SPRING!!

It won't be long til the James River is teeming with canoes, kayaks and tubes again! What a perfect way to spend a summer day - and just think, you could end up back here for a delicious dinner, picked fresh from our garden or grown just a few miles away.

Caromont Farm (Gail Hobbs Page - the best!) is underway again for the season - I had some fresh farmstead cheese last week - delicious! - tasted like spring. Our farmer's market will be open in a few weeks - can't wait for that; and we will be spricing up Scottsville on April 18th planting all the town planters with fresh flowers for the spring and summer. Our little town is so quaint - needs a few more shops of course - but the streetlights, the river, the park - and the shows at Victory Hall, really add up to true small-town charm. We have great hiking trails too - and a beautiful reservoir right in the center of town that is lovely for a picnic.

The new visitor's center at Monticello is getting rave reviews - even in DC! I guess that means it MUST be nice! :) Wineries with new releases, art shows in Charlottesville - and the pretty outdoors - I don't know what more one could ask for - come visit!

So much to do...

SO much I want to do here!!
1 year plan - survive this economy! open bakery; repair slate roof; plant pond with water-loving plant divisions; clear brush through woods to pond - generally improve the walking trails; begin hedge of hydrangeas along Baldwin lane through vineyard; add hoophouse to flat parcel at south end of vineyard; create soapstone patio outside north porch; install peagravel walkway to gazebo and cottage
3 year plan - renovate bathrooms; plant front meadow in blueberries, raspberries, seasonal veggie patch; evolve bakery - add lunch?; plant fruit-bearing trees in side meadow; add beehives; new wooden storm windows and screens built and installed seasonally
5 year plan - arbor from inn to gazebo with heirloom climbing roses, wisteria; build new barn with drive-in access (chicken coop under and around back, main level for canning, berry processing, flower drying) evolve bakery - fruit jams, etc available year round?; pool on east side of house
10 year plan - downstairs innkeepers quarters into restaurant or new guest room; pick-your-own berries/farmstand open seasonally; new color scheme?

And of course all along keeping rooms fresh, reupholstering, repainting, weeding, making beds and all the other mothering that is just a part of life...

Spring/farms

Robins are here en masse, cardinals are flocking the feeders - spring surely must be here. We have had over a week of drizzly rain - perfect for soaking in...now we have a forcast of 10 days of 60s & 70s - I think the lawnmower might make a field appearance this week!

Bakery update: we aren't baking for Country Blessings any longer, but that gives me more time to FOCUS on finding a bakery case and planting outside the bakery door, fine tuning recipes and deciding on boxes...looks like May for grand opening. perfect timing for our Herb Festival May 9th!

As a big fan of the new Washington administration, I read with happiness many stories of encouragement for the new first family to tear up the lawn and install a garden...that's really good advice - and truly I wish they would...but we also have to understand BABY STEPS. The Obama's are from a ginormous city - what do they know about how lovely and easy and fabulous a home garden can be? What a great example for the nation it would be, I dream! But for city people, it might be hard to truly wrap their heads around it - what with all the other problems they are trying to solve. Maybe after living in a city, they are THRILLED to see so much green ANYTHING outside their windows. Let's let them get used to that first - then maybe, with some encouragement from letters and emails, and if the White House chef wants truly fresh salad greens - then MAYBE we can convince them what a wonderful thing it is to see your food grow.

I got an email of dire warnings about the new Food Safety Administration, and the potential evil effects on the small farmer. Maybe. But I don't mind waiting to see how it all plays out...I don't mind speaking up, but I am an optimist - and I believe that the motives are to HELP the small farmers...looks at the cigarette news!! How great is it that one of the worst products is finally being held accountable for the harm it produces! Maybe it won't be of any benefit for farmers to grow tobacco, and they will finally grow something useful and healthFULL...think of the acreage we could put to use growing food - what a concept.

Last thought:

"It is far better to be an optimist and be proven wrong, than a pessimist and be proven right."

Enjoy the early spring!

A couple of new links:

www.farmvisit.com

In like a lion...

What a morning!! Guests awoke to a beautiful 6 inches of snow, clear blue sky, no wind and 30 degrees...a perfect late winter day. I am sure the skiing up at Wintergreen is about as good as it gets - they have had nice cold weather for making snow, but nothing compares to a new natural blanket!

It isn't going to last long enough to hurt the emerging flowers - I expect that when this is all melted in few days, the flowers will explode into bloom. And, if the month goes "out like a lamb" as the saying goes, we are in for a pleasant spring in a couple of weeks.

