2021 River Swing Event and Auction

The 18th annual River Swing event takes place September 18, 2021 at River Circle Farm in Franklin Tennessee from 6:00 pm to 10:00pm. It is not to late to purchase event tickets. The annual event and auction raise a third of the operating funds that enable the Harpeth Conservancy to carry out its mission of protecting Tennessee’s rivers and clean water.

The auction is accessed in person for attendees and on-line as well. So even if you are unable to attend the event you can participate in the auction. The auction is scheduled to be open online by September 12th. To sign up for the online auction and get the internet link go to https://harpethconservancy.org/river-swing/ between September 12th and 18th.

To celebrate the publication of my new book, Stories from Applewood, my wife and I have contributed three items for the auction. If you are a lover of great wines, you will not want to miss the opportunity to bid on two first-growth wines from our private collection.

• A 1994 bottle of Chateau Margaux: This Premier Grand Cru Classe is one of Bordeaux's most famous wine estates. The 1994 is a classic, long lived Bordeaux—consistently rated excellent to superb.

• A 1995 bottle of Chateau Angelus: The most highly desired wine out of the St. Emilion region of Bordeaux—a Premier Grand Cur Classe.

Each of the wines come with a copy of my new book, Stores from Applewood Manor. And you can also bid on two prepaid nights at Applewood Manor. The historic Manor (Circa 1912) is Asheville North Carolina’s premier luxury bed and breakfast inn. The auction is a wonderful way to support the Harpeth Conservancy’s mission to restore and protect clean water and healthy ecosystems of Tennessee rivers while taking advantage of some super bargains—so happy bidding!

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Ask your independent bookstore about the latest book by Tom Collins, Stories from Applewood Manor—Explore Asheville, North Carolina’s History. Mysteries, Ghosts, and Tall Tales. For signed copies of books by Tom Collins, go to TomCollinsAuthor.com. Ebook and print editions are also available on Amazon, Google Play, Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and other bookstores. Audio editions are available on Amazon, iTunes and directly from Audible.com.

Applewood Manor’s Porches

The word from Asheville is “Finished”—the final nail has been driven; the final brush of paint has been stroked. Applewood Manor’s porches, including my favorite, the Rocking Chair Porch, have been fully restored for the enjoyment of guest. Part 5 of my Stories from Applewood Manor is titled Tall Tales from Applewood’s Rocking Chair Porch. It includes stories like The Hearing Test below:

I was back on the Rocking Chair Porch at Applewood Manor after a wonderful breakfast and a morning nap. It was one of those perfect shirt sleeve days you get in the fall. There was four of us—me, Willie Underwood, Doc Thomason, and someone from New York, who along with his wife, was spending the weekend at Applewood. His wife was off shopping, and he didn’t have anything better to do than join us on the Rocking Chair Porch.

Willie was showing us his new six-hundred-dollar hearing aids. He was telling us how much money he saved since the ones his doctor had proposed were over $3,000. After a few minutes of hearing aid discussion, Doc said all the talk reminded him of a patient of his. His name was Gary Simpson and he had what he called a winery on Black Mountain. Gary Simpson, he said, was one of those men who was never in doubt even when he was dead wrong about something. Doc explained that Gary’s lumbago was acting up and he wanted something for the pain. Doc prescribed some anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxers. With the lumbago taken care of, Simpson told the doctor that he and his wife seem to be having a communication problem and he wondered if his wife was losing her hearing. Doc went on to explain how he gave him instructions for testing her hearing. Then Doc did what he always does to us. He gets our interest up and then just stops like he is at the end of the story. Doc leaned back in his rocker playing with an unlit cigar in his mouth. Finally, I said, “Come on, Doc, what’s the rest of the dang story?”

The Doc said, “Well, about a week later, Simpson was back in my office. I figured he just wanted more muscle relaxers, but I was mighty anxious to find out about the hearing problem. So, I asked him how the testing of his wife’s hearing had gone. And this is what he explained to me exactly as he told it:

“That’s why I’m here, Doc. I found out the problem alright! I did exactly what you told me to do. I was standing in the doorway to the kitchen and Mary Jane was across the room with her back to me standing in front of our stove. So, I called out to her. ‘Mary Jane what are we having for dinner?’ There was no reaction.

