Swelter, Shiver, Smile

Do you remember awhile back when I wrote a post about the snow in my hometown? Well, I was browsing Flickr today, looking at pictures of said hometown, when I stumbled on this:


And this:
And this:

(just for clarity's sake: that's a Jeep under there...)

You might ask me why am I showing you a picture of snow today? Why am I showing you a picture of snow on on this lovely day in May? Why would I bring up cold, wet, windy, yucky winter on such a beautiful spring day?

The answer is because it's hot out, and looking at snow makes me shiver. It's like mental air conditioning.

Really, give it a try! Take a look at one of the pictures, close your eyes, and picture standing where the photographer is.

...Brrrrrrr!


There, don't you feel better?

With Love,
~Brande N.

PS: My apologies to any readers who may be visiting from Siberia, Alaska, Iceland, or anywhere that is currently experiencing a cold front. Look away, look away!

A Spring in My Step!

Alright, I'll admit it. I am SICK of winter. I know, I know. I should be ashamed. I posted awhile back about how I could possibly even come to love snow, but truth be told I don't think I'll ever love it.

It's sort of like spinach. You detest it as a child and then as you grow older it becomes bearable. Maybe not likable, but should it find its way into your sandwich or soup it's not entirely unpleasant. And you eat it because it's good for you. Builds character. That's how I feel about winter. Unpleasant, but bearable and it builds character (just ask anyone from Arizona who has tried to drive in a snowstorm).

Spring on the otherhand... Oh sweet spring! I love the first chirping of the chickadees; the smell of soggy, muddy, rain-soaked earth; the way the sun makes it feel so warm even when it's only 50 degrees; the way the trees look when the buds very first come out; I love spring.

You can imagine my utter elation when I went outside yesterday (a beautiful, warm and sunny day) and found little pokes of green here and there, sticking out of the gray-brown soil.

The joy! I grabbed my camera and went utterly shutter-happy. I had over 30 photos that I wanted to share, but I knew I had to cut down. So here are a few of my absolute favorites:



Want to know the best part? It rained today! Which means that by Tuesday (another sunny day!) the buds will have become flowers, the sprouts will have become leaves, and even more green things will have popped up.

I'm so excited!

With Love,
~Brande N.

Hilltop Orchards on MSNBC

Last year, Hilltop Orchards was featured on an MSNBC segment about fall mini-vacations. Due to the lack of speakers on my computer, I hadn't had a chance to watch the video until just now. There's some really beautiful photography and it does a great job of detailing some of the activities available at the orchard. And while there are no apples to pick this time of year there is cross-country skiing and showshoeing with rentals available on site.

Check it out!

On a side note: The segment didn't mention it but Furnace Brook Winery is also a part of Hilltop Orchards and is located in the same building. A few of the wines are gold medal winners at the Big E Regional competition so it's certainly worth heading up there to check it out. (I personally recommend the Johnny Mash, delicious!) And if you're an inn guest the wine-tasting and skiing/snowshoeing is free!

What better way to kill winter ennui than with wine?

With Love,
~Brande N.

Snow, Finally!

I'll admit it, I was a little bit happy when it started snowing on Sunday. All this week, as Dan and I were decorating the tree and hanging wreaths and putting little candles in the windows, I couldn't help but wish that there was some snow on the ground. Everything just feels so much more Christmasy when it's covered in that blanket of white, you know? Christmastime at night is the best. I love seeing all of the lights reflect on the snow and cast pretty multicolored shadows.

So when I started seeing those flakes float down, my first reaction was (of course) to grab my camera and see what it can do!

This was the first picture I took, nothing too special, just a view of our driveway and the snow as it was starting to coat things.



If you click the picture you can see a few of the snowflakes up close. So pretty!



You can see the little snowflakes even better in this one.



The last remnant of summer's greenery falls prey to winter's cold.




This is probably my favorite. It's a view looking down the branch of a little ornamental tree in our garden. You can see some of the little snowflakes in this one too, and I love the touch of green.



And while the above photo is my favorite, this lovely little set shows my least favorites. The photography lesson I learned that day was:

It doesn't matter how hard you try, what setting you put the camera on, or where you focus; it is darn near impossible to take a picture of a single snowflake on your coat sleeve without it melting first.

...not to mention the fact that I must have looked really silly standing on our porch taking about a thousand pictures of my sleeve. Who would have known that I was taking pictures of snowflakes? But the good news is it's only December 10th. There's plenty of wintertime left to get more pictures.

With Love,
~Brande N.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

We just finished a crazy round of mad-dash decorating here at the Inn. Halls were decked, wreaths were hung, trees assembled, candles lit, and, of course, pictures were taken. I hope these pictures kick start your holiday spirit like they did mine, enjoy!

Here's our "Red" tree in the Sitting Room. If you could just pretend you don't notice that the top of the tree isn't lit, I'd feel much better about my decorating skills...

My favorite ornament on this tree is this cute little "Letters to Santa" tube. It really opens too!

