Bailey Island Bridge

Here are some pictures I took this morning of the newly renovated Bailey Island bridge. The top one was taken from Garrison Cove (which by the way was where I learned to swim when I was six.....and where my Aunt ran the Square Deal restaurant for 40 years.....but that is another story). For those of you who do not know, the bridge has been under renovation for the past 2 years. They built a temporary bridge beside it, and are finally taking away the last of the temporary bridge now. The second picture is of the new steps that were constructed on the south end of the bridge (by the old Rock Ovens restaurant which was also in my family for decades). The last picture is standing on the south end looking out at sunrise.

I will be so glad when all of the construction trailers and equipment are gone. I ran the above mentioned Rock Ovens for several years, and have not enjoyed seeing what is such a beautiful spot all a mess.....which, I realize is inevitable with construction. I just have trouble looking at "mess", and will be glad to see it all gone. The "Rock Ovens" is suppose to reopen this year. It is no longer in my family, and I am not sure what is will be called, or exactly when it will open. It will be nice to have another restaurant on the island.

Well, it is Easter weekend. We have been open for 3 weeks now. The yard is looking great....green grass, daffodils blooming, almost time to go flower shopping! Must go do some Inn tasks.

Hope you are all well! Sue

Back for the Season

Hi all it is Alicia and after a Very enjoyable Winter I am back to the Log Cabin. The funny thing about this place it is like you never left. We have a full house tonight, not bad for the middle of April and only 42 deg out. The nice thing is that 7 out of the 9 rooms are return guests and we warmly welcome our new guests. Above I added a photo taken yesterday of the snow on the top of Mt. Washington in N.H. from the Inn.

The reservations have been steadily coming in this week. The amazing thing is that we have already booked 80 room nights for next year. Sue didn't even have a 2012 book started yet. If the Merriconeag Room is your choice for next Summer you should call now because it is taken July 22- August 13th of next year.

Returning after the Winter it can be what some people may think as a small thing that really excites me. Like after many many years with the same white Restaurant plates Sue got some jazzy new plates along with placemats and napkins. We also changed to a local organic coffee called Wicked Joe's it is surely a big hit. We are also sporting some fancy new aprons Sue got, see I told you it was the little things. The Inn just became Re Certified as an "Environmental Leader."
I will be whipping up some specials on the weekend like tonights Wild Salmon with Key Lime Butter Sauce.

Locally I am sad to have the Navy Base be decommissioned this May but am excited about all the new activity at the Base. The Base is now open to the public so you can drive right on and check it out. The 9 Hole Golf Course is still open and if you are so lucky to have your own plane you can now fly in to Brunswick and stay at the Log Cabin. The Runway is officially open for private planes, has fuel and rents hanger space. Stayed tuned for more activity.

Hope everyone has a great week.
Regards, Alicia

Return guests and garden angels

Well, we have been open one week now. What a change a week makes. Opening day, we had a huge snowstorm...today it is in the 60's and my "garden angels" are out working in the gardens. And, they are working in just a Tshirt! (Well, pants too.) The bulbs are up and starting to bloom. It is very exciting!

Two of our four rooms that are rented for tonight are "regulars".....guests that have been coming for years. I checked the computer this morning and one guest has come 21 times, and the other 17 times! Our return guest percentage is off the charts. So is the percentage of occupancy. I tell guests that I will print the next years reservation book when we open for the season. The first week we have already booked 58 room nights for 2012.

Matt put the outdoor furniture in place yesterday and 3 of the rooms have been enjoying their porches today. It is a wonderful life here at the Log Cabin. Bailey Island is certainly showing off her beauty today.

Perhaps I will go outside for a bit too! Sue

Open for the Season--31st year

Well, here we are.....first day of the Log Cabins 31st year......and another big snow storm. I say another, as we frequently have a storm the day we open the Log Cabin. It is kind of an island joke. Matt didn't find it a joke as he is driving the snow plow in the picture, and had to shovel all of the walks and decks. And it is a very heavy, wet snow. The good news is, it is letting up and turning to rain. The weather forecast for the next few days is in the 40's, so it should melt quickly. I wonder how my many little crocus are doing under there?

I have yet to walk through all the rooms as my niece, Dawn, is still doing her magic and last minute finishing touches. She has been quite busy with the redecorating. I am sure it looks great!

Our room rates have changed a bit for the first time in several years starting today. Each room will be an extra $10/night. With all expenses increasing each year, we needed to make a modest increase in prices. The price increase begins today (not on existing reservations).

Well, I must do some confirmations.....have taken many reservations this week.

Here's to a great 2011 season! Sue

Final week til we open!

Sorry for the late blog......you must have thought I fell off the earth! Well, I went to the "Southernmost Point" for 10 days. When I left there was a ton of snow at the Inn, so I had to import a last years picture for the blog. But, this morning I found our first crocus starting to bloom. Then I had to run around the yard to see what else was starting to grow. I just LOVE this time of year!! New growth, new start, new season.

So, after the yard inspection, I went inside to see all of Matt and Aimee's magic. The place looks super. I know, it always looks super when we are open. But, if you could see the work it takes when we are closed, you would appreciate it more. They are both perfectionists, and it shows. Thanks guys!

I spent several hours answering emails and phone messages and entering new reservations in the computer.

Our big news of the week, is our long awaited new web cam is up and running. Go to our home page, and click on web cam. It takes a second to load, and you only get to watch for 90 seconds at a time. We may adjust that, just have to see how it goes. We are streaming it on an outside server so it is a better picture. Very exciting!

So, this was a very happy day for me. New web cam, flowers coming out, Inn looks super.

Hope to see all of you this year! Sue

Spring is on the way!

I just could not help myself. The winter seems endless this year. So, I had to dig out a picture from last year. I cannot wait to start gardening! The flower catalogs are coming in, and these companies know that I cannot resist when it comes to plants!

I was just at the Inn cleaning up the office. Aimee has the gift shop all set up--it looks great. The gift show is this weekend, so I will go find some new items for the shop. I just love this time of year, when we put the Log Cabin back together, and it is all fresh and clean. Not sure how much of the yard we will be able to clean up. There are still snowbanks in places.

We are approaching 40% full for the season. Not bad for not even being open yet! So, if you have not reserved, give us a call!

All for now, Sue

Signs of Spring on Bailey Island

I decided to find some sign of Spring to post on the blog. Trust me, I had to look hard. Yesterday, I noticed buds on my brothers lilacs. I could not quite believe it. So, today, I went to the Inn to see if the bush there had buds as well. I had to climb a huge snow bank to get to the bush, and lo and behold, BUDS!!!! I guess that is what it means to be under a "blanket of snow". I am going to take this as a good sign that Spring will indeed be here soon. As I am writing this, the clouds are rolling in and a winter storm is on the way. There is question as to how much precipitation and if we will get rain or snow. I am hoping for rain!

The sparrows are nesting in the bird houses on the Inn as well.

The bottom picture is taken from the Harpswell Town House. As you can see, there is a lot of ice in bay still.

Funny how exciting a simple bud can be. Hope all is well with all of you. Sue