Rotary & Roadtrip

Hello again, how are you this fine fall evening?  I can't believe it's been a week since I've posted, and I don't know why it's taken me so long, except that things have been pretty busy here at the Bevin House.  About a week ago we hosted the Rotary Club.  

It was so nice having Barbara from Chatham Caterers there because I barely had to lift a finger all night, and I could just drift around chatting with people and enjoying the ambiance.  

She also arranged for an Ice Cream Truck!  There's something so nostalgic and sweet about an Ice Cream Truck, and having one parked in your yard is just plain convenient.

We had the loveliest guests this weekend, and one of them kept encouraging me to head north toward Vermont for a better peek at some fall foliage.  I didn't make it to Vermont, but I'm so glad I checked out a couple of the other places he mentioned.  First stop, Yankee Candle Village.

This place is ridiculous.  Room after room of eye candy and the Christmas feels.

My favorite part was the Bavarian Village, which literally felt like walking into a snow-globe.

The sky is painted and lit to look like the night sky, and every 4 minutes... it snows.

The place just goes on and on, and I probably could've spent all day there, but I was eager to see more...

My next stop to check out the nearby Historic Village of Old Deerfield (which until talking to our guest, I'd never heard of, but I absolutely loved).  You can pay $18 to tour most of the historic homes in the village, about a dozen.  I opted to just tour the museum at the original Old Deerfield Academy, which had loads of cool exhibits and the nicest docents you'd ever want to meet.

This is the "Old Indian House" Door.  In 1709, Deerfield was attacked by the French and their Native American allies.  They killed 47 villagers and took 112 captives on a brutal march north.  Only 60 of those who were taken would eventually return.  

 

From there I did a walking tour of the rest of the town.

This house wasn't on the "historic walking tour," but I love all of their pumpkins and mums :)

And don't ask me the significance of this monument (made out of an old millstone).  I just liked it .

From there I really wanted to explore the Mohawk trail, which runs west to east at the top of Massachusetts, but I needed to make my way home through traffic for another check-in.

Later when I went to take out the trash I was delighted to see that there was at thick layer of fog all around the house.  Very atmospheric.

The next morning was another breakfast, and the departure of newly acquired friends.  This is John & Sue, who were in town for their daughters' wedding.  John came down early each morning for coffee and we had some lovely chats.  In fact, he's the guest who suggested the drive I took Saturday.  He also recommended a book about one of the captives, (which came in the mail today--I'm excited to start reading it, but I'm still wading through Uncle Tom's Cabin).

On Sunday morning even our guests had guests over for breakfast.  They were delightful to meet, and passed on the nicest compliments from other visitors.  Apparently The Bevin House is the talk of the town, and the talk is really good.

After my morning chores I slipped away for a bit to go to church.  I arrived a bit late and as I sat down, a nice lady immediately turned around to welcome me and introduce herself.  It happened to be the annual children's program, so that was sweet to watch, though it made me miss my niece and nephews like crazy.  Came home to do more laundry and chores, but also rested a bit, which I needed.

Bev & Mattie have returned for another extended stay, and they're always nice to have around.  The past 2 days have been a blur of cleaning, organizing, shopping, cooking, and laundry.  I actually like being busy, and I'm very happy the Inn is doing so well.  But most of all, I'm happy that my sisters are coming in... 2 days, 10 hours, and 4 minutes.  Not that I'm counting...