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A great place to hide from the everyday hustle and slow down to remember the magic of life! Christy Cox October 1-3, 2023

How a Tiny girl taught me to believe in Fairies A true Story by Grant-pa Stillwater First, let me introduce myself. I'm an old man. I’m an old man who didn't believe in fairies or much of anything else. You might call me a curmudgeon. So, you might ask, “what's a curmudgeon?” Well, it's just a big word for a grumpy old man. Thankfully, I do believe in little children. Little children are powerful. Little children have magical powers. They can even melt the heart of a curmudgeon. The story I have to tell you is true. One mid-summer evening I happened to have some visitors. It was a young Mommy, a young Daddy and their tiny 3-year-old girl. Such a delightful family.

“The Falls at Sewanee Creek has been crowned the #1 best Hipcamp to visit in Tennessee in 2023! Based on your 2022 bookings, reviews, and ratings, you've done an incredible job providing Hipcampers with a great experience.”

Everybody loves to create. Only a blessed few know how to create with steel. I love to connect people’s creative drive with some easy-to-learn welding skills. First, we go to my metal scrap pile, a collection of car parts, tanks, stainless utensils, pipes, sheet metal, washers, bearings, saw blades, chains and more. Then you mix, match, compare and visualize something uniquely, creatively you. Next we cut, bend and shape, followed by removing rust, paint and dirt for a clean, strong weld. Finally, it’s time to weld it all together. I give pointers on welding technique and safety. We don welding masks and gloves and it’s your turn. The whole process is satisfyingly explosive. Since I began offering Maker Sessions in Steel to our vacationing guests, I’ve been astounded at the scope of people who want to learn to weld. It’s not just men . Surprisingly, women and children make up the majority . Perhaps it’s the appeal of artistic creation that’s the bridge. Maybe it’s the confidence that comes from learning something that seemed outside of what children and women normally do. I don’t know. 

We enjoy all of our guests. Some leave us deeply moved, our hearts filled with joy and a sense of purpose. They create heartwarming, shared memories and friendships that will last forever. The Miller family (not related) are guests and friends like that, Click on THIS LINK to Jennifer Miller’s blog post.

Our guests, Queen and L.A. made this short documentary of their stay with us in our Eco-Container Cabin. They liked it. We like their video. Hope you will too. Help them build their youtube channel by subscribing, liking and sharing.

It’s been months since I posted to this blog. While most businesses have suffered since the outset of Covid, the Falls at Sewanee Creek is booming . Guests are finding it’s a perfect place to breath fresh air, safely distanced and inspired by nature. But, for me, No time left for blogging. Meanwhile, Several big changes

Observing exponential growth of panic over the past few weeks. Some silly (stockpiling toilet paper) some not so silly - just reasonable, measured caution. The travel industry is devastated. Cruising is dead in the water. Dining out is out of style. Concerts at the nearby Caverns venue are flat. Cancelled sans-refund. Anywhere groups of people gather is off limits. Fear and loathing. Yet, for now at least, our little slice of heaven with cabins, treehouses, Tents and campsites is buzzing with quiet activity. I wondered, why? Maybe a lot of people still think this is over-hyped. If so, that will end soon. I think there Is another reason. Especially in times like these, people need to get away for short periods and find a place of peace. While most travel and recreation oriented destinations involve crowds, ours is one of the few options that has none of that. Our cabins and campsites are sprinkled lightly throughout the woods. There is plenty of space for quiet, private contemplation - trails, waterfalls, look-out points, acres and acres to explore alone with nature - away from crowds. Beyond the natural advantages of a low population-density rural area in the woods, We are taking extra precautions to assure our guest’s safety. 1. We greet each guest upon arrival to brief them on the things to do and places to eat both on and off the property. While doing so, we take special care to keep a prudent, safe distance that exceeds six feet of personal space and, for now, no handshakes. After the initial greeting, we give plenty of space - as much as you desire. 2. At the end of the stay, we ask our guests to place all linens in a large cloth bag (virus survival outside a host is shorter on cloth than hard surfaces like plastic), spray with an aerosol sanitizer and return it to the main house where it will be laundered with a special laundry sanitizer. We sanitize sheets, blankets, pillow-cases and towels with sanitizing solutions, hot water, and a hot dryer setting. Linens that are hard to wash (bedspreads and quilts) are dispensed with. We think your health is more important than a momentary pretty first impression of the bed. We can supply pillows, but encourage guests to bring their own. 3. We thoroughly sanitize all hard surfaces between guests. 4. For our own protection (and therefore yours too) we wait a couple of hours after guests depart to enter the space. Upon entry, we use an aerosol spray to cleanse the air. Again at departure. 5. After everything we can do, we encourage our guests to add an extra layer of vigilance. We supply an array of sanitizers (soaps, detergents, sanitizing aerosols, etc.) in each house. We encourage our guests to sanitize everything again with the supplied solutions and bring more of those you trust most. That’s both for their own peace of mind and just in case we missed something. None of these measures is inexpensive to pull off, either in labor or materials. Just essential. We care. So, we won’t be reducing our prices. On the contrary. You WILL get what you pay for and more. Then, RELAX and enjoy the beauty and serenity of nature in its most pristine state. Most of this happens quietly, behind the scenes, without a lot of fanfare. We think there is more than enough stress in this world without fanning the flames. So, when your world calls for self-imposed quarantine, there’s an away place that’s safe, secure and serene. Refuge can be very sweet.  Welcome to The Falls at Sewanee Creek.

