Amazing Asia

 

OK, the reason I have been so lazy about blogging is that we have been on the road!! Not on the road for work, but for VACATION. Yes, even innsitters get vacations and this year we went to Asia and it was truly amazing. So much of it was exotic to us: the food, the people, the music, the weather, the scenery, the markets, the modes of transport... I could go on and on but one of the most exotic aspects of Asia was the architecture. From temples to palaces everything we saw was colorful and bizarre to our eyes - just AMAZING! So now that we are back in the USA everything looks just a little blahhhh to us.



 

 

                                       

 

 

So what about my favorite little monster, huh?

Why don't you comment and let me know what your favorite vacation spot in Asia is - we just loved BALI!

 

Road Trip

                                                      

OK, when I say "road trip" I do not mean a family vacation with five people crammed into a station wagon. I mean that feeling of freedom you got when you left home in your first car or the relaxed joy of bare feet up on the dash while sipping a bottle of warm coke and watching the world go by with the one you love beside you. That's a Road Trip! As professional innsitters,  Kirk and I take more road trips than most people - last year we logged over 20,000 miles - and we love it. But there are key tips to a successful Road Trip and I will share them with you.
 

                                                

First off - it is not about the destination, it is about the journey - DUH! Now of course there are times when we are in a hurry and have to stick to the freeways but as much as possible we pick the blue highways or smaller roads [as long as they are paved]. We have been to the Catfish Festival in Huntington Oregon where I got to hold a 40 pound catfish and we have been to the Mountain Home Rodeo where I got to sit next to Miss Rodeo Idaho. Now those are things you just stumble on to if you are off the main roads. Who knows what you will find.

The two key ingredients to a successful Road Trip are music and food. We have our IPOD filled with road trip play lists - mellow for early morning or late evening, rocking for mid afternoon when you need a pick-me-up and then current hits when you want variety.

As far as food goes, I have one word for you: PIC-NIC. Even in really cold weather we try to have at least one pic-nic each day. It gets you out of the car and you can enjoy the scenery of wherever you have found yourself. Doesn't have to be fancy but pack that cooler with cheese and crackers and enjoy the countryside.

Last but not least a Road Trip is about companionship and enjoyment.

Kirk and I have enjoyed road trips together for over 35 years and we have a tradition of kissing each other when we cross a state or country line. Some days going to our next job, that's THREE kisses in one day!

 

                              

 

So get out there, hop in your car, crank up the tunes and HIT THE ROAD!

 

And tell me what your favorite drive is.

 

Tea Time

 It's not often I get to go out with a girlfriend while I am working but here I am with my friend Elizabeth having High Tea at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver Colorado while Kirk stayed back at the B&B to be the Innsitter .This is the most luxurious and historic hotel in Denver. It has a beautiful interior atrium with cast iron balconies and wall decor made from Mexican onyx. It also features brass griffins over the front desk and entry ways. WOW! Built in 1892 -the age of elegance, you really feel special when you have High Tea there and that's good because we were celebrating our mutual birthdays.

As you can see the food was beautifully presented. What you can't see is how great it tasted - this little birthday cake was soooo yummy - coconut cake with a butterscotch frosting and tiny little butterscotch candies on top. My wish was for a year of happiness and peace for my friend. She wished for a year of fun travel for me. May both our wishes come true!                            

So if you are ever in Denver and want to step back in time,  go to the Brown Palace for High Tea  - So Elegant!

Historic Homes

The Dove Inn is one of many Historic Homes in Golden Colorado. It was built in 1866 and still has lot's of it's original features. The original bath tub is in the "Red Rocks" room, the original doorstep is worn from over 100 years of footsteps, and in the kitchen there is a trap door down to the original well. When we are innsitters here we love to show our guests a photo from the early 1900s and say "look, here is your B&B". We also have to warn guests that the staircase was built long ago and is very narrow and steep!

The town of Golden Colorado has a Historic Landmark District that has many beautiful Historic Homes. It is fun to stroll the sidewalks, relive the past and read about the history in the "Tour of Historic Golden" book. Almost all of the houses were built with "golden brick" [one of the earliest industries in the town of Golden] but many have been painted. This charming grey house was built in 1871 by George West, one of the founding fathers Golden.      The house below was built in 1877 by a Union Civil War Captain and is in such great shape that it looks brand new.

 

But this last one [built in 1879 by a territorial legislator] is my absolute fave - I can just pretend to be reading a book on the sun-porch in a long white dress while someone else cooks my breakfast!

 

Where are your favorite Historic Homes?

 

 

A Belgian for Breakfast

As Interim Innkeepers at the Dove Inn we usually get to cook breakfast for an international crowd. The Colorado School of Mines is only a block away and we often host teachers, students, speakers and visitors of the school. So we have had guests from all over the world. It makes for a very interesting breakfast table! One morning we served breakfast for 8 and no one was from the US. We had guests from China, Japan, Australia, South Africa, France and Belgium. WOW!       

                   When we have guests from Belgium, of course we make Belgian Waffles.

Here is the recipe for Belgian Waffles that we use - taken straight from food com. It's a bit of work but soooo tasty and our Belgian guests feel right at home.

 

What's your favorite international recipe?

                                    


Winter Wonderland

In our profession as Interim Innkeepers we get to travel a lot - that's what this blog is all about. Well, this month we got to drive from Oregon to Colorado again... sigh! But we used the trip to enjoy some of our favorite winter sports and visit some of our favorite winter places and see some of our favorite people:

    In Leavenworth Washington we -
                              Sledded with our daughter and went Skiing with friends.

     

     

    In Sun Valley Idaho we -
          Ice Skated on the historic rink and went Nordic Skiing with a friend.
            

 

 

    In Beaver Creek Colorado we -

             Went Skiing with friends and Pic-Nic'd in the snow.

 



                                 

 

As you can see we just love all the fun you can have in the snow.

What's your favorite winter sport?

                                   

The Wild Life



   OK, the life of a professional innsitter is not really a "wild" life but while working at the Old Parkdale Inn we do take care of a lot of wildlife. The back yard of this inn is recognized as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation . Here is a picture of Kirk feeding breakfast to some of our smaller guests and below are some close up photos of our favorites.

 

 

 

There are many types of birds that come for breakfast including quail, doves and the occasional hawk - the B&B is part of the annual Audubon bird count. We also get  raccoons and sometimes deer. I guess the squirrels are my favorites - what is your favorite form of wildlife?