What's New at the Whale

What's New at "The Whale" 

 

April 8, 2012

Happy Easter everyone! We just finished another wonderful breakfast. It started with the Easter Egg hunt (of course). Every guest successfully found the "special egg" with their name on it. Guia made Portuguese "Masa Sevada" (Easter Bread). Guests enjoyed a special "station" at our buffet complete with home-made Masa Sevada, butter and lots of locally-made jams and jellies. There is nothing better on earth than this bread when it's toasted!

We're waiting for the annual migration of the gray whales. They should be here soon. They will have their babies in tow so we know that they will be swimming close in to shore. Last year we had the joy of watching a baby whale playing with some young sea lions!  

Adam and Tom are busy getting the ground ready for our spring planting. We've planted a bed of gorgeous renunculas and Tom opened up a whole new area for colorful flowers. They were planted last week and should be in full bloom soon. Dahlias are going into giant tubs at the bottom of the stairs to the lawn. The rose garden has been moved and expanded. And we are going to have an ornamental (and I might add, very useful as well!) herb garden where the old strawberry patch used to be. So, as you can see, we're busy! Gardening here is such a joy. Almost everything grows. Gary even planted three little orange and mandarin orange trees. They are blooming and two have teeny tiny fruit on them! If they make it, we will be truly unique - I honestly don't know of anyone else here in Trinidad who is growing citrus in their back yards!

Enjoy the spring and look forward to summer - it will be here before you know it!

 

February 14, 2012

Well, Happy Valentine's Day to all! We're busy today (of course!). Lots of champagne, chocolates and roses to put in the rooms. We have beautiful roses this year from the San Francisco Flower Market - I just love that place! Gary is busy getting ready for a fabulous gourmet dinner. Tonight we are serving Scallops St. Jacques, Filet Mignon with Bearnaise Sauce (Julia Child, eat your heart out), and a marvelous Vegetarian Lasagna with Portobello mushrooms and Wild New Zealand spinach from our gardens. Homemade New York Cheesecake, Tiramisu and Chocolate Mousse with Grand Marnier finish off the evening. And of course.....lots of candles and ROMANCE!

Speaking of gardens, the first daffodils are coming up - a true harbinger of spring. Yesterday was cold and windy and the ocean was every color possible under a bright sunny sky - then the clouds would scud over and everything would get darker, and then light up again. It was a wild and woolly day. And of course we had the earthquake. Okay, for you out-of-staters, this happens often in California, but not very often in Trinidad. It gave us quite a shake - but brief. It seems it was about 18 miles from Trinidad. Fortunately, no damage and our guests kindly helped us look for pictures to straighten out on the walls. That's the biggest job after a quake.

So - happy V-Day to all! And Happy Spring.....yay - it's almost here!

 

January 15, 2012

Was it over a month ago that I wrote here? Well, between the "Whale of a Cook-Off" which was AWESOME, Christmas dinner (yes, guests did join us who read below and we had a wonderful time), and New Year's (lots of champagne and good food, not to mention sparklers and noisemakers for all!). So now it's 2012. Resolutions anybody? Mine is to eat better and Gary and I are working on setting up a really healthy food menu for our guests. If you haven't read or seen the documentary: "Forks Over Knives," trust me, it might really change the way you eat! 

So we're looking into whole grain "everything." We already do organic, but now we're looking at going the next step.

While I probably didn't mention it, I've been hard at work on a children's story inspired by all the creatures at the Inn....and down below in Abalone Cove. "The Tale of the Sea Lion King" is finally finished! So, for your pleasure and entertainment, here's a little excerpt called "The Lonely Puffer Fish." E'Lyssa Zuer will be illustrating this children's tale and we expect to go to the publisher with it in the next couple of months!

 

“The Lonely Puffer Fish”

 

               It was a beautiful coral reef. Everything a puffer fish could ever dream of. Fan tail coral, brain corals, fish of every shape and size – and so many of them! Dilly was thrilled and excited at the same time. He just knew this new place would be perfect. True, he hadn’t been very successful at making friends at the old reef, but his parents told him that this new reef would be just the perfect place to make a fresh start. And so he would!

