekend at their mountain homes. The resort management will pick people up when the airplane comes in ---and take them to their homes. The resort will also have their home 'ready' for them!!!!!! Talk about the LIFE!!!!





Which one of those private airplanes do you want????? I'll take ANY of them. ha





We rode around the resort (which is HUGE) and were impressed at some of the landscaping and beauty around us. I loved this little covered bridge.






The area we are entering here is called Timber Sky. I like the way they used 'timber' for decoration--across the road.





In the same area, look how they used 'timber' as the bridge railings. Neat, huh?





Here is one of the many multi-million dollar homes we saw --sitting on the edge of the mountains. You have to see these homes in order to realize the beauty. We walked in one unfinished one... HUGE!!!!! And to think---most of the people who own homes such as this probably own 4-5 homes like this. Unbelievable!!!!! One of the homes we saw (it may have been this one) belonged to the Chef Boyardee family. Another one we saw belonged to the Oreck Family--you know, the vacuum cleaner family!!!!





Here's another home ---as seen from the road below. The pictures just don't do them justice. These were homes that were built with native stone and wood ---which helped them fit into the environment in the area. They were simply GORGEOUS!!





I'll close showing you one of the great views we had ---from all of the areas around Mountain Air. Wouldn't you just love to have a cabin on top of this mountain with THIS view?????? Wow!


Hugs,

43 comments:

Darla said...

Yes I would, with an airplane to get me there too. Those winding roads around and around make me have motion sickness.......I love the mountains and the views. Thanks for sharing how the other half lives.....must be a rough life.

Kirigalpoththa said...

Nice greenery. Beautiful area!

Kathy W said...

Yeap those homes are beautiful. We work for some people who have homes about that size. Doesn't have their own air strips though. If I owned a home there i could not imagine owning another one anywhere else. Great shots Betsy.

Rita said...

Hi Betsy I just dicovered your blog. And I am enjoying reading it. Lovely resort!! And that view is beautiful!
Rita

Jayne said...

What a gorgeous place Betsy. Ah, the perks of being filthy rich! :c)

marmee said...

betsy,

so happy for you and g that you got to be spoiled for a few days. everyone needs that once in awhile. it looks very beautiful.

Thoughtfully Blended Hearts said...

Gorgeous photos Betsy and I love looking at those homes...

Anonymous said...

It really is a nice looking place. The mountains add so much.

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Diane AZ said...

I love how the homes, bridge and "mall" all fit in with their environment and with each other. Also the "timber" decorating theme is charming. Enjoyed the tour. :)

Adrienne Zwart said...

Betsy, what a beautiful place! I'm so glad you were able to experience the luxury of being spoiled. I can't imagine being that wealthy, but part of me wonders if they truly appreciate it since their life is like that every day.

Arkansas Patti said...

Next best thing to being wealthy is knowing people who are. What a great place to visit. Was charmed by the covered bridge. Glad you got to be spoiled for a while.

Randy said...

What a beautiful place! I can't believe it has it's own landing strip.--Randy

Susie said...

Those homes are beautiful Betsy! I'd hate to have to live like that! lol

At least I don't have their utility bills.

Beth said...

Wow, Betsy, that is truly a gorgeous place---nice to get a taste of the "high" life (no pun intended)! My husband, who is a carpenter, used to help build homes like this. The last one he helped build was so huge, he said that our entire house would fit into their living room with room left over. Seriously. And there were to be only two people living there. And it was just their vacation home. *Sigh*

Anyway, thanks for the look at a lovely place!

amelia said...

Tough life they have!! NOT!

The Blue Ridge Mountains are so beautiful I'd love to visit them some day. It's so wonderful for you that you really do get to visit these places!

Pat - Arkansas said...

Gorgeous place! Thanks for the photos; seeing them is probably as close as I'll ever get to Mountain Air Resort. :)

Mary said...

Wow..."fancy place" doesn't cover this one. Beautiful views....too bad they always waste them on golf courses :-)

Busy Bee Suz said...

