Thank You!

Lately both my laptop and my camera have been incredibly cantankerous and uncooperative, which explains the lack of posts. However, I would like to take a moment to announce the following:

We're #1 on TripAdvisor!

Woo-hoo! What a great way to start the morning!

With very excited love, especially to everyone who is kind enough to take the time to review us,
~Brande N.

PS: If you'd like to see the rating live (and not squished into a screenshot) click here.

Critters in the Garden

I'm sorry these photos aren't better quality! I was having so much fun watching the animals that I decided to take the pictures through the glass rather than opening the door and scaring them away. Unfortunately, I eventually did open the door and did scare both the bunny and the squirrel away. The bunny was nibbling on what appeared to be an ornamental plant, though, so I suppose it's not entirely a bad thing that they haven't been back in that part of the garden since.

It's getting to be the perfect time of year to lounge on our grounds, have a picnic, read a book, and watch the adorable and highly animated critters go about their lives. Though I personally would have a hard time reading much of anything if there was a squirrel nearby. Those bushy, hyperactive little things steal my heart every time I see them.

Hope you're all enjoying the good weather as much as I am!

With Love,
~Brande N.

Lessons Learned

1) When visiting a new city (especially a large one) get to know the different "neighborhoods" and their reputations. Heaven knows you don't want to be lost in The Tenderloin after dark.

1a) On that note, when you find a street that has a good reputation: walk it! Some of the cutest shops and best dining don't come up on any Google search.

2) If you are renting a car, be sure to coincide the drop-off time with the time of your flight. Dan and I overlooked this fact and had over 5 hours between drop off and take off. Because we didn't want to spend most of our last day at the airport, we ended up paying an unspeakable cost for two cabs to take us back into San Fran after we dropped off the car and then to the airport later on.

3) When using a cellular navigation program like VZ Navigator (which I highly recommend) be sure to take it off "Pedestrian" mode when you begin driving again. Pedestrian mode does not honor one way roads which San Francisco has A LOT of.

4) Don't feed a pigeon just to see it up close.* In reality there is no such thing as "a pigeon" and once you feed "a pigeon" you will be swarmed by dozens of his buddies that were hiding on a nearby statue, waiting for a careless country girl to toss a piece of bread. Because pigeons know there is no such thing as "a piece" of bread.

5) Never pass up a bakery. Even if it's on the wrong side of the road. While on vacation, an indefinite number of cupcakes, cookies, and miscellaneous pastries are permitted. Did you know that calories become irrelevant once you cross times zones?

Other than these few minor mishaps, our trip was great! We had loads of fun, ate far too many cupcakes, and made some great memories. But I must say, its good to be back at the Inn and back to my blog. Pictures and more Berkshire-related posts coming soon!

With Love,
~Brande N.

*I know this one might be dead obvious to some of you, but I grew up in the country. Pigeons are still a novelty to me. Well, they were until we got attacked by a dozen hungry ones in Union Square.

Innkeeperitis - UPDATED

Over the last few months, as I've progressed through Innkeeping 101, I've learned a lot. Most recently, I had the realization that there are a few things Innkeepers do that I believe very few other people do. At least not normal people.

Examples? Innkeepers find their pockets stuffed with miscellaneous this-and-that at the end of the day. Lint pulled off curtains, a loose thread from a pillowcase, a twig fragment and tiny pebble kicked in from outside. All of it in my pocket. Right now. As we speak.

Why, you ask? Because when we're doing room inspections and there is a lovely, perfectly empty trashcan with a clean liner in it, you better believe I'm not soiling it. I will put a squashed crust of raisin bread in my pocket before I soil a clean wastebasket. And I have.

Worst of all, [with no prior diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or any military training] We demand that all things be at a 90 degree angle. The tissue box in relation to the soap dish in relation to the sink in relation to the edge of the counter; all 90 degrees. It's terrible. I find myself straightening Sherry bottles when giving tours. I tell guests that I have "Innkeeper Syndrome".

Yes, it does!

It also bothers me that the pencils are sharpened to different lengths. And the pens are kicked ever so lightly to the right. Ahh!

I really do have Innkeeper Syndrome, don't I?

