We cordially invite all Brightwood members to participate in this year's Annual Meeting which will feature a Mediterreanean feast at 11:30 AM at the Bargerstocks' home at 222 Morning Glory. At our 1 PM meeting, we will report on all aspects of Brightwood for the past year as well as the first part of this one. We also would like to discuss what we would like to accomplish for the rest of this year according to the 5-year plan. A special feature of the meeting will be a guest speaker on the subject of plants and flowers in our area and how they can be useful to us.

We have made considerable progress with our 5-year plan. (Click here for plan statements.) In the past two years, we have made improvements to the garden/pond area, installed attractive road signs, kept the website more up-to-date, entered into a reciprocity agreement with our neighbors (Powder Horn and Reynolds Blue Ridge) about sharing trails along Laurel Creek, became a member of the Boone Chamber of Commerce and started sending out a regular email newsletter.

In keeping with our 5-year plan, we restructured the 7-acre common area with the pond, garden, orchard and picnic grounds. This common area now has a name: Brightwood Park. The main features: a sturdy wooden bridge over the creek so we can access our workshop and an excellent rebuilding of the pond by our contractor Charlie Townsend. The pond has a rock lining around the edges, a nice walkway all around it and a pleasing rock waterfall at one end. It is a joy to take a stroll around the pond or sit on the bench and watch the waterfall. We have recently planted flowers and bushes around the pond. To protect our fruit trees and bushes from the predations of our deer population, we extended our garden fence to include part of the orchard area.

In 2010, Brightwood has again made substantial gains in the area of energy conservation and sustainability. The Bargerstocks installed a 5 KW solar electric system where they sell all the electricity they produce to the power company. They are also paid an additional amount by NC Green Power, a non-profit dedicated to supporting alternative energy sources.

Just in the past month, the Ryans decided to cut down on gasoline consumption and pollution by purchasing a Toyota Prius Hybrid. In these times of high gas prices, 40 to 50 MPG looks very good!