As you know, it’s that Morning snow-shoe trek through our woods that makes me reflect on things!  I do that walk every Morning with my favorite dog, Chocolat! Guess what? Today we had snow to accompany us! That is Vermont for you!

Last week we attended the Mid-Atlantic Inn-keeper Conference in Lancaster, PA. We had a great time meeting old friends and meeting lots of new folks attending the Aspiring Inn-keepers one day seminar.

What I loved the most was the relaxed, easy going style of the conference and the cutting edge stuff that was really exciting. Sunday evening we were welcomed by a gala dinner presented by Toby Diltz, Please look at their website: www.eaglesmereinn.com The amazing thing was that he made for all of us (about 80-100 attendees) dinner that night. We feasted from soup to dessert and with 3 different entrees to choose from, everything locally grown and locally raised! It was truly a feast! Delicious and very well presented!  The sauces over the desserts he had personally made from fresh berries he gathered in summer. It is amazing how much we can serve our guests that is locally produced… even in winter!

There was lots of information for everyone, but I am truly touched by ideas of what we individually can do to help our guest to have a memorable experience in our beautifully appointed Inns!

Another thought was the B&B Recycling Program, or B&B Partnership Program that allows you to send them all your left over soaps and they will reprocess them and send them to Third World countries, which are badly in need of soap, especially for the care of small children! Here is their address to ship your soap to: 400 Pittman St. Orlando, Fl.32801. Both, serving the local foods and the soap program are great marketing ideas. Well, I wish for the snow to melt and for all of you to have a great Spring!  Bill and I have lots of travel plans coming up! Those innpartners.com enjoy life and your gracious hospitality! Heide

Why stay at Inns? I can’t believe when I stay at an Inn that I have never been to before, that there is yet one more way, that the Inn-keepers can be different, and running their Inn uniquely from any other place that I have been. Yes, it is partly the setting, it is always the charm and taste, that individual décor, the authenticity of the art work, the beautifully appointed public areas, an oriental rug, a painting, that just makes me breathe easy. I feel a sense of being in the right place, I feel my choice was more then I could have expected by visiting here; I feel at ease and I just can relax!

So where is this latest haven that we stumbled upon? Try the Guest House at Lost River.  It is in West Virginia among mountain tops. From my window I see well situated homes off in the distance on more mountain tops, its quiet here and the owners who built many of the fancy homes in the area, also created this rambling Inn. From our room we looked down on many rooftops and turrets, and there are decks for every accommodation and a pool to cool yourself among it all!

You can hike up roads, right off the property, bicycle and work out at the spa. Exercise and exhaust yourself and then opt for a massage… or sit in the hot tub. It is all so smoothly luxuriously easy. As the sun sets, twilight descends, fog lies on the mountain tops and the light of the homes twinkle like stars in the night. If you didn’t find a good book, or didn’t bring one either, it is really okay to absorb the serenity of this place. You might find a place to sit on a deck of the common room, might consider a cocktail, and sit by the beautifully crafted bar, and linger there until it is time to dine.

The Inn-keepers are relaxed, gracious and reserved and are always present to attend to your needs. The staff is cheerful and quietly going about doing their business: want to go away? Stay in well appointed rooms, get spoiled?  Well why not research their website: www.guesthouseatlostriver.com and speak with either Bob or David, the owners. I know that you will have a great stay there, and what amazing beauty lingers in those hills! Let’s go, see you there! Heide

The greater hospitality marketplace has taken a hit in the economic slump; but not inns that have further dug into what they do best: giving the guests more than they asked for, eliciting the “wow” out of that satisfied guest.

That doesn’t mean that Inn owners are not worried. The game is that Innkeepers need to stay on top of the curve; being ambassadors to their area, marketing the highlights of their area such as art, music, mapping out hiking or biking trails, easy access to canoe rentals, telling the guests how they can enjoy themselves; and after their muscles ache, relax in the pub and luxuriate with a scheduled massage and dining over a fabulous meal of regional delicacies!

You think that double income person isn’t out there anymore, you are wrong! Chicago, Illinois’ greater area has towns like Galena to escape to, we visited the Bernadine’s Stillman Inn, as well as the Goldmoor, and saw that Mississippi river snaking through the pastoral green meadows and were impressed how much there is to do.

Seattle, Washington is another area. On the foot of Mount Rainier there is the Alexander Country Inn, not fancy but really comfortable, friendly and what a majestic area that Inn is situated in. And at an almost equal distance, there is the town of Seaview. If you love the Pacific Ocean , visit the Lewis and Clark exhibit on a rainy day, or go bicycling for 26 miles along the ocean, then stay at the Shelburne Inn. You might be lucky and the owner will serve you his fresh caught trout for breakfast.

What about Washington D.C. area, or New York and the out-lying towns around the Boston area; how about all the Inns I have visited in  North Carolina and  Georgia. Magic places, I could go on and on and on, there are many great Inns, caring Innkeepers to cater to your whims; who appreciate that you have chosen them and want to give you a piece of their rural world and their gracious hospitality.