 

               He swam around a very large coral head and saw a school of beautiful yellow fish with black stripes. “How beautiful you are! Can I play with you?” The little school of yellow fish turned as one to look at him, and then darted off so fast that he couldn’t possibly have caught up with them. Dilly looked around and saw that everything had swum away….well, not surprising. “It” had happened again, like “it” always did. With a cry of dismay, he waved his fins which were now surprisingly small compared to the rest of his body and moved slowly up and down in the water. Really, this whole thing about being a puffer fish was getting ridiculous. What was wrong with him? Every time he became excited – about anything – he puffed up into a giant ball with sticky protrusions that looked like thorns. He puffed up so big that his fins could barely allow him to swim, but float he could – and he did – for at least five minutes while he waited for his body to “un-puff.”

 

               Depressed, he swam back to the little cave his parents had set up as their new home. He looked at them with his sad puffer fish eyes, and simply said: “Well, it happened again. I think it’s just hopeless.” And he cried. Of course, no one can see a fish cry because they are in water, but cry Dilly did. For quite a long time.

 

               His parents were quite distressed. Their poor son was so sad, and so lonely. If they couldn’t help him, who could?  How would their son make friends if he scared everyone off before they had a chance to know him? And what about his prospects for meeting a nice lady puffer fish and having children? They just looked at each other with despair.

 

               So life went on for Dilly in much the same fashion as it had at his old coral reef: he’d swim out in the morning, drift around the reef, trying very hard to stay calm, but the moment he saw anybody coming near, he’d grow excited and then, of course, he would puff up to an impossible size and scare everyone away.

 

               But then one morning, everything changed. He was swimming as usual around the middle of the reef when he heard a cry from somewhere below him: “Can somebody help me please?” He looked down through the clear waters but he couldn’t see anything. Since no other fish were near he drifted down to investigate. There wasn’t anything he could see….wait! There in the coral, between the rocks, he spied a tail, and a very pretty tail it was. “Help me please, can you just push me a little bit, I’m sure I can squeeze out of here if you can.”

 

               Dilly was thrilled that somebody was asking for his help! He felt himself puffing up a bit, but forced his body towards the fish tail that was stuck between the coral and the rocks. “I wonder what kind of fish this is?” He wondered. With all his might, he pushed his body against the other fish’s tail and ‘pop!’ Before he knew it, he had pushed the other fish right through the crack.

 

               “Oh, thank you, thank you!” cried the other fish. While he couldn’t see her, he could tell by her voice that it was a girl, that was definite, thought Dilly. But what did she look like? She was on the other side of the coral now, so, curious, he started to swim around to the other side to get a better look.

 

               “No, please wait!” I need to calm down before you see me. “Give me a second here……okay, you can come ‘round now.” So Dilly swam around and saw before him a perfectly beautiful …. Puffer fish. “Just like me!” he thought.

 

               “Thank you sooooo much!”she cried, “I was being chased by an eel and when I got into that crack where I was safe, I puffed up so much from fear that I got stuck!” But I’m forgetting my manners, please forgive me. My name is Eppy and you are…..?” she looked at him in expectation.

 

               “Uh, uh,” Dilly wasn’t used to anyone staying around long enough to speak to, much less anyone wanting to ask him his name. “It’s Dilly,” he finally gasped out. And, of course, he became so excited that he started to puff up.

 

               “Why, you’re funny!” Eppy said. “You’re puffing up, you know, and there’s only me here…..don’t tell me you’re afraid of l’il me!” And she rolled over until her belly was facing the sky, laughing hilariously.

 

               “Er, no, not at all, it’s just that,” and Dilly stumbled a bit, “I’m just not used to talking to anyone. Oh dear, I’m starting to puff up again. Please, don’t go, I’m not afraid, I just puff up when I get excited and oh, please wait until I calm down, please stay!”