With [crazy] Love,
~Brande N.

UPDATE:
Today I found myself on my hands and knees, a sparkly pink hair comb in hand, combing the tassels on our rugs into neat, perfectly straight lines. I am officially insane...

I Feel Your Pain, Little Guy...

This is the mug Dan got me for Christmas. When I gave him my Chiristmas list, my demands were as follows:
-Must be handmade
-Prefferably from Etsy
-Must be unique or quirky in some way
-Must be able to hold at least 14oz of liquid
-Must have a lid

All things considered, Dan got me a pretty a awesome mug. But I do need a lid. You see, one of the very first things I learned about being an innkeeper is that you should never expect to have a hot meal or drink between 1pm and 7pm. At least not if you're me. I have the absolute worst luck. I'll make soup and a sandwich or pour a cup of coffee or even just microwave a burrito and invariably, the second I sit down to eat, I'll get a check-in, a walk-in, a complicated 20 minute phone call, or some other crisis. Cold coffee and a a soggy, room-temperature grilled cheese do not a good meal make. Bleh.

So I set out to find a lid. I contacted the potter that made my mug, and she said that it would cost $10 plus shipping to make it and she couldn't guarantee it would fit. Bleh. I contacted another potter to see if he had a better price. Nope. He blatantly refused to do it, stating that it was too difficult.

So I decided to look for a universal lid. Something that I could just throw over my mug to give the coffee another 10 or 15 minutes of life, even if it didn't fit perfectly or match the mug.

And I found it! This fantastic, affordable, quirky website had a silicone (which I believe is a biodegradable material, but am currently researching) lid that was made to fit all mug sizes, was air tight, and was only $4! Yay! After finding that, I decided I might as well grab something else to offset the $6 shipping. I found this great little travel size metal spoon/fork/chopstick set. What a great way to avoid plastic utensils when dining on the road! And it was only $6! What a deal!

I submitted the transaction and waited for my beautiful, ecological, awesome, earth-friendly goodies to come. And I waited. And waited. And waited. Two and a half weeks later, I started to worry that I had been scammed. So I went to the website and hit the FAQ.

Ugh. Turns out that my wonderfully inexpensive, quirky online store was in Hong Kong. And my "beautiful, ecological, awesome, earth-friendly goodies" were being flown to the United States via air mail. I may as well have just poked a hole in the ozone layer myself! Ahh!

A week later, my package arrived:
And of course, it was in a plastic bubble envelope and not a cardboard box. *Sigh*

But there was good news! First of all, the utensil set was/is amazing and has already gotten used several times. And the lid? Fits like a glove. Totally air-tight and keeps my coffee toasty. Best of all, it perfectly reflects the way I felt about this whole messy transaction:
(Yes, that's right, there is a tiny, angry little man on my lid. He's actually the handle. Awesome.)

With Love,
~Brande N.

On Brain Fog

Do you ever have one of those days when your brain goes on strike? Today is one of those days. Earlier I tried to write the number "7" and somehow I managed to write the letter "V". I tried to make a cup of tea and I threw the tea bag in the trash and dropped the paper wrapping in my cup. When ordering my food at Haven (I'm officially an addict) I got all the way up to the counter and completely forgot what I was going to order. Dan had to remind me.

Maybe it's the way the planets are aligned? Perhaps the way I slept? Maybe it's what I had for breakfast?

I'm not sure what it is exactly, but it has utterly zapped my blogger-juice. So today, in place of an refined, inspired, eloquent (Who am I kidding?), post, I will leave you with a very good Berkshire resource and a very bad joke.


First, the resource:

The Berkshire Visitor Bureau
Full of activities, itineraries, events, recommendations, and even nifty things like webisodes and photos. Very handy indeed.


And now for the joke:
Q.) What goes, "Haha! Bonk."?
A.) A man laughing his head off.


With Love,
~Brande N.

It'll Put Hair on Your Arms

Cast of Characters:

MAN – Middle aged, athletic

WIFE – Middle aged, delicate

WAITRESS – (Me)

The Scene:

MAN and WIFE sit at breakfast table. He’s reading the sports section while she nibbles on her egg-white omelet and reads “Berkshire Living”. The WAITRESS comes by, pours coffee the WIFE, and then proceeds to pour the MAN a cup.

