Last weekend, our family and an additional 100+ members from UU Asheville spent the weekend at The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center in Highlands, NC situated atop 4,200 foot tall Little Scaly Mountain. The weekend was highlighted by wonderful music, amazing workshops, delicious meals, and a healthy dose of humor at the talent show all set amid centuries old white oak trees. Organizers Anna and Sandra were so organized they even found eclipse glasses!
Some of the workshop highlights of recent years have been pumpkin carving with the Ramson family and a fast-paced game of capture the flag with Will and Ryan. The Ransom family’s ability to carve a pumpkin and teach others cannot be understated. This year was no exception: from an intricate Jimmy Hendrix to a cat perched atop a crescent moon to the classic vomiting pumpkin, all were welcome. The weather cooperated beautifully Saturday morning giving way to afternoon sunshine on the field for a multigenerational and intense game of capture the flag at the bottom of the mountain. Workshops were also rich in the arts including great sessions for kids and adults, so thank you to those leaders!
Another highlight for parents was high quality childcare with Via and Tory allowing parents to take a well-deserved break. Via’s presence is a breath of fresh mountain air as she actively seeks engagement with children as opposed to my fatigued periodic assessment of my own child’s safety. Our 4-year-old daughter also approved of Via’s care: on Monday morning, she asked if I could please drop her off at church so she could go downstairs to play with Via. I explained it was a school day. She asked to go to church on Sunday adding, “Can you please show me where the stairs are? Because I don’t know how to get to Via.” Well done and thank you.
UU Asheville has been coming to the Mountain for over a decade with many members of our congregation having been there during the formative years. Founded in 1979, longtime members of our congregation Larry and Nancy Wheeler were some of the first staff members in the early 1980s. When the Mountain’s financial troubles seemed insurmountable decades later, Larry helped execute a plan working with the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust permanently protecting both the Mountain’s future as a UU camp and conference center and the fragile ecosystem from future development. For their service and vision, we are eternally grateful.
– Adam Griffith, UU Asheville Board Vice President