The Story of How We Came To Do This Contest Thing.

This is by far, the most common question! Just today,

The swing stays...Ariel, our puppy, does not.

guests enjoying the swing out front(yes,even in this heat!) asked us WHY are you leaving such a beautiful place? It's also the most common question asked by reporters - and to be fair, it's a long and tedious answer, so no one is going to be able to report it just right, 1) because I tell the story differently every time, and 2) because it isn't that interesting. But it's a good question,and people are asking - so I thought I'd lay it out all right here. Then, no matter what story you read that might only have room for one part of the explanation - you will know the whole story, because I am telling it now.This will be TMI for many people - but it's what happened. If you just want the rules, go to www.highmeadows.com. Once upon a time, a long, long time ago...

...about 8 and a half years ago actually, we set out to own High Meadows. The property was for lease - and that was good, because we couldn't have afforded to purchase it for the 1.6 million dollar asking price. For those keeping track - this was 2007. Real estate values, anyone? Yes - very, very high. So - the inn had been closed for a while, and it was winter, and the place needed a lot of love. We loved it! We leased it for a while from the people who had loved the inn enough to renovate it the first time, then extended the lease another little while...all hoping we would someday be able to purchase the inn outright. Spring of 2010 rolled around, and a very supportive family member who knew this was our dream - made purchasing the property possible!  Yay! Part of the owner-financing required us, in 5 years, to make a balloon payment on the property. Not a bad idea we thought, as the business was growing and we had plans! Yay!

Well, those 5 years sped past quickly. We had been working on a 'regular' business loan through our bank that would take care of the balloon payment, and enable us to build cabins, revitalize the vineyard, and maybe even add an event barn for weddings. By fall of 2014 I was in planning mode, clearing brush readying the land for cabins, and we had even hired an amazing assistant innkeeper, excited about adding 5 new rooms by spring of 2015!Yay!

But things didn't go as I had hoped...and we were not able to get that bank loan (BOO!HISS!), so in February of this year, we began to think of other options. I heard about the Center Lovell Inn contest in Maine - that became a possibility in the back of my mind, but really a 'last resort'. We set up a GoFundMe. And I reached out to good friends asking for help. This is where I get emotional, thinking of ALL THE AMAZING friends I have! I am not kidding...we had people telling us how much this place meant to them, how much we meant to them, and contributions of LITERALLY everything from one dollar and up came our way. There is no way to explain how inspired I was, and how excited I was to keep moving on with my plans. I also had the very good fortune of meeting an amazing man, a friend of a friend if you will, who after many conversations, and questions, and meetings - all of which made me really think about my business inside and out, and love it even more - was going to become my partner! And this guy, well, suffice it to say - HE IS AWESOME. If I could have written down the qualities I'd want in a business partner, he would have every single one. I was excited to learn from him - and most special of all, he understands the quirky, enchanted craziness we have going on here, and he likes it. So awesome! Double Yay!

Then, life happened. Or in this case, death. My eldest sibling, my brother that I looked up to and adored for as far back as my memories will go, died of a traumatic brain injury. The injury was sustained a while ago - it had happened suddenly, crazily, an overhead door at his workplace hit him on the head, and an hour later, he was forever different. So it's not that this was unexpected exactly, it's just that his death finally happened. I have lost grandparents, but you sort of grow up knowing that will happen. For me, this was different.

It's a classic time when you lose someone you love, to take stock of your life. We've all seen the movies. That's how it was for me...in a matter of a day, maybe two, my path forward became crystal clear, as my mother and I talked. She was ready to move 'home' - to Florida. For real. Soon. My children, both teenagers now (they were 4 and 7 when we moved here!), have different needs than when I wanted High Meadows so I could work from home, and be there for all the things young children need. Now, they want to be able to take trips, or be loud, or spread out with friends - be teenagers - and I want that for them. Having this as a home and a job rolled into one suddenly was simply not the necessity it once was. My full-steam ahead approach came to a halt so fast...and I said no to the amazing offer of a partnership with one of the most inspirational men I have ever known. (This is the ONE little part of my story that I still wonder if I will regret!)

With the whole-hearted support of the previous owners, family, friends and colleagues - I decided to run the essay contest. You hear the cliche 'a weight was lifted off my shoulders' often...but that's the closest thing to how light I feel after making this decision! I know it's exactly the right decision at exactly the right time! The inn is busy and growing, but there is room for someone to make it their own.There are still a few showers that could use updating. (that's a future blog...The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly). The vines need replanting - or perhaps someone else will want something else! We have some fall repairs to make around the inn as we do every year, but I'm not repainting everything as I had planned - because in a few months, someone else will have the joy of choosing colors that speak to them.

