For the better part of the week, David and Kathaleen Hughes live on the McCallie School campus, where he is on staff. She teaches at Chattanooga Christian School, so the McCallie location is convenient enough for her commute, too.
But every week there comes a time for getting away from the jobs and campuses and getting together at their log cabin on Lookout Mountain’s Rock Bluff.
The warm, simple home on the edge of the mountain is a haven both for the empty-nester couple and for the students who often take advantage of their open-house hospitality. A private, 6-acre estate on a dead-end road, it lured the Hugheses years back with its dazzling mountain view and outbuildings brimming with potential, like a greenhouse and a parking shelter for their Airstream trailer.
Inside the cabin, an adjoined living room, sunroom and kitchen form an open, friendly hub overlooked by a loft above the kitchen. Along with a sense of connectedness, this layout brings the stunning landscape of the valley within view of most any conversation area.
“We bought this place so that we could tie people together. We wanted to have a gathering spot,” Kathaleen says.