Charming Charleston

       Charleston SC  [or CHUCKTOWN as the locals call it] is truly one of the most CHARMING cities I have ever seen! While staying here we did get to take in a few of the sites and tour some of the Historic Homes [there are so many it would take you weeks to see them all]. The Historic Charleston Foundation has restored many of them to their original splendor and the visitors center sells passes that will get you in to 6 different homes and 2 plantations. We managed to visit 5 of the homes and 1 plantation. We were here for work after all so we could not spend all day sight seeing. The home shown above is the Nathaniel Russell house built in 1808 and now lovingly restored. It has beautiful grounds and a very famous free floating staircase.

 This is the center chandelier that has hung in the Joseph Manigault house for over 150 years. Can you imagine having to clean this thing?

 The "music room" in the same house was especially lovely. Apparently music was a great part of the entertainment in those days and no expense was spared to enjoy it.
 Just touring these Historic Homes gives you a real sense of history. So much has happened here. We visited the Hayward Washington House where President George Washington stayed in 1791. It is filled with incredible furniture mostly made in Charleston and mostly made of mahogany. I really wanted to steal a charming little cradle and take it home for my soon to be grand daughter! This home also had beautiful gardens [photo below] and the only restored historic kitchen. The kitchens were in separate buildings with the slave quarters above. Imagine how many slaves it must have taken to keep homes like this running smoothly.

  One of the most beautiful Historic Homes in Charleston was on the same street as our B&B - the Edmondston Alston House built in 1825. It still remains in the Alston family and they live on the third floor while the rest of the house is open to the public. We really loved the gardens just off of the main "piazza" [ long verandas supported by tall pillars to catch the cool breezes off of the bay].

                                                                OK, I could live here!

Pink Palace

      WOW,  this 1848 mansion in Charleston is really called the Palmer Home and it is where Elizabeth and I stayed while attending the Innkeeping Conference. You can see why we called it the Pink Palace! What an amazing place. It is consistently voted one of the best B&Bs in the country and is still run by a descendant of the original owner.            
                                                     My room is on the top floor on the far right.

It is a charming little bay window with just enough room for a bed and stunning views of the harbor from all of the 12 foot tall windows [when the shutters were open]. Above is sunrise from my bed and this is my bed side table lamp. It was just a treat to go to bed or to wake up in that room! Our suite also opened right on to the "piazza" which ran the whole length of the building. It was a lovely place to sit at night after the conference and sip a glass of wine while the light faded over the harbor and the ships sailed into the bay.

                  We had breakfast every morning in the "drawing room" of the Palmer Home.
                                      I tell you we felt like true Southern Belles!!!!

Piece of P.A.I.I.

 No, P.A.I.I. is not something you eat! It is the Professional Association of Innkeepers International.
Although K.C.'s Innsitting Service is not a member, I did get to attend their Innkeeping Conference this year in Charleston SC. I went with my friend and client Elizabeth Padilla owner of the Dove Inn. We had a great time, got to meet lots of other innkeepers and see all the latest innovations in the industry.

One of the reasons to go to a conference like this is to take classes that will make you better at the art of Innkeeping. I took several cooking classes - this lovely garnish is from a class called "the well dressed plate". I also listened to a psychologist talk about how to work well with your spouse - I have vowed to "honor" Kirk more for all that he does to make us good Interim Innkeepers. Another great class that I took was about Innkeeping technology trends - hard to keep up with all the changes but I try.

 The Innkeeping Conference also offers many opportunities for networking. Here I am at a booth with three fellow Innsitters. We are all members of Interim Innkeepers Network and although I have shared emails and contacts with these ladies for years, I had not met them in person until this conference. So, that was really fun for me. Of course I also got a chance to make lots of new contacts and hopefully a few new job opportunities will come my way - you never know!

  It wasn't all work - the
 "Hats off to Innkeeping" party was a lot of fun.
Elizabeth and I chose to wear cowboy hats but other Innkeepers had on crowns, ski hats, fur hats or sombreros. We had a blast!




One night there was a dixieland band that played music during our dinner. That was also a lot of fun.

                                          Where do you go for business conferences??