So that's The Story of How We Came To Do This Contest Thing. Incidentally, though those are all the reasons why I made the decision, there are nearly as many reasons why this is truly the perfect way to pass on this particular inn...I know there will be people who don't like, or simply don't get the idea. They aren't the ones who would love it up here anyway. The people who will want High Meadows are creative, think-outside-the-box optimists and dreamers. People I know I will be friends with, and who will love High Meadows as much as we do, wrinkles, worn thresholds and all.

My favorite old threshold in the English basement, in the kitchen. It's part of the 1832 portion of the inn.

Essay Contest

I thought I'd write about several other contests happening around the state and country...there are quite a few, and I do have some favorites! Here's the list, in no particular order:

Blue Hill Inn, Maine

Street view of The Blue Hill Inn

www.winthebluehillinn.com

I love this place! Owner Sarah has taken time to get an online contest done right...the official rules are clear and she obviously has the right intention. Good Luck to her and the team at The Blue Hill Inn! The next owner of this property will be lucky indeed. The current owner also had the very good fortune of a front row seat to the most talked about contest lately, The Center Lovell Inn - which was featured on everything from the NBC Nightly News, to the Today Show. Clearly she has learned from their small mistakes. This is an inn ready to move into the future while embracing it's past. Just lovely! $150 and 200 words.

Rock Spring Farm

www.rockspringfarm.org

View of the main house at Rock Spring Farm

Imagine life on a tranquil 35 acre farm on the Rappahannock River in Virginia...now imagine that life could be yours! This essay contest giveaway property is my favorite of all those that are not necessarily income-generating properties, though even here - there is a rental cottage. About an hour from Williamsburg, this farm is rural - but isn't that ideal for horses, or goat, or llama or alpacas? A farm sancuary? I imagine the possibilities here are pretty broad, especially if you can work from home, or make your living with the animals. This also has the perk of the house being built in this century! $200 and 1,000 words gives you ample room to woo the judges.

The Claiborne House B&B http://winclaibornehouse.blogspot.com

Another inn located in beautiful Virginia, this one down in the Southwest corner, near the birthplace of country music. This B&B has already seen one family raised here, it's time for a new one! Five rooms is the perfect size to manage for one person or a couple, living and working from home. It's a great life, and it can be yours for 200 words and $150.

Finally,  our own 

High Meadows Vineyard Inn

www.highmeadows.com

Thanks to Meredith Sledge for this pretty spring photo! 

We have just over 13 acres in the cute Town of Scottsville, plenty of room to make this the farm of your dreams, with meadows and old pastures, a pond, a stream, and pretty woods. The vineyard is not currently in production, but the infrastructure is all here and ready for whatever you want to do. Our inn gets rave reviews, and has been an award winning restaurant as well...will you continue that tradition? We are rural enough for privacy and country life, but less than 20 minutes away is Monticello, a World Heritage Site and Charlottesville, consistently ranked as one of the most desirable small cities in the US to visit or to live in. The property is close to Dave Matthews' Blenheim vineyards & winery, First Colony winery, Thistle Gate, and over 30 others. Breweries, cideries, great restaurants, and great swimming holes are all within a half hour, or a half mile! Washington DC is 3 hours north, and accounts for the vast majority of our visitors, and is an easy getaway when we are craving the Smithsonian. We truly have the best of everything here, and we are so happy to be giving a chance to someone else to make their dreams come true. Our contest details will be announced August 17th, just one week away - it will be $150 to enter, and you've got 300 words to tell your story. Stay tuned and help us spread the word!

Making lemonade out of lemons!

First of all, let me start by saying I LOVE LEMONS. A slice of lemon with salt makes my lips pucker just thinking about it, and plain water with a squeeze of juice is so refreshing! Baked, preserved, sweet or sour, lemon curd, lemon pie, lemon pickles...and yes, even lemonade - truly I love lemons, so this silly saying always makes me laugh, because if you start  with something you like, then of course the outcome of any effort to improve on it is probably going to be great!  It's appropriate then to describe the past few months here at High Meadows, and the decisions we have made regarding our stewardship here. It's been emotional, to say the least.

 The support and love from friends, guests, family and pretty much everyone has been unending, eyeopening, and truly life changing. I am going to try to bring everyone up to date without too much backstory or digression...

One of the first things that most of our friends and family have been wondering is 'What is the status of the inn?' Many of you donated and pledged support towards a rather large balloon payment on the property mortgage that was looming, and potentially going to stand in the way of our future here. I was humbled by the support of so many people! We love what we have been doing here at High Meadows, and were grateful when things worked out for us to continue living and working at the Inn. However, despite what seemed to be the answer to our prayers only months prior, we were faced with other, more personal challenges...and after several weeks of discussion, the decision was made to pass on High Meadows to her next owner.