This place is gorgeous!! Perhaps if ALL the bloggers on your blogroll put our pennies together we could buy one of those houses???

I Am Woody said...

Reminds me of the place we worked last winter near Boone, NC. Those mountain homes are gorgeous and the way the designer wraps the golf course around those mountains - Wow!

Carol Murdock said...

Really bueatiful Betsy! Glad you had such a wonderful time.

Dirt Princess said...

What a gorgeous place

Loran said...

Ah, the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Some of those houses look like places in Park City. Maybe some of the people have houses in both? Who can imagine? How fun you got to visit.

Deborah Godin said...

Fun to see how the other half (actually, isn't it more like the top 1%) lives!! That covered bridge is lovely!

Dorothy said...

What a treat to get to tour this area! Really a beautiful place!!

Karin said...

I hope they are paying you handsomely for this fantastic promo!!! LOL I think keeping it a rustic theme is simply gorgeous - it has such charm and beauty! Loved that covered bridge!

Joy said...

Oh my goodness! That is a beautiful. What a treat to be able to spend time there. You took some great pictures.

Joy

Jen said...

Nice! The views are priceless.

SmilingSally said...

Now I'm going to have to pretend that I've never seen this post or I'll turn GREEN for sure.

The contract is a standard one, and it gives the builder a year to finish. I'm not concerned; we've bought new house before and know that this is the way it goes.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Betsy: Truly a beautiful place with so much to offer. I'm so glad you had a great trip with the kids.

Stephanie Suzanne Designs said...

Hello Betsy,

Oh, what a lovely resort. :0) With all the mess in the economy it's a pleasure to see "the wealthy" STILL spending money and stimulating the economy.

They are definitely still spending it here in my area.

I think the worst possible thing that was announced last year by our President was to "quit spending our money", to cut back, on and on..logic says that if the cash flow stops so does everything that requires it! And I believe we are seeing the proof of that now!

I have no formal education but common sense told me to NOT stop spending money...well, I'll get off that bandwagon..I know you don't need to listen to me ramble on!! hahaha

So we continue to do our part to stimulate the economy! Oh, and I'm only relocating the kitchen to another wall...I'm actually using my existing cabinets and appliances...so no major expense is taking place. YAY!! I've never been a lady that dreamed of a huge expensive kitchen. :0) Thomas and I are way more excited about the additional windows going in..the kitchen just had to be moved out of the way! hahaha

Hugs to you,
Stephanie

Ruth's Photo Blog said...

Those are amazing houses,but honestly,I'll take my humble little home anytime.Thanks for sharing these.
Blessings,Ruth

Elaine said...

Once again, Betsy, so beautiful! The Blue Ridge Mountains are calling me! :)

Vicki ~ FL said...

Beautiful resort, thanks for inviting us to go along;~)

Lola said...

AWESOME.

Small City Scenes said...

The views are fabulous but I think I would rather have a cozy little cabin than one of those huge houses. Of course I have never lived that life so how would I really know. In my heart I suppose. I am glad you got to enjoy the splendor. MB

Anonymous said...

stunning place! we have a lot of very wealthy tourists around this part of the world too.

penny said...

What a wonderful resort with such spectacular views. Its easy to see why people enjoy going there.

EG CameraGirl said...

Nice to see how the rich live, Betsy. It's a beautiful area!

Kelly said...

Incredible.....I would like to swim in that pool! :-)

Rose said...

I alway wonder what these people wish they had...to us, they seem to have it all. But I bet they have wants and desires that we would never imagine.

Diane said...

Oh, when I reread the article I see you were VISITING! I thought you and Grorge flew that blue and white plane in for the weekend. Just joking!

Janie said...

I'd love to have the view, but I'll pass on one of the huge houses. I have enough house to clean already!

Connie said...

Looks like quite a beautiful area, Betsy! I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to afford to live there so it was nice to go on your "tour" with you! :)