So, I crossed over to the center of the kitchen and I called out to her again. ‘Mary Jane, what’s for dinner?’ Still, there was no reaction. She continued doing whatever she was doing at the old stove.

I took two more big steps toward her and called out for the third time. But it was the same. She kept doing whatever she was doing.

So, I got up even closer. I was not more than eight feet away and I called out to her. This time I kicked it up a little louder and practically yelled, ‘Mary Jane, what’s for dinner?’

This time she bolted straight up, snapped around to face me, and put those hands of hers on her hips like she does when she is really irritated at me. And do you know what she said to me, Doc? “

She said, “You darn fool. I done told you three times, I’m cooking this chicken for dinner!”

Doc had this big smile on his face as he leaned back in his rocker and said to ceiling, “Yep, old Gary Simpson found out the problem with Mary Jane’s hearing alright!”

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The historic Applewood Manor (Circa 1912) is Asheville North Carolina’s
premier luxury bed and breakfast style boutique hotel.
For signed copies of Stories from Applewood Manor, that explores Asheville, North Carolina’s History, Mysteries, Ghosts, and Tall Tales, as well as other books by Tom Collins, go to TomCollinsAuthor.com. Unsigned print and eBook editions are available on Amazon, Google Play, Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and other online bookstores. Audio editions are available on Amazon, iTunes and directly from Audible.com.
Published by I-65 North, Inc.

Visiting Applewood Manor

My wife and I along with grandson, Ben, made a quick trip to Asheville to visit the family and check out the remodeling progress at Applewood Manor. The stately bed and breakfast is a hundred and nine years old. Her years have given her class, and she is looking pretty darn good. The guest rooms and common areas have all been upgraded and renovated while retaining the estate’s historic character. New furnishings and rugs are period appropriate. The art, much of it original, is quite impressive. To accommodate the culinary talent of the Collins’s (especially Robin’s), the existing kitchen has been completely rebuilt as a commercial quality facility. This week, workers will put the finishing touches on the restored porches (my favorite feature) and balconies. When that is done, rocking chairs and other weather appropriate furniture will be returned. Owners Stephen and Robin, have great plans for improving the outdoor space as soon as the porch work wraps up.

Unfortunately, the Manor was fully booked so we stayed at the DoubleTree Hotel on the corner of Montford and Haywood Street. Until recently it was known as the Hyatt Place prior to being purchased by DoubleTree. Its restaurant, called Montford on Top, was featured in my story about Asheville’s roof top bars and restaurants. To read the story go to: https://www.applewoodmanor.com/stories/our-rooftop-views.

The watercolor by Tom Trebing of the Applewood Manor pictured in this post was used for the cover of my book, Stories from Applewood Manor.

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For signed copies of books by Tom Collins, go to TomCollinsAuthor.com. Unsigned print and eBook editions are available on Amazon, Google Play, Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and other online bookstores. Audio editions are available on Amazon, iTunes and directly from Audible.com. Check out the latest book by Tom Collins, Stories from Applewood Manor, that explores Asheville, North Carolina’s History, Mysteries, Ghosts, and Tall Tales.  
Published by I-65 North, Inc.

More Stories

Even after publishing the book, Stories from Applewood Manor, I have continued to write and post new stories in the series. You can read them on Applewood Manor’s website. Two recent stories exposed more of the supernatural side of Western North Carolina. One is about the long unsolved Brown Mountain Mystery, and the second is a late night encounter at the cemetery in the Valley of the Cross. If you like the tall tales from Applewood’s Rocking Chair Porch, you will enjoy reading Ruinous Wish. And there are several new stories about things to do in Asheville while staying at Applewood Manor.

If you enjoy the stories let me know.

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For signed copies of books by Tom Collins, go to TomCollinsAuthor.com. Unsigned print and eBook editions are available on Amazon, Google Play, Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and other online bookstores. Audio editions are available on Amazon, iTunes and directly from Audible.com. Check out the latest book by Tom Collins, Stories from Applewood Manor, that explores Asheville, North Carolina’s History, Mysteries, Ghosts, and Tall Tales.  
Published by I-65 North, Inc.