 

               Eppy rolled back over and looked at him curiously. “Hmmmm, that is a problem. Say, I have an idea, why don’t you think of something really really boring when you get excited like that, it might calm you down!”

 

               “Like what?” asked Dilly.

 

               “Well, the most boring thing I can think of would be a….sea cucumber!” said Eppy. “They don’t move much, they just are, well, on the bottom of the ocean looking rather boring.”

 

               “You know, that’s an amazing idea,” said Dilly. “Sea cucumber, sea cucumber,” and before he knew it, Dilly had unpuffed completely back to normal. “My goodness! It works!” Dilly said (and in his excitement he of course started to puff right back up again).

 

               “Sea cucumber!” cried Eppy. “Think about the sea cucumber!”

 

               And Dilly did think about a sea cucumber and unpuffed again. And so that was the beginning of their friendship, which eventually grew into love and ultimately, as these things have a way of going, into marriage.

 

               Dilly’s parents were overjoyed. Eppy had shown him what to do and it was so simple! Whenever Dilly got excited, everyone near him would cry out: “Sea cucumber!” Pretty soon, Dilly was able to control his puffiness within seconds.

 

               Eventually, Dilly and Eppy had many little puffer fish children and you always knew when they were near because, inevitably, when Dilly saw something exciting, you could hear their little voices crying: “Sea Cucumber, Daddy, Sea Cucumber!”

 

               Now a whole school of little fish yelling out “Sea Cucumber” was an unusual thing in the ocean. The oddest thing happened: Sea Cucumbers became quite popular, and many fish would choose to spend time around them, curious about why so many puffer fish were calling out their name. Little did they know the real reason, and, of course, Sea Cucumbers were just pleased that someone had finally noticed them!

 

November 28, 2011

Thanksgiving is over, Black Friday has passed and today is Cyber Monday (but in our world these things don't matter much!). We had the most amazing Thanksgiving with friends, family and, of course, wonderful guests, some of whom have visited here for this special occasion for six years now! Thank you, Shirley & Steve, for being here, for bringing your wonderful home-grown nuts (the chocolate pecan bourbon pie I made with them was, according to another guest from South Carolina, "as good as it gets"). I of course, thanked her, but truthfully, if Shirley & Steve hadn't brought the pecans, I wouldn't have been able to make those wonderful pies!

Whale are here. Several guests have reported amazing sightings, including a shark attack (exciting? more horrifying to me, but then.....). It's been rainy on and off and we light a fire in the Great Room nearly every night these days. Gary's been making substantial afternoon "teas," really, we should just change the name on that as it's practically a dinner some afternoons! Two nights ago it was home made fajitas with home-made tortillas, chili and "all the fixin's." Yesterday it was a salad and fresh sourdough baquettes with scrumptuous turkey salad, and a baked brie in puff pastry. I don't need dinner when he cooks for tea!

We're gearing up for the holidays.....house is getting a sparkly wash and then the lights - EVERYWHERE! Meghan, Jess and I will have fun decorating all the rooms and, of course, Gary and I will be buying a big tree. While I don't know if anyone ever reads these little pages hidden within our web page, here's a "heads up" for Christmas. Usually we don't do dinner on Christmas Day for our guests but this year, since we have some extra friends joining us, if you happen to book and like prime rib with all the trimmings (and maybe, just maybe, even a Christmas Goose!), mention it when you make your reservation. And if you don't, then just know that we will be sending out blessings to all on that special day.

 

November 2, 2011

Oh my! Over a month and we've written nothing. Oh yes, I know why - we've been BUSY!!! We started serving our special dinners on October 15th and what a fantastic time it has been! "Two Tickets to Temptation - Wine, Dine & Unwind" started with a full house on October 15th. Well, it's our third year in a row so it's really becoming popular!

Gary has been cooking up three delectable main courses every Thursday through Sunday, including filet mignon, pork wellington, wild pacific salmon, scallops St. Jacques and vegetarian lasagna with portobello mushrooms and spinach. (three different entrees each night with side dishes galore and wonderful salads).