I won't lie - it was an incredibly difficult decision to make, and there are small moments when I question it...like a few weeks ago, when 4 sisters staying with us hugged us goodbye and thanked us so sincerely for making their getaway so special, and I wondered if this is exactly what I am supposed to be doing - making people happy, because it makes up happy in return!  Those moments of questioning have been welcome - because it is with a very clear heart that I look forward to whatever is next in my family's journey. They are also welcome, because it's clear that we have made something wonderful happen here, built on the love of those who lived here before us - and it is time to pass it to another someone to love the inn, the property, the house - and to make it their own.

As anyone who knows me, or who has been to High Meadows will tell you, I don't do ANYTHING the 'right' way. If it's quirky or strange, or wildly wonderful - I will try it! So why then just put the inn 'on the market' up for sale? Purchasing an inn like High Meadows would be expensive - well out of the financial reach of lots of people who might really love her, and be really good at this innkeeping thing. Frankly, it was financially out of our reach when we came here...but we were lucky to start with a lease, and then lots of creative financing. Yet practically, we have a mortgage on the property to pay off, and family expenses - there is certainly a 'number' that we need to achieve if we sold the inn in the traditional way. So imagine my joy at reading about an ESSAY CONTEST being run in Maine to pass on another historic inn, the Center Lovell Inn! The current owner actually won the inn 22 years ago in an essay contest, and was passing it along again the same way.The new owners will be opening soon, and the previous is happily retiring...what a joy for all involved! I loved reading about it several months ago, and now, presented with my opportunity to find someone to love High Meadows - I find this solution to be ABSOLUTELY PERFECT.
So an essay of 300 words or less, on a topic such as 'Why I'd love to own High Meadows Inn' or 'The Future of High Meadows with Me', a potential innkeeper/farmer/homesteader (let's face it - we have over 13 acres here plus the house...the property can be almost anything!) will send in an entry fee of somewhere around $125-200 (we haven't ironed out all of the details yet) and their essay...and to the best/most creative essay - the prize will be High Meadows! With enough entries (we are hoping for around 5,800)our family will be able to turn over the property and the business free and clear to the winner...who takes over as the next owner for the price of their entry and a few hours' writing time. What better way to set the next future innkeeper up for success! In addition, I get to put High Meadows into the hands and heart of someone who will love her. Obviously, there will be some tax,training, and transfer issues for those of us involved - but we believe it's nothing that a successful, growing business and gorgeous property like High Meadows can't handle for the next owner!

We are so excited! Details will follow soon...we are building an online entry form, and working out the official rules. We are working on a marketing calendar to get the word out - this can only work if we get enough people who want to try their hand at a creative essay! The contest is slated to begin around August 17th, and run through November 30. I will need time to read all of the essays, narrow them down, then send the finalists to the judges - 3 people not connected to the inn, but whose opinions I value - who will make the final decision of the winner. We will call the winner on Christmas morning - what a gift this will be to the future innkeepers of High Meadows! So...wish us well, and keep an eye out for contest updates. The next few weeks will be somewhat quiet as we work behind the scenes to get the website in good working order, (though we'll be able to accept entries through the mail as well) then we are looking forward to a busy fall of blogging, press releases, community support, and finally of reading about the hopes and dreams of those wanting to be the future of High Meadows Inn!

Be happy for us, be excited for the future owners of High Meadows, and if you think you know someone who would be a perfect fit for our little bit of heaven up here, pass this along! Follow us on Facebook, and check back around August 17th at www.highmeadows.com for online entry information.

We have truly loved every minute of our time here - and can't wait to meet the next owner!
Cynthia, Nancy, Francis & Sophia

September...Fall Specials and our local food bank

Fall is here...despite a bit of hot weather welcoming in September - we are expecting a cold front coming through this weekend!  A nice snap of cold will make the apples crisp, and get the leaves jumpstarted...are you ready?

We are - during the months of October and November, we are offering a special rate for 2 night stays Sundays thru Thursdays.  I know it's hard sometimes to get away during the week...but trust me...if you saw the weekend crowds at the breweries, wineries & orchards - you would take that extra day or two and enjoy relaxing at all those same places...with the views nearly all to yourself.
Just some of the best reasons for a weekday getaway:
     *  Same great views...without other people in the way!
     *  Often you'll get a visit from the winemaker or winery owner...the weekdays are when they get to     enjoy their places too!
     *  Restaurants...no reservations required, and you might get to meet the chef
     *  Farmers Markets are later in the day, nearby on Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays.
     *  Sleeping in on a workday...THAT'S luxury!
     *  Reduced rates - our special happens to be $359 for 2 nights, (and if you reserve by Sunday, we will throw in lunch!)...but pretty much all the area B&B's offer midweek prices less than on the weekends.

