April

Well, April is almost over.....and we have had a busy month! We actually filled up last night!! It was a treat to put the "NO" out on our new sign. We have 7 rooms tonight, which is great for a Sunday in April. The weather is perfect....sunny and warm.....and is suppose to be all week. The flowers have started to blossom, grass is green. Nice.

My daughter in law, Aimee has a birthday tomorrow. I won't tell you how old she is (43). Ha! Of course, she looks 23.  For those of you who have not had the pleasure of meeting her....she is beautiful, brilliant, and kind. I am so happy to have her in my life.

Alicia came home this month too. It is a delight to have her back also.  We have a super crew here. No wonder folks return year after year. Not to mention the view! Speaking of view....Matt posted a picture of the Full Moon on facebook this week, and the Maine Office of Tourism shared it. As of this morning over 19,000 people had seen it!

Well, I must get back to laundry....the down side of being full! Sue

Gear Grab

  Hi All..it is me, Alicia I am back!!!  Yes I did have a nice warm Winter in Florida. It was crazy busy. I think I worked more down there than I do here. Terrence had a great Semester at School and will start back here in Harpswell tomorrow.
So many new changes at the Log Cabin. If you are a York Room junkie just wait until you see what is in store for you. A few of the major things is a new King Bed, new carpet and new Air Conditioning. Every Room has a few new items. I am anxious to get over to see the Harpswell Room with its new appliances, carpet, TV, etc. It may be awhile since the room is booked for 2 weeks with some of our very special yearly guests. Can you believe that we only have 2 openings next weekend, the Mt. Washington and the York both with King Beds and both a spectacular view of the Sunset.

Today the Log Cabin crew was out and about cleaning up the Shoreline of Harpswell. This cleanup is headed up by the Gulf of Maine Research Center and sponsored by many local business. The focus of the cleanup is to gather fishing gear, rope and trash that has washed up on the beach and shoreline. Some of the lobster traps get washed in by storms and the fisherman are not sure where they have gone. The gear that is salvageable is identified by the fisherman's license number and then returned to them. It was a nice sunny day but very windy and cold. This Florida girl wasn't ready for that, the first weekend home. It is a great family event and a way to give back to our fabulous community.

Before closing I should say that even though we are about 150 miles North of Boston we live in New England  and are saddened by the bombings and events that happened this past week. We can all share a story of someone we knew that  was at the Race or lived in or near Watertown. Our hearts go out to the families affected. We live in Maine but we are Boston Strong.

With Peace, Alicia

Thank You!

       Well, I am sitting at my desk at the Inn....looking out at our new sign! I know, it looks just like the old one.....but it is brand new! If you looked close at the old and new you could tell. This is just one of the new things here this year. We have done more renovations than in past years....and the place looks super!
    Now, this all happens because I am lucky enough to have a very talented family. Those of you who have stayed with us in the past know Matt and Aimee.  For those of you who do not know them, Matt is my son, and Aimee is his wife. Every winter they spruce the place up.....paint, clean, plumb....whatever needs to be done. Many of you have not met my other son, Adam. Adam is a carpenter (well, jack of all trades). He and our very good friend, Chuck have been here doing some rather extensive carpentry.....new windows, replacing siding, painting doors, jacking up the shed....as I write, they are outside doing some log work on the front of the building.
   I have to tell you, the four of them....Matt, Aimee, Adam and Chuck have done an absolutely superb job. They are all perfectionists, and it shows! I am so fortunate to have them all. Now, some of you are probably thinking.....sure, this is their Mom talking.....but, honestly, they are the best!
    So, I thank them all from the bottom of my heart. And, those of you who come to stay with us will enjoy all of their hard work.
   We are approaching 50% full now.....so call us if you would like to stay this season!

I must get to work now! Sue

What a difference a day makes!

So, I took this picture yesterday morning. That is Jim, Chuck and Adam frantically shingling  our middle building. See the blue sky? Sun? No snow?? Well, now 24 hours later and we are in the middle of a huge snow storm. They are predicting 1-2 feet of snow! Well, it is the last day of winter. Let's hope it melts in the next 2 weeks before we open for the season!