Guia has discovered a new talent: cake baking. So far we've served an almond cherry cake with almond buttercream frosting drizzeled in dark chocolate, an apple spice cake with fresh baked apples in the middle, covered in a cognac buttercream with caramel sauce, and a white chocolate lemon cake. Add to that home-made tiramisu, fresh baked cherry pie a la mode, home-made pear pie with cognac whipped cream, and chocolate amaretto mousse and you get the idea.

But the reason I'm writing this today is because.....the PELICANS ARE BACK !

We've never seen them before in the eight years we've been here. But several years ago, a guest told us that the large rock in front of the Inn (the one that the sea lions are usually on, but they aren't now!) is actually called Pelican Rock because, in years when the fishing is fabulous, they roost here. And roosting they are! ALL over the rock. All over the other rocks. Swimming around the rocks. They are everywhere. It is a fantastic sight.

So, if you are planning a visit, I truly hope you will come while the pelicans are here. They come only rarely and it is one of those moments in time that is, literally, a once in a decade (or more) event.

 

September 12, 2011

Summer is officially over and it seems fitting that the last wedding of the season was two days ago. It was a true "destination" wedding with over 90 guests traveling from all over the world to see the happy bride and groom share their vows. The weather was perfect: the hottest day of the year (okay, it did get a little cooler when the fog rolled in at sunset). But happy guests danced the night away in the Great Room and it was about as perfect a day for all - including our staff who worked tirelessly - as could be wished for.

We're already planning for our special dinners this winter. "Two Tickets to Temptation - Wine, Dine & Unwind" begins this coming October 15th and lasts through March 31st. The menues for dinner look divine. You can read all about it by clicking the photo about the special on our home page, BUT be forewarned, we're already almost completely booked for October 15th and 16th! Since this special only available Thursdays through Sundays, be sure and book early to get your place.

We had a great summer, and we hope you did too. Gary's daughter Sarah had a baby boy named Kale Thomas Nunez (we planted a batch of kale in the garden which is fluorishing) on September 4th. He is one week and about 22 hours old as I write this note and doing well. Mother is doing well too. And of course, Papa Gare and Guima are doing well also! Kale will make his first visit to the Inn this coming Friday, September 16th AND his handsome father, a Marine, will be seeing his baby boy for the first time Friday afternoon. It should be quite a sight as Dad has been overseas for the past eight months.

August 1, 2011

It's a "whale" of a summer....literally. If you are visiting the redwoods, do make a point to drive across the Klamath River - only about a forty-minute drive from the Inn.....there's a mother whale and her calf literally floating around just below the bridge! The local story is that the mother visited here a number of years ago when SHE was a calf - and thinks she should bring her baby here too! The calf is perfectly willing to head back to sea but "mama" wants to have a few more photographs taken (evidently). 

The weather is spectacular everyday....probably the best summer we've ever had. Every morning and evening brings in fog, wispy tendrils drift in and out and then later in the morning and into the afternoon it's sunny. The ocean is every color of blue and green, and the lush vegetation is so thick that you can't help but feel that you are in the rainforest - which of course, you are but sometimes when it's overcast it's not as brightly green!

July 7, 2011

Tomorrow is a very special day here at the Inn: we are having a wedding. There is nothing more beautiful than a wedding in beautiful sun and cool breezes - and the weather here has been stellar! Interesting addition to their wedding - since the groom is a geologist, they have a special request for unique crystals to be placed into all the corsages, boutonnieres and the bridal bouquet. It will be a first for our bouquet maker! The sea lions are gearing up.....barking up a storm in celebration, and we just inspected the trail to the beach and made it even easier to negotiate. It's still down a bluff, but definitely navigable with good walking shoes. I don't think the gardens have ever been more beautiful and just wish I could take photos to show everyone....but I'm such a terrible photographer! It's truly a piece of heaven on earth here and we are just happy to be able to share such a special spot with others.

