New carpets

This has been a productive week! We had new carpet installed in 2 of our rooms. As you can see in the pictures, the top one is Mt. Washington. The carpet was installed this morning. In the middle picture is Matts new furniture arranging job! I think he was quite creative! Not sure how he piled all the furniture into that little area by himself, but he did! Now, just to put it back. And, in the bottom pic, is the Wiseman, all put back together. We also carpeted what we call the "kids room", which doubles as our gift shop storage. And, one bathroom got new linoleum.

Aimee has also set up the dining room and gift shop! Now, I can walk in and smile. I really dislike it when everything is stripped and put away. So, we are close to ready and have 4 weeks left! Opening 4 weeks from today, April 6th.

I have taken over a dozen reservations this week as well. I can barely keep up with the phone and emails! This is a very good thing....well, unless you have not made your reservation yet.....rooms are filling up quickly!

Harpswell Town Meeting tomorrow. I will have to stop by for awhile and at least vote for selectman and road commissioner. The time changes this weekend as well.....so the sunset will be later. Check it out on our web cam!

Gotta go! 'Til next time, Sue

Not so extreme makeover

I caught Matt, Aimee and Daisy in the same room this week. Aimee is setting up the rooms for the opening, and Matt has been crawling in closets, eaves, crawl spaces all winter re-doing the plumbing. So, a good part of our winter "Makeover" will be unseen by most of you (unless you would like to go in the crawl spaces). We have replaced a couple room carpets, and some curtains as well. Some years require more renovation than others....some less. It is a never ending work order for Matt and Aimee to keep the Inn looking like we all want it to look. Thankfully, we are closed for a period of time to do just that!

Speaking of closed.............32 days 'til we open!!!!!!!!! Then my work begins....well, I am in charge of taking reservations in the winter--and that has been keeping me quite busy! But, I will be happy to be officially open, and interacting with guests in person instead of over the phone. Winter has been mild, as it has in a good bit of the country. We did just get a substantial snow storm this week, but it is melting quickly. The spring bulbs had already started to grow. I think the gardens will be ahead of schedule this year.

The Portland flower show is this coming week, and the New England Gift show is coming right up--sure signs of spring. The days are longer, and the sun is warmer. Come on spring! We are ready for another busy year!

Hope to see all of you! Sue

100 million pounds of Lobster

Yes, that is right.....over 100 million pounds of Maine lobster was harvested this season. That is a new record! For those of you who have stayed with us, you know how many traps are set right in front of the Inn. There are not many traps left in this bay in the winter, but a few brave souls do fish all winter....they just go further out. I do not think you will see any boats today however. As you can see from the picture I just took, it is very windy and rough today. The snow storm missed us.....well, I guess the storm did not really miss us....we just got rain instead of snow.

I went to Bath to lunch yesterday and ventured into a lovely gallery called "Markings". It is on Front Street in Bath, and features over 50 local Maine artists and craftspeople. There seriously was not one item in there that I would not buy. The whole gallery is chock full of beautiful items. I will be going back to get some treasures soon! Bath is a very nice city to walk through....lots of nice shops and restaurants.

Well, it is almost March! You know what that means.....we open in a little more than 6 weeks!!!! The official opening day is April 6th. I can't wait! Have a happy day! Sue

Harpswell Maine coastline

Bailey Island is part of the town of Harpswell, Maine. This confuses folks sometimes, as South Harpswell is referred to as Harpswell, and the "islands", Bailey, Orrs and Great are usually referred to as the "islands". But, the town does include both peninsulas. When I was a kid, you had to drive into Brunswick from the islands to get to South Harpswell. Now, there is a bridge connecting the 2 sides.

There are 216 miles of shoreline in Harpswell, more than any other town in the United States! Most of this is rocky, as you can see in the pictures. The town also has a very active Business Association (www.harpswellmaine.org). This web site shows the many things/businesses/services that the town offers.

One new business that is moving into the old BNAS, now the Brunswick Executive Airport, is Maine Midcoast Flight. This company offers scenic tours of the area, and is also a pilot training flight school. The company offers a variety of scenic flights, starting at $48/person. This would be a great way to see the town of Harpswell. Their web site is www.mainecoastalflight.com. Of course, just walking around town is a great way to see parts as well.