I know I have said this in previous blogs, but this year, we really went all out with renovations. And, we are not done yet! We should be ready if the weather cooperates more than it is today! All schools are closed, colleges closed, State Legislature closed.....There is one member of my family that is happy about the snow. My black Lab, Ebby! She jut loves it.

Spring tomorrow....yahoo. The spring bulbs have started to grow. But, I know from past years, the snow will not bother them. Been a long winter. The weather guy this morning said this will put our snow fall total to over 100 inches. Enough is enough. Bring on the sun!

Hope to see you all this season. All for now, Sue

The Sun is Out!

I have been very busy doing confirmations and taking reservations today. I just looked up and saw that the sun is out! We have not seen sun for a week. If you look really close, over by Harpswell ,there  is a lone scallop boat.  I am pretty sure that is Donnie, the guy we got all of our scallops from. Shrimp season and scallop season are coming to a close.  And, we are very close to opening! 30 more days!

We really have done a ton of work at the Inn this winter. And it is looking mighty fine. Of course, we always try to have it looking good. But some years need a bit more work than others. I ordered a new stove and refrigerator for one unit this morning.....some skylight blinds were ordered this week.  I think we are getting there.

Now if the weather would cooperate. Most of our snow has melted, but I just heard "plowable" snow in the forecast for Thursday. Let's hope we get rain. Frequently it will snow in Brunswick and rain here. The temperatures have been above freezing during the days even with no snow.

Hope you all are doing well. Just saw in the paper that the Dolphin Restaurant is opening the same day we are. And, Cooks restaurant is open also. Have not heard a date for the Cribstone or Giant Stairs grill yet....will keep you posted.

All for now,Sue

Big changes!

This week we installed some new windows and carpets. The top picture is the York room....and although you cannot see the little sitting room, for those of you who have stayed in the York room, the sitting area had a royal blue rug. That room also has a very heavy antique safe in it. For 33 years now, we have left that blue rug as we could not figure out how to move the safe to change the carpet! And, I must admit, I was attached to that rug. I realize that sounds odd.....but that was the original rug we put in in 1979 when we first purchased the Log Cabin. It was my son Adams bedroom (he was 7 years old at the time). Over the years it has been an office, a storage area, and finally a sitting room for the York room.  But, alas, we did move the safe and the blue rug is gone!

The bottom picture is the Sunset room. Look close.....there are no windows!! Again, we took the original windows out and put in brand new ones! I was not attached to the windows, so that is a good thing. Actually, my son Adam (remember it was his blue rug), installed the new windows. He is now 40!

Matt is busy with fixing, painting and repairing. Aimee has started to organize things so we can put the rooms back together again. 48 days until we open! The snow is quickly melting.....I actually saw some plants starting to pop up in the front of the Inn.

I can't wait to open. Hope to see all of you this year! Sue

Shrimp season

It is a beautiful calm, sunny day here on the island today. I know you can't tell from this pic (as I don't have a fancy camera), but there are 2 loons swimming by the buoy. And they are making a racket! They are enjoying the day as well. Although it is quite chilly today, my yard was also full of robins!

Now, yesterday was a different story. The wind was blowing a gale! And, since it was Monday, that was one of the two days the fisherman can fish for Maine shrimp. I still do not understand the theory behind this restriction!

So, between the drastic restriction on the total catch of shrimp this year (75% less than last year), and the weather, shrimp are hard to find. For many years Maine shrimp meat was $4.00/pound. Last year it went up to $5.50. This year they are selling it in local fish markets for $12.00/pound! I am not sure when the season will end, but probably quite soon. I usually complain when Neal cooks shrimp in our kitchen as they make a huge mess. This year,  I am cherishing every one.

So, the work continues on the Inn.....some new windows and carpet in the works. I will post pics of the progress.  We open in 59 days! Yahoo!!

All for now, Sue