 

June 27, 2011

And we're back!  It's been a few weeks since our last update, and the days have certainly been sunny (and very busy, I might add!) around here.  It is hard to believe June is almost over, but we are looking forward to the 4th of July right around the corner!  We will be having a BBQ out on our ocean-view deck for all of our guests to enjoy, followed by a small firework show to celebrate on Monday, July 4th.  We are currently all booked up for the 4th, but we do have a few rooms still available for Saturday and Sunday, July 2nd & 3rd for those looking for a weekend getaway!

I would be remiss not to mention the INCREDIBLE weather we have been having!  The days are long and filled with summer sunshine and a cool ocean breeze...so relaxing!  The mornings have been surprisingly clear and the ocean has been calm and peaceful.  I'm thinking we should move our office outside to the deck so I can gaze out into the deep blue ocean as I write! :)  

We were recently informed that Sunset Magazine will be writing an article about us in their October issue!  We are all very excited and honored to be featured for a second time in their magazine.  They will be writing about our winter special called "Two Tickets to Temptation", which is offered from October 16th - March 31st.  Two Tickets to Temptation is truly a GREAT deal - it runs Thursday thru Sunday nights and includes an incredible home-cooked meal here at the Inn, as well as aftenoon wine and h'ors douerves, and our signature breakfast in the morning.  I'll let Sunset Magazine's incredibly talented writers and photographers fill you in on the rest of the details.  Rooms do tend to book quickly so if you might be interested, feel free to give us a call to hear more!

Well that is all for now...we will write more soon!  Enjoy the sunshine!

 

June 7, 2011

Summer is really starting (finally!) here on the North Coast. While Southern California got alot of rain, we just had beautiful days and a couple of "sprinkles." The weather is actually sultry and for us, in the 60s and 70s is quite delightful. Last night we hosted two bicyclers from Switzerland, Diana & Kurt who were celebrating their Honeymoon. Fran, our wonderful manager, lit them a campfire and since they had never had "s'mores" before, she set them up at the campfire and even showed them how to roast marshmallows. Of course, a bottle of champagne was included for their special celebration! 

Guia, Sarah and Jess are taking cake decorating lessons so expect to see some amazing creations this summer! The first one out of the kitchen is today - and I'm making it. Wish me luck as I plan on preparing a butter sponge cake and filling it with lemon curd and raspberries, topped with a buttercream frosting. Each afternoon, we always prepare at least one sweet treat along with our appetizers and wine. We hope you enjoy your summer and, for those of you who read these pages we look forward to seeing you.  It should be one of the most beautiful summers ever - in one of the most beautiful places on this earth.

May 24, 2011

Well, this week is one of happiness - and sadness at "The Whale." Two months ago we lost Jake, our 20 year old cat and this morning, we lost Andy, our white shepherd who shared our lives for the past fourteen years. It's so hard to say good-bye to such a good friend. Andy was amazing, really smart and really loving with everyone who worked here. Gary jokes that if we had a "wake" for her, more people would come than would to his own! While that may not be true, Andy certainly cut a wide swathe here with not only the staff but our guests as well. Sadly, we are removing her photo from our website but her memory will live on in all of us who loved her.

This coming weekend will be the Memorial Day weekend and we are planning on a wonderful barbeque for our guests on Sunday. We still have one room left!

AND we are officially opening up the Agate Room for guests. It is absolutely beautiful - the most unique room we have here as it has an artistic headboard made entirely of driftwood - Gary and I picked out the pieces at the Pistole River in Oregon and hauled up all the wood to our truck and Gary designed and built it here at the Inn. It is quite dramatic and unusual. We'll be posting photos to the website soon.

 

May 16, 2011

Congratulations Humboldt State University Graduates!! We just finished a busy weekend hosting families of students graduating from HSU - and were fortunate to meet several of the graduates who joined their happy families at the Inn for our afternoon reception or breakfast. So who traveled the farthest to see their child graduate? It was a couple from....Denmark - wow. I promised them aebleskivers the next time they came and "showed off" the Danish furniture that my great grandfather Petersen left us.