Located at the top of fifty foot Miller’s Falls and with a view from the back deck of the Falls and magnificent cascades below, This ”epic” glamping experience is now available at the Falls at Sewanee Creek. Our first guests stayed over the weekend. Come join us to experience the serenity of nature at its best.

We don’t get a lot of snow on the South Cumberland Plateau, but when we do, it’s amazing. This past weekend, we got about four inches. We enjoyed an off-road ride on our Polaris Ranger to a hidden wonder with guests Marc and Heather Raymond. They are hyper-fit (iron-man) outdoor enthusiasts, so we risked exploring one of the remote lookout points on the property, despite the slippery conditions. It’s called the triple-castle rock due to the three pinnacles that project high into the Sewanee Gulf Canyon. There is a narrow catwalk that leads to the last of the three castles and the pictured overlook. We were rewarded with a rare and magnificent view of the snow covered canyon. Near the lookout, there is a private trail with multiple switchbacks traversing the 800 foot drop to the bottom of the canyon and rarely explored Sewanee Creek. Ford The creek to find an unnamed cave begging to be explored. You won’t find this hidden trail without a guide. It’s all right here on our private preserve, The Falls at Sewanee Creek.

Here’s a heads up. I’m almost done with my next addition to the Falls at Sewanee Creek. It’s a completely new section dedicated to primitive camping and glamping. The first glampsite will feature my “creatively unique” trademark. Things I build are usually out of repurposed objects that I find new and creative uses for. (Shipping Containers, Old Chicken house roof tin, Pallets, Buckets for Sinks, etc.) Always featuring the amazing natural setting on our land with an incredible waterfall. This time, I’m building a “YURT”. It’s smaller than most yurts - ten feet in diameter. The floor is about 3 feet from the ground, away from critters and bugs. It will have a 360 degree view of the woods, as it will be wrapped in clear windows, but heavy curtains will make it dark and completely private as desired. The roof will be fashioned from a ten foot diameter satellite dish. That gives it a hard shell, like a turtle. So, I’m calling it “YURTLE”. (Shades of Dr. Seuss, for those who recall Yurtle the Turtle)

Guests and prospective guests often inquire about water sports opportunities nearby. We offer sailing adventure and lessons on our Hobie 18 catamaran at nearby Woods Reservoir where we are members of a local sailing club. One of our guests joined us for a day of sailing just last Saturday. Grundy Lakes State Park is just 3 miles away, offering swimming, fishing, canoeing and kayaking. Nickajack Lake is about 20 minutes away for power boating and fishing enthusiasts. Whitewater Kayaking is an hour and 55 minutes away. It’s a bit of a hike, but well worth it. It’s world class. The 1996 Atlanta Olympics whitewater event was held there. According to an article in today’s Chattanooga Times Free Press , it’s “America's most-paddled whitewater river.” Whitewater kayaking on the Ocoee 9/11 interrupted its use as a competitive venue almost two decades ago, but this weekend is the second year of restored competition that promises to restore the river to its former glory.

Our most recent guests, Scott and Stephanie, helped me see beauty I hadn’t appreciated nearly enough before. Both, accomplished mycologists, they pointed out beautiful mushrooms throughout the forest. Some edible, some medicinal, some hallucinogenic and some poisonous. All fascinating. it’s a great time of year to explore the wonderful world of mushrooms. Lots of rain coupled with relatively cool summer temperatures favor an abundance of mushrooms. See for yourself some of the exquisite and strange varieties found on the property.