Innkeepers are doing well, if they put their heart and soul into what they do! Isn’t that true for anything we do passionately? So go and stay at an Inn and have a great weekend! Heide

We do seminars here and have for about 28 years, off and on at various seasons.

Around 13 Inns existed in the late 1800’s and into the 1900’s, today there are two: the Eagles Mere Inn and the Crestmont and we have frequented both, love their differences in food, service and style.

The strange and peculiarity of Eagles Mere is that its original population is the summer community of 1500, but the under-pinning, the workers that maintain this enclave of gracious living, are about 250 people. They seem to harmoniously strive to co-exist, each appreciating equally their shared existence!

But what breed of Innkeepers can succeed here? In one Inn I have witnessed four sets of Innkeepers come and go, the other Inn had three. What is it: The mountain air, the bears that come into town and climb a telephone pole, attracted by its hum, dreaming of a meal of honey, with snowflakes just about to descend? It is lonely up here in winter, the darkness comes early, the urban sophistication is left as windows of the grand mansions are sealed and shuttered.

There is no bridge game, no titillating conversations; to shop is hours away, movies as far and the culture of strive and busyness, theater, concerts are what the new Innkeeper thought they had gladly left behind. They embrace their guest gladly giving them that tranquility so needed after the corporate stress. But looking at the Innkeepers introspectively, how deeply had they embraced and understood their yearnings. This is a beautiful place, but winters are long up here. You are not part of that that old summer clan, but neither are your staff your best buddies! I have seen some sad partings, destructive acting outs, as well as seen some Innkeepers that loved this community with all their heart and reinvented themselves, and furthered this town’s vitality. I respect that no matter where we succeed at that. Heide

It was a glorious car trip. It was breezy, sunny, and just beautiful to see those blue snippets of ocean around Portland, and up Route 1; blue-grey coves and jutting inland here and there and the trees blowing gracefully in the wind.  Always unexpected, curved inlets, sails floating far off on the horizon, and the towns, teeming with white buildings on both sides of the road, boats in the harbors and tourists beginning to cover the side-walks; we loved it all! Our eyes and noses taking it in, sights and smells: so different than Vermont.

Getting to the Inn late afternoon, we saw the ocean lapping against the rocks below the Inn’s lawn, a tranquil sight. Three sets of white wicker chairs poised to look into the ocean, and a wooded island framing this perfect setting. An older couple leaning toward each other, their hats firmly in place, seemed in harmony with all of the beauty and grace that surrounded them. Later we learned from our Innkeeper that this couple had been at the Inn for 10 days as a gift from the congregation where he is the Minister. Whoa, what a gift and it was deeply rewarding to see their appreciation.

But the greatest enjoyment came when we were greeted by our Innkeeper. She and her staff glowing in the roles they played to make everyone’s stay exceptional and the appreciation that existed among them. Her desk person said: “thank you for bringing Daina Hill to us; it is wonderful to work for her!”  How about that from a staff member? Daina attended our seminar and did an internship at the Arrowhead Inn, in Durham, N.C., but her professional life was as a successful lawyer!

Daina’s attention to details, in everything, her commitment to quality, her appreciation of individuals and their needs make her a terrific Innkeeper!

We spent one evening, and what a delightful, peaceful place it was for us! Bill, do you think that we can make it for another 29 years? Who knows? But I do know that if we have more evenings like that we can go on and on…. Heide

The dark pines, the winding two lane road allowed for a more leisurely trip. I hate to see the strip cutting, big swatches of bare deforested land, and then the dark stretches on both sides of the road: pines, majestic and dense.

The innkeepers we visited, Laurie Anderson and David Campiche, loved this part of the world.  Especially David, he writes a column for the local papers. He took us to isolated places along the river that leads to the ocean…that is where Louis and Clark came along, and this is where they encountered the Pacific. Right here! What a historic spot! Here up on the hill is the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, what a great time we had there.

Full of knowledge of the history of the area, fishing places, birds, and if at their home or in the Inn: antiques are loaded on shelves, tables, collections, cherished collectables everywhere! Books and art and furniture, it’s a collector’s haven.  Can you guess what they did before they became Innkeepers? You guessed right, they imported antiques, mostly from overseas.

At breakfast David prepared mushrooms and fried up a local fish that some person just happen to bring by! Breakfast was delicious!

Laurie shared all of the creative bends and trends, her gift shop at the Inn held some incredible locally made jewelry and pottery and handcrafted ivory items, some were imported. Some afternoons women sat in the entry room, by the fireplace, knitting and chatting, and at other days she volunteered for the visiting bureau. Always busy, and always recognizing the need to promote the place they love.

She was in charge of the mundane tasks of maintaining the Inn, after 23 years making everything look perfect and making the bread for dinner and breakfast seem to wear her down a bit.

She didn’t ride with us the next morning along the ocean on the 26 mile bicycle path (and how could she, I was using her bicycle!), but Bill, David and I had a great ride.

You know they are such interesting people; you should go visit them and see for yourselves. The whole town is a resort community; not fancy, but comfortable with easy access to everything should you have forgotten something.

Exhausted each evening from all the exploring we did, when I packed my suitcase to move on I hate to leave. Well, talk to you soon. Heide