And Tom's back in the garden today, in between intermittant spurts of rain - which we hope are almost over. Today it's the strawberry patch and our herb garden. Everything is growing so fast.

Update to the Celtic wedding ceremony on the bluffs overlooking Abalone Cove on May 1st.....it was a smashing success! Bagpiper was magnificent, bride was gorgeous, groom, in full Scottish regalia complete with tartan kilt was dashingly handsome. And the officiant (my first time....see below) was almost perfect except for the fact that she forgot to tell everyone to be seated after the bride joined the groom at the ceremony site. Fortunately for all, it was a short ceremony. And to be honest, this being my first time I absolutely will tell anyone who reads this that if they ever officiate at a wedding, write down any particular details that you want to include because the minute you look at the bride and groom and realize the responsibility you have taken on to provide them with something so memorable - perhaps one of the most important ceremonies they will ever experience - everything else goes flying out of your head. I cannot tell you that I even noticed the audience once I was reading to the bride (who had tears of joy in her eyes the whole time) or the groom (who simply stared with love at his bride).

 

April 29, 2011

Meghan's back - but she's soooo busy she said I could write another update. This one's exciting for me: we have a wedding party this weekend and the bride and groom, Linda and Jesse, have asked for a traditional Celtic wedding. Wow - bagpipers on the lawn overlooking the ocean - how incredible it will be. And this will be my first time actually serving as the officiant - I'm very excited and want to do a wonderful job for them. The weather is glorious. Tom is planting even more flowers and the gardens are truly gorgeous.

And the BABY SEA LIONS ARE BORN! Yes, today we saw the first five or six mamas in the water with their newborn babies. More to come in May. If you want to see something truly rare, May is the month to visit the Inn. So I'm off to study all about Celtic weddings......

 

April 24, 2011

Well, Meghan will be back soon so this is probably my last chance to write something....and I wanted to share because today is Easter and we just finished what has to be the most amazing breakfast I have ever seen here! Sarah made fruit tarts that looked like a french patisserie's most beautiful offering, her mother Ann made delicious crab tarts on which were drizzled Larrupin dill mustard....yummm! Add to those two items a home-made bread pudding with vanilla sauce, my sister Lyssa's upside-down French toast, and Sarah's "eggs in bacon basket" creations, and you get some idea of what we all enjoyed. And then we had our usual daily fare of a beautiful fritatta, breakfast meats, potatoes and a gorgeous fruit platter. Oh, and there were mimosas too. And finally, I got to make my great aunt's "masa sevada" (Portuguese Easter Bread) and everybody got a little loaf to take home (and of course everyone got to sample it at the "toasting station" with whipped butter and many different kinds of home-made jams!).

The morning actually started the evening before, with several of our guests joining the staff to paint Easter eggs - everyone had their name on an egg. Then early today, Sunday morning, the Easter Bunny showed up and delivered little baskets to everyone's room.....and carefully placed all the eggs around the Inn. And then, of course, all our guests and friends had to find their personalized egg! It was truly fun, plain, old-fashioned fun.

So have a wonderful Easter everyone, and Meghan will be writing again soon!  Guia signing off.....

 

April 19, 2011

Well, it falls on Guia to again write the update because our beloved Meghan is visiting family back East. It's a hard day to be writing - the sun is glorious, the sky is bright blue and the ocean is all colors of aqua, blue and green. And there's Tom, our groundskeeper on his knees planting all our spring flowers. The renunculas were planted a couple of days ago - right overlooking the ocean and today he's planting all the daisies and freesia....I didn't even know that freesia came in purple, yellow and red! They not only smell incredibly sweet but are beautiful to look at.

Gary made a special planter box in the green house for our basil and tarragon (we use it a lot in our cooking, especially afternoon "tea" when Meghan makes a wonderful homemade bread with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil from the gardens). So spring is literally "coming up all over" here at the Inn.