What is it about waterfalls that is so universally appealing? I looked up that question on the web and found many compelling answers. From the mood uplift of negative ions suspended in the mist that boosts serotonin (the happiness bio-chemical) to the raw, awe-inspiring beauty and power of masses of rushing water. Waterfalls are alive. Living water is a metaphor for life itself. We have a series of waterfalls on our property we call the Falls at Sewanee Creek. The falls are clearly the main draw for our vacation cabins. For me, it’s the constantly changing nature of the falls. I never tire of introducing our guests to Miller’s Falls. It’s a fifty foot drop from the top of the falls that catches your breath. When the flow is high, the negative ions are refreshingly intoxicating. In winter, when temperatures drop well below freezing, a massive wall of ice clings to the face of the cliff and creates a volcano shaped mountain at the bottom. A recent guest told me he plans to return in winter to scale the icy face.

Tiny living requires intentional discipline. Adapting to a tiny lifestyle is a joyful process that involves closely observing the things that work well and bring joy to life, and things that don’t. Every tiny space is different and every person is different. Here are some of the things I have noticed as I adapted my life to living in The Beech Tree House. 1. Slow down. Stop multitasking. Be mindful, aware of your surroundings, your body, your thoughts. Be thoughtful and considerate of your companion’s needs as well as your own. Speak less. Observe and listen more. 2. Space is precious. Bring only those things that are most necessary and meaningful. Careful awareness of the things in your life that are meaningful will bring you awareness of what is truly important in your life. Organize. A place for everything and everything in its place.

If you are following this blog, you’ve probably noticed a new series. We have a constant stream of interesting and inspiring people who stay with us in our cabins. One of my gifts is curiosity, an appetite for listening. Sunday, late afternoon, we received a message from a family looking for a place to stay on the way home from a camping trip. Mom, Dad and three children. The CONEX guest house wasn’t ready, so we had to scramble a bit to clean, wash linens and organize for their arrival one hour later. It was SO worth it! Early Monday morning, I greeted Gabe, the Dad. We spent about three hours talking about our faith and belief systems as we hiked and rested at the top of the falls. Gabriel is a Messianic Jew and a scholar who takes his religion very seriously. I love that. His depth of understanding of the scriptures from an early Christian perspective is amazing. He taught me of the importance of feasts and prayer times that Jesus observed. We discussed many symbolic or metaphorical stories from the Bible that traditional Christians simply don’t understand, not having been trained to view them through the ancient perspective of the Israelites. We got lost in time as we discussed the meaning of the Adam and Eve story of creation and so much more. For those planning to visit the Falls at Sewanee Creek, I look forward to hearing your story and I hope you will be willing to share it.

Early on the 4th, we enjoyed a hike to Sewanee Creek, about an 800 foot drop from the top of the plateau. Pictured on the left are container house guests, Cathy and Glen. Cathy said she’s the practical yin to Glen’s adventurous Yang. Glen was the most adventurous of the group. He seized the opportunity to explore a large cave near the base of the trail. A veteran spelunker, Glen plans to return in the fall to probe for rooms deep in the mountain. On the right are Tom Tew (Village trail builder extraordinaire) and my wife, Becky. Guests are also welcome to join us for Labor Day and Memorial Day festivities

Most guests come to the mountain to get away, unwind and enjoy solitude in nature. Yesterday morning, I had the great pleasure of spending several hours with Kathy and CL over breakfast on the deck of the container cabin. They shared heart-rending stories, spiritual experiences and secrets of their loving marriage. One of those secrets is that they get away together regularly. They told me to expect them at the Falls at Sewanee Creek regularly.

Miller Falls is one of several magnificent waterfalls on the property. It’s the largest and most accessible. When there’s a good flow, it’s a good hike to follow Miller Creek below to Swallowtail Falls across boulders the size of school buses. Then continue down past cascade after cascade to the bottom where Miller Creek merges into Sewanee Creek. You won’t meet another soul. In summer, as temperatures rise and the flow declines, the craggy cliff is still majestic. The cliff face and the trail that winds behind the falls are great places to hang out and stay cool. It’s a thrill to rappel. Repeated trips back to the top are easy. Today, we enjoyed Leah and Collin, two adventurous guests who came to rappel the Falls, mountain bike our trails and celebrate Leah’s birthday. Rumor has it there may be a waterfall wedding in the future. I had the pleasure of taking photos and videos.  The tiny speck of Leah on the trail behind the falls gives some perspective and scale. As you can see from the video, Collin is experienced at rock climbing and rappelling. He commented that the height is a good challenge, but not too high for those looking to learn the sport. We require a liability release from all who come for adventure. Play and enjoy at your own risk.

