1062 River Bend Road, Ellijay, GA 30540

River noise, constant. Low and soothing. An A-frame sits at the edge of the Ellijay River where a mountain-fed creek meets it. The lot is 2.4 acres, double, gated, and screened by trees. No road sightlines. No neighbor windows. The air smells like wet stone and pine sap. Ferns crowd the bank. Deer move through at first light. Does with twin fawns behind them. Sometimes a buck, antlers caught in the brush, stepping down to drink. The cabin is small and simple, elegant. It holds heat. Honey-toned pine runs up the walls. The fireplace is blue stone, rough-faced, heavy, and cool to the touch until it's lit. Smoke clings to the rocks. The room carries the sweet resin smell of old wood. Ceilings rise into a vault. Clerestory windows face southwest. Afternoon light comes in hard and angled, then slides across the floor in long bands and disappears. A screened porch hangs over the river side. You sit there and hear the creek join the current. Coffee goes lukewarm. Time stretches. Out back, a...