We're looking forward to the birth of the baby sea lions soon - any day now we should see the proud new mothers with their little babies swimming in the cove. We're constantly maintaining and upgrading our trail to the beach - just remember if you're down there to be careful about approaching baby sea lions when their mamas are near by!

And speaking of mamas, our daughter Sarah is expecting a new baby - BOY! We found out yesterday. His name will be Kale and you can visit him after September 14th (or thereabouts) when Sarah is with him at the Inn. It'll be a lot easier to see him than the baby sea lions - Sarah will be a very proud mama!

Happy spring to all - we look forward to keeping you informed of all the happy moments we have here, and to sharing our joy in this wonderful life with all of you.

 

April 8, 2011

Greetings from Trinidad on this glorious, crisp, sunny day!  It is absolutely BEAUTIFUL here today (and very clear - good for whale watching!)  Georgia and Sarah just finished serving and cleaning up a delicious (and massive, I might add) breakfast to our guests.  Homemade triple berry strudel and peach cobbler, among many other yummy treats!  Oh, the perks of this job!

As you may be aware, Republicans and Democrats are currently failing to reach an agreement on how to fund the government.  This may lead to a goverment shutdown that would affect many operations, from veterans clinics to national parks.  That being said, I want to be clear in pointing out that STATE PARKS will still remain open to visitors.  The beautiful Prairie Creek State Park, Patricks Point State Park, and Humboldt Redwoods State Park, to name a few, will not be affected by a government shutdown.  These state parks are the main draw to this area of California, and I would like to stress the fact that they will remain open.

Although this morning was brisk, spring is definitely in the air; tulips, daffodils, trilliums, and azaleas are starting to pop up all over the Inn!  We expect the rhododendrons to pop soon, too.  It is truly a stunning time of year!  That is all for this week...be sure to check back next Friday!   

 

April 1, 2011

Hello Lost Whalers!  Meghan here, back from the Lady Gaga concert (which was amazing, by the way!)  I'd like to wish you all a happy first day of April...it is hard to believe how fast time is going by!  We have a few updates for you since last week's post:  

Our fabulous winter special, "Two Tickets to Temptation", has come to an end last night.  We all had a wonderful time creating new dishes, as well as cooking up the our signature classics.  We sincerely look forward to bringing back "Two Tickets" beginning in October 2011!

On a more somber note, one of our beloved "Inn kitties", Jake, has passed away.  Jake was 20 years old and lived a long, happy (perhaps a bit spoiled at times) life.  Guia has given Jake a wonderful life, complete with fresh tuna each morning and lots of love throughout the years.  We have created a memorial spot near the strawberry patch where Jake loved to sit on sunny days.  Rest in peace, Jake!

Construction on the Agate Room is progressing rapidly - it is really coming along!  When I left for the Lady Gaga concert, the room was more or less just an outline; now that I've returned to work, the room is almost ready to be decorated (the fun part!)  We'll keep you posted on when the room is officially "rentable"!  

That's it for now...more to come next week!  :)

 

March 25, 2011 

Well, since Meghan is at a Lady Gaga concert in Las Vegas, it's up to Guia to do the first update! It's her first time there so she'll undoubtedly have lots to share. This is our last weekend of "Two Tickets to Temptation" - and we will have our last dinner of the season next Thursday, March 31st. If you're interested, check out the description for this special package; two rooms remain for that very special night (and it will be terrific....our chef is going to do something spectacular!)

If you missed out, don't worry - we'll be doing it next year!

Tom, our Groundskeeper, is busy weeding, getting ready for the spring planting - it's that time of year and if you have ever seen our gardens, you know all that hard work is worth it. Tulips are coming up right now and will be in glorious bloom soon. They are really prolific this year. Lilies are starting to come up too.

Finally, we're busy finishing construction on the Agate Room which should be ready for decorating by Sarah (our new manager, Gary's daughter and soon-to-be Mama) in a week or so. She is fantastic at decorating so if you want to see our new gorgeous room (downstairs next to the Sea Lion Room), be sure and ask....but of course we'll be waiting until it's done!

See you next week......Guia