 If that doesn't convince you, then hey, we would still love to have you on the weekends!  


On another note - the best B&B's and inns in Virginia belong to different associations...Select Registry, Relais & Chateau, Diamond Collection, and our own Bed & Breakfast Association of Virginia.  To belong to one of these means the inn has been inspected, keeps some pretty high standards, and generally - even if the place is still the innkeepers home - it's a professionally run place, where hospitality comes first.  Many of these groups fund-raise for different charities.  Last month, for the first time - the Virginia group (BBAV) partnered with the Virginia Area Food Banks.  We thought that since 'breakfast', the most important meal of the day, is part of our name - what better way to give back to our communities than to help make sure EVERYONE in our areas has enough to eat.




Some inns provided food collection bins, and gave discounts for guests who brought a contribution.  Some made envelopes available to guests, and encouraged donations to local food banks.  We, like several other inns, committed to donating a portion of our income to our local food bank.  I am pleased to be donating 1% of our August sales to our Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.  Turns out, just before the holidays - food banks are often very low on funds.  It's just before people really feel compelled to give during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, so they are especially grateful.  Our donation provided over 1,000 meals!  Thank you to all of our guests, for helping make this happen - even if you didn't realize you were helping, you were.  And also - thank you to neighboring inn Afton Mountain Bed & Breakfast for being the engine behind this wonderful fundraiser...Dan & Orquida are remarkable people - and super fun, so if you need a place near Wintergreen skiing this winter - look them up!
 
Just a reminder...if you are reserving a room in October & November, checking in Sunday thru Wednesday - be sure to select the Fall2014 package!  We are looking forward to those leaves!

The James River Brewing Company Music Festival, Scottsville, VA

Scottsville, Virginia boasts its very own brewery, James River Brewing Company, where you can sample a bevvy or two crafted by brewmaster Kelby Barnhill. Sip the subtle notes of the Vanilla Porter, the depth of the 1865 Smoked Ale, the English mild River Walker, and the English bitter River Runner. If you’re looking for the perfect opportunity to visit this small microbrewery with its unique libations, then mark your calendars for an upcoming James River Brewing Company Music Festial! 

On May 17, 2014, from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., a number of local musicians will be bringing their talents to James River Brewing Company’s Beer Garden for a springtime music festival:

The Larry Keel Experience:  This band is a “Virginia-based alternative bluegrass ensemble headed by flatpicking guitar champion.”

Those Manic Seas: These musicians play a combination of post-rock and shoegaze, and while two of their band members are a standard drummer and a bass player, their “lead singer” is one-of-a-kind—a mannequin with a TV for a head. 

Tara Mills: This singer/songwriter hails from Charlottesville and plays folk and roots music that is inspired by a rich bluegrass tradition.

Jimmy Stelling: This singer is not only a talented musician, but also a gifted craftsman as well. He makes some of the world’s finest banjos and knows how to play a lively tune on them! 

Book your room at High Meadows Vineyard Inn, and get ready for an evening of beer tasting, live music, great food, and fun company.

The Scottsville Farmer's Market

Spring not only brings wonderfully warmer weather and an emergence of greenery in Virginia, but it also welcomes back Scottville, Virginia’s Annual Farmer’s Market. From the live music and craft displays to the fresh food for purchase, each day of the Market is an adventure along the James River. Browse custom jewelry from Chickie Dickie Beads, herbs and perennials from Highlawn Farm, bread and corn muffins from Ben’s Baked Goods, and local wines from Thistle Gate Vineyard. (Click here for a full list of participating vendors.) 

So, what’s the big deal with farmer’s markets? We’re so glad you asked!

1. It’s all fresh. The produce and baked goods sold at farmers markets haven’t been sitting on store shelves for days on end. Vendors bring their fresh goods right to the marketplace, so you can be sure you’re getting good quality wares.
   
2. It’s nutritious. Because this fresh food hasn’t traveled very far or sat for very long, it’s at the height of its nutrition. (The produce is also grown without the overuse of harmful chemicals, and the baked goods are made without unhealthy preservatives.)
   
3. It tastes better. It’s fresh, it’s nutritious…of course the taste will be more flavorful!
   
4. It’s a way to support local businesses. There are a whole host of reasons why shopping locally is beneficial to both you and the community. Check this past blog for some of the reasons we’ve highlighted.

Are you convinced yet? If so, then book your room at High Meadows Vineyard Inn…we’re only a few minutes away from the Scottsville’s Farmer’s Market.

 Photo by the Scottsville Farmer's Market