B&B&Blood

 

For those of you who might remember my June post "B&B&BEER" - this is a more unusual mix. The Miller Tree Inn in Forks WA has been designated the CULLEN HOUSE. The Cullen's are a family of vampires in the famous Twilight book series and people come from all over the world to visit for the "twilight" experience. Here is picture of the Miller Tree front porch. All the flags represent the countries that our current guests are from. If the guests are twilight fans, they also get a personal letter from the Cullen Family. It's little touches like that that make B&B's really special.

 

As INTERIM INNKEEPERS Kirk and I try to represent the "feeling" of each property we work at but we do have trouble being scary. Maybe we should just serve bloody marys at breakfast? HAH! Although we have not personally had any vampire experiences here, there are some mornings when the mist coming in over the medow does seem very spooky!       For more information on the Cullen's at the Miller Tree, check out thier blog www.MillerTreeInn.com.

                               



                                        

Wine Ride

There are many ways to tour the wine country of Walla Walla WA - car, bike, foot and HORSEBACK. That last way is my favorite as you can see by this photo. While working in the area, we took a little time off to do "research" and have some fun. We rode to several of our favorite wineries, tasted wine and had a great pic-nic lunch.

We also bought a few bottles to put in our saddle bags and take home. Here is a pic of Kirk and Doc at one of our favorite vineyards - VaPiano www.vapianovineyards.com. Why don't you comment and let me know what your favorite winery is?

                                                               

Walla Walla Sweets

TWO SWEET THINGS ABOUT WALLA WALLA WA

1]  This charming old farmhouse turned B&B - the Inn at Blackberry Creek

 www.innatblackberrycreek.com-  sits at the edge of the creek in a lovingly manicured garden and is one of the sweetest spots in Walla Walla. It is also one of our favorite places to work, such a pleasure to serve breakfast here on the back deck and look out over the creek in the morning.

 

 

2] Onions! Yup, Walla Walla Sweets are just that - sweet. And we love to use them for breakfast in Barbara's famous sweet onion quiche. All the guests rave about it and many of them go to our local farm market "Klickers" to buy a bag to take home as a souvenir www.klickerstrawberry.com.

                          

Barbara's Sweet Onion Quiche:             Line a pie pan with unbaked crust, saute one Walla Walla Sweet onion and one bunch of asparagus tops, sprinkle into plate and top with grated Jarlsberg cheese. Mix 4 eggs and 1cup heavy whipping cream and pour over. Sprinkle with fresh grated parmesean . Bake at 375 for 45 min.  And think of Walla Walla Sweets!                                                                                                 

   

                                                                        



 



The Great Outdoors

                               Some of the things we love to do in Colorado:

 

Hiking

Wildlife Encounters

Wine Tasting

Scenic Drives

Of course we do have to work as well but when we have time off , we go play in the great outdoors.
Now you know why we love this job!                                        





 

AWESOME!

The Royal Gorge Bridge in Canyon City CO is truly an AWESOME sight. The bridge itself spans the Arkansas River and a canyon that is over 1,000 feet deep. We went to visit for a day trip while working in Cripple Creek and had a blast. There is an incline rail that takes you down the steep side of the canyon and you can stroll by the banks of the raging river. We also went on the  arial tram that carries you across the canyon - now that one was a little scary! Then we walked the path by the woods on the canyon rim and back over the bridge. The bridge itself is not scary but it does sway in the wind, HUMMM. The views from the bridge are amazing, looking out to the mountain ranges and plateau. WOW! For more info www.royalgorgebridge.com. Post a comment and let me know if you have been there.

School Days

    Speaking of historic architecture in Cripple Creek Colorado - this is "our" new B&B. The Carr Manor www.carrmanor.com is the lovingly renovated school house from the 1890's. Kirk and I are not only innkeepers but we are custodians of this beautiful building. It is truly a pleasure to serve breakfast in the old cafeteria and show guests into the old class rooms now made into guest rooms. We have had several guests who's parents actually went to school here!  However it is now much more elegant than it was then. Look at this photo of the main hall-

    



 

 Gary and Wini, the owners, have kept many of the original touches such as this wood stove which is not currently in use and the chalk boards in each "class room" which are very much in use. If you look closely you will see K.C.+K.R.=TL [OK, Kirk wrote that but how sweet, huh?]

 

Gold Rush

Cripple Creek Colorado, where our current job is, sits in the mountains at about 10,000 ft. The OLD gold rush in Cripple Creek was in the late 1800's and all that gold built all the lovely buildings that still line Bennett Avenue today.


Stunning examples of Victorian architecture at every turn of your head make it hard to walk down the streets. The reason these buildings are so well preserved is due to the NEW gold rush - casino gambling. The state of Colorado passed a law allowing casinos in historic buildings if they maintain the origional facade.

As you can see, they have done a great job.    This blue and cream beauty is my favorite and although gambling is not one of my hobbies, I am always tempted to go in when I pass. For more information on  Cripple Creek: www.VisitCrippleCreek.com