Our Spring Herb Festival will be Saturday May 9th, and the farmers markets will be gearing up in late April and May. But for now, anyone wanting to get a last ski in this season should come NOW! $125 any room, and a couple of really good breweries on the way up Afton Mountain to Wintergreen.

If you are planning to visit Monticello - the new visitor's center is FABULOUS. If you don't want to take the tour, do the hike (2 miles on a beautiful trail) that ends at the center, grab an espresso and a snack, then hike back down. Pretty in the snow, and in the spring!

Spring happenings...

It isn't even March yet, and crocus are all over the lawn! Daffodils, tulips and iris have started sprouting - and the pear trees have fat buds ready to pop in just a few weeks. This is a great time to visit Charlottesville - restaurants aren't too busy, weather is fair enough to stroll the Downtown Mall, and we still have winter special rates.

Scottsville has a pretty interesting bluegrass jam the second Friday of every month at Victory Hall. You never know who will show up, but it's always a good time if you like old-time music (actually, it's fun to people watch even if the music isn't your thing) and it is free - sponsored by the Scottsville Center for Arts & Nature. I am teaching an art class there - SCAN has big plans for this small town!

Call us for more interesting ideas of things to do - lots of free hiking, second-hand treasure stores, and free music nights can keep a weekend getaway affordable...splurge on a nice bottle of Virginia wine, and watch the sunset over the James this spring.

special winter things to do...

Here we are in the midst of that slow, sleeping time...but with our special winter rate ($125 any room)you'll be able to add a couple of extras to your itinerary. Winery tours continue to be our guests most popular daytime activity - and we have a few really special places within just a few minutes of the inn. Blenheim Vineyard is open now for tastings without an appointment - it has some of the best views around, and a woman winemaker to boot! First Colony has been getting good reviews lately from our visitors, and right next door to them is Michael Shaps' Wineworks...where you can really see how it's all done.

If you don't want to venture up to Charlottesville for dinner, we can arrange dining for you back here at the inn so your day can end up cozy and quiet - in front of your fireplace. Even without a full blanket of snow, the bare trees at sunset are a treat to enjoy from any room!

Our new website - and new photos of some of our favorite rooms willbe up and running in a couple of weeks...take a peek if you can't stand the wait before your visit.

GORGEOUS fall leaves, perfect weather - anyone who hasn't taken a fall getaway, it's really not too late...the past weekend was ideal, but we still have lots of color! No crowds at the wineries either - and some really good wines being served.

We went to Blue Mountain Brewery for a tasting and lunch last week - for just $5 you get a sampling of all 6 or 7 of their beers...it was WONDERFUL! I had a beer-poached and then grilled bratwurst from local pork producers extrordinaire Double H farm, for $8...yum. The food was great, the views pretty, and the beer was all fantastic - it was about a 30 minute drive west of here, through rolling hills and farmland. A great afternoon trip you could combine with a visit to the Greenwood Gourmet Shop (the best pumpkin selection I have ever seen, wonderful wines and interesting gifts) and the Greenwood Country Store (one of my new favourite second-hand treasure stores!)

AND...in just a few short weeks WINTER will be here, bringing in delicious cold weather good for the cozy in-room fireplaces, hot chocolate & holiday decorations. We had only one REALLY good snow last year - thank goodness we took pictures that day! In Vermont, where we spent the last five years prior to coming to Charlottesville, there is no rush to get out and take snow pictures the first time it snows...you will have months and months to get the cameras out for that perfect winter shot. In March though, we are glad to be in the south, with daffodils and crocus erupting here with the Northeast still buried in feet of snow. That said, the winter here is gratefully enjoyed by the sleeping garden - and our holiday decorations go up the weekend after Thanksgiving! Glorious Christmas trees, spicy scents from the kitchen, and candy surprises everywhere - and our winter rates of course... Starting in early December, our rooms are just $125 per night, any room! We will probably be planning a little something for New Year's Eve this year - stay tuned, or check in with us by early December for details.

For an old-fashioned holiday experience, come stay from December 19th through the 21st and see Scottsville's 'Festival of Lights' - our Victory Hall Theatre has plans to host a multitude of trees, each one decorated by a local merchant, school or citizen...and our town tree is also a special one this year...check back on December 7th for pictures of the tree lighting and the story of the tree. All month from Thanksgiving to Christmas, we can provide you with a map of our favorite off-the-beaten-path shops and a picnic lunch for a day of shopping. Come back to the inn and choose from a variety of papers, boxes and bows to get the wrapping done before you leave!