Christmas Cookies

  Yes, I know Christmas is over but at our house we are still eating Christmas COOKIES and we love it! Of course they do not look like this anymore - the really pretty ones were picked out on Christmas Day.

 Actually my favorite Christmas Cookie is this old fashioned gingerbread and I thought I might share the recipe with you so you could enjoy it next year.

   The dough is pretty simple:
   1 C butter
   1 C sugar
   1 egg
   1 C dark molasses
   2 T vinegar
   5 C flour
   1 1/2 t soda
   spices
Cream first two, add next three, stir in flour & LOTS of spice -at least 3T of ginger and whatever else you like - chill 3 hrs.

Then, roll and cut the dough into Christmas shapes and bake at 375 for 5 minutes.
Next comes the really FUN part - DECORATING!! The basic frosting is just powdered sugar, water and food coloring with LOTS of adornments - just let your imagination run away with you.
Look at this great gingerbread man that Kirk is making - AWWWW!

   

HO HO HO!  It's CHRISTMAS!

What is you favorite Christmas Cookie??

A Coastal Christmas

      Well, it is CHRISTMAS time and our current assignment is in Cannon Beach on the North Oregon Coast . What a special time of year here! Often the beaches are sunny and empty and of course there are so many charming Coastal Christmas decorations.
                                                                               

                                                                 

                       These are two of my favorites in the town of Seaside. Arn't they cute?
I especially like the dancing starfish. We got to sit right there behind him and watch the sunset and then have a very cold beach walk. This time we even had snow on the beach that lasted for two days. That's unusual. So aside from cold beach walks and decorating "our" inn, Kirk and I get to experience some of the local Coastal Christmas fun. This year we have been to a great concert and we always try to go to the Coaster Theater for their Christmas play. This year it was "White Christmas". Perfect!!

It was a great show and really got us in the
Christmas spirit. I hope all of you are spending the Christmas season somewhere magical and that you have a wonderful holiday!

Lighthouse and Lifeboat

  It's a CRAZY COAST here in Port Orford Oregon. This is Cape Blanco with it's perfectly preserved picturesque Lighthouse. Cape Blanco  is the westernmost point in the country and stunningly beautiful. We got to take a tour of the Lighthouse and go all the way up into the light tower where you can see for miles up and down the coast. The old "Fresnel" lens is over 100 years old and still in use. Beside the Lighthouse, Cape Blanco Park  has great hiking trails, pic-nic spots and a restored farm house from the late 1800's.

                                                                       

                                 
  Port Orford also has some cool beaches with "sea stacks" that you can walk through at low tide and lots of great beach combing. But be careful because at high tide this beach almost disappears -crazy, huh? Kirk and I have spent several days walking here at low tide. It's always very interesting. There are other interesting beach towns nearby such as Bandon with  it's artistic boardwalk right by the bay. Check out my crazy seahorse...                  

 Port Orford Heads is a restored Coast Guard Lifeboat station. This lifeboat was used for marine rescue until 1970. It's very interesting to tour the old Coast Guard station and see all the memorabilia and shipwreck information. The water here is famous for it's rocks, reefs and storms. It is really a crazy part of the coast and here is how the locals tell what the weather is:




   


 Just as accurate as your computer, right??

Pickin' Pumpkin

 



  One of the things I love most about the
Thanksgiving season is PUMPKIN!!


   As you can see I have a great pumpkin colored dress and check out these lovely roses that match it. As interim innkeepers, we always get to decorate a Thanksgiving table and it is fun to choose fall flowers. Let's do something with PUMPKIN, huh??

 Of course the other fun thing we get to do with Pumpkin is COOK!

These are the Pumpkin Muffins I make at Thanksgiving Time.
Because I like you so much, I'll give you the recipe.

    K.C.'s Pumpkin Muffins

Beat - 4 eggs, 1C oil, 2/3C water, 2C pumpkin
Add - 1 1/3/ C flour, 2t baking soda, 1 1/2 t salt,
         3C sugar and spices [I do not measure, just add
         cinnamon and apple pie spice]
Bake 350 for 25 min

Top w/ apricot glaze:
1/4 C melted butter, 2T apricot jam, 1/4 C powdered sugar
beat well until smooth and drizzle on top


 

                                                      Happy Thanksgiving!!