There is a hunger in the land for authenticity. You see it in the Rustic fashion that finds its way into opulent mansions in the form of walls covered in aged barn wood and holes in walls covered with sliding barn doors. In fashion, it is fake. Perfectly refined. Manufactured and soulless. People of wealth cover their walls and the holes in them with substitutes for things made with human hands and authentic hearts. Walls and holes have their spiritual counterpart, covered in symbols borrowed from the authentic. They are symbols of longing for that which is real, but ironically out of place in outwardly refined spaces – homes, businesses and lives. There was a woman who stayed in the CONEX cabin a couple of years ago. She startled and confused me when she told me, with passionate voice how she loved the imperfections of the CONEX house. These imperfections were things like trim poorly fitted around a window that I had apologized for and promised myself to improve sometime when I could get to it.

I moved into the beach treehouse a few nights ago. Guess you could call it an extended beta test. Loving it! Lots of tiny things to love. Carefully repurposed stuff I found at goodwill, yard sales, the Habitat for Humanity ReStore ... Art of living. Not just RE-purposing, UP-purposing. Here’s an example Old-fashioned stainless steel sink with a built-in drain board. Above it on the right is a CD rack from Goodwill. CDs aren’t used much anymore, so you can find these racks anywhere. Perfectly mounted above the sink. Dishes go direct from rinse to rack/storage. Water drips back into the sink. So simple. So easy. Living here is a simple pleasure. I noticed, after taking the photo, that the dishwashing soap on the counter is “JOY”. Serendipity. I’m also writing a series on finding joy in life on my other website/blog. Check it out here . Life is good. Come enjoy it with us! And share the joy with others. Click on share or tweet.

This week marked the first time guests stayed at the Beech Treehouse cabin. It was a family affair, not yet offered for tree house rentals, but soon. Our nephew, Dan, his wife and baby stayed two nights. We enjoyed a gut-busting breakfast of bacon, eggs and grits and dinner for eight on the deck. The rocket stove performed well, although there are a few adjustments I need to make. The new tankless water heater and A/C in the sleeping loft are great comfort improvements. Hot showers and cool nights. After dinner, we enjoyed a hike to our favorite lookout point in the Village, the Triple Castle Rock. The Views are breathtaking. I added a new name for the Point from which I took the photo due to the abundance of Huckleberry Bushes (foreground). Tiny huckleberries are forming. We need to go back in a few weeks to harvest these wild native relatives of blueberries. Though smaller, the flavor is much more intense. Delicious!

Our Cabins are a creative outlet for me - an art project so to speak. And so are things that go with them. Recently I finished welding up a Rocket Stove. I’ve been wanting to build rocket stoves for a long time. I spent some time on Pinterest looking at different designs. Then, after considering the materials at hand (old propane tanks, a broken electric griddle, and some heavy gauge tubular steel) I settled on my own modular design that combines a combustion chamber and cooking burner. The top on the combustion chamber is swappable between a griddle and a BBQ grate and is removable for times when I just want the burner to cook on a cast iron skillet. At the moment, it‘s on the deck of the treehouse. But it can be moved to cabins for rent.

The most attractive thing about the “The Beech” or our other Cabins is not the house. Shhhh, it’s a secret! Early on, as our shipping container and log cabin rentals showed great promise on Airbnb to provide extra income in our retirement years, it was apparent that the sustainable draw was our magnificent waterfall and it’s quiet natural setting. Money is seductive, but this is the story of how I opted for minimalism. I began to think how much better we could do financially with a whole village of tiny house vacation rentals that would line the bluff on both sides of the falls, stretching all the way to Miller’s lookout point. I began construction on The Beech Treehouse with a vision of four small cabins on the West side of the falls along the bluff. Our friends Christophe and Heather agreed to place their lovely Tiny House, Hamlin, next to The Beech and share the revenue from it. Thankfully, Hamlin is on wheels. It’s completely flexible and its location is temporary.

A technical purist might argue that this is not a treehouse. It is anchored to a couple of smaller trees (an oak and a maple) that pierce it’s curved roof. But it does not rest in the top of the main tree it takes its name from. It is firmly anchored to the earth on many posts. I am not inspired by semantic technicalities. Originally, I planned to attach a swinging bridge from the deck to a landing on the Beech tree with a spiral staircase that would descend to the Indian rock house under the cliff overhang. ” Building a stairway to heaven ”. That image appealed to my sense of adventure. But, with a little research, I learned that the Beech tree has a sensitive, fragile skin. That’s why it’s a favorite of young lovers and Vandals who carVe hearts and initials into is clear, lovely complexion. The scars never heal. Unlike oaks and hemlocks with rough bark, the Beech’s lovely skin invites a caress. How could I risk damaging, much less killing the tree I loved for cheap thrills. Some enticing dreams must be abandoned out of love. But there was no sacrifice in the choice. Stand or sit on the deck, near but just out of reach of the lovely trunk. You cannot touch its skin. There is an electric tension that excites from closeness just out of reach in gentle waves of spiritual energy, It leaves you peaceful and fulfilled. “ It’s just the nearness of you” sang Norah Jones.