We also have this beautiful menorah on the piano in the Sitting Room.



The Sherry Room features this red-berry garland that I adore. I think they're supposed to be cranberries; which makes the cranberry-mandarin candles very appropriate.

And did you notice this guy next to the fireplace? We've designated him our "Keeper of the Sherry". It's a difficult position, but we think he's up to the task.


The Dining Room features our "Blue" tree, which (unsurprisingly) is decorated in shades of blue and silver. It's so frosty and delicate looking.


My favorite ornament on this tree is this beautiful blue bird. Did you ever notice that blue crayon in the box called "cerulean"? I never knew what that word was or how to pronounce it but it was always my favorite crayon. This bird is that same exact color. So pretty!


And the newest addition to the Garden Gables Family are these silly little penguins that we found in the basement. They have a little twisty thing on their backs that makes them waddle across the table. Too cute! We've designated them "The Keepers of the Desk". That too is a difficult position, and as much as I'd like to say they're up to the task, those googly little eyes are terribly unconvincing.

We'll be adding more Deco in the coming days, so I'll be sure to post more pictures. Perhaps I'll give you an update on the performance of our Guard Penguins too. :-P


With Love and Holiday Silliness,
~Brande N.

Musings from a snowglobe...

When Dan and I first realized that we'd be moving to the Berkshires one of the first things I looked up was the climate. You see, I grew up on the buckle of the snowbelt in Upstate NY. Here are a few pictures of rather typical winters in my hometown:










I've shown pictures like these to Non-Upstate New Yorkers in the past and their reactions have always been some mix of bulging eyes, gasps, disbelief and exclamations of "How did you get into your house!" It's very entertaining. I feel like one of those people who handles snakes and after awhile becomes immune to the venom. Snow just doesn't affect me.

That is unless it’s really, really pretty. Like yesterday. I was poking around upstairs and I happened to look outside just in time to glimpse the first flakes falling. At first it was a gentle, light, powdery snow, and then in a matter of seconds it was the equivalent of a frozen torrential downpour. Thick curtains of snow just poured and poured and started forming little white puddles on dried leaves and in the spaces between blades of grass.

And while I wasn’t affected by the quantity of snow that started falling or even the suddenness with which it came, I was affected by the rays of golden mid-afternoon sunlight that were beaming and pouring through the clouds illuminating every little snowflake and turning it into a tiny piece of glitter. Boy, was that pretty. I just sat on the bed in whichever room I was in and just watched it for a minute, mesmerized. I felt like I was sitting inside a snowglobe, watching these beautiful, sparkling little jewels fall around me.

And while I've never been a snow person, I feel like maybe I could be here. If the snow is always this beautiful, what could there be not to like? Coats and mittens and hats keep out the cold, snow tires keep us safe as we travel, and hot chocolate warms us up should we find ourselves chilled.

I think it's going to be a pleasant winter. But just to be sure of that, I'm going to go look up snow-tubing parks. No sense being locked in my snowglobe all winter, right?

With Love,
~Brande N.

A Secret, Shhh!

This week revealed to me a secret that I only wish I had known before becoming an Innkeeper.

It’s not a secret that for nearly all Inns, the busy season is summer. The weather is beautiful; theatre, art, and music abound; swimming pools beckon; and all manner of outdoor fun is in its prime.

Winter is the ugly stepsister of Summer. No one wants to travel on icy, snowy roads; it’s cold outside; the kids have school; and influenza is lurking in the shadows, waiting for you to let down your guard and catch just the slightest chill so it can pounce on you like some vicious jungle cat and spend the next 4 weeks eating you alive (graphic, I know, but influenza is mean like that).

Reasons like that are why Dan and I spent the last 5 days with only one guest in house. The first three were spent with a nice young couple, and the next two with a couple of ladies enjoying a bit of time away from family and home. And while these folks may have had to brave the risk of vicious viruses and damp, chilly, yucky weather, they certainly didn’t have any issues with getting a reservation to any of the restaurants in town. Nor did they have to worry about any loud, boisterous guests in the room next door. There was no fear of having their TVs too loud or any guilt for parking in the best spots in our lot.

On top of that, being the only guest gives you the opportunity to ask for a personalized breakfast. Now, don’t get me wrong, we have an amazing breakfast to start with. But there’s something great about being able to say, “You know, I don’t really like granola and I’m just not feeling like an omelet today. Can you make me oatmeal instead?” And Dan and I can say, “Sure, why not?” because we’ve got time now to whip that up. With all 17 rooms filled, that’s quite a bit more difficult. It lets Dan and I get a bit creative and the guest gets to eat a breakfast that is exactly what they wanted.

Not to mention the fact that room rates are lowest during the winter. And if you can manage to avoid weekends and come on a weekday, they’re even lower.

I’ve learned now that every day comes with a handful of lessons. And every week comes with a car and several suitcases full of them. This week, the lesson is: when going on vacation, it’s worth the oatmeal to risk the influenza.


With Love,
~Brande N.