MAN: Thanks! This coffee is great! It’s nice and manly.

WAITRESS: I’m glad you like it! It’s a manly coffee for a manly guy! (laughs)

WIFE: (having just taken a sip) Well, what does that say about the women who drink it?

WAITRESS fails to find an adequate response and proceeds to eat foot.

The Order That Will Live in Infamy

(If you're a dork like me and like to analyze handwriting, click to enlarge)

Believe it or not, this is an order for one table. A table of four, I give you, but still! It was so big and complicated that I had to separate it into two courses and bring them out separately.

You'll notice on the last ticket (which is the entrees, the middle one is the "fruit and sides" course) that my handwriting was suddenly not all that horrendous. That's because it's poor Dan's ticket and he has to read it, so I always transcribe my scribbles for him. If I didn't do that, I'm sure a "tomato, basil, bacon, and manchego" omelet would come out something like "Onion, walnut, berries, and mushroom" Which is significantly less delicious...

...unless you're pregnant, in which case it might be exactly what you wanted.

With Love,
~Brande N.

L'Amour

So, Valentine's Day prep pretty much eliminated any time I had for blogging yesterday. And today I'm even more busy. But I wanted to post something for my lovely readers.

You may have noticed that today is Friday the 13th which is my all-time favorite holiday... Well, it's a holiday to me. You see, when I was in high school, my friends and I always referred to Friday the 13th as "Freaky Friday" and celebrated it by doing things like wearing mismatched socks and dying our hair purple (Yeah, we were all the "weirdos", and were proud of it!). In honor of that, and for your entertainment, I was going to post some of those strange and "freaky" photos that people alter in photoshop. The one's that, for example, make Albert Einstein's head shaped like an egg. Get it? Egg head? Yeah, I know. Bad joke. It's a good thing I didn't make that post, huh?

Especially since just before I was about to start it, I got this email. And knew that I had to share it with you. It's much too funny to not share with the world. So, without further adieu:

(Click to Enlarge)

And if you really want to translate it and enjoy it's true hilarity, click here.

Happy Freaky-Valentine's-Friday-Eve!
~Brande N.

A is for Affectionate

[To preserve the anonymity of the guests that this post will allude to, I'm not going to tell you when it happened. So there.]

With that said, onto the story...

I'm sitting at the front desk, probably answering emails or doing research when a couple walks in, ready to check in. I check them in, grab their key, and begin their tour, showing them first our piano. Upon seeing it the woman shrieks with glee and begs her husband to play while smothering him loudly with kisses. Their arms are wrapped around each other, faces smushed together, and I am standing awkwardly on the wings of this romantic exchange, completely forgotten about by the couple. Waiting.

As this is happening another couple who had checked in earlier that day comes down and wants to make a dinner reservation at a local restaurant. We will call the new check in Couple A and the reservation-making couple Couple B.

Now, usually, I'd quickly jot down Couple B's reservation information and then carry on with the tour. But, as I was trying to ask Couple B what restaurant they'd like to go to, the silence between words was being punctuated by giggles, sighs, and the sounds of lips smacking in the next room. (If it's not clear yet, I have named them Couple A for "affectionate")

Couple B is quite amused by this spectacle (and the fact that I cannot keep a straight face) and starts trying desperately not to laugh. Which makes me laugh. I feel like a bad person. But this is just so... awkward! And hilarious! This is the sort of scene that would happen in a sitcom if one about innkeeping existed. I mean, Couple B and I were at the front desk for probably three solid minutes and there was not a moment that there were no giggles, kisses, or amorous shrieks to be heard.

Then, when I honestly think that this situation cannot get any funnier, the Boyfriend in Couple B looks at me and jokes, "I hope they aren't next to us tonight!"

But they are. They share a wall. I can't take it. I burst out laughing, losing every bit of dignity I had, and let him know this fact. His girlfriend laughs. I am so glad they have a sense of humor!

After getting the remainder of their reservation information, I wish them a good lunch, and continue Couple A's tour. When I walk in the Sitting Room, I find her sitting on his lap, arms around his neck, immersed in a passionate kiss.

