山の静けさ

A retired Marine infantry officer (E-1 - O-4) with 23 years of service. Also retired after 28 years of service as a benefits counselor with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Currently living in Alabama.

Married (1976) with 2 children & 4 grandchildren.

I enjoy getting to know many of my guests on a personal basis. I also enjoy providing unique furnishings for the cabin and make some of the furniture myself from cutting trees to moving the furnitue in. In many cases, I do it all with the exception of building the furniture.

I really enjoy making special memories for guests, like my friend from Virginia whom I have never met in person but who have been coming to the cabin for many years. They used it before they married, used it for their honeymoon, and now return at least once a year for their anniversary.

Or the young couple who booked the cabin, then sent me a picure of their engagement ring on our fireplace hearth where he proposed to her. They returned later that year for the honeymoon.

I'm also thankful to be able to provide a "grief retreat" for those who need it, like the single mom whose 19 son died suddenly from an unknown heart condition. She wrote a very nice note explaining that the peaceful setting of the cabin helped her cope with the loss of her only child.

More recently, an 80 year old woman who expressed her appreciaton for the cabin when her husband died. They had been married for 60 years.

While the latter situations are sad, I'm thankful that the cabin can provide a little solace for those who are in a time of grief.

The privacy, scenery, & location make this an ideal location for a family, but it's also an ideal location for a romantic getaway. It has been used frequently for anniversaries, & honeymoons. In addition, AT LEAST 3 WEDDINGS HAVE BEEN PERFORMED IN THIS CABIN.

However, what really makes the property unique is that almost all furnishings in the property are handmade specifically for my cabin. So, you've never seen anything else like it before & will never see anything like it again. In fact, I make a lot of the furniture myself.

I salvage logs which would otherwise be burned, chipped, or left to rot. I saw the logs into boards using my own small sawmill. I then take it to a woman who makes unfinished furniture. After she builds the furniture, I put a finish on it using a secret blend of furniture oils & waxes. Only 1 person knows the formula & I'm not that person.

Some lampshades & blankets were designed from the Hautman Brothers paintings - They have wildlife paintings in Smithsonian & the White House

Most of the furniture has been built by Martha Pointer who has a small furniture shop at her home in Ashland, AL. She took over the shop when her husband Roy died & uses money from furniture sales to fund her mission trips to Peru, etc.

The dining table & chair swing were made by my friend Wayne Bridges in Northport, AL. - We ran track together in high school.

The kitchen counter and many other things were made by my friend and maintence man Lee Stephens who lives near the cabin.

The birch lamp and Red Cedar lamps were made by a man & his wife who had a shop about 5 miles from the cabin, but are no longer in business.

The smaller quilt was made to my specs by "Quilting Granny" (Sabrina Gray) in Gatlingburg who is in a wheelchair, but also a story-teller, artist, & makes herbal products.

The larger quilts were made by Kim Beecher in Prattville, AL. Kim is a retired AF Lt. Col.