The half Satellite Dish has curves on two planes, horizontal and vertical. One of those curves needed to be followed through the upper body, working extremities of the house (the kitchen and loft) to the torso (the covered deck). My nephew, David Petersen is a gifted architect. I must credit David with cool treehouse ideas to replicate the Dish curve by fabricating curved ”glue-lam” beams. I built a large jig. It is a tool for bending and forming the trusses. I sliced 2x4 boards into thin strips. Then clamped, screwed and glued them into the curved jig. The finished beams will eventually support the curved roof that shelters the deck. Each beam rises two feet from its ends, giving the space volume. Ten feet at the apex from the floor. These beams are like strong ribs housing the lungs of the house. They will offer amazing breathing space in the treetops. Adding a horizontal beam ties the ends together and keeps the truss in tension like a bow. The vertical posts in the center give it additional strength.

There’s an old saying ... something about the best laid plans of mice and men. That seems to fit especially well for tree house plans. Planning, or “imagineering“, as it's called at Disney, is fun. Then you start to build. New ideas intrude. Plans change and morph. Especially if the project is treated as more art than practical construction. Then you re-do things that weren’t in the plan to begin with and therefore, don’t fit. Or, you discover as you build, that some plans just aren’t structurally practical for building a treehouse. The physical engineering realities of building on trees or while hanging off cliffs can become daunting. And scrounging for unique, artistic materials and fixtures at the Habitat for Humanity Restore, Yard sales and antique stores keep plans fluid too. The original plans didn’t call for 8-foot tall French doors. Then we found affordable brand new ones at the Restore. We also discovered the kitchen door that has windows curved at the top that match the curve of the satellite dish. Then the building inspector tells me that the satellite dish roof must be insulated to the latest residential requirements of R40+. So, I took the other half of the dish and sandwiched insulation between the two halves. Oh well, that’s what makes dream-building challenging and fun. It’s continuous imagineering interspersed with the actual work of construction. True, it’s fun if you are the one who owns the project and gets to exercise your artistic whims. Volunteer or paid helpers just get frustrated with all the changes and inefficiencies. The finished house will look a lot different from the treehouse ideas in my head or the plans above, some of which were drawn for the hemlock location. With all the chaos of constant changes, two design elements draw this treehouse together, making it unique, yet conceptually cohesive. The whole house is built first, around the Beech Tree and second, a ten-foot-diameter satellite dish that will become a green living roof. Both are inspiring metaphors. The Beech tree anchors the soul with its deep roots in Mother Earth. The satellite dish points to the heavens, both from its original function and its planetarium dome form. The house itself is a metaphor for the human body that holy scripture tells us is a temple. Such is this house in the trees, a body in harmony with heaven and earth. On one end, the head is the roof repurposed from a Satellite Dish. It dictates the curved lines that are repeated throughout the structure on two planes. The working part of the house (kitchen and loft) are the upper body extremities (shoulders and arms). The dish curves carry through to the curved glue-lam beams that form the strong rib cage of the torso, housing the heart, lungs and vital organs. Then the deck forms the lower extremities (the legs and feet). Curves are the essence of the female form. One could therefore conclude that The Beech Treehouse is feminine. Curves bedevil men. The curves in this little house make it like building a boat on a tree where nothing is square. Maybe curves are the reason boats are always referred to as feminine. She’s not easy. But, . . . so worth the trouble whether you are the builder, sailor or resident of this little treehouse.

I began planning to build a treehouse in 0ctober 2017. The first phase was selecting the location. It took months even though I knew the general location needed to be on the bluff above Miller’s Falls. I wanted it to feature all things creative and natural. Treehouses do a couple of things really well. Most important, they remind us of the carefree, creative days of our childhood. I dreamed up a story based on my childhood adventures and friends who grew old and successful, but longed to get back to the simplicity and innocence of childhood, playing in nature. Originally, I thought the treehouse should be built around two giant hemlock trees, one of which had been struck by lightning. The whole side was blown out of it. The story of that tree would be wrapped up in Hamlin, my mythical childhood friend, who had returned to the woods to rediscover his childhood and the good life. In the story, Hamlin found the good life, then disappeared the night a terrible storm struck his favorite tree and destroyed his tiny house. But his legend and spirit remained in these enchanted woods and living waters where he leaves clues for the clueless how to find the good life.