The Perfect Storm

Last weekend there was a storm in Cannon Beach Oregon - it was the perfect storm for the Stormy Weather Arts Festival . This festival is held each year in Cannon Beach during the storm season. Most of the galleries in town have featured artists and many have receptions. People come from all over to look at art, drink wine, and enjoy the perfect storm. This year I was lucky enough to be the Interim Innkeeper at the Cannon Beach Hotel during the Stormy Weather Arts Festival.

The Cannon Beach Hotel also had a featured artist - Jean-Marie Chapman. Jean-Marie has been coming to "our" hotel for 10 years during the Stormy Weather Arts Festival. She paints mostly oil portraits [here she is working on a portrait of hotel owner Claudia Toutain-Dorbec]. She also does some lovely seascapes. In both genres, she really manages to capture the essence of her subject. It's wonderful to have her as the "house artist"each year.

Of course just like the galleries, we hosted a reception for our featured artist. Guess who got to be the hostess?? Yea, I know- dirty rotten job but someone's got to do it, right?

 So, remember if you are ever in Cannon Beach during a storm, it might be the perfect storm for the Stormy Weather Arts Festival. Come and see me at the Cannon Beach Hotel. I'll pour you a glass of champagne.

Spooky Seattle

  Look who greeted us when we arrived for our training day as Innsitters at the Sleeping Bulldog B&B  in Seattle. OK, I was a little nervous... Well, it turns out it's a lovely B&B and a pleasure to take care of but the owner, Korby just goes all out for Halloween. There are skeletons walking bulldogs by the front door, cobwebs on the stairway, a witch by the cookie jar, crows on the chandelier and a huge spider hanging over the dinning table. It's SPOOKY in SEATTLE!

Here are two witches in the morning... spooky, huh? We had a guest with a gluten intolerance this morning so I had made some gluten free muffins. One of my innkeeping tricks is to make a batch of gluten free muffin batter and then divide it into several small bowls and add different ingredients to each so that you end up with two cranberry, two blueberry, two chocolate chip etc.. That way you have more options to meet guests dietary needs.

These are my Halloween Brownies [not gluten free] - made with Blood Orange Olive Oil- they are really SPOOKY!

So, even though it is Spooky here in Seattle, we love being Interim Innkeepers at the Sleeping Bulldog and hope to come back. I wonder what Korby does for Christmas? How do you decorate for the Halloween season?