Love is in the “Vero Mountain” Air

PICTURESQUE MOUNTAINTOP DESTINATION FOR THE PERFECT INTIMATE WEDDING

Follow for more adventures @veromountainnc on or check out their newly redesigned website at VeroMountain.com for more details about booking your getaway to Vero Mountain!

As summer approaches at Vero Mountain, lush greens bring new life to the mountain-scape, baby animals are born, and vows are exchanged. In the March/April issue of Portfolio, we introduced you to the exciting new retreat owned by Vero Beach native, Chris Walker, and her partner, Tom Hope. These last couple of months were spent putting the finishing touches on the domes to get them open for reservations. In May, the calendar started to fill with guests eager to make their vacation plans and experience #domelifeglamping! “We have a great team! It has been an exciting experience, a labor of love for all involved, and reading the reviews left in the guestbooks has been one of the best rewards for all the hard work,” Chris says.

During June, one of their dreams for the property came to life—a Vero Mountain wedding! Bailey Schlitt from Vero Beach planned her sister, Jessie’s wedding, and reserved the mountaintop Tranquility dome for the special ceremony.

“Being born and raised in Vero Beach, our family has a lot of history in Wolf Laurel—spanning across four generations,” explains Bailey. “So, when I heard about Vero Mountain just down the road from us, I had to check it out. After Jessie’s engagement, I reached out to Chris about the possibility of having the wedding on their property. She was just as thrilled as I was about the idea! Together, we started brainstorming ideas and nailing down the details. Her in-house photographer, Jessica, was such a pleasure to work with and went above and beyond—before and during the wedding. Chris’ daughter, Katie, was so sweet and did a wonderful job performing the ceremony. With the help of Chris, Tom, and everyone in their network, we pulled off the perfect, quaint wedding that Jessie dreamed of. It was everything we imagined and more!”

Jessie Schlitt and Michael Collins, tied the knot beneath a beautiful arch made from mountain laurels by her father, Jim. She carried a bouquet of wildflowers made by her mother, Kim, and wore a beautiful, white dress from Sassy Boutique. The ceremony was officiated by Katie Walker and attended by an intimate group of family. The day started out clear and dry until the “kiss the bride” moment. Then, a pop-up June shower surprised everyone who took cover during a delicious brunch of waffles, chicken, and mimosas. Flowers from Wolf Provisions General Store added the perfect touch to the table settings. Pictures were taken on the farm with baby goats, cows, and donkeys! A thick, romantic fog settled in at the domes for a few hours, and then the evening finally gave way to sunny clear skies and a beautiful golden hour to end the perfect day. Jessie says, “The domes were such a magical part of our farm wedding. From getting ready there to using their views as a backdrop to our ceremony with family, it was everything we wanted and more. It was amazing to fall asleep to the stars and wake up to breathtaking mountain views. It truly was a dream to stay here, and I cannot wait to come back for anniversaries in the future.”

While Vero Mountain does not have a reception hall yet, it is Chris’ dream to convert the old tobacco barn into a reception hall for micro weddings. That way, rain or shine, they can accommodate a party! Until then, reception tents could be rented and set up on the lawn by the farm at the bottom of the mountain. Although Vero Mountain is primarily booking for vacation rentals, they will be offering wedding package amenities soon. This is a great idea for couples who would like to have an intimate wedding or an elopement with a gorgeous mountaintop view from the domes, as well as spend their honeymoon here!

Also in June, Chris and Tom, along with some family and friends, celebrated the land with a “Forest Bath Walking Meditation” and land blessing, led by Kelly Bruce, also a native of Vero Beach/Sebastian. “Forest bathing is not a literal bath!” laughs Chris. Rather, it involves immersing yourself in the sounds, smells, textures, tastes, and sights of the land around you; connecting with the natural environment, meandering with no destination, and just breathing. It is beneficial to your physical and mental health. Chris viewed it as a way to bond with Vero Mountain on a deeper level. Throughout the summer and fall in western North Carolina, there are many weekend music and art festivals and local breweries for guests to explore. Not far away is the South Toe River if guests wish to cool down with a swim. Continue a bit further up that route to the gorgeous Blue Ridge Parkway views or hikes. Then, finish the day with sunset at the domes, grill out, and take a dip in the hot tub or stargaze.

Written by Jessica Langevin Clark

Photography by Langevin Clark Photography

Everyday Animals

ENCOURAGING CHILDREN TO CONNECT WITH NATURE ON A DAILY BASIS

As a child, I walked around with cicadas—large, noisy insects—on my dress and spent hours in the creek searching for crayfish. My brother caught bees on the flowers in our backyard endlessly. Now, my 4-year-old son is as enamored watching jumping spiders as he is watching manatees.

It can be easy to think we need to have epic adventures with charismatic animals like dolphins, manatees, and alligators, but the reality is, valuing the so-called everyday creatures allows us to connect with nature on a daily basis. From the tiny crab orb weavers in our backyard, to the family of screech owls at the park, or the anole lizard scurrying across the patio, wildlife is everywhere, if you look.

Encouraging kids to catch and observe critters is beneficial for a variety of reasons, too. It fosters an appreciation for nature and learning of science through observation. Recently, while watching dolphins on the Banana River for instance, Finn asked me why they don’t sink.

Outdoor time also means screen-free time, and a little less screen-time is never a bad thing. Kids learn best through play, movement, observation and pretending—things that don’t happen on a tablet, even if it’s educational.

For Ashley, a South Florida adventure mom, she says that “slowing down to explore alongside my kids has given me a whole new perspective on enjoying nature. Kids make the best discoveries because they are less concerned with making it to the end of a trail and more concerned with observing things right in front of them.” And she finds their sense of wonder contagious. “Now, I’m constantly observing and researching things that I’ve never given a second thought to before. It’s fun to learn alongside them.”

Here are a few tips when handling bugs and creatures with budding naturalists, so that everyone stays safe and respects the wildlife.

• Employ a catch-and-release policy.

• Have a container or bucket to watch animals. Be sure to provide them with some habitat, like sticks or grass, and don’t let them get too hot in the sun.

• Minimize handling with hands so you don’t stress them out.

• Return any animal where found.

• Don’t handle or touch anything you can’t identify first, many creatures have toxins and some are venomous. In Florida, we have venomous cottonmouths that look similar to harmless water snakes to the untrained eye.

Follow Ashley on @Getoutside.GoAdventure for encouragement to get outside and locations to explore.

Written and photography by Bethany Augliere