Let's just say the tour was everything you would expect it to be. Memorable for sure.


With Love, (but not too much)
~Brande N.

On Slow Days...

Have you ever taken the time to really look at a freshly zested citrus fruit? Sometimes it is really quite lovely. Other times it is the funniest looking thing.

Case in point:
(Image - You Can Count On Me via Flickr)
An incredibly beautiful zested lime. It makes me want Key Lime Pie. Mmmm. Key Lime Pie!



Versus:
(Image - Hyperbolation via Flickr)
Hilariously Naked Lemon. Remember those horrible dreams you had in High School where you would get on the bus naked? This lemon is living that dream. The only thing this makes me want is a sweater!



As Opposed To:
(Image - Jocelyn via Flickr)
Luscious Blood Orange. This photo has awakened in me memories of its incredible raspberry-citrus flavor. And after seeing the intense red color of its zest, I find myself deeply longing for a Blood Orange. (I am now making a note on next week's grocery list)



OR:
A sad, sad little orange that I zested to make biscotti. He looks so very naked. Like a sheep. A freshly sheared sheep.


Hmmm...I wonder if....



...And now you know what [some] innkeepers do on the slow days.

With Love,
~Brande N.

Goosberries

Dan has always been much braver than me when it comes to trying new/strange/ethnic/uncommon foods. First to try sushi? Dan. Curry? Dan. Kombucha? Dan. Hemp anything? Dan. He's just not afraid of having his palette assaulted like I am.

Well, last night at the grocery store we saw a reasonably priced package of fresh Cape Gooseberries. Were they in season? I haven't the foggiest. But it was weird, it was inexpensive, and we were feeling adventurous. So we got it.

Back at home, Dan was of course the one anxious to open the package and tear into one of these odd little fruits. Tradition dictates that when ever we try a new food, Dan takes the first bite while I observe the odd and scrunchy faces he makes, which determines whether I will be following suit.

He peels open the husk revealing what looks like a tiny yellow tomato and pops the whole thing in his mouth, chewing slowly. A hilarious series of grimaces, twitches, and nose scrunching followed the first crunch noise. After chewing the whole thing (with more crunching noises) and successfully swallowing it, Dan looks at me and says: "It's like a raspberry that tastes like flower petals. And it's aftertaste is like cucumber and celery..."

Needless to say, I didn't follow suit.


With Love,
~Brande N.

Apologies!

Dan and I got back from New York on Sunday afternoon and before I even took off my coat, it was back to work! There's been a flurry of decorating, prepping, planning, calling, and brainstorming for our big New Year's Eve Package and I'm having trouble finding time to drop a line here on the blog. So rather than give you a half-dazed late night groggy post or a rushed, gotta-get-done-because-the-cookies-are-baking-and-if-they-bake-any-longer-than-6-and-a-half-minutes-they-turn-into-frisbees post, I decided to take a little break until Thursday, and leave you with the following thoughts:

---A person checks into a hotel for the first time in his life, and goes up to his room. Five minutes later he calls the desk and say, "You've given me a room with no exit. How do I leave?"

The desk clerk says, "Sir, that's absurd. Have you looked for the door?"

The person says, " Well, there's one door that leads to the bathroom. There's a second door that goes into the closet. And there's a door I haven't tried, but it has a 'do not disturb' sign on it."---

Until Thursday, Have a great New Years everyone!

With Love,
~Brande N.

New Camera

We just got a new camera for the Inn. I've spent the last few days with it tucked in my pocket, snapping silly photos at random times. Here's a few of the one's I've taken this week:








All of these are straight out of camera (mostly because I don't actually have Photoshop) except for a bit of cropping and shrinking. My favorite kind of photography is Food Photography, so expect to see some posts involving biscotti and cookies and omelets and pancakes and waffles and all other sorts of delicious Garden Gables goodies.

Oh! And here's a fun little update: We got in some samples from Dean's Beans Coffee. It's locally roasted, organic, fair-trade certified, and mighty tasty. We're also trying out another local brand, so I'll keep you updated when we decide on a local coffee. Yum!


Much love 'n' Stuff,
~Brande N.