However you prefer, flying, boating, walking, driving.....Bailey Island and Harpswell is a beautiful area. If you have not reserved to come see us yet, please give us a call (207 833 5546). We open for the season April 6th!

'til next time, Sue

Gratitude

I just read a book about gratitude that made me think about all I have to be thankful for. As this is a Log Cabin Inn blog, I will concentrate on what makes me appreciate the Inn. These things are in no order of importance.....just random things that pop into my head.....

***The fact that my Mom was born and brought up on Orr's Island, and we have many generations of history here.
***That I grew up in the service industry, with my brother owning the Bailey Island Motel, and my Aunt the Square Deal restaurant....and I began working at both at age 12 (which, I cannot believe is almost 50 years of working in the service industry!)
***That my husband Neal thought we should buy the Log Cabin back in 1979 so I could continue in the restaurant industry (I argued that perhaps I would like to do something else with my life....but as usual, Neal won).
***That my brilliant daughter in law, Aimee, said she was tired of restaurant work back in 1995....prompting us to convert the then Log Cabin Restaurant into the Log Cabin Island Inn.
***That my sons, Matt and Adam, are multi-talented and have worked tirelessly over the years converting and renovating the Inn.
***That both Matt and Aimee have turned into fabulous Innkeepers (and have let me continue to work with them).
***That our "crew" has worked together for many, many years now, and contributed in so many ways to the success of the Log Cabin.
***That the Inn happens to be located in one of the most beautiful places on earth!
***That we now have hundreds of wonderful, repeat guests who we all treasure and look so forward to seeing and visiting with year after year.

So, from me to all of you, Thank You for blessing my life. I am one lucky girl! Sue

Fog

This kind of looks like the bridge to nowhere! Actually, it is the Bailey Island bridge, taken from the Bailey Island side. Once upon a time, when my Mom was young (prior to the 1930's), there was not a bridge at all! The only way across was by boat! And, back then, there was a bit of a feud between Orr's and Bailey Island. Those days are gone. Of course, I am a bit partial to Bailey Island.....

We have had a mild winter overall.....not much snow, not much severe cold. Today it is in the 40's, and the snow we have is rapidly melting. Personally, that is fine with me. The snow can stay in the ski areas! Speaking of skiing, Matt and Aimee have been taking Josh and Danny (and other Harpswell Island School kids) skiing at Lost Valley in Auburn on Friday nights. The boys are enjoying it! It is nice that there is a small ski area near by.

Spring is officially here in 56 more days....which, of course means that we open in 73 days! We are doing some repairs and painting....a couple new carpets, a few new curtains. This has been a relatively easy year for renovations.....well, not if you ask Matt! Poor Matt has been doing his least favorite job--plumbing!! He is re-plumbing everything that he can see....not a very fun or rewarding job, but a necessary one!

We are entering our 32nd year at the Log Cabin....15 as a restaurant, 17 as an Inn. Fortunately, all of us that are privileged to work at the Log Cabin, still love it.
We look forward to another season of welcoming back our repeat guests, and meeting some new ones! If you have not reserved, give us a call!

All for now, Sue

Snowstorm

Here in Maine, the local station, Channel 6, begins reporting at 4:30am daily. When there is a snowstorm, they send reporters all over the State to show how much snow there is. There is one guy, that reports from his kitchen table (complete with cats....but that is another story)....and he always claims to send his wife out with a ruler to measure the snow on the gas grill! So, I thought I would follow his scientific method of measuring. Looks like 7 inches and still snowing right now. Now, they predicted 1-3 and turning to rain. Our ground was completely bare before this storm. Hopefully, the northern part of the State is getting snow as well. They have had to cancel cross country skiing meets, snowmobilers are crying, and ski slopes sure could use it. And, my gardens love snow!

Maine shrimp and scallop season has begun. The season will be much shorter, and yes, the cost is much higher. But, oh, there is nothing like Maine scallops and shrimp. We are buying and freezing for our season (the season is over when we open).

There was no school today, so my grandsons, Dan and Josh came over to visit while Aimee did some work at the Inn. Now they are helping their Dad plow. I took my 2 labs out for a walk, and they were thrilled with the snow. It is pretty....if it would just shovel itself! I guess I will go make a path (or wait 'til Matt comes.....no, I will do it--he does have a bad back).

Hope you all are weathering the winter well.....we open in 84 days! Sue