It’s hard to capture the slope of our lot. It’s up on a ridge. I think the altitude is about 2400 ft. Here’s what it looked like before we broke ground…

Then the guys at Laughter Grading (pronounced law-ter) drove their track hoe and bulldozer up the bank…

At the end of the second day, our driveway seemed fairly steep. Here’s a picture for perspective…

The movers hadn’t even unloaded our belongings before our neighbors invited us to dinner — even though the driver of our moving van made a terrible dent in their lawn!

What an awesome couple. In addition to being a builder, Joe is an incredible cook. He prepared a delicious meal for us — lobster and shrimp risotto!

His wife, Mary Jane, is the founder of Adesso Interior Design. I didn’t take any pictures during dinner, but Mary Jane’s decorating is impeccable.

We also met our neighbors on the other side. During our first conversation we mentioned the difficulty we were having in getting high-speed Internet service. (AT&T has capped their DSL service here.) Our new neighbors immediately volunteered to let us connect to their network!

We continue to meet friendly people wherever we go on this side of the state!

We contacted Carolina Cottages and rented a comfortable townhouse at the Village at Windstone in Fletcher, NC, while we wait for our new home to be constructed in Hendersonville.

With its beautiful mountain views and surrounding pastures, the community looks and feels like it’s way out in the country. But the location is actually very convenient to everything — the Asheville airport, parks, the post office, restaurants, shopping and some beautiful drives